Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: DintheDin on July 08, 2017, 08:35:13 PM
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Hi all,
Today we played a Pikemans Lament Great Northern War scenario, 36 pts each.
Here are the OOB and the map of the game:
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The battle of Ishkutchnayia
A GNW fiction scenario with Pikemans Lament
A few days after the battle of Poltava…
A Swedish battalion managed to escape relatively intact and is retreating to the West.
Two Swedish columns have stopped at the crossroads (see map) before the Ishkutcnayia village. Each of them escorts a wagon, one with the some of the army payroll money and the other with some important documents of the King.
They are eight groups, as described in the OOB. Between them, two groups of invalid and wounded (classed as raw shots). Their task is to exit the map via the Northwest road, or through Ishkutchnayia village, but the villagers are already alerted and manning the village fence.
From the Northwestern road, some Russian garrison troops are already on the map. There are four spots marked as ambush, three in woods and one behind the small knoll. The Russian player has hidden in two of them two Cossack units (playing as dragoons). Six more Russian groups are left to enter the table. On round one, after the Swedes move first, from the corners A1 and A5 (arrows) three Russian infantry units try to enter (with move activation). On round Two, three Russian cavalry units attempt to enter from squares G1, G3, F5 (arrows).
The Russian Major Timofei Arkadievich Zdravin, escorted by a unit of Russian Guards (gallopers), enters preferably from G3.
For the moment, the Swedes see no enemy and have the first move. Their leader, Colonel Ake Blohm (marked with a star-see map) has an escort of veteran Drabant Guards and is classed as elite, yet Aggressive (stamina 4, attack 3+), which means that he has the benefit (or drawback) of a wild charge. The Swedish regimental cannon have only three rounds of shot. Also: the invalid, the cannon and the units escorting a wagon move on the road with only 5” and out of the road with only 4”.
Before the village there is a low knoll sufficient for only two groups to stand and be considered on higher ground. Could it be needed for the Swedes to make a last stand there, or is it a trap?
Honor points:
Swedes: 3 points for each wagon exiting the map, 2 points for each invalid and wounded group that exit, 2 points for the cannon, 1 point for the rest. -2 points for each invalid and wounded unit that perish, -1 point for the cannon, plus the value points for every Russian unit destroyed.
Russian: 3 points if they capture the money wagon (they don’t know which) and 0 for the other?!? Plus the value points of each Swedish unit destroyed and half the value points for each Swedish unit that remains or leaves the table half strength.
The game ends if the Russians lose 5 units or the Swedish 4, or when all the Swedes leave the table.
Oh! I forgot!
Plus 5 honor for the one who meets the game end condition.
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The Swedish starting position, the Iskutchnayia villagers posted behind the fence and a unit of Russian Garrison troops, marching from Northwest.
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On the tray, waiting to enter the game, from left to right: Two units of Cossacks (as dragoons), two units of Dragoons (as trotters), Major Timofei Arkadievich Zdravin with his escort (Gallopers) and three units of infantry (shot)
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Ishkutchnayia
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The Swedes on the march
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Ooh, I like those table-level shots. Really nice. :)
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Two more Russian platoons enter from the SW and NW edge...
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Ooh, I like those table-level shots. Really nice. :)
Thank you! More are coming!
Swedish grenadiers (Forlorn Hope), marching to their (obscure) destiny...
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First ambush revealed! The Cossacks emerge from the woods to harass the Grenadiers, causing them one loss.
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Russians appear from everywhere, but the Swedes retain a better troop command, as they have the interior lines (Clausewitz) :)
Behind the knoll, the second Cossack ambush is revealed!
Major Zdravin enters threatening the tail of the Swedish column!
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Colonel Blohm is furious! He makes a wild charge against the Cossacks, but this is what the Russian player wants! In the woods, both units play with attack-defense 5+ and stamina 2... So the Swedish retreat with a bloody nose, but the Cossacks don't fare any better, either, they take a bad morale test and leave the woods.
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In other places, Russian cavalry loses everywhere!
-The Grenadiers charge the Kossacks, who failing to evade, retreat with losses!
-Major Zdravin attacked with better odds the trailing Swedish infantry unit and is also repulsed, now hiding behind his Trotters!
Having fallen half strength, it is dubious if he's going to try to attack again! - I was his unfortunate commander >:(
-The other Grenadier unit attack and mangle the second Russian Trotters! They fail a second morale check and rout!
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Panos P. was playing the Swedes. It took him 10 minutes to grab the rules and he gave me a rough treatment!
Here, his rearmost Swedish infantry is exchanging pot shots with my Dragoons (trotters)
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I try to make a semicircle with my infantry to stop the Swedish advance... Then, I bring double aces and one four-points Russian unit must leave the table, considered lost! :-[ :-X
I send the infantry to the right to the box - they were recalled by my superiors somewhere else as reinforcements... Before they have a single shot!
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I try to reorganize and move Major Zdravin to join the infantry
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...while many more disasters await the Russians!
