Rebels & Patriots - Tuesday Warriors AWI game

At Billys last night with Bryn and we played a 28mm game using Rebels And Patriots again, but this time using Billys very nice AWI 28mm stuff (some very nice Old Glory figures in the mix).
An 'encounter' type battle with 2 x 28 point forces per side (Billy took the Brits and Bryn and I the Patriots).
Turned out very one-sided as British took horrendous losses advancing to try to get to grips with Yanks.
Billy got a bit fixated on using British bonus in melee to detriment of ever firing and thereby suffered high losses especially as most Yank units were Good Shots and had First Fire.
Not sure the rules can really reflect AWI very well on anything other than a fairly superficial level.
Key to a R&P game is use of Skirmish class troops to screen your Line troops and some of the big 12 figure Militia/Indian units are ideal for this as they take less hits but fire as well as Line.
It can be quite hard to get to melee in rules, hence use of skirmish screens or suicide covering units to absorb hits leaving those behind unscathed.
Not so sure skirmish type units generally operated in this way in bulk of 18th Century as much more a seize and hold terrain role prior to French Revolutionary period onward.
It is very much how the game system works but 'feels' much more like Napoleonic tactics than 18th Century (works tad better for ACW imho).
But on plus side certainly very easy to play and quick (indeed too much so as written - we only roll Morale for adjacent losses if wiped out not just removed due to Routing).
The rules are what they are, a fast play set with historical miniatures, however rather light on the history but big on playability.
I much prefer Sharp Practice in......er....practice for this scale of game.

Old School Tactical played again

Played OST again with my Dad last night and must say we found this time around the game to be pretty meh.
The double Infantry stacks with a leader powering across the board becomes tiresome pretty quickly.
I get with the way defence factors accumulate these stacks are needed but it becomes a game of my 'mega-stack' versus your 'mega-stack' and may the best dice roll wins...rinse...dry...repeat...blah blah blah......
Or I swarm your mega stack with single units to get it stuck in melee from which it cannot shot or move.
After a few plays the simplicity of the combat model fails to overcome its inherent lack of depth.
The massive board of which you only use a small portion is also annoying would much prefer if they had split board into quarters or thirds.
We did try the winter board which certainly looks great but again the scenario and system just felt flat (indeed flatter than the board !) and we gave up.
Much better tactical systems to play such as Band Of Brothers, Conflict Of Heroes, Lock N' Load or Fighting Formations or even Retro rules with SL/ASL kit and of course the superb Combat Commander.
Pity as the components and look of game is great but game play lacking after novelty wears off, although the AFV part of the game works better and I do like the Impulse system.
Oh well one sub-par game out of the hundreds I have not so bad :-)

Battle of Paltzig - Field Of Battle 2 at Ulster Wargames Society (and other games)

Ran a game using Field Of Battle today at UWS club using my 15mm Russian and Prussian forces for Battle of Paltzig 1759 (based around a scenario from Might & Reason).
Ron and David 1 were Prussians and David 2 and Tom the Russians.
Game ran very slickly, as it always does with FOB, coming to a conclusion in just under 4 hours (the 2 Daves and Tom were able to get a FOGR game in as well)
Prussians wings managed to cross the muddy brook but the center was caught on wrong side as Russians advanced.
Prussian left was stymied by a couple of poor move rolls and could not get forward.
However Russian center faltered when their Commander fell in battle and with replacement being a D8 it took ages to restore Command.
On Prussian right a ding dong battle between opposing Cavalry ebbed to and fro for several turns.
Highlight here was a lowly Cossack unit (C8 D4) trouncing a unit of Prussian Cuirassier (D12 C8) who charged them expecting a swift scalp !!
Both sides Morale Chip pools were whittling down but the lower Prussian pool was first to deplete and they duly failed first Army Morale test as their CinC (Wedell) was a lowly D8.
Hopefully the chaps got a nice intro to these most excellent rules and all seemed to enjoy the game.
Certainly the 2 Daves seemed to pick up the basic premise of the system by end.
Selecting the correct physical dice probably biggest stumbling block :-)
I always enjoy the narrative FOB creates even as an umpire, great to watch a game unfold just like a battle account.




