Maurice a wee bit more

Played through another few phases of Maurice today.
Several volley phases conducted and Charges to see how these worked.
Potentially rather bloody/decisive is the answer.
In firing a 4 base unit rolls 2D6 per base needing a basic 4+ to hit (some modifiers plus possible card effects) any hits are then rolled again to cause Disruptions on target (based on unit quality with 3+ fr Conscripts, 4+ for Trained and 5+ for Elites).
If rolling for both is high then possible to blow a unit away in one swoop (Regular units are broken upon 5th Disruption), or conversely low rolls mean few hits/disruptions.
Generally I found 1-2 hits an average so after 3-4 rounds a unit most likely broken if not rallied.
One can use a Rally action to try to roll off Disruptions.
Charging is an action (at least half a formation must get into contact but rest can move up in support) and fairly simple to resolve.
Any contact is a melee and units within 1BW can sometimes be included if to your front. This can lead to outnumbering modifiers for either side.
Several cards can modify Combat, I used 'Grenadiers Forward' for an Austrian charge which gave any friendly Infantry a +2.
Each unit on a side calculates their Combat Value which is sum of modifiers plus basic value (4-8 depending unit Class/Type) plus 1D6 roll, which is noted (by use of dice) beside each unit (bit like Shako system).
Defenders check outcome first which are based on 'equal or more', 'less but not doubled' and 'doubled' type outcomes each of which generate 1-2 Disruptions or an auto-break.
The attacker then does same but on equals take 2 rather than 1 Disruption.
If units still in contact  an attacker must Fall Back 1BW and one needs to be careful that supports not too close as interpenetration in rules cause Disruptions on units.
If a unit is broken it is removed and a D6 rolled to see how many Army Morale points are lost, ranging  from 1-3 for loss of Regulars with Artillery possibly costing no morale loss.
One note re Irregular type troops is that they do not contribute to Army Morale level (unless Feudal type army ie Ottomans) but do count against Morale losses if broken, so whilst cheap and cheerful they can be liability.
All in all rather impressed with system, abstract in many ways yes but playable, quick and fun with more period flavour than is at first apparent.
Very much of similar complexity/scope to Field Of Battle, Die Fighting or Might and Reason rules.

Looking forward to trying out my SYW Russians against Stephens Prussian ubermensch on Thursday.

Struggle for the hill with both forces showing gaps in lines after volleying and charging

Cavalry melee which saw both sides lose a unit

NPWS Vassal game 1706 turn complete

Just finished 1706 turn of my ongoing game versus Norman and what a year it was !!!
Things started on the up for Allies with Savoy changing sides but sadly no VP for newly 'acquired' Forts.
Both sides then built up forces and placed reserves and yet again the Toulon Fleet was launched at full strength to contest the Med (can't fault the French for trying)
Eugene also came back into play at Vienna to scare off looming Bourbon armies nearby.
Hostilities opened with Eugene attacking French at Linz (who failed to be re-inforced by the Elector) and gave French a bloody nose but got a black eye ( 8 vs 6 dice and 3 vs 2 hits inflicted) but allowed him to be-siege Linz.
Marlborough then went unto breach again at Namur this time bypassing lines easily. Lilly livered French retired before him leaving a Garrison to hold this 2 strength Fortress (ie a tough nut to crack).
Both sides then moved to conduct sieges across the theatre of war. French took Mantua and more appalingly two Forts in Portugal one of which was Lisbon (-3 VPs) !! the Portuguese contingent in some danger now. Galway took Tournai after a struggle but the Duke failed to capture Namur again grrrrrrrrrrrr
Year ended on slight upbeat note for Allies as the Toulon fleet was sunk again and the Hapsburg Spainish Uprising took place gaining cause 4 more Forts (again sadly no VP) and a Corps.
However the VP level is a frighteningly low 4VPs  (if at 0 its auto Bourbon win) some small way of the 30 they need.
Marlborough under performed once again and only Eugene and Galway came away with any Honour this year. French strong still in Austria and gaining in Iberian Peninnsula. Looks like Flanders/Southern Germany   only hope for Allies and Lord help them when British Withdrawl occurs in 1710.

Great game with so many decisions to make each turn/phase. Just cannot act everywhere and any upset (such as Dukes failures) have long term effects. Fort and cities changed hands like nobody's business this year. No more reserves for either side so both now at near maximum deployment although plenty of half strength Corps to build up (at least potentially).

Flanders with Duke and Galway engaged in sieges ('Savoy Changes Sides' event card visible)

Dire situation in Portugal as Lisbon falls

Situation stabilized at Vienna

Overall situation at end of 1706 (note the VP marker position !!)

And another blogtastic day !!

