Reactivating in 3, 2, 1....

So It's been quite a while since I posted anything on my blogs. after moving out here i found it hard to game.  I worked evening(2:30pm -11:00pm) and all the local gaming(that I find interesting) was happening  on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights.   I wasn't painting because i lacked the motivation of regular gaming sessions.

last October I decided to start collecting some Necromunda stuff, and that got me back into small batch painting.  i wasn't seriously painting and it often took me a month to finish 10 figures.

in April I was approached by a (very)local gamer, Jonathan who was in the same predicament as i was.  he was no longer available to game on weeknights.  We set out to organize a small group to meet in St Albert once a Month, on a weekend.  we had our first meeting on the last weekend in April.  We played a game of muskets and tomahawk using my Imaginations(The Electorate vs Polhynov) and some army lists and rules amendments I had fleshed out before leaving Ontario.

i realized the week before that i had no skirmishers  and very few cavalry for the Polhynov forces so i painted another 8 heavy cavalry and 16 skirmishers before the game:

2nd squadron of Polhynov Husaria  using Front Rank WSS horse Grenadiers

Polhynov light infantry using  OG Polish Dismounted Dragoons

Polhynov light infantry using  OG Polish Dismounted Dragoons

 the cavalry annihilated each other (sadly no pics) and the infantry did much the same. but the  Electorate forces were the first to start falling back so we called it in favor of the Polhynov forces.

Polhynov battle line

The Electorate line advances

the electorate let loose a volley and the Polhynov line retreats, and the light infantry make for the house.

half the Köztársaság Pandours gives covering fire while the
other attempts(successfully) to set the house on fire.

 

 

Polhynov line re-consolidating.

The game was quite successful.  the rules amendments worked and the the generic"Imaginations" armylist I developed for more European style combat(including more useful cavalry) seemed to work out quite well.


i also committed to running a big Battle of Kulm refight ( done a few years ago at Hotlead) on my new 12x5" mat  that i documented on the blog last year. I decided i would paint up the previously missing Prussian forces for the game.  That post will be coming in a few days.

Cheers!

2nd CoC Game

I GMed (co-GMed, as it turned out, with Dave Hoyt) a CoC game for a few friends yesterday afternoon.  this game was a slightly more moderate game in terms of forces used then the last(more infantry, less support).

this games was again early war french Vs German. the table was 8x6, but of course the way the patrol phase worked out the game was actually played on only a portion of the table.  I corrected a few mistakes in the way the rules played out versus the first game  earlier last week.

French Platoon :
LT(senior leader)
Platoon sergeant(junior leader)
 VB rifle grenadier squad(4 + junior leader)
3x  infantry squads(10 + junior leader)
25mm AT gun
60mm mortar
Hotchkiss MMG
Hotchkiss H-39

German Platoon:
LT(senior leader)
Feldwebel(senior leader)
5cm mortar
3x  infantry squads(9 + junior leader)
Pak 36 AT gun

MG34 MMG
Pzkpfw 38(t)

As in the first battle, the Germans opened up with a charge, led by the Feldwebel, on a full french squad in heavy cover. despite this, the Germans prevailed and took possession of the graveyard. the feldwebel was badly wounded and shipped off to the rear areas for treatment.  a few phases later the remainder of the squad would be routed by concentrated fire from the VBs and another infantry squad that had taken up residence in the church.

The game was relatively uneventful for teh next while. after the bloody melee, both sides took up residence in hte buildings for cover, and protection against the mortars and VBs. the german 38(t) entered teh board and shot up some french infantry.

\Finally the lull broke The french got 3 phases in a row.  during the first phase the french opened fire on a building across the street, and killed 6! only 8 were alive inside the building, and the remaining shock routed the squad.  during the course of the next 2 rounds, the french continued the above average rolling, and cut down a full German squad in another building.  

