General d'Armee - Battle for Mont St Jean

Game at Mikes using General d'Armee and scenario from 100 Days 'Battle for Mont St Jean' simulating d'Erlons ill-fated assault at Waterloo.
All figures were Mikes (bar a few French skirmish bases I brought) and he set up the terrain using his excellent mats (I do so covet those !).
We diced for sides with Bryn and Simon controlling the British forces and Billy and I the French with Mike umpiring.
Last time I played GDA was June last year and it showed especially as had not had chance for more than briefest skim over (the chaps had not played for awhile either) and was relying (ha ha ha) on memory of using them.
Still despite not really knowing what we were doing rules-wise it was a good game with poor old d'Erlons force coming a cropper in face of British Infantry (Cavalry not part of this scenario - it would only have been worse) on ridge after plodding across table.
Not performing Charges correctly with regards support units as I forgot (Wargames 101) to physically move them in support of chargers meaning when we went through 'check-list' they were sitting back outside support distance despite having advanced across 4' of table arrayed just so as to take advantage of support rules whilst avoiding Massed Column target.
However I did managed somehow to recall that British foot 'winning' charge phase could counter-attack.
Simon did not use but Bryn did to hurtful effect on Billys units.
With a couple of Brigades Faltered and time moving on we called it a clear British win despite the central British Brigade melting away (2 failed Falter rolls).
The uniqueness of d'Erlons assault formation is maybe (without a specific scenario rule) tad hard for GDA to replicate with its Stop-Go movement system.
In GDB one could simply give all his Brigades Assault Orders from get go but in GDA the system of ADCs and rolling to Activate Brigades every turn makes it hard to keep his units in the rather monolithic massed formation, hard to say definitively on one play of scenario and without fully grasping rules.

I had also forgotten how much I like many aspects of GDA with the excellent Charge and Outcomes tables, straightforward shooting and moves and nice 'Napoleonic' feel to proceedings overall.
The kind of arbitrary ADC/Orders system not my favourite aspect but generally it works in the game.





French advance begins (note 'perfect' deployment re supports/mass !)

British left commanded by Simon (some blokes in white uniforms standing in as Brits)

Bryn on British right as Billys skirmishers appear

Billys Brigades approach (again set up 'perfectly' !)

Billy had a 3rd Infantry Brigade as an on-table reserve but we both totally forgot about it (theme of the night) as it was marked by paper in lieu of figures (damn British ruse !)

Bryn relaxed as his troops 'hug' the reverse slopes with only guns and skirmishers showing

Brigade in British centre was soon to melt way (IIRC after loss of gun battery ?)

Simons Brits doing same Reverse Slope hugging action.

View across Billy and Bryan area of contention with Mikes excellent La Haye Sainte in distance (not actually part of this scenario - a larger version includes farm)

Simon and I discussing the finer points of Deployments and Off Table Reserves (another rule we got wrong as they should have been treated as Reinforcing Brigades). 

Sharp Practice a Napoleonic skirmish.

Game at Bryns War Shed last night with Billy.
We were using Sharp Practice (Bryn prefers original to version 2) with some very nice 28mm Napoleonics.
























I was defending British with a Company (3 'Groups') of Regular Line and four 'groups' of Riflemen supported by 1 Light Gun.

Bryn and Billy attacked with French with (I think) 2 Line Companies (5 'Groups') 4 Skirmish units and 2 Light Guns.
British were nominally defending a central farm area.

Riflemen on my flanks suffered (especially from Billys dice) and two units were soon reduced and Retiring.
Whilst my cannon dealt out a lot of Shock it failed to kill many men (2 I think all game).
As game ended the French had not actually gotten into the farm partly due to a sacrificial charge by my Regulars, but were certainly on its verges and British casualties were now very heavy and withdrawal of survivors would have seemed prudent.

Lovely figures from Bryns collection which I believe are a mix of plastic Warlord and Metal Front Rank with one or two odds and sods ?.

