Regimental Fire & Fury at Elimination Club

Game with ever excellent Regt F&F tonight at club.
Billy brought along a scratch force of Yanks and Rebs (3 Brigades aside) for a quick outing with rules.
He had used these Brigades in a Stones River game so already labelled up.
Somewhat surprisingly the rules worked really well for such an ad hoc non-scenario game.
Maybe not 'balanced' but fun anyhow.
Billy and Paul controlled the Yank force and Hugh (on first visit to club) and I the Rebs.
I had a Brigade of Veteran and Crack units backed by 3 guns which faced one of Billys 2 Brigades on our right.
Hugh faced the other two Brigades with 2 of ours on left and center.
Very quickly got into swing of system and we got to grips fairly quickly.
I charged two units of Crack Rebs supported by a Veteran in a large Green unit of Yanks also supported.
Billys defensive fire done absolutely nothing and it looked grim for the boys in blue.
However I managed to roll a 1 whilst Billy rolled a 10 and my units bounced off in melee Disordered.
This was high water point for Billy units though as after Rallying I came in again and this time Billy had awful rolls throughout shooting and combat seeing his unit Swept From The Field, broken and indeed spent.
They then rolled awfully again and Routed taking catastrophic losses and his flank collapsed.
Paul had a ding dong with Hugh in a wooded area gaining marginal upper hand but fresh Reb units on hand.
Billys losses were so severe we called the game with Yanks withdrawing.
Great stuff with a fine set of ACW rules that were also fairly easy to teach to 2 new players.
My only real 'beef' is that you need a ton of stands to play the game properly but certainly looks the part when so many on table

Also on going at club was a game of Flames Of War involving several players, with some fielding freshly painted/acquired units.
Not my cup of tea at all (FOW way too much 'game' and too little history for my tastes) but the chaps certainly had fun (beating Bryn may have been main reason ?) which is what it is ultimately about.

Trust me they are actually having fun !!

Regimental Fire & Fury - Caseys Redoubt scenario played

Group get together today (our Twelfth celebration) at Johns using Regimental Fire & Fury again this time 'Caseys Redoubt' scenario.
I along with Richard (roll a 10) took control of the Federal forces which were mostly green but in defence of said redoubt.
We had a 'drip-feed' of separated reinforcements coming to our rescue.
John and Stephen P (the Robust one) and Le Duc (donning a silly hat and  some weird accent) took the Rebs with Stephen B once again taking umpiring duties.
Another excellent game with this rule set.
Lots of units charging, falling back, carrying the position or being rebuffed and all very ACW.
The Green status of Union troops hurt them as usually going Disordered from shooting.
Rebs had mainly trained but with a smattering (3 ?) of Veteran units.
This being early war period several units on both sides were rather large (12-16 stands).
Rebs assaulted from the get go pushing Union troops from forward positions.
However several Union units in extended Line took several turns to overcome and the Rebs were rebuffed at all but one section of the Rifle pits.
The fragmented Union reserves appeared on either flank shoring things up somewhat but the Rebs had a large superiority in numbers which began to tell.
Union heavy losses were at 38 stands lost the Rebs at 52 so despite almost 1 for 1 in casualties the Union suffered the -1 Heavy Casualties modifier to Movement by about turn 7
The game was scheduled for 12 turns but we only managed 8 (?).
It was declared a draw as too hard to be sure the Rebs could secure the Redoubt before a sizeable Union Brigade would arrive straight into their left flank on turn 10.
Richard and I therefore claimed a moral victory.

Some throwaway comments today (those publishable at least !)

"That area with 4 trees is 7 Pines"
"Those low fences are the high fences"
"You pull them off to get it in" (I dont even know what this was in relation too !!!!!!)

Great game in great company with good rules and usual great hospitality.






At start

The Redoubt and Rifle Pits

Rebs set up in Broken Ground (felled trees and brush)

The weak Union right

Rebs have pushed back initial Union line

Rebs assault gathers pace and numbers

Reb guns move up

Union troops redress to right

Just in time as another Grey Tsunami floods forward

Crikey there are lots of them !