The french player then opted to use his 1 chain of command dice to end the turn, forcing the french to role morale for the 2 broken squads.  the German player opted to use his lone chain of command dice to ignore one force morale test, but despite this, he was left with only 2 command dice to roll, a tank, a 5cm mortar team, and a single squad of 2 infantry(who had been rallied from the squad that opened the game with the melee). he still had the MG team and an AT team off board, as well as his LT. we called the game, with the Germans effectively neutralized.

This game ran faster then the previous one.  We started around 12:30 and were done shortly after 3:30.  the french luck at the end was phenomenal. Up until that point the loses had been about equal and neither side had seen much gain.

The next game won't be fore a bit, as we are probably playing imaginations in 2 weeks.  this works well as it give Martin time to get some Soviets painted.  I'd like to do a bit of Operation Barbarossa.

Another ACW game

2 weeks ago we got another game in of ACW at my Friend Martin's.  you may suspect the game looks similar in setup an layout to the last game of ACW I posted about, and you would be correct.  we were trying my heavily modified version of Field of Battle(which we jokingly refer to as Meadow of Warfare), and comparing it with the last set we used, which was Foundry's "Bull Run to Gettysburg".

Dan holding the Light for better pictures. Thanks Dan!

 In this iteration of the scenario, instead of the union dominating combat and movement, the confederate forces charged across the field with stunning speed.  the union didn't even get a good deal of their guns unlimbered in time for the first wave.

the main action

The game was from then on a fairly balanced affair.  at one point shortly before the game ended the confederate forces took a significant lead and reduced the Union morale points to zero.  this doesn't mean an automatic army breaking in the system however. you have to wait for an army morale card to come up.  this forces both sides to continue playing fairly and making a quick rush for that last morale point to break the enemy.

Fighting for an empty field, Oh the humanity!

with the confederate having used all their cards, the advantage switched to the union, who managed to just barely reduce the confederate morale point to zero  with co-ordinated fire just as the turn end.  the next turn saw the confederates draw their army morale card fairly early and rout off the table! Huzzah! the union held on just long enough.

we really enjoyed his game. the card  decks determine the "turn" sequence. although it doesn't feel like a turn at all. the game takes on a very fluid way to the action and turns are indistinguishable.

Union sharp shooters fall back against a hard confederate push.

We also really enjoyed that the army not breaking once army morale is at zero, but rather at a random moment determined by the playing of a card to be an interesting mechanic.  It makes the players continue to play as if nothing is wrong to get the enemy back before the break.  the unpredictability of it also means that no one can "game" the system to break the enemy just before he breaks with one last push in a certain area.  I have done that in Maurice to my friend Dan. he had wiped out a flank and was about to beat me, but my hurried cavalry push on the flank broke him first.

The main changes i made to the system was the combat mechanic. I tossed out the opposed die rolls for attack die vs defense die, with changing die types.  now units have a set number  for defense based on their quality.  every multiple of 3 above that number you get is a hit. I also made it so that in close combat, both sides take 1 damage point automatically.  I also allowed it so hat all unit may engage in melee as soon as they contact during movement. eliminating the need for the melee card. as well, you can maneuver during movement free now. however i left the maneuver card in as it can be useful for unlimbering and changing formation, etc.  I've also modified the shooting rules so that even when smoke is on your unit(ie you are "not loaded") you can still give closing fire to unit charging you, albeit at greatly reduced base effectiveness.  this eliminates the big issue I had with field of battle where 4 cavalry unit charge across the field at a single unit, but only one of them takes any damage from fire.  


For con games(like my big 12-player battle of Kulm next weekend at Hotlead) I add in an extra movement card and an extra "reload" card to keep things lively.

I still have a few things to put the final touches on for next weekend, so stay tuned!

A Day of Maurice

I picked up a copy of Maurice and accompanying cards last week from J & M Miniatures.  I made plans with my friend Dan and Mike G.(I know many mikes, so I always specify) to get together this week and try them out.


We got together around noon yesterday, and began setting up the table using terrain generation rules. I pulled out my Electorate and Asaryan force, and my FIW provincials and some Napleonic cavalry to support Dan's Poblacht forces.

