Bits, Bobs and Future Projects

 I have been working on a lot of projects simultaneously, so thought I would share what is coming in the future. First off, if the map is not a giveaway, there are the campaigns. WWII Toy Soldiers, see previous post, 19th Century Unification Wars, Dog Wars, and another project are all being given maps. The first two will be sharing the same map, or at least s similar one. The rest will have their own as their setting are quite different. 

Painting, painting and more painting. My never-ending chore that is self-inflicted. Like most gamers I have enough figures already to keep me at this for two lifetimes. OK, more like three or four lifetimes. I will never be done, as there is always a next project. I don't really finish any project, I just need to add a few more figures. Honest! Everything just needs that extra unit, or two, or three, or dozen, or ... To that end I added the new Army Painter SpeedPaint 2.0 to my collection. It's just a few colors. OK, OK, it's 89 colors, including 10 metals, and as SpeedPaint that means no deep shades, highlights, just each one doing a single full shade coat. Will I use all of these? Oh sure. 

Organized and Ready to Go. 

WWII Toy Soldiers painting continues. I have completed all the basic forces and am now on to the filling out stage, things like more First Line Infantry, Mortars, Anti-tank Rifles, trucks, tanks and so on. I have multiple sets of rules to tryout, Arriba Espana, Xenos Rampant, and Chain of Command. Each of these has their own feel and complexity and I need to decide which works the best for the games I want to run. 

Republican MGs

Royalist MGs

Royalist SMG Unit

Royalist Mortar and Anti-tank Rifle

High Command of Both Sides and Kaboom Markers

Bob and I got in a few play test games of Arriba Espana and Xenoes Rampant. I need to create a crib sheet for Arriba to help track all the things you do in the game. Xenoes turns out to be a bust. We played two games in under twenty minutes, and both were disasters. Xenoes looks like it would be fine to play alternative rules for 40K, but not very good at WWII. 

First Turn of Game One. 

Start of Game Two. We Both Have Learned a Few Things from Our Earlier Playthrough. 

End of Game Two. Bob Nearly Won This as His Forces are About to Breakthrough When His Army Becomes Exhausted. My Own Army was on the Brink of Exhaustion Too. 

ONE HOUR WARGAME SCENARIOS - Part 3

This third battle is OHW 23 Defense in Depth. Bob chose to defend, so I was on the attack. The objective was for me to exit half of my forces from the opposite side of the field I entered from, with the defense needing to delay me for the 15 turns of the game. There are a few special rules: The Defenders have 4 stands of Irregular Infantry that may move through woods as if it was open ground. The Attackers may not enter woods. These rules were significantly as it meant I could not use the ford at the central woods. It also meant I could not assault the Irregulars if they were inside the woods, and as they were at a -1 in close combat it would prove important. 

The Brown Markers Indicate the Ford Crossings. The Attackers Advance Directly to the Bridge with Infantry and Artillery as the Defenders had Chosen not to Start in the Town. The Defenders did Deployed Irregulars in the Woods that are Able to Provide Harassing Fire Against Both Fords. Their Artillery is Placed on the Hill and Able to Provide Supporting Fire Against all Three River Crossings. The Attackers Sent up Both a Significant Part of Their Infantry and All Their Cavalry to Force the Eastern Ford.  

With no Direct Defense of the Ford the Attackers Rushed Across Suffering Fire from both the Artillery on the Hill and the Irregulars in the Woods. The Defenders Moved Foward to Contest the Bridge Crossing and for the Time, Checked the Assault on the Western Side. 

At the Bridge the Defense had Strengthened, Including Throughout the Town. To the East More Troops Poured Across the Ford and Began to Assault the Irregular Defenders with Both Their Cavalry and Massed Infantry. A Company of Infantry was Sent to Pin the Irregulars in the Woods, Preventing them from Firing and Forced to Either Assault Out, or Maneuverer to a Different Location. 

At the Bridge Massed Fire had Forced the Defender Away and Back into Town, while in the East, Casualties were Build up on the Attackers, Forcing a Number of Companies to be Withdrawn from the Main Fighting. 

In the East Things Began to Turn Against the Defenders with the Attackers Cavalry Making a Successful Charge on the Artillery and Their Infantry Steadily Forcing Back the Defending Irregulars. 