Have only played Sharp Practice once before (and that was 2nd version) but Bryn supplied a copy of the QRS so had bit of an idea of rules systems (lot of it is 'standard' Lardy).
Some difference in cards from V2 but otherwise similar game.

The Line units can form into actual Line/Column formations rather than the default 'Group' whereas Light Infantry Skirmishers simply skirmish.
Formations give some benefits (spread of Shock inflicted, single order to Activate) but are unwieldy and can be out shot by Light Infantry types.

Lots more to rules than we used with a mass of character enhancements and abilities for the 'Big Men' and of course being TFL set some stuff not really defined such as gun arcs of fire, when to count enfiladed, which can lead to discussion during game, I would rather have a simple definition to save 'debate' time.

But overall a good gaming experience and I would be tempted but do not wish to start another scale as despite figures being highly paintable it would mean acquiring and storing new terrain and suchlike.
A few small forces in 15mm for ACW might be a possibility, he says knowing it will never happen !!





British gun defends on left with Riflemen at hedge line

More Riflemen

French advance

First shots exchanged

Bryns Regulars start to form as his Light Infantry skirmish with mine

British Regulars advance to farm

Billys command with 2 guns

French skirmish from orchard

Great field of fire for British gun

British deploying into farm

And form Line Formation

Riflemen advance to support gun

French guns unlimber and Regular form up

Riflemen start to take Shock and casualties

Pressure mounts on my right flank

Line try to hide from French cannon but length of formation makes this difficult

Left flank heavily engaged

Malburian game with Black Powder

Game at Billys tonight with Bryn and Shane using his excellent 15mm Malburian troops and Black Powder rules (they use original version).
Big game with 8 Allied Brigades against 6 Franco-Bavarian Brigades.
Franco-Bavarians (Bryn and Shane) where set up in nice defensive posture behind a shallow with a few walled areas as well and some 'Forlorn Hope' units of dismounted Dragoons occupying 3 Town areas across the river.
Billy took the British contingent with a Danish Brigade whilst I commanded a Dutch and a German Infantry Brigade with 2 Brigades of Dutch Cavalry.
Being Black Powder it was a fun fast and furious game with Allies coming a cropper on the river banks and being overwhelmed on our left by 2 large French Cavalry Brigades.


For the period I personally would have a couple of house rules especially regarding shooting ranges and arcs of fire, and I still dislike the standard Black Powder charging through units system.
Billy had given Platoon Firers +1 dice shooting which is quite powerful (at least potentially !) I would have made a bigger difference between 'Shock' doctrine Cavalry and 'Firepower' doctrine but not sure how best to do so ?

One nice house rule chaps use I would use for all games is that Cavalry that charges takes a minimum of 1 hit (to reflect Blown Horses) which works quite well meaning mounted essentially only have 1 fresh charge per game.
The game certainly flowed well with minimal issues arising despite ALL of us forgetting the -1 to Command Rolls when close to enemy !!!

One odd occurrence I have not seen before was a unit charging but being forced to do a Break Test from Closing Fire and being destroyed but this has no effect on nearby friends, whereas if it had closed to combat and been destroyed all nearby friends would suffer a Break Test.
Seemed tad odd but maybe with the brutality and all or nothing nature of Break Tests its just a game balancing issue ?
Easy to house rule of course and bend things to your own ideas for any period (pretty much as I do for FOB).





Dutch horse on right wing with German Infantry

Dutch Infantry in centre

Billys Brits on our left

Centre of French deployment

Shanes formidable defence lines (Brigade of Swiss in red)

Dragoon unit in town which took 5 turns to be turfed out by Dutch Guard !!

Approaching town on right

Billy advances but note massed French mounted array on their left.

The Franco-Bavarians (Shane and Bryn)

Overview of Allied centre and left

Assault goes in on town

And I try to turn French left

Bavarian Infantry move to support their left wing

Still fighting for that damn town !!