We used 80 point armies(as that was the extent to which Dan could field forces). we also stuck with 2-base units for now as we don't have any larger figure trays, and Dan would have barely made 3 infantry units.   Dan's army played both the Asaryan and Electorate forces. his national advantages were  Skirmishers, Lethal Volley, and a la Baionnette! he kept these throughout the battles.  the Asaryan national advantages were Cadence, Steady Lads, and rally to the colours. the electorate took Professional Train, Oblique order, and Cavaliers.

the battlefield after setup

the first game saw mike take the helm of the Asaryan army  against Dan's Poblacht na hIbornea army in plains terrain. I GMed. Dan was the attacker, and took a unit of  Electorate cavalry as his mercenary unit.

 The  Poblacht  infantry advanced across the field, and the asaryans took up a defensive line on the road behind a stone wall. following that the cavalry advanced.  the cavalry traded blows but the sipahis eventually came out on top.

Asaryan Sipahis prepare to charge Poblacht Carbiniers,
who apparently get all the big horses

 Dan  Charged his infantry into the Asaryan line after softening up some of the janissaries. we then, as a group, discovered how good defending a wall is.  the hIborneans managed to beat one unit, the DISR from which destroyed the unit.  the one hIbornean elite unit lost and succumbed to disruption, one was outright destroyed, and a 3rd one combat.

at the point the game was almost over, but another cavalry pushed killed a 3rd group of Poblacht Horsemen and the game was decided.


At this point, Mike had to leave. Dan and I went and grabbed an early dinner,  and returned a few hours later for another game, this time  Dan was the attacker against my electorate.

now, as per my usual habit, I completely forgot to take pictures once we were embroiled in the game. basically, Dan concentrated all his activations on pushing my left flank.  I made the mistake of trying to think defensive. I did however place my pandours on the left masterfully, as they were just close enough to cause Dan some consternation, and could not charge en masse until they were dealt with. the left side became a struggle of wills.  Ultimately, Dan lost all but one fresh regular infantry unit, and i lost all my infantry. but it bought me enough time to make one last concerted push against Dans cavalry who finally moved form their starting position. this sudden cavalry charge  managed to save my flank just in time.  I caught one of dan's cavalry on the flank, and it was outnumbered. it was doubled and destroyed, and dan's army morale failed.

If Dan had managed to charge my first, or survive combat and attack back, the game could have very easily ended in disaster for the electorate.  So once again the Electorate is saved by it's cavalry(specifically the Metzger Curiassier!). this seems to be the norm for this army.

Dans drawing of cards was devilish in the least. he always seemed to have a counter to a card I played, and he constantly had tons of modifier cards. also, whenever he needed to hit with volleys on 6s, he always rolled at least one.  this was rather frustrating!

Generally speaking, Maurice is an excellent system. it's fairly fast, has plenty of turning point in the game, and the end result is not easily predictable.   the rules are easy to pick up, yet surprisingly complex. it gives an excellent impression of a struggle of wills.

 the only thing  all 3 of us noticed was that artillery is effectively useless. Dan and I discussed it after the 2nd game, and it definitely feels strange. I know artillery was not as useful during the seven Years War as it was during the later periods like the Napoleonic wars.  but if artillery was as useless as this game portrays it,  I doubt anyone would be using it by the napoleonic period!  to top it off, as the defender, your cannons are even more useless, since  the attacker can simply avoid putting things in front of them. so they never get the use canister unless you move them. generally speaking, it's better to move infantry or cavalry rather then artillery, since they can take melee and not be at a disadvantage.  Mike and I were also less then enthused that my gigantic Turkish cannon did the same amount of damage  as my electorate 3pdrs. again, this  could be historically accurate, but it jut feels wrong.

Disposable heroes AAR: Soviets vs Germans 1941

On December 7th I got together with my friend Martin Jensen and played a game of Disposable heroes.  I have not played a game in quite a while so it was a nice diversion before heading into an intense exam schedule.

Unfortunately  my pattern of forgetting to take pictures until the game is well along has not been remedied by my long absence.

