Field of Battle 3 - Ramillies scenario with 10mm chaps

Played a scenario based on Battle of Ramillies May 1706 using FOB3 today with Stephen.

Stephen chose the French defenders and I therefore took the Allied force.

We used a free set up for units rather than historical deployments with units equating to roughly Brigade/Regimental level units.

Great game once again with FOB3 that played really quickly (3 hours in total with 2 1/2 decks run through).

French cannons in center were deadly early on causing Dutch cavalry a lot of hits as their foot compatriots attacked Ramillies directly.

I did manage to contest the town (before getting thrown out later in game) but a single unit of French cavalry ran roughshod over my mounted units despite being outnumbered in several melee combats.

My Dutch Foot Guards at least lived up to their elite status but were eventually overwhelmed.

Game really turned on my left where I had deployed the elite English foot and cavalry around Taviers.

The French did occupy the village so easily taken but my elite units completely failed to make any headway against French opposite numbers and the English were all to quickly decimated.

This left the overall Allied effort essentially stymied and morale losses were mounting and in reality we should have called game at this point, but I fought on to then see the Dutch in center repulsed from Ramillies and pulverized in turn.

The Allied German/Danish/Prussian foot survived mostly unscathed as the just demonstrated against the French lines across the Pitite Gheet.

FOB3 is certainly a very decisive game especially with my rolls (so many ones...so many ones.....) but I just love its unpredictability and narrative style. 

The battlefield view from Allied lines

French right wing behind Taviers

French center and left wing (around Ramillies and Petite Gheet)

Allied foot on right support Dutch foot in center

Dutch foot advance on Ramillies as their cavalry get pounded by French cannon

The ill fated English advance begins on left wing

The English are suddenly absent from the field.................

Field of Glory: Renaissance - 16th Century match up Spanish vs Dutch

Game of FOGR today at Stephens as he wanted to try out a couple of 16th Century armies. 

I dont have anything from this period so he fielded both protagonists, these being Spanish and Dutch (some later period figures done stand in duties).

I took the Spanish with their large Tercios and first was time using troops that were use Kiel formation.

Kiels comprised two units of Walloons with 6 Pike, 2 Halberdiers and 4 Arquebusers but I redeployed these as a unit of 8 shooters and 16 Pike/Halberd.

I also had 2 Spanish Early Tercios (durable 16 base units), 1 Artillery Battery and 4 mounted units with 1 unit of mounted Arquebus and 3 armed with Lances (new to me in this period as well) for 11 unit equivalents 

Dutch had several Pike and Shot type units with 2 Artillery behind gabbions with a unit of lancers and 3 very potent units of Dutch Curassier with Pistols generating 13 units. 

Stephen also redeployed 2 Pike and Shot units as a unit of pike and an 8 base unit of Muskets (only ones on field).

Dutch won initiative and flung their mounted units across the field on my right for a brawl with my lancers and reiters.

Dutch refused on their right and I knew that that meant it would take at least 5 turns for my Tercios and Kiels to come to engagement range even with double moves with Generals (no sweeping advances ala FOB or BP) so the mounted battle was obviously key.

Thankfully my mostly outclassed cavalry managed to destroy one Dutch unit and manfully hold up the Cuirassier as my foot trundled forward.

As it turned out it took me 7 turns to get into contact with Dutch right wing and then a virtual stalemate ensued as Dutch veterans proved hard to grind down (with an average unit standing despite being fragmented). 

I lost a unit of 6 light lancers on this wing to another Cuirassier unit.

My right had by this time imploded despite my chasing a Dutch lancer unit off the table and my army break point was reached, but the Dutch were fairly bloodied as well.

Another enjoyable game once again with FOGR and for once my dice rolling was pretty good at times ! not often I get to say that.

Mounted clash on my right

Musketeers face my Arquebus unit across a field

Tercios and Kiel trundling forward

But is a long way to Dutch lines

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we will remember them....................................

 

O Group - Cristot scenario completed

Finished Cristot scenario started last week with Stephen. 

We got a much tighter handle on the various orders available and found play speeded up we learnt the basics of rules and were able to play through turns quickly. 

We did make a couple of errors of omission forgetting some of the national characteristic rules such as British ability to use Smoke and re-rolls for Germans if firing on Spotted units, and I completely forgot to use my Sniper !

Game was won by British on 11th turn (of 16) as they managed to inflict 3 Fubars on Germans (ie 12 losses) whilst on 2 Fubars themselves.

