BACK TO GAMING

 It has been a month filled with work and little else. I did get a trip to the Seatle area out of it, so there are upsides to it. I finally got back to the gaming table and kicked off what I hope will become my next campaign. This will be a mid-19th century conflict between my friend Bob and my ImagiNations using my revised rules of Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame, with hexes and Warlords Epic ACW figures, and maybe a few of their Napoleonic ones to add some panache to the cavalry.  

We chose to play a scenario from the One-Hour Wargames by Neil Thomas, which I highly recommend for the 30 scenarios it provides alone. The rest of the book is really great too. The scenario is number 8 Melee, a slimmed down version of the Battle of Lundy's Lane from the War of 1812. Bob chose to defend the dominate hill which is the objective of my attack. The red jacket with blue trousers Danish looking troops is my attacking force, while Bob's troops are in salmon coats and grey hats and pants. As both nations currently lack names and flags I will be referring to them as attackers and defenders. 

As can be seen in the open image Bob is defending on the hill while my forces approach from the left side road. 

Opening Moves as an Artillery Duel Commences and the Attackers Capture the Woods. Both side Reinforcements are Advancing Along the Road.

Details of the Woods Fight as the Attackers Inflict a Few Casualties on the Hill Defenders. 

More Attackers Begin to Arrive as the Artillery Duel Heats up. The Defenders have Lost a Battery While Inflicting a Hit on the Attackers in Return.

Defenders have Pushed Back the Attackers in the Woods and Strengthen Their Hill Defense. 

Attackers Massing for Their Assaults on the Hill as Their Artillery Drives Off the Defenders Guns. 

Attackers Successful Skirmishing Has Opened a Hole in the Hill Defenses that They Quickly Exploit. 

Key to the Hill Defense is the Angle. It is Under Continues Artillery Fire and Assaults from the Woods.  

The Attackers Breakthrough on a Broad Front. The Final Outcome will be Decided by Cold Steel. 

Shot and Shell Hammer the Defenders Reserves as the Attackers Reinforce Their Success. 

The Defenders Rally Forward to Attempt to Repulse the Attackers Once More. 

The Desperate Struggle for Control of the Hill. Reinforcements Stand Ready on Both Sides. 

As Casualties Mount the Defenders Give Ground. 

Having Been Battered by Artillery and Small Arms Fire along with near Continuous Close Combat the Defenders Reach Their Exhaustion Level and Begin to Withdraw.  

The Day Lost, the Defenders Retreat from the Field to Fight Another Day. 

 Bob's failure to contest the woods gave me an advantage in the initial firefight. The timing of Special Action Cards favored me, especially at the early part of the fight where my artillery got the better of the defender's guns. I managed to bring my veterans forward unmolested and into close combat where they greatly helped. 

This was our first game with these rules in over a year and while I have kept them simple, we still needed to reference modifiers often. The game took about two hours to finish, but I expect that to shorten as we become more familiar with them. It was a hard-fought game and we both had fun, so a victory to both of us. Maps have been handed out and forces are being assembled now for a test run on campaign mechanics. Expect to see more on this period shortly.