Field Of Battle 3 - Weissenfels scenario (and a purchase)

Game with Stephen today using GDA scenario Weissenfels with French attacking Russians across river and my always favoured Field Of Battle rules.

This is a rather tough task for French as only three crossing points (two bridges and a ford) for non-skirmishers despite having greater numbers of troops.

I did launch several 'Forcing A Passage' attacks but all were initially beaten off with several of my units being routed (Stephens melee dice were pretty good) including my best unit the Baden Dragoons !

I did eventually manage to take the two bridges but Army Morale losses were such that my morale pool had dwindled and I quit the field on first eligible Army Morale roll (Russians had 5 Morale remaining out of 21 with 3 'gifted' by French from their 30)

As usual with FOB this was a slick fast playing game full of incident and key rolls, not much manouvre due to the choke points but still good stuff and completed in reasonable playing time.

Baden Dragoons routing back across bridge after nasty Russian musketry, they did rally but Infantry had taken bridge by then so took no further part in proceedings.

French Legere unit skirmishing at river (it took ages to get them across)

All three crossings contested but still in Russian hands

To Force A Passage (if Russians defending bridge exit) French had to form into March Column but were allowed to charge into contact (normally disallowed to March Columns) 

French foot in all sorts of traffic jams until a crossing can be captured

Overview from French right

French forming for another assault

Another unit repulsed at second bridge (Artillery support unable to effect enemy)

More routing French as Russian artillery battery arrives

A tough nut to crack

French never made much headway at the ford despite several attempts, the Jager here were very tough

Cossacks on Russian left forced to retire as a small French battery engaged them. Their Leader went Hors De Combat at one point but they did their job holding off my skirmishers (I do not allow units in skirmish to come within 1 move segment of mounted) 

And a final birthday purchase (61 yikes !!!!!) arrived as well.

Will I play them who knows but nice to have a lite option for skirmish level games.

  

Vassal - Commands & Colors - Ticinus River game completed (and a purchase)

Another Commands and Colors Ancients game on Vassal versus Mike completed with a victory for my Romans (on a roll at present) at Ticinus River.

I was lucky early on to get a card that boosted my medium cavalry and allowed me to inflict a good deal of hurt on Cartho heavy cavalry force and thereafter it was a matter of picking off light units.

Mike was pretty unlucky with his attacks overall despite having superior force and three generals

Next up is Battle Of The Trebbia with this light but fun C&C system

End of battle 

Also ordered new edition of Chain Of Command despite not being a set I overly enjoyed (preferring IABSM) but new changes do sound positive and anyhow its another set of shiny new rules :-)

New rules…….oh shiny……….. Battle Command Ancient and Medieval

 

Just bought new set just out from Piquet stable well in fact latest in Battle Command series, I mean how could I not and was it ever in doubt !?

PDF version as over $120 for hard copy from USA (over half in postage !) so will need to print off cards (not too onerous as only 8 or so per side)

Hope to get a gander later.

A new set of old rules - WRG 1925 to 1950

Updated/'new'/revised version of venerable WRG 'Wargames Rules for Armoured Warfare At Company and Battalion Level 1925 to 1950' arrived today (forgotten I had ordered these).

Only had brief skim through but essentially seem to be a meld of original set with parts of the 'Modern' (at least they were then !) set covering 1950-1985 along with some other ideas from author (Bill Farquhar which I believe is a pseudonym) with revised armour classes.

Spotting is now deterministic rather than old set ranges but to hit system and converting hits to kills seems similar, though I do see mention of pure Suppression fire (hit points and area based) that I do not recall from early set.

For example the sequence of play now resembles the modern set

No QRS included (boo) but one is available from the Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/949803497279917/) as is link to Lulu print (rules £9.99 plus P&P) 

Will have to give them a good read through and a playtest at some point as nostalgic connection to original set.

 

Field Of Battle 3 - Ramillies in 10mm with son (and an ode to FOB)

Big lad Steven over from England with us again (Grandads 80th) so managed to set up and play a FOB3 (the gift that keeps on giving) game using my 10mm Malburian stuff and the Ramillies scenario I had used previously.

Steven chose the Allied force under Marlborough and I took the French and we used broadly historical deployment.

Great game that saw us both lose all our Morale but with my lot failing their Army Morale on second test.

Highlights were my right wing crushing the opposing Allied horse (4 units destroyed) but being unable to exploit this gain due to lack of move opportunities despite also routing the redoubtable Dutch Foot Guards (buggers came back fully rallied later) !

On Allied right the English contingent lost their general early on which thwarted any progress by them, but their guns did truly terrible damage on my foot Regiments across the Petite Gheete area routing several units which failed to Rally.

In center it was an attritional 'ding dong' of a battle with Allies taking Ramillies itself, then French retaking half (it was 2 x BUA) then losing this again in short order. 

French were just beginning to at last turn the Allied left and were advancing across the Gheete when the Army Morale came into effect and ended proceedings. 

Super stuff once more and so easy for Steven to pick up and play.

French left behind Petite Gheete (a class II stream within another area of Class II rough), note British units all in disorder as Orkney is hors de combat (he did come back later)

Central action around Ramillies starting

French are ascendant on right (last Allied horse in diffs with Swiss foot to rear)

Alied horse have charged into contact to their doom on my right 

Steven in command

French baggage camp on right was thankfully never threatened (+5 Morale to Allies if taken)

.....................................................................................................................................................

Just a little insert to state (as if it were not obvious) how much I have enjoyed the Field Of Battle series of rules over the years, after catching the system 'bug' with original Piquet rules.