Maurice play test some action

Played first few 'rounds' of game and so far so good.
The interaction of phases/rounds/card play/streamlined mechanics makes for a very fun game full of decisions and events (even solo).
The costs in command values to activate formations leads one to adopt fairly simple plan and not have units swanning off on their own.
Use of cards for activation generally means you lose their action or event possibilities (some of which are very desirable and/or intriguing).
Thus far I have done Volleys, Charges, Marches, Bombardments but no Pass 'actions' (a Pass allows you to draw in 3 cards the other actions 0-2 draws depending on type).
Playing solo  removes the tension I suspect will be present in good measure when one does not know content of opponent hand.
Played some cards for the 'Special Actions' and a couple of pure 'Event' cards including one by Austrians entitled 'Thats not on the map' which allows you to place a small piece of marsh or rocky ground anywhere (except on troops or other terrain) this allowed me to thwart a potential charge by French horse (the card whilst potent can be removed from deck for duration by either player - which French promptly did).
Nice card for French was 'Co-ordinated Movement' which allowed 2 formations to activate for March or Rally actions on play of this card if both within 12 base-widths (ie 40mm in my game) of CiC.
Several cards are interrupt or modifying types that can thwart any enemy action or adjust a dice roll.
I have not used Notables (character type sub-commanders) or Towns in my game just to keep things simpler but these do not seem onerous to use.

Have only skimmed the 'Succession Wars' campaign rules but again these look fine, essentially a set of battles (no real strategic/political type stuff) for multiples of 2 players and looks tailor made for 'Imagi-nations' players. There are 3 historical scenarios in book (Brandywine, Fontenoy & Kolin) and set of notes on how to make such scenarios. All in all quite impressed and will give them another run out on Thursday against Stephen if he is willing (he has set)


French Inf charge in using 2 Cards (1 a Nationality trait allowing re-rolls of combat dice the other an 'ignore Disruptions during combat' card) but the Austrians responded with a nasty 'Hold The Line' card which gives defenders +2 to dice rolls. Click on photo for better look at cards)

French columns try to flank enemy line but a single unit 'Force' of Cavalry moves to block them 

(but the move was rather costly in command values )

French horse find way to end of enemy line 'suddenly' blocked by an unseen patch of marsh 

Managed to buy this on EBay this evening too.
But I strongly fear for my well being if I do not manage to intercept this before certain prying eyes observe it !!!!!!

Maurice play test set-up

Set up a game of Maurice (got to keep thinking More-eeice not Morris !) using my WSS 10mm stuff for a solo try out.
Game planned for Thursday against Stephen using either this with our SYW or else a WWII bash with IABSM3.
Used the Army builder to generate 2 x 100pt armies of French and Austrians.
Austrians are defending with a Great Captain Card (Eugene) with 14 units.
French have 16 units with Maison Du Roi and a la Baionette cards.
Terrain card draw was Plains.
Austrians have 1 Elite Cavalry the rest Trained the French 1 Elite Cavalry and 1 Elite Infantry with 2 Conscript Infantry the remainder Trained.
Units deployed and hopefully will get some action post food intake.

Overview of deployments

French

Austrians

French 'hand' of 8 cards for attacking

Austrian 'hand' with 2 extra cards for having Great Captain

World At War: Blood And Bridges board wargame

Postman got another hug after just delivering this and on my day off too !
Game by Lock N Load and system is forerunner to the White Star Rising game I have been enjoying, but set in General Sir John Hackett style 1985 version of hypothetical World War III.
Several games and expansions in series but this is a stand alone game and the inclusion of BAOR forces hooked me (not hard to do of course).
Nice board of similar mounted quality to WSR although in one large folding piece.
Counters similar colourful style although tad thinner and smaller.

Thankfully being off and the better half being out my secret safe at present or else it would be 'Blood and Pain' in excessive amounts I fear after recent spendathon..............................

In action on my table

Maurice arrives..............

Sam Mustafa's latest rule set Maurice 1690-1790 arrived today.
And jolly good it looks too after brief skim through.
The card deck came in nifty cardboard box.
Layout and text very much like Lasalle but with soft rather than hard back.

Hoping to give these a run out next week if not before.

Couple of pics (in low light)