Tom's right wing Russians arrayed

And his central Command

Dave 1 pushes Russian mounted wing forward

Prussians struggle to cross the brook

Overview of initial deployments

Prussian centre pinned (note however the central Russian Command stuck 'Out of Command' after Commander death - the yellow markers)

Stalemate in centre

Prussians stuck

Also being played today was a large Black Powder 28mm Napoleonic game (Bryn, Simon, Andy, George and Paddy).
1600pts of British attacking 1200pts of French I believe.
Should have been equal but sadly Mike could not attend leaving French number shy (and without his excellent play mats)
Great stuff with another fast play rule set (though not as fast as FOB game !)


I tried to get Simon to smile but this is best he could manage !

The FOGR game which was I think (?) Polish against French (circa 1650ish) and some long range shots of hall we used (larger than usual main hall).

And a couple of pics stolen from Bryn of the days proceedings

Yours truly (lardass in gray to rear centre) sorting a Cavalry Melee for the 2 Daves as BP game is just starting (they were using Blucher cards as 'blinds' prior to deploying units)

Rapid Fire - Cristot scenario

Played Cristot scenario from Normandy Battlegames book today at mine with Stephen and again using Rapid Fire II.
Scenario designed for the rules but couple of unclear/inconsistent items in OOBs had us head scratching at start as not sure what size the 12th SS Recce Battalion starts at ? 1 Company or 2 ? and whilst a Panther is mentioned in scenario outline it is missing from OOB (but we decided it was an omission).

Stephen fielded the SS and I blooded some newly painted (yes indeed folks I have managed to paint some figures !! 100 to be exact !) British Infantry.
I bought a 15mm Late War Platoon pack from Forged In Battle several years ago as I really liked the figures but they have languished unloved until last week.

Game was rather enjoyable, at least until my Artillery got a lucky hit on the Panther and brewed it which led to much wailing on Stephens part !! now he knows how it feels :-)

To hit the Panther I needed a 5 or 6 for 1st round then a 4-6 for 2nd round then a 6 to brew it with 1-5 being No Effect so pretty lucky.

Artillery and indeed the whole 'damage' model in RF is rather 'lucktastic' but it works within the framework and fast play/decisive aim of the rules.
To get more granularity/detail a different but correspondingly slower set required.

Spotting the enemy as attacker is the main problem but anything that does expose itself is of course a magnet for Artillery (I had a 'full' Regt of 4 x 25pdrs so potentially potent).

In Normandy both sides access their Artillery on anything but a 1, but Stephen (thankfully) failed to bring his (2 x 105mm) in on several occasions (good to see dice demon suffer for once !).

Even so his Artillery (including a nasty on board 150mm) did inflict Morale checks on one of my 3 Battalions causing it in its entirety (this takes a bit of getting used to) to be Suppressed (essentially skip a turn) several times even though only minimal casualties.

Mortars are quite potent too as they tend to hit more often than Artillery, and cause a drain of casualties, but do not cause Morale Checks.

For Normandy this all seems pretty plausible stuff overall.

We managed to play 9 out of 16 turns (too much waffling about rules and other stuff as usual) and we both lost a Battalion each to Rout but game still in balance.

I am warming to RF for large games but still think that Panzer Grenadier Deluxe is my favourite overall (and look forward to release of 'O Group' by Dave Brown later this year).







The battlefield from German lines

Durham Light Infantry approach Brourary on my left (they Routed just prior to taking village)

Dragoon Guard tanks maneuvering (the Firefly lucky to survive a hit from Panther with only Light Damage). Green Howards Battalion arrives in support around Hill 102

The dagger plunged into SS heart !!

But 12th SS Recce holds the town and church steeple

SS PzGr hold hedge line (this Bttn also Routed)

Tough to whittle Elite troops out of built up areas

Bocage dominated the central area. SS reserves arrive including 2 x PzIVh.

East Yorkshire Companies are suppressed (yellow marker) by SS Artillery

The Sdkfz 251/9 on right later died in duel with a Sherman

SS Company on Reserved Fire

Reserve SS fan out.

The new Brits (mostly Forged In Battle but with several old Skytrex/Old Glory and couple of Peter Pig) prior to bases being 'dolled up'

The secret to renewed painting splurge a cheap 'Optivisor' from Amazon, which means I can again see figures sufficiently well to paint to reasonable standard.
The pains of growing old, but sexy too eh ??