Field of Battle 3 - Malplaquet at Ulster Wargame Society and at home and a purchase !!

Monthly Society meeting today and I put on a FOB3 game of Battle of Malplaquet 1709 (conversion of scenario from Lace Wars set I have but never used - an oft told story !) using my seldom seen 10mm stuff.

Had 2 French (Mike and Bryn) and 3 Allied (Dave S, Dave T and Dave B !) commanders playing with some 88 units (39 French and 49 Allied) on table, with units being nominally Foot Brigades and Cavalry Regiments as Malplaquet is rather a big battle.

Game played very smoothly and was great to watch events unfold on par with history (Allies maybe took less casualties overall) as Allies attack both flanks drawing French reserves from center.

French had some poor luck in early going both with dice (Mike could throw nothing but a 2 on any dice) and card sequencing, but did put some hurt on Allies later in game.

Some great narrative type events in game including a delayed Dutch assault and an early penetration of French lines by 2 units of Dutch cavalry who then sat ineffectually refusing to obey orders for what seemed ages until engaged by some French mounted. 

An untimely wounding of French general d'Artgnan on left saw a mass of French foot (some 12 units) go out of command (disordered) and thwart their efforts to slow the Dutch infantry.

A real slog in the Woods of Sar and Lanieres on both flanks saw several units destroyed, routed or damaged with edge going to Allies who managed to capture several of the field defences.

French morale (40) dropped to zero quickest and they handed several morale chips to Allies (who had lost 36 of their initial 50) and quit the field on first Army Morale card then turned.

FOB shone for sheer playability once more with 5 players and around 70 of the 88 units engaged in just over 4 hours of playing time resolving the action on a plausible manner with all players seeming to enjoy proceedings, cannot really ask for much better than this of any rule set.

Action mid game with French left wing being turned in Woods of Sar and Dutch assault on Laniers Wood (at top). Note erstwhile Dutch cavalry on road behind French lines but isolated

Allied Imperial infantry pushing French ever backward

French defences in Sars wood being overrun

French cavalry redeploying to deal with those daring Dutch chaps

Dutch heavily engaged in Lanieres wood as Allied horse push up in support

Game end with French right still in disarray after wounding of general (yellow Disorder markers abound)

French quit the field at this juncture after a hard fought encounter

Also at club was a nice 20mm run by Phil & Son with Japanese vs Russian I think in Manchuria 1939 ? several eye catching aircraft but no idea how it turned out ?

In preparation for Society game I play tested the scenario with Stephen on Thursday and it went much worse for French (under yours truly so no surprise !) as they could not cause much hurt on Allies who carried both flank positions in woods fairly easily.

Overall its a tough one to 'win' for French but they can if they can damage the Allies early and often.

A few pics from test game

And lastly a purchase of a set of wargame rules (been awhile by my standards !) these being 'Glory Is Fleeting' which are the new set based on Field Of Glory: Napoleonic which arrived whilst I was away so not had chance to peruse them as yet.

L'Art De La Guerre - Catalan Company versus Ottoman Turk Empire

Game of LADG (been awhile) at Stephens today as practice for his participation in Munster Competition at end of January.

Theme is late Medieval again so had to use his figures as I have nothing that late.

I compiled a Catalan Company force as Almugahvar troops are sort of unique, and Stephen tried an Ottoman Empire force with some fortifications which were a first for us with LADG (and pretty tough).

A good game even though we were bit ropey on some basics and lots of discussions of lists and options which is definitely half the fun of ancients period gaming with such competition style sets.

In Flanders Field

 

Shadows of the Eagles playtest

Had a game with Stephen today using Shadows of the Eagles rules as quick trial as possible option for multi-player games.

Used the scenario from book but removed the river and reserve deployments to make for a simpler test game.

Stephen used French I had Prussians circa 1813/14

Got through several turns testing out just about all aspects.

I had thought artillery was weak in system but having played more extensively feel it is fine.

We did think Cavalry seems bit weak versus infantry overall and Line formation seems best in most circumstances (not a 'bad' thing) with attack column needing 2 on 1 for any chance.

Like the fact that close combat is not the result of every charge (especially once units take hits) and everything is fairly easy to resolve within system.

Units can get 'burnt out' so you need reserves and to soften enemy up before charging, which is all good stuff.

A decent rule set, well presented with nothing innovative nor daft. 

Combat Mission II - PBEM game finished

Play be Email game of venerable Combat Mission II: Barbarossa To Berlin finished this evening.

Been playing a scenario 'Eye Of The Storm' (set December 1942) with John from good ol' USofA, for last several weeks and it finished today with a win for Russians (ie me).

Sort of a last stand for Germans against a swarm of T34s and infantry

So glad this still works on current PC (Win 10) as still very enjoyable game.

Overview of situation at game end with Russians swarming over town objective after leveling the place !

The AAR score card and not often I experience  "You have won......" in any format :-)

Valour and Fortitude test game

Outing for new edition of V&F today at Stephens using a scenario based around assault on Redoubt at Borodino with Stephen as French and I as Russians.

I had briefly tried the original set and new version led to same sort of conclusions (surprise !) ie V&F is a broad brush, quick play set, with some woolly writing, odd situations, simple playable firing and combat systems, sort of Black Powder 'lite' feel overall but comes at a highly competitive price (its free by gad !).

Being a short set several things are not fully defined such as flank attacks but easy enough to sort out.