Game tomorrow evening at Le Ducs with Mr B using his 10mm WW3 kit and Seven Days To The Rhine rules then its Battle of Kolin with Warfare In Age Of Reason rules at Mr B's on Thursday and Elimination Club begins again in Friday, tis a hard auld life being retired and a war gamer :-)

  

Combat HQ rules first try

Game at Mikes with Tuesday night chaps (Mr B also attended) using Combat HQ rules.
I have had these since publication but never had opportunity to try.
Mike had set up a simple encounter game with US versus Germans in 1944, using his excellent 15mm kit and terrain, which equated to roughly a reinforced Battalion per side (unit stands are Platoons)
As game was catering for 6 players (Billy, Bryn and Simon also) we did not use spotting or blinds rules to make things easier.
An interesting set that plays nice and smoothly.
Bit like CoC in that you use dice to generate Orders with Staff Dice (assets essentially), whilst the combat systems are reminiscent of BKC/IABSM, although I am not a huge fan of buckets of dice armour vs firepower for tanks but it works at scale of game.
For instance the M10 fired with 7 (8?) hit dice needing a 4+ (varies of course) vs a Stug IIIG armour of 8 dice 'saving' on 4+ (5+ if suppressed), if firer scores more 6s than defender then this causes a suppression even if all hits 'saved'.
I had control on our left of 2 PzGr Coys (one in Sd251s) a Puma Plt, a Stug Plt and 2 PzV Plts of which the Panthers and foot Grenadiers started off table in reserve (a function of Staff dice is to bring on reserves).
I faced Bryn who had 2 M5, 3 Shermans and 2 Infantry Coys (I think).
Billy was on right with Simon in center in overall Command (ie controlled Staff orders).
They were faced by Mr B and Mike respectively.
Dice rolls decide how many Orders you get with 1s being dud and 6s being 'Wild Dice' (ie can substitute for other dice) and can be grouped into like numbered 'chains' that allow multiple actions.
A Command Group is up to 4 stands one of which is designated temporary leader.
Groups can only be activate once per turn (but can Opp Fire in enemy turn if not fired) but if chain used can perform multiple orders.
Activation is alternated between sides with assets such as Artillery being used at start of 1st friendly activation.
Movement is a fixed amount with a variable D6 added/halved/doubled (depending on unit type) and can be fairly large if chain used.
My Puma has a 6" fixed move with D6x2 variable for being fast (and maybe a 3" bonus on a road) so with a double chain used and high variable rolls it was able to zip along 27" on road on opening move.
Puma and Stug took up covering positions near farmhouse (an objective) to cover river crossing whilst Armoured PzGr advanced on left.
Bryn had a large hill a wood and some high hedges on his side so was able to approach out of sight.
I then got Simon to issue a Staff Order to bring on my Panther Coy which put the 'willys' up Bryn !
US artillery however gave my Inf a pounding and so Panther forged ahead on my left to intimidate the Yanks.
Stug and an M10 duelled all game failing to do more than Suppress each other.
My Panther killed one Sherman and forced an M5 to fall back but I then lost one to Bazooka fire as my infantry support was stripped away.
In center Simon slugged it out at distance and multiple artillery stonks with Mike.
Billy and Mr B had a ding dong Infantry battle in a town area.
Good game in good company once again and an intriguing rule set that I must delve into more, one of nice aspects to playing with new chaps is using untried/different rules.




View from table center (Simons PzIVs push forward)

Bryns force approaches

Billys Infantry occupy town

Gepanzert Coy moves (Panthers and other PzGr are off-table with their activation dice)

Stug advances along road (green marker for having activated/moved)

Simon occupies a field (red marker is suppression and yellow is point of aim for US artillery

Panzers vorwart !

Bryns tanks cowering (yes cowering like girls !!!)

Mike take central town

Mr B advances against Billys positions