The scenario was Germans attacking a small Village defended by the soviets. the German force was part of a sweeping action to cut off a larger soviet force, and this village and its stalwart defenders are dead in the path.  The Germans were to take the majority of the buildings in the town to achieve a victory. the Russians were to hold out against the German onslaught.

Martin played the Germans and had:
1x Platoon command w/attached LMG
3x 10-man infantry squads(each pslit into a 6 man maneuver setion and a 4 man MG section)
1x 6 man recon squad
2 80mm mortar
1 50mm mortar
1 50mm Pak38
1 panzer 2 D
2 panzer 3 Hs

The Soviets(played by myself) had:
1x platoon command(3 figures)
1x Political officer
4x  12-man infantry Squads( each deployed in an 8 man  maneuver section and a 2 man MG team)
1x Maxim MG team
1x 80mm Mortar
1x ATR team
2x T-34/76A

Martin and his Germans deployed on the quarter of the table seen in the trees below. My Soviets started on the far side of the crossroads in the village. 

the first turn was mostly maneuvering for position. i pushed across the crossroads into a few buildings. Martin spread out along the width of the table, finding cover behind hedges, in the trees, and behind the closest building of the town.

on the 2nd turn, Martin managed to kill a T34 form the front with a lucky shot.  being the ever-stoic soviets they are, the troops ignored the loss and contained fighting.  later that turn 2 of my maneuver sections let loose a devastating volley for their buildings, killing 8 Germans(4 each form 2 German maneuver sections) martin took refuge in the closest building, and we both dropped smoke to continue the advance.

for a turn or 2, we traded fire from buildings. the soviet ART team took some potshots at the PZ 3 and also at some infantry in the woods, but failed to hit.

Martin advanced a Pz 3 up his right flank. it looked like it was going to be a bust for him, as he consistently either failed to spot or failed to hit. I decided to Assault  him with a  one and a half maneuver sections. this turned out to be the worst thing that i could have done, as i failed 2 improvised assault in a row.  martin just ran an entire maneuver section down, and i had nothing to show for it but dead soldiers. good thing I'm a soviet commander!

In the last turn I managed to pile enough fire in to the building martin had occupied to force the lone survivor to retreat. I also hit and penetrated the PZ2 but  only killed one crew member, and the crew passed their check.

and the end of the game, i took stock of the losses on both sides.  i had effectively lost 3 whole squads of infantry, my Maxim, and a T34.  the Germans had lost a similar amount of their force, though still had all their tanks. fortunately, my last push and force Martin completely out of the town.


Martin has some stunning luck with his tanks.  i could not kill them to save my life.  I successfully continued using the massed fire of the soviet rifles, ans was quite lucky with  the fire from my maneuver sections.

In the soviet list, the MG teams are too small and die to fast, so I focus on bringing my maneuver section to bear.  While playing Disposable heroes, i have noticed a lot of people tend to focus on killing MGs early because they think MGs do the most fighting.  This tends not to be true of the soviet lit the way it is set up.  It usually takes people completely, by surprise but martin was up to the task.

it was an very enjoyable game, with plenty of ups and downs to keep you on your toes.


and now the pics:

Soviet positions turn 2

Blaster germans killed my T34!

German push on right flank.

 

Soviet improvised assault in full swing.

recon squad  bloodied but not beaten.

Final positions.

1st Black Powder Battle Report.

I got in a quick game of Napoleonic Black powder today with the owner of the Austrians I'm just finishing up.

we play with the ranges from the book halved(due to smaller table) and it still gives a good fast game with a turn or 2 of maneuver. we do however leave the command ranges at 12" because of the way the figure are based.this allows brigades to be spaced out a bit.  we also allow the Overall commander(in this case divisional commander) to give orders to any unit that has not successfully been given orders(unless they were part of a blunder).

we also decided that disordering was too penalizing for us and we made is so that re-ordering a unit takes 1 move segment, instead of all turn. this change. if you roll 1 move, the result is the same as the rule as-written, but if you get more moves, you still get to do something. this also allows elite units to still use their rule special rule.

for skirmishers, we make them roll a 4+ to evade infantry, and a 5+ to evade cavalry. they get only 2 dice for shooting and 4 dice for hand to hand, but they retain thier +1 to hit modifier.