For me such a satisfying blend of playability, and historical flavour with the 'chaos' (for want of a better word) factor that I prefer overall in my gaming (be it via Pip dice, cards or whatever) which I can tweak to my hearts content without ever really breaking things and I bought in fully to the design premises clearly stated by authors (Bob Jones and Brent Oman)

I can honestly say I have never had a 'bad' game using FOB despite my dice often trying to spoil things for me !

Piquet in particular was a rather 'Marmite' set (players seemed to either love or hate with a passion) which I get to a degree with randomness of cards, the multiple dice types, and ever changing initiative system, but then several other rule sets are treated similarly (I know some that detest Black Powder or WRG style).

FOB toned down/'balanced' things a good deal with equal initiative and card runs whilst retaining same basic combat systems and simplifying system overall.

I get that some players can feel a lack of control ('the game is playing me, its not me playing the game !") with card/initiative randomness especially compared to more traditional sets, I guess your pays your money and takes your choice/variety is the spice of life as you play the hand you are dealt.

But I always feel games play out 'historically' (such a subjective thing in wargaming) overall feeling much more like battle accounts I read with the inherent unpredictability of events and action and yet in a fun and often exciting way.

I of course enjoy several other other sets of rules for differing reasons but always find I am comparing the experience of using them to FOB and it is usually my go to set nine times out of ten for horse and musket period.

The current 'King of the Hill' for me 

Having de-throned this edition mainly by streamlining rather than very radical change.

I played and loved initial version but soon superseded by V2

The pre-cursor to the above which retained more of original Piquet style

The latest progression of the system with new cards and initiative, which I just have not played as much (find it harder to teach and use for multi-player and to tweak) although possibly a 'better' two player game experience as less 'dead' cards in a much smaller deck (23 cards now a mere 8).

The original core rules I used (think around 1993 ?) which were a radical change in game style to what I had been using ie the old school 'you go - I go' types which have their attractions but I find rather less exciting.

Honourable mention must go to the WW2 set which I have played sparingly, as whilst I love the concept and playability I have found it a struggle to find/organize suitable scenarios 

Emperor of the Battlefield test game

Tried out Emperor of the Battlefield rules today at Stephens with his French facing my Prussians (550pts each).

I do not have the rules (but have played authors SYW set - King of the Battlefield) and Stephen not played them before (hence the play test) so a few things to absorb especially re the set up and deployment of forces which is quite involved (roads entering table more important than in most sets).

Forces are very like standard Shako with each player fielding a roughly a Corps (4-6 Infantry Divisions and/or Cavalry Brigades) and indeed 15mm unit sizes are same as in Shako (ie 2 stand units each stand 40mm wide) which perfectly suits our armies.

System hinges around Morale Tests which occur as the (only) result of declaring a shooting target or units engaging in close combat (unusual use of a D8 counting positive and a D6 counting negative along with various modifiers to generate an result) with failed tests generating a Waver marker.

Combat/shooting potentially very bloody as most units Rout upon suffering 2 Wavers (1 for Raw and 3 for Guard) and are removed but can cause cascading morale tests on any units routed through. 

Another interesting facet is charges can be preceded by a preparatory firing phase in attempt to force target to temporarily 'flinch' (minus factor in any ensuing combat).

Formation changes require a Control Test (modified 4+ on a D10) to be successful.

Several optional rules (we did not use any) covering an Orders system and Rallying Router and suchlike.

All in all a interesting set with decent unit interactions and points system (if you like that sort of thing) but lacking army lists and any national traits (again if you like that sort of thing).

Believe they were used at recent Warfare show for a small competition and they seem well suited to such.

Only real criticism is that the QRS and the rules seem to be at odds on couple of things but nothing major.

Liked them enough to order a set although was it ever in doubt I could resist !!?? 

Only couple of pics as busy trying to fathom how things worked

Back cover

The busy life of a Wargamer in retirement with a bit more solo dabbling, some Pbem and missing pics.

Been dabbling and dibbling again this last few days with various board Wargames but also made a couple of purchases (!!) and did manage to play a minis game but photos seem to have gone AWOL ?

On board Wargame front I set up (always prefer physical game to Vassal as excellent as that is) and played through several turns (up until I realised Axis were stuffed in late 1943) of WW2: Barbarossa To Berlin a CDG type I have always enjoyed.

Then I got Battle of Britain onto table this being the Plastic Soldier Company version (bought a while back for bargain £15) of an old TSR game (which I own). 

A fairly simple but quick playing game. 

Ironically despite being by PSC the plastic aircraft are rather underwhelming so I used those from old TSR version as these are much crisper castings.

On Pbem front game of No Retreat! The Russian Front continues with German (moi) Turn 3 having just ended. 

Ivans (Mike) looking rather thin on ground but they will have 6 cards in their part of turn to 'spend' to restore units and they have a few reserves arriving as well so should look better for them.

I also played with Stephen a Napoleonic minis game using the superbly priced (ie free) Valour & Fortitude Rules for a bash with my Prussians against his French. 

Stephen used an old (V1) GDB scenario based on action at Gross-Gorschen 1813. 

This was mainly to try out a couple of house rules concerning Open Order units as we don't like how they play as written and are trying to make them more akin to pure Skirmish formation. 

Went well but I whilst I took photos they seem to have gotten deleted from my phone/Google account accidentally I assume. 

The rules (and other stuff) are downloadable at https://www.perry-miniatures.com/valour-fortitude/vf-rules/

And then I bought a couple of items the first being the long awaited second edition of General D'Armee by Dave Brown which is a pre-order due 4th of March or so.

Also made an EBay purchase of one of the expansions for Fire In The Lake game namely 'The Fall Of Saigon 1972-1975' a title I have been on lookout for to expand this hugely enjoyable COIN system game.