Overall I like O Group with its dicing for Orders system and straightforward combat systems. 

Its is very much limited to its single Battalion vs Battalion match up but within that framework it works very well falling into a niche between lower level sets like Panzer Grenadier or IABSM and higher level stuff like Spearhead or Rapid Fire.

The points system included is fairly nominal and I feel that scenarios will be how the game will be best,  which is true of most WW2 sets I prefer unless going with more ‘gamey’ style like Bolt Action or Battlegroup which are further down my preference list. 

 

Lasalle 2 at the Ulster Wargames Society

First meeting of Ulster Wargames Club in Belfast today since Februrary 2020.

Stephen and I brought along his French and my Prussian forces for another game of Lasalle 2 using Scenario 5 'Hold Your Ground' with French in defence.

Good old slog along a river line with my Prussian Grenadiers managing to take one of the two town objectives but my Line units failing to take the other despite 6 separate assaults !! got nowhere near the third objective in French rear area.

My Skirmishing dice were very poor all day even when I had 28 vs initial French 18 and I only won one phase outright, with 2 drawn (I did get Initiative on those 2) and lost other 5 phases.

Pretty much a toe to toe scenario this one as French can line river with initial forces and tough nut to crack (the extra MO needed to move/charge across river is a real drain) even before French reserves arrive.

Another fun and slick game with these rather enjoyable rules despite (or maybe because of) its abstractions and broad brush style.

Was great to get back to further normality and see people in the flesh as it were instead of via Zoom. I hope to get to Elimination club as well in due course (just have not had a free Friday evening this month)

Besides our game there was a Field Of Glory Renaissance game (Ottomans Turk vs Venetians) and a Chain Of Command game (British vs German).

Prussian right wing attacks  

As Grenadiers and Russian support attack on left

A solid line of French defenders (several Elite Battalions to the fore)

Disorders start to accumulate

Prussian cavalry are across river

First assaults on town are repulsed

Russian suffering on my left as Grenadiers threaten an unoccupied town

French cavalry have appeared to counter my mounted units (we both lost a unit each)

Grenadiers about to take the town (Prussian high water mark)

The 'two Davids' and Paul with the FOGR clash, I tried to take a pic of the rather excellent flags on display but photo does not do them justice.

The 'two Jeremys' and yet another 'two Davids' and Phil (a newcomer to the fold) battle it out on western front with CoC i

O Group - Cristot scenario started

Game using O Group today with Stephen utilizing the included scenario 'Cristot' in Normandy. We had tried this back in March via Zoom but only played a few turns so decided to give it 'proper' outing to re-learn the rules.

Stephen picked attacking British and I therefore was Germans in defence.

Having only played these once and briefly it there was a lot of looking up of how orders and suchlike work and we made a couple of mistakes but enjoyed the game overall, indeed we only played 5 turns so have left it in situ to continue next week.

Took us a minute to recall that visibility/LOS and elevation is key concept in rules with even tanks only able to fire at 30" unless on higher ground (can fire up to 50") as sort of used to fairly unlimited ranges with other rule sets. Infantry engagement ranges are also quite truncated (14" for Rifle Platoons) on level. This is particularly important for use of FOO/Coy spotters)

Some queries arose over the use of Combat Patrols as these are key components of the game system but think we got all sorted (mainly could they could be shot at as React Fire).

Two overt mistakes were allowing British to deploy a Sherman Platoon at start (these are in off-table reserves in scenario) and later I deployed an Infantry Platoon fire in Defensive Fire Phase to conduct React Fire which would only be possible if they were in Ambush.

All the various shooting, moving and combat in O Group is really very straightforward and easy to pick up, the complication is in the Orders, Deployments, Combat Patrols and things like Phase Lines/Consolidation Points partly as these are often spread throughout the rules and in some instances not tightly explained.

Took a bit to decipher how an 'Independent' Section (such as an MMG) works as not initially clear to us if must be attached to a Company and its CO or if operated as a 'pure' Battalion asset as such. We decided they must attach to a Company and operate within their area of operations as that seemed to be intent of rules but not fully clear. 

The Consolidation Order (allowing Reserve Company to deploy on captured objective/phase line) is also bit unclear on how this concept is actually enacted on table (does the Company already on table have to halt or move 'out of the way' ?) as intermixed Companies not really functional/allowed.