Of course, as usual, i forgot to take pictures until the end of turn 3. then i took another set of pictures when the Austrian division broke half way through turn 5.

The forces were my Baden division versus a division of Austrians.

Baden:
Division Commander-  8

1st Brigade - Cmd 8
1st Battalion, 1st Baden infantry
2nd Battalion, 1st Baden infantry
1st Battalion, 2nd Baden infantry
2nd Battalion, 2nd Baden infantry
Foot Artillery battery(2 guns)

2nd Brigade - Cmd 7
1st Battalion, 3rd Baden infantry
2nd Battalion, 3rd Baden infantry

Light infantry battalion(skirmish)

Foot Artillery battery(2 guns)

Cavalry Brigade - Cmd 8
1st/2nd sqdns, Baden Dragoons
3rd/4th sqdns, Baden Dragoons
1st/2nd sqdns, Baden Hussars
Baden Guard du Corps(2 squadrons)
1 Horse Artillery battery

Austrians
Division command - 7

1st Brigade - Cmd 7
1st Battalion, Kaiser Franz Regiment(No.1)
2nd Battalion, Kaiser Franz Regiment(No.1)
1st Battalion, Reuss-Greitz Regiment(No.18)
2nd Battalion, Reuss-Greitz Regiment(No.18)
Foot Artillery battery(2 guns)


2nd Brigade - Cmd 7
1st Battalion, Baron Preiss Regiment(No.24)
1st Battalion, Baron Preiss Regiment(No.24)
1st Battalion 2nd Szeckel (No.15 Grenz) regiment(line)
2nd Battalion 2nd Szeckel (No.15 Grenz) regiment(skirmish)
Foot Artillery battery(2 guns)

Cavalry Brigade - Cmd 7
1st/2nd sqdns, Zeschwitz Curiassier(No.5)
3rd/4th sqdns, Zeschwitz Curiassier(No.5)
1st/2nd sqdns, Hohenzollern Chevauleger(No.2)

1 Horse Artillery battery


the Austrians started deployed(mostly in attack column) along their table edge, and my forces moved on from mine.


here is the table as set up.

4x8 table i set up in my TV room.

 On the first turn, my entire cavalry refused to move despite the division commander yelling at them.
both infantry brigades got a double move.  the Austrians moved up, except the kaiser Franz regiment, who milled in the rear areas. this would end up being indicative of the regiment, as it would never move more then 10 inches form its starting point.

On the 2nd turn  the Baden cavalry brigade advanced onto the table(Finally!)  and the hussars raced up the far Austrian right flank to draw off the Chevauleger. the Cuirassier flanked the woods on either side at the crest of the hill overlooking the field in which the Baden cavalry now occupied.  the centers of both armies closed to musket ranged and exchanged ineffective fire. the  Austrian foot batter on the centre road caught the Baden artillery unawares and routed them off the table. on the Austrian left, the Kaiser Franz regiment once again refused to advanced 1 move for that one and only time they would actually do anything. In the centre the grenz infantry and Baron Priess regiment refused to move and instead reordered their lines.

troops dispositions at the end of turn 2

during the 3rd turn, the  Kaiser Franz regiment continued resumed their inaction.  the Reuss-Greitz regiment fared slightly better, making their way at last to the other side of the field.  the  Cuirassier reached the edge of the hill and saw the Baden cavalry in the distance, and decided to wait and use the hill to his advantage in the charge to come.  the  Garde du Corps and Baden dragoons advanced further across the field before them. The Baden hussars charged the Austrian chevauleger but were overwhelmed and retired, not to be seen again that day.  in the centre, the 1st Baden infantry charged in at the grenz skirmishing before them, catching them off guard and routing them. the 2nd regiment(both battalions in attack columns) charged the 2nd battalion of the Baron Preiss regiment(in line) holding the orchard wall. despite being heavily outnumbered, the Austrians held the orchard and continued to fight.  the 1st battalion of the Baron Preiss regiment charged one battalion of the 1st Baden infantry, but the Badeners held  their ground.