Some things are a bit jarring such as the full and free interpenetration of units, so seemingly one can have units charge through each other in any formation leading to odd situations of Attack Columns charging through each other or through Lines or even through Squares, odd to see on table but certainly simple (again house rules could sort this). 

Light Inf in Open Order seem overpowered (similar to Soldiers of Napoleon) as they generally have 1 extra firing dice but can also fire at full effect when in open order whilst taking half casualties and moving faster than Line and acting as a 'force field' for following units (I feel another house rule coming on)

On flip side we liked the effect of Artillery, being not overpowered at range but potent in canister range there is no bounce through, and the Activation rolls (less frequent failures than in BP) are easy to implement along with the varied actions allowed.

Also lack of Save rolls when taking hits cuts out a lot of dice rolls in firing and combat reducing any 'buckets of dice' feel.

The Valour rolls for 'excess' hits works well but as any failures are Routs (ie destroyed) this makes things rather bloody/decisive.

Interesting and a set we are considering for large multi player games where simple is usually better.

In other news I had unusually decent dice rolls today !!!

Ulster Wargame Society - Combat HQ game

Monthly Society meeting today and I took part in a WW2 game using Combat HQ 2nd Edition rules.

Game was a multi-player (3 per side) affair set up and run by Mike (my Vassal opponent) with 3 German Bttns facing off against 1 British and 2 US circa 1944.

I took the British contingent on Allied right with Bryn and Jeremy D, the Huns were commanded by a revolving contingent of Simon, Dave P, Jeremy M, Dave S and even Mike occasionally.

Combat HQ is a set I am far from offay with (have 1st edition but never used) having only played the occasional game with Mike.

My Bttn had 3 Inf Coys with support from Mortar and HMG Platoons with 2 Cromwells, an M5 Stuart and a Staghound. 

Not a formal scenario as such although both sides had objectives to defend/assault (dont think any fell on either side ?)

By games end I had lost all my armour but Inf was intact and had disposed of a PzIVH Coy, a Sd222 Plt and a Coy worth of PzGr. 

Not sure what the losses were to Yank colleagues or other Hun Bttns but think honours were similarly even.

It was a fun and slick playing game once you pick up the basics of the Dice Initiative/Command system and the fairly straight forward combat systems.

View from my flank along Allied lines

My nominal objective defended by PzGr (green markers indicate Unspotted status)

Later my Cromwells have pushed forward and engaged enemy with Staghound and Stuart in support, my foot lagging behind

Stug Coy advancing on Hun right

With PzIVs pushing along road on same flank

Brit Infantry Coy trying to get forward to support armour

Also at club were two modern games (was bit of a tank fest day).

Paddy and Phil (plus ?) had a 20mm game with Swedes (with S Tanks) against Warsaw Pac force no idea what rules.

Andy and co played another practice Team Yankee game.

The two Daves had a FOGR game with French vs Swedes circa 1690.

Field Of Battle 3 - Dresden 1813 scenario played

Another game with FOB3 a Napoleonic bash this time using a converted GDA scenario covering action during Battle of Dresden on 27th August 1813.

Stephen was the attacking French (lots of Young Guard) and I the Russo-Prussian defenders.

Issue was decided on central hill when Young Guard simply ran over the Russian Brigade defending and split Allied army asunder.

'Dice Demon' just seems to get the rolls and cards he needs at optimum times with even his lowly Skirmish screens inflicting pain on my troops, so many rolls of 8 (I swear he rolled 8 on a d6 !!).

My rolls only seem to come good when Army Morale has zeroed !

We had a couple of early deck reshuffles (tied initiative rolls) which is unusual and I struggled to pull Move cards (a mere 3 all game) .

Another quick and cracking game with FOB, seldom a problem completing a game.

The core of action around hill 

Russian lines. The Light Cavalry reserve to rear did manage to swing to its right to support hill position.

Russian Infantry Brigade on hill under severe pressure (the whole 5 unit Brigade was annihilated) despite support from Light Cavalry 

Shako - Seven Years War variant - Prague scenario

Game at Stephens and he selected another SYW bash to give a Shako variant another outing.

Scenario was an adaption of a Volley & Bayonet scenario covering Prague again (this a much bigger affair than our last game) with unit count cut by one third and using the small table (6' x 4') option.

I was Prussians attacking the Austrians and boy oh boy one really wonders what Frederick was thinking !! so many impassable ponds and lots of marshy streams with Austrians commanding the high ground and utilising field works. Even with classing the bulk of Prussian foot as Elite it is a tall order.

The slightly truncated table made deployment a real bind with simply no room for Prussian mounted (if trying again we would use a 7' x 5' table) and with so much difficult terrain it was a nightmare just trying to move forwards. 

Scenario issues aside (tis the nature of the beast) the Shako amendments worked pretty well although fiddly maneuvering/wheeling of units and potent Artillery are inherent 'problems', not helped here by terrain which compressed units into killing grounds (one Artillery shot had bounce through onto 5 units). I prefer Shako for Napoleonic games.

Only a single pic as others I took very blurry for reasons unknown

Prussian right wing with cavalry unable to deploy and some tough entrenchments with marshes, ponds and streams (similar in center).

One of the blurries but showing bit more of the table and more terrible terrain

Fire In The Lake - solo short scenario played

Played through the short scenario (not tried this one before) of FITL and yet again another fine solo experience.

NVA sort of snuck a win at end by taking Hue city giving them a 1 VP lead which could not be overcome before last Propaganda card.

Close overall with ARVN ending on -9, VC on -8, USA on -5, and NVA on -4.

I do so enjoy this game and COIN system in general