NPWS Vassal Game 1705 Turn over

Just finished another year of my Vassal debut against Norman with this fascinating game. A year of fluctuating fortunes for the Allied cause. Year started with Eugene sent off to the War Council for a year (ie he sits off-board, unless Vienna attacked) Sods also stole initiative this year getting to play first on Campaign phase. Lots of maneuvering in Hapsburg territories with French capturing a couple of Fortresses rather easily and cutting supply to the Austrian force (now sans Eugene) at Trent. Vienna has Bourbon force looming forcing Baden to move to the Austrian Capital (the capture of which can lead to Bourbon auto-victory). Early in year the Duke attempted to by pass fortified lines at Namur but failed. French besieged and took Linz and Almeida in Portugal (now declared for Allies). Duke again moved on Namur full of vim and vigour and this time managed to bypass lines. The French decided to fight and at last I felt glory would be mine ! but first warning was French play of a Command Dispute Card cutting the leadership benefit of the duke and Overkirk by 2 this left 10 French dice versus 11 Allied (a narrow margin) and damn it all the French inflicted 3 hits to a mere 1 by Dukes army ! An ignominious retreat by the Duke once again with a Demoralized army......................
Lord Galway then took up the gauntlet moving on Antwerp which was garrisoned by a full strength Spainish Corps. Thankfully he managed to reduce the 2 strength Vauban fortress and evict its garrison before years end gaining 2VP (sadly this merely off-set the Bourbon VP gains elsewhere). France had launched the Toulon fleet again but this year fickle fate saw it wrecked and control of Med stayed with Allies (as is only right and proper). This allowed Allies to roll for Hapsburg Spainish Uprising event but did not occur.
Both sides took niggling losses in the sieges of the year and spent several actions restoring Corps or Transferring reserves.
End of year sees Allies massing in Flanders despite Dukes inglorious actions but with Bourbons strong in Spain and threatening Vienna.

Again Duke needs to up the ante (ie actually bloody do something !!) in 1706 instead of this 'one step forward two steps back' nonsense.............................................

Really loving this game, simple without being simplistic, full of incident and flavour with lots of decisions of caution vis risk and strategy for both players.

Dukes army shoved back from whence it came (Yellow outline denotes Demoralization)

End of 1705 in Flanders

Austria and Italy

Spain

Overall situation end of 1705

NPWS Vassal game 1704 turn completed

Finished 1704 turn of this intriquing Vassal encounter with Norman. Not a good year for the Allies with 2 unsuccessful sieges at Ostend and Antwerp, Marlborough failing to Bypass Fortification lines at Namur and Eugene defeated by Vendomme ! Bourbon fortunes on the up and up though as they successfully besiege Freiburg and Innsbruck (to Eugenes rear) whilst building up forces elsewhere and Boufflers marching into Spain. The Toulon fleet was launched and defeated the Allied fleet to gain temporary control of Mediterranean so overall a net gain of 4VP for the Bourbon cause.
Going to have to go all out next year with the Duke and dent Bourbons somewhere or the Allied cause might not recover...............
Great game this.

Flanders near end of year

Spain

Years end

Three blog entries in one evening !!!!

Blitzkrieg Commander game

A figure game today at last !! seems to have been ages. Game of Blitzkrieg Commander II at Stephens using his 10mm kit again. We played a 'Pursuit' scenario with British chasing a German force ala late summer 1944. In the scenario defender set ups in central third of the table then the attacker chooses end to come on (and can flank march on one flank) the defender can then turn to face the oncoming attackers. Defender wins if breaks enemy or extracts half his units off table. Attacker wins by stopping such a retreat or breaking enemy. Interesting scenario although as it turned out rather easy for the mobile Germans to achieve victory by running off table. Germans had a Panzer Battlion of 3 Panthers a Tiger and a Flak vehicle, an Infantry Battalion (half of which were in Sd251s) and a Battalion with 2 Pak 40s and a Company of Infantry some of which were dug-in. I had 2 Sherman Squadrons (3 x M4 + 1 x Firefly) 2 Infantry Battalions one of which had 3 Churchills in support and 3 Recce Daimlers. An FAC with a bomb armed Typhoon flight completed the attacking force. Stephen set-up in the center and I then choose end to advance from with the combined Infantry & Churchill force flank marching to furthest third of table (suffers a -3 to activate and enter). However hindsight showed that my decision not to appear on flank where the Panzers were situated proved a mistake. I was wary of their potent firepower but as it turned out they were simply able to multi-activate and run off table unmolested (leaving a mere single other unit extraction to achieve victory). I really should have arrived near them to at least contest their progress and allow oncoming supports to threaten their rear. Things not helped by 1 Tank Squadron failing to appear for 2 turns and the other only having single activation's and so only advancing ever so slowly. A single German Infantry Platoon in a trench held up a whole British Infantry Battalion in the center (as I failed with 12 dice to achieve any hits whilst it caused me 2 from 3 dice thereby killing 2 of my bases in contact !!!!). My Typhoon did manage a couple of passes the Battalion dug-in on hill desatroying a Pak40 but not enough to change outcome.
The 10mm stuff is really nice (mainly Pendraken with some Minifig/Perrin Afvs) and really suits the rule set. Despite its obvious abstractions we really like the ease of play of BKC (the combat system very similar to the White Star Rising board wargame I acquired recently).

Panzers begin their skedaddle

Panzer Grenadiers also 

Typhoon strike the hilltop (Churchills and Inf appeared just off to right) 

Tank Squadron starts up road

Two turns later not much further on

Infantry Battalion advances

Another miniatures game booked for 17th and my choice this time but oh what to play ??