The 4th turn began with  remaining Baden cavalry advancing to the edge of the field by the road.  the Austrian cuirassier raced down the hill towards the Baden position, but had misjudged the distance, giving their enemies time to react. The 2nd battalion of the 1st Baden infantry charged the grenz attack column, but much to their(and the Austrian commander's) surprise the grenz held, for now. the other battalion 1st infantry battalion once again held against the Austrian onslaught and the melee continued.  the 2nd Baden infantry regiment fared much the same  with the Austrians in the orchard.  the Baden colonel remark " these Austrians must absolutely adore apples, for I've NEVER seen Austrians defend an orchard so vigorously!"


on the Austrian left flank, the Baden brigade commander, realizing the slow pace(indeed, he hadn't entirely decided if it WAS moving at all!)  of the redeployed his formations to fire as the Austrians closed.




when the 5th turn came, the Baden cavalry sprung to life. teh dragoon colonel ordered his 2IC to counter charge with the 3rd band 4th squadrons, while he enveloped the flank with the first 2. the 3rd and 4th squadrons of Austrian Cuirasser, caught totally off guard by the brilliant maneuver, retired and the  dragoon commander took shameless advantage. just after the garde du Corps charged headlong into the first 2 squadrons of cuirassier, the dragoons made a sweeping advance  past the retiring squadrons and right into the flank of the other cuirassier formation. the guard du corps morale had been shaken by the brief melee, but  it was to late for the Austrian cavalry, and they were run down.

centre and cavalry melee at the end of Baden phase in turn 5

in the center, the 1st Baden infantry regiment broke the grenz column and routed the battalion of the Baron Preiss.  the 2nd battalion after defending the walled orchard for 2 turns from the entire 2nd Baden regiment, finally retires.  beaten but not broken, they would be ordered to withdraw before they got a chance to retake the wall.

After holding for 2 turns, the 2nd battalion of the Baron Preiss
regiment retired back into the orchard

alas, before teh kaiser Franz regiment could muster enough energy to move more then 100 meters, the signal to retreat is sounded. the brigade and overall commander could be overheard mutter about how even Hungarian regiments would have done more!

the largely uneventful Austrian left flank

teh final disposition of the Austrian right flank

the game took about 2 hours to play.  genearlly derek(the austrian commander) rolled a little better then i did for shooting, and occasionally fore melee, but my morale saves and melee dice were genrally better.  derek's luck disappeared in hte 5th turn.  my cavalry got 3 moves, so it was a simple matter to maneuver the one dragoon unit into the curaissier flank before chargin home.  derek's luck really turned in hte melee rolls.

all in all it was a fun game.  hats off to the 2nd battalion of the Baron Preiss regiment.  a line battalion standing up and holding a full regiment in attack column for 2 turns, and retiring in good order on the 3rd?  I've never seen the like in an Austrian army!

And the Baden dragoons! what a spectacular finish! heroes of the battle! that roll came at a fortuitous time, and they forced one cuirassier unit to retire and outright broke the 2nd in 1 turn!!

" Extra rations for the men tonight!"

ARR: First Platoon Forward Action.

Last night my friend Jon and I had the inaugural game at my house. As mentioned previously, we had decided to play Disposable heroes WW2 using the TFL Platoon Forward campaign system. the game was set in 1940 during the invasion of France.

Before hand, I had decided that i was going to track 2 Platoons, one German and one French. They won't always be playing against each other. I decided that wen one rolled up a defensive role and one rolled up an offensive role, there would be a 50/50 chance of the 2 platoon meeting. this means the overall odds of them fighting in the same game are about 33%.  well last night it happened.

the scenario was an exploitation scenario, with the french on the defensive and Germans on the offensive. there german Platoon( had been held in reserve during a company or battalion wide attack. When a hole opened up in the Germans were sent into hte hole and advance to take position in a church behind the french lines. the french, being in somewhat disarray only start with a single squad of infantry, an MG and the platoon NCO on the board.