Clash in woods on Union right so many Rebels

Rebs failed to take rifle pit areas on left flank but did push past through woods

Seven Pines (with 4 trees)

Union right in somewhat of a mess after being pushed back

Large Union Regiment shores up left flank

Contest for Redoubt continues

Salem's Church scenario with Regimental Fire & Fury

Group game at JBs yesterday using the excellent RFF rule set.
SB & JB had set up a scenario centred around battle at Salem's Church during Chancellorsville campaign.
JB and I took the Rebs who had initially superior strength but only 1 active Brigade (other not released until turn 4) against an ever growing Yankee array.
Feds also had a hill to their rear with two Artillery batteries which could issue 'Plunging Fire' across the area of thickets to bombard Rebs.
RM (who seemed to have assumed 'dice demon' duties for the day !) managed to disorder his targets and also take off 5 stands (lots of 9 and 10 rolls).
I had command of the active Reb Brigade (sorry I cant recall the various Brigadiers names although I think McCaws was overall commander) and decided to take it to the Yanks preferring to fight well forward of their objectives (which is distinctly not like me I know).
I had mixed fortunes with one assault repulsed another sweeping away the enemy (and a 'discussion' about the Cold Steel rule in the system and its  relationship to the game vs history).
This is a feature of RFF as unit fortunes can ebb and flow with Regts being soundly beaten or so it seems only for them to Rally and return to fray all very ACW.
Units in this scenario were fairly large on both sides being mostly 10-14 stands with Rebs having a few more Veteran units and one Crack (of which more later) so were fairly durable.
Union reserves appeared (including DG 'Le Duc' himself) at a steady rate and were initially drawn to my flank thwarting any chance I had of bursting from the thickets to threaten the hill.
Once our remaining 3 Brigades were released it turned into a major slug fest right across the battlefield, inevitable die to terrain and lack of room to manouvre.
I had one Veteran unit charge to its doom after repulsing 3 Union units it was then attacked on 3 sides and broken after losing a whopping 6 stands (although it did rally it remnants later).
I managed to push Wilcox Brigade (I do remember one !) through in the centre temporarily but Union numbers were growing and Reb casualties mounting.
We reached our Heavy Casualties level first so suffered a -2 to Maneuver rolls from then on.
JB on my right was involved in a more measured encounter with SP but again Union reserves arrived  to stymie any Reb breakout.
Things went awry in centre when I managed to get my Crack (several double entendre about this !) unit into combat with plenty of support against a Disordered but supported Union Regt and managed to amass a +6 combat advantage.
However.............I then rolled a 3 giving me a total of 9 but the 'temporary' dice demon then rolled a 10 repulsing my lads, more of a Rebel Whimper than a Yell.................
I was then hors de combat (ie I had to leave) so failed to see final outcome but Union had upper had only thing in doubt was if they could physically reach the original Reb lines.

Great game, great company and excellent hospitality what more could a simple little wargamer ask for......................................

The cast:

Union
RM - Richard Murphy
SP - Stephen Pollock
SB - Stephen Brittain (temporaily/umpire)
DG - Darren Graham

Confederates
JB - John Brittain (host)
and yours truly
SB took over once I left



The initial set up from Union end

And the Confederate lines beyond the thickets

Yanks advance

Only the Rebs on right were active initially

Good view of the thicket area (broken ground with only 4" visibility within)

Static Rebs await

RM conducts the Union flow

Assisted by SPs arms

My left flank spoiling attacks go in

As rest of Rebs 'wake up' around church

SP and JB go at it

Lots of Yanks appear to stop my advance (I have drawn them in JB go for it !!!)

Going for it............sort of

My isolated unit pushing forward in centre with erstwhile supports lagging behind

This is not 2 Union units firing on each other (upper right) it just my unit used to be in between them.....................

I push in centre now.

As the gentlemanly war continues on my right as my Crack unit (partially visible on left) prepares to utter its 'whimper'.

Reb high water mark as more Union troops arrive

Left to right SB - DG - RM - SP - JB

Umpire umpiring

JB rueful as the day seems lost..................