At the Bridge the Attackers have Finally Crossed but are now Surrounded on Three Sides, However Reinforcement are Close at Hand to Continue the Advance as Time is Now Become a Major Issue. 

The Bloody Struggle for the Town can be Seen by the Number of Orange Markers that Indicate Hits Taken by Units.  

In the East the Final Struggle for the Hill. Once Lost this Would Leave a Major Gap that the Attackers Would Use to Race Off the Field. 

At This Critical Moment in the Battle Fate Would Take a Hand in the Way of the Much Needed "Rally Cards" for the Attackers. With There General Now in Direct Control of the Assault He Rallies Both Units for a Further Push. The Defenders are now on the Brink of Collapse Shown by the Three Hits They have, At the Forth Hit They Will Rout from the Field. 

In the East the Last of the Defenders is Overcome and the Attackers are Able to Exit the Main Body of Their Troops, but it is Still not Enough if the Defenders at the Town can Hold Just a Short While Longer. 

The End Comes Swiftly. With Two Defending Companies Routed the Final Defenders are Quickly Overwhelmed by the Attackers Numbers. With the Road now Open the Attackers are Able to Exit Enough Units to Win the Battle.

This was a real struggle by both sides. The Defense came within two turns of holding out long enough for the win. The attackers were aided in no little part by getting both of their Rally Cards back-to-back and able to use them to force the road through town open. Without these the battle could easily have swung to the defenders. 

We have now given these rules a good shake down. There are still some little tweaks we may try, but things are running smoothly. We will play a few more scenarios and if we don't come across and major errors a campaign is coming soon. 

ONE HOUR WARGAME SCENARIOS - PART 2

The Board Setup. The Town on the far Left is the Objective of the Game. The Hill in the Center Background is Impassable. 

Bob and I played the second game in our 19th Century ImagiNation battles. This time it was One Hour Wargames (OHW) 10: Late Arrivals. For this battle Bob chose to be the attackers, so I was on the defense. The scenario has the defenders holding the town and attempting to delay the attackers as their reinforcements slowly trickle in. In this battle we were trying out some optional rules, the first being Reinforced Line where small arms fire only effects the front unit if there are two units in a hex. The second is Assault Column where if two infantry units are in the same hex there is a +1 to hit in close assault for the attacker. If there are multiple units in the same hex, then both suffer hits and retreats results in close combat and from artillery fire. 

Opening Turn with the Defenders Setup in the Woods and Across the Road with Their Left Flank Anchored by the Hill. The Attackers Force of Infantry and Cavalry are all Entering by the Road.
 

Attackers Launch Their Assault in an Attempt to Open the Road for the Remainder of Their Forces to Exploit. 

Defenders Begin Their Slow Withdrawal Towards the Town Firing as They Go. 

The Attackers Launch a Heavier Assault as the Rest of Their Forces Press on to Town. 

The Defenders Having Weathered the Storm of Assault Continue to Slowly Pull Back.

Having Split the Defender's Line the Attackers Swarm the Individual Defenders.

The Defenders Reinforcements Start to Arrive in the Form of an Artillery Battery with a Brigade of Infantry and Begin the Close Defense of the Town. 

Attackers Finally Get Around the Front Defenders Flank. The Round Token Indicates the Defenders Beginning to Fortify Their Position in Town. 

The Attackers First Assault on the Town. Their Cavalry has Driven Back the Defending Artillery as Their Combined Infantry and Cavalry Battle in the Town. 

The Defenders Reinforce Their Positions in Town as the Pressure Mounts. 

A Decisive Moment Arrives as the Attackers Reach Their Exhaustion Point. They Still have Time to Recover and have Both Their Rally Cards Remaining. 

The Attackers Managed to Temporarily Recover, but it was Too Little to Late and are Forced to Retreat from the Battle. 

The High-Water Mark of the Attack with the Attackers Controlling Nealy Half the Town and Plenty of Supporting Troops on the Way. Timely Reinforcements and Some Decidedly One-Sided Combat Results is What Saved the Day for the Defense.  

Another fun, close game. We both liked the tactical challenge the Optional Rules provided and will continue to use them. There are a few more slight refinements we plan to make to speed up the outcomes some. More on those in the next battle post, which will come in a few weeks, as my work schedule goes into overdrive. 

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.