Forces:

German Platoon
Platoon command ( LT, Sgt, 3 privates)
3 infantry squads(6 man Rifle section, 4 man LMG section each)
1 5cm Mortar

German Support
1 PaK 38
1 80mm Mortar
1 MG-34 MMG
1 Panzer IV D

French Reinforcements
Platoon command(Lt, 2 Privates, 1 VB grenadier)
2 Squads( 8 man rifle section with VB, 4 man LMG section each)

81mm Mortar team
H-39 light tank( entered Turn 3)
Somua S-35( entered Turn 4)

we rolled up pre-game events and Jon's platoon was in high morale(+1), while my troops were well rested(+1 Movement)

As usual, I forgot to take pics for the first half of the game. but here it is in ha nutshell.  Jon started his forces in the middle third of the table.  I deployed the rifle section in the graveyard(NCO attached), the MG on main floor of the Church and the LMG section in the 2nd floor in the tower window. His first turn of fire pinned the reifle section immediately.  by the end of the turn only the Squad Sgt, VB grenadier, and NCO remained.  The LMG section had lost one of it's members, and the MG had LOS blocked by smoke after it fired.  the rest of the platoon entered on the German far right at the roadway.

2nd turn Jon Killed the remainder of the rifle squad and pinned the LMG section.the HMG section retreats to the far end of the church in preparation for an assault. hte NCO survived and under covering fire from long range of the LMG(which pinned a German rifle section entering the graveyard). he retreated to the gate of the graveyard.  Jon's MG-34 succumbed to superb rifle fire from a section french riflemen.

3rd turn the french advanced a little more taking fire and giving it. the H-39 arrived at the far end of the table from the infantry(German far left), behind a significant amount of cover.  Jon piled more infantry into the church and Jon's P IV having lost it's only recently acquired target(the MG section) moved up the street a little more in preparation for  attack of the H-39. the NCO in spectacular fashion, steadied his rifle  on the graveyard wall and proceeded to do more damage to the German rifle section in the graveyard the 2 squads of french down the road could do over the next two turns.

End of 3rd turn.

In the 4th turn, Jon continued to pile infantry into the Church while i was slowly beginning to realize that retaking the church was no longer possible in the time remaining ( 6-turn game length) . the Somua entered the table, albeit to late to have a real effect on the game. it took a potshot at the infantry in the graveyard but had no real effect.  the NCo continued having the most effect on the game.  the H-39 pulled out to take a shot at the Panzer IV but the shot went wide.  Luckily, so did the Panzer's shot.  a few moves into the 5th turn i gave up and retreated, as i could not make it to the church in the time allotted.

 

End of 4th turn

During the free-form events that followed the game,  the french NCO who miraculously survived  increased in moral ability, as he held his post against overwhelming odds(in full view of the rest of teh platoon and at least 1 tank) and only retreated when he was ordered to.  the German squad leader who was in hte graveyard also increased his gut score due to his bravery and keeping his squad together in the face of overwhelming fire( 2 full french squads, a mortar,  the NCO and a Somua tank). a the fixed effects yeilded no changes fr the french, but teh Germans get to have an extra Mortar or MG-34 MMG team next scenario, and try were asked by Battalion HQ to deliver a new radio to company HQ since they are out of contact (next scenario for them)

Part way through 5th turn, end of game.

All in all i like the system. my only grip is that the +1 morale is far better then the +1 movement.  I may adjust to to +2 because +1 jut don't have much impact.  the rules do not specify the actual increase, rather leaving it up to the players to decide since it is a non-rules-specific set.    and now for some cool pics:

Somua takes a potshot at some German infantry

H-39 Begins it's attack

End of game.

AAR: first Imagination Game

Last Sunday, Dave Hoyt & I decided to play the first game of Sharp Practice with our Imagination project. so it was to be that the armies of Asarya and Gourmandie would come to blows.