As things stand the British on their left have taken initial objective of a large orchard and have Consolidated a fresh Reserve Company on this location. A Pak40 engaged Shermans brewing one and Panther engaged second Sherman Platoon (only possible as on elevated ground). British have lost 1 Infantry section and a Sherman. The Germans have lost 3 Infantry sections  (1 Platoon lost in pre-game bombardment). Both sides have several Platoons still not revealed/deployed. To be continued.................

Nice to get the WW2 toys out for a change.

Cristot from German lines not many troops deployed at start (but errant Shermans visible on low rise)

British Infantry Platoons deploy and push forward

Lots of fields to give Infantry some much needed cover on both sides

Panthers deployed from Reserve 

British orchard objective (I lost a full Platoon here) captured and reserve Company has now deployed additional Combat Patrols

Situation at end of turn 5 (maximum of 16 scheduled).

Lasalle 2 - Another Omelette broken - French vs Prussians

Another game of Lasalle 2 this time with 'Le Duc' in our first post plague game as he wanted to see Lasalle in action (being a fan of Sam Mustafas rules in general).

So I set up scenario 4 again with Le Duc attacking with Prussians against my defending French.

Prussians had 2 infantry brigades each with 3 Inf, 1 field gun and a unit of Hussars, they had a cavalry brigade of 1 Dragoon and 1 Uhlan, also a brigade with 2 Grenadiers and a Howitzer battery, their force was completed by a brigade of 3 Russian allied infantry. These 18 units generated a basic 28 skirmish dice. Le Duc had the 'Valiant' trait for his General.

French had 2 infantry brigades of 3 veteran infantry with a field gun, 1 brigade of 3 veterans and a cavalry brigade of 2 Chasseurs. So only 13 units but still 27 basic skirmish dice. The General choose 'Charismatic' trait to assist with rallies.

So honours even re skirmishing and I think Prussians won 5 Initiative and French 3 out of 8 turns played with never more than 4 'Voltigeurs' ever placed.

Le Duc had not read the rules beforehand so very much a teaching game but Lasalle is very easy to teach and indeed to pick up its basic premises even when using the 'advanced' rules especially as a goodly portion is familiar from play of Blucher and Maurice.

Learning how best to use the MO is harder to assimilate but he seemed to be catching on as game progressed and once he realised the potency of cavalry in the game.

We had a ding dong cavalry battle on my right flank which was essentially an even dice fest which I managed to win taking out the Prussian Dragoons and Uhlans, getting 2 on 1 and/or a flank contact is very powerful and usually decisive.

This then forced his supporting brigade of Russians into squares which my artillery and infantry then pounded to destruction and subsequently wiped out. I was however lucky not to lose a Chasseur and infantry unit to enemy artillery fire on this flank.

In centre I had some trouble dealing with Prussian Grenadiers but once Russians collapsed they were exposed and lost 1 unit but timely support from nearby Hussars saved the other.

On my left the Prussians piled on the pressure with 2 brigades against 1 but its slow going with the woods. I had a unit destroyed early on and another forced into square by the Prussians Hussars. But this square manfully held onto until last turn with some superb dice rolls with lots of sixes in combat and decent rallying (its a game of skill I tell ya !) tying up several Prussian units and keeping them away from central objective.

I had placed a wood in front of the objective again (seems a no brainer) and this too stymied Prussian progress.

At games end the central objective was exposed but still French whilst the town was firmly secured and indeed 'Carnage' was marginally in French favour.

Le Duc seemed to enjoy the game and rules especially as he professes not to be offay enough with Napoleonic period to see major flaws or issues but just appreciated the fast and decisive nature of the game but with enough decision points to make for an interesting and fun game. His Blog post reveals his thoughts on rules https://warfareintheageofcynicsandamateurs.blogspot.com/2021/10/lasalle-2nd-ed-with-sgt-steiner.html.

Time for something other than Napoleonics next methinks................. 

Prussians advance with some annoying skirmisher deployed

French infantry advances to delay Prussians as cavalry prepare to engage on right

Initial Cavalry clash is indecisive (note Chasseurs have obtained a Huzzah marker from destruction of Russian infantry unit)

Prussians putting pressure my left and Grenadiers advance in centre

French firm on ridge as their cavalry have routed their Prussian equivalents

French delaying on left but suffering for it

With Prussian cavalry gone French are able to counterattack off the ridge against Russian squares and the Grenadiers

Heroic French square holds fast on left

It eventually succumbed to massed Prussian volleys after being weakened by charges from Hussars but it was just enough to protect the adjacent objective.