Both armies are starting at poor quality. we will be tracking our armied using Dave's modified campaign system seen HERE .   Because our troopers are starting at poor quality, even a devastating loss is not that bad.  our troops cannot become worse then         poor!

We set up the our armies in secret( some lookers-on held a terrain board down the middle of the table)  and then we began.

Initial setup & playing board

Asarya Commander Zafer Yilmaz

Gourmandie Commander Phillipe Grand-Nez, Comte de Roquefort

the 1st turn saw movement forward to get into musket range.not much happened. the 1er Escadron, Grenadiers à Cheval Boursin surged forward, and my Sipahis attempted to a flanking maneuver on the opposite flank.  

the 2nd turn was a bit more eventful.  my new red-feathered formation of Janissaries opened fire on the  Grenadiers à Cheval, inflicting 3 casualties! luckily the  Chef d'Escadron Langeron was not attached.  the Grenadiers à Cheval  surged forward again in an attempt to get into the cover of the town on my right flank, falling just short. on hte other flank my Sipahi jumped a low hedge and decided to take a nap in the yard. the next time their card came up was 5 turns later!)  the infantry in the center traded fire with little effect.

 

In the 3rd turn, the Grenadiers à Cheval attempted to get into the town, but were foiled when some gold coins were flung into the road(loot! card).  They quickly lept from their horses to scramble after the coins, and failed to move. As they remounted and ordered themselves, the Janissaries loosed another volley, killing a further 2 cavalrymen.  on hte opposit flank, the Gourmandie formation commander saw the sipahis jump a hedge down hte road and detached a  1/3 of his men to cover the flank.  the rest of the raged on, with both sides accumulating a few shock.  

 turn 4  began with the  Gourmandie cavalry making  it to the village. the red-feathered Janissaries broke formation.   Hazbija Backo Took half of the men and entered the village for safety from cavalry and a  for a better firing position. Asil Serhat took the other half and advanced alongside the village toward the road. on hte far side of the table the sipahis lounge in the mid-day sun amidst the ineffectual fire being rained down upon them by the detached Gourmandie flank guards.in 4 turns of fire, only 2 sipahis were felled.

Turn 5 the blue-feathered Janissary formation finally caught a break.  they fired a Crushing Volley  at the smaller formation of Gourmandie infantry, causing 8 shock! one of the red feathered janissary groups also fired, causing 2 kills on the same Gourmandie formation.

through turn 6 and 7  there was mostly just an exchange of fire between the blue-feathered janissaries and Groumandie infantry.  by the end of turn 7, the Red Feathered janissaries has re-postioned to launch another attack from the town.  ove the next 2 turns tehy would cause another 4 casualties and numourous shock the the smaller Gourmandie formation, and force it to retire. 

On the 8th turn, the sipahi finally awoke from their nap and charged the flank guard, routing them.    At the same time, the Blue feathered janissaries  Fired a volley and charged the only Goumandie formation still holding it's ground.  the volley caused  2 casualties  but the charge fell short. on the next turn, the sipahis  charged into the flank of the Gourmandi formation, and defeated them.   after that,  the army of gourmandie retired from the field.

Sipahi roused from their midday nap 

The Army of Asarya won the day.   The accurate fire of the red-feathered  Janissaries made them the deadliest  formation on the table.   with the win, they get 2 points to use for unit advances.  I'm considering giving the red-feathers a +1 on the dice to musketry, and make then the true sharp-shooters of the army of Asarya.

 The Newest addition to my turks, the "red-feathers"

 Dave has finished some grenadiers and a cannon this week, and he has more cavalry awaiting paint in the background. he also is ordering figures for his second nation.  it Looks like I need to catch up!  I'm probably going to order the remaining Janissaries and Tufekci skirmishers from TAG this week, as well as a Turkish cannon and crew. Depending on how things go  in the next 2 weeks, I may also order the first figures for the  Zuztigzollern-Großgesaßische Armee