All my cavalry is routed, decimated or in shambles!
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With their legendary Russian patience, the Iskutchnaya men wait...
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Panos' cunning plan was to avoid the village and take the diagonal NW road...
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Now, luck turned against the Swedes, to balance things a bit...
Colonel Blohm attacked the red Russian platoon, is defeated, retreats, gets a bad morale check and routs!
Two more Swedish units are affected and retreat!
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The last round came when I lost my fifth Cossack unit and had one more unit retreating (its last base left).
The Cossacks were evaporated by the second cannon shot (the scenario allowed the cannon three shots - but two proved to be enough)
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A fantastic report and a fun game.
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A fantastic report and a fun game.
Thank you very much! Next week, hopefully we're going to play with a new PL scenario!
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Who won the game:
I love this game, as it has a well-defined honor points system!
I think I put balanced honor points for this scenario, so lets look at honor points p.1:
The Russians had lost 5 units @4 points each, total -20 points.
The Swedes didn't manage to exit any unit from the map, but they didnt lose any of their invalid and wounded units, or the cannon or any of the wagons.
They lost 2 Grenadier units and their Captain's unit @6 points each, the flower of their army! Total -18 points.
In addition, they lost -1 points for losing their captain and -1 points from special events - they brought aces and their captain acted without panache, -1 point lol
Plus: They had one unit of Swedish infantry depleted under half strength, -2 points.
Grand total -22 points.
But! They met the victory conditions, +5 honor points!
So, Panos' Swedish won my Russians with by 3 honor points, a marginal win for the Swedes!
Many congrats to Panos, it was his first time to play Pikeman's Lament and, a veteran player he is, he not only managed to play smoothly, but very soon he developed his own plans and strategy, proving that he is a tough opponent, as always!
Panos and I agreed that PL is an exciting game and very soon we'll give it another go!
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wonderful game. Didnt make it due to family obligations.
I see many pikemen lamenting
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wonderful game. Didnt make it due to family obligations.
I see many pikemen lamenting
You know pal, that always your participation gives heart to the game and that your absence is always observed ;)
Next time, we will lament together lol
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Fine write up of the battle.
Daniel Mersey and friends have a series of hit rules on their hands.
My group has been playing both P.L. and Lion Rampant.
Like them both.
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Fine write up of the battle.
Daniel Mersey and friends have a series of hit rules on their hands.
My group has been playing both P.L. and Lion Rampant.
Like them both.
Thank you for your kind words! They are both good stuff, indeed. Trying to spread them in our club.
I plan also a scenario with The Men Who Would Be Kings to be played soon.
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Great write up and great rules. Quick question, how are you posting the pictures, i.e. Via what software, as we know photobucket has gone belly up ?
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Great write up and great rules. Quick question, how are you posting the pictures, i.e. Via what software, as we know photobucket has gone belly up ?
Hi, welcome! Thank you!
Having seen many photo-dead threads in many other forums, I never trusted photobackety-ish situations and I upload them straight from my disk.
I use my main pc, no other gadget. I first compress them around 300-400KB and then, down left, click Additional Options --> Attach: (Browse) you browse your disk, find pic and if you want a second or a third you click (more attachments).
Underneath, one can see a comment; Maximum attachment size allowed: 1500KB, per post: 8
I know this way I'm wasting precious LAF disk space, I hope soon to find another method, or, create, at last, my own blogsite - armtwisted already by so many friends :)
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Meanwhile, in Ishkutchnayia village, two hours have passed and nobody told them the battle is over!
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Colonel Blohm is alive!
One turn before the game end, the unit of Colonel Blohm took a bad morale check, lost one figure and at the last turn, Colonel Blohm routed...
When we finished the game, I asked Panos: -Just for fun, throw 2d6 to see what happened to Colonel Blohm: He brought eleven.
Colonel Blohm was lightly wounded and came back to his camp with an impressive scar and a story to tell! +1 honor point!
This gave me the idea to create the sequel of this scenario, to be played hopefully on Saturday!
Panos is 4 honor points ahead. Will the Russians be able to wrestle them back?
Pike Lamenters, please stay tuned for the PL GNW scenario, Part 2.
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The Russians retreated to lick their wounds. During the lull, the Swedish van found the time to reorganize. With a forced night march, they bypassed Ishkutchnayia via the North West road. Colonel Blohm had vanished, so, to reduce their burden, they burned ceremoniously the wagon with the confidential correspondence of the King.
Then, Colonel Blohm sent message that he is alive! A squadron of wandering Valaks (Veteran Dragoons) who didn't see much action in Poltava, managed to concentrate one unit of Swedish foot, so, there are three more units coming as reinforcements!
After so many casualties, Colonel Blohm's unit is downgraded to Gallopers (@4 points), but they retain their Aggressive (Wild Charge) status.
The same with major Zdravin's unit, (Gallopers - Aggressive), who is getting impatient to dispatch those dangerous Swedes! The czar is watching...
What will happen?
I invite you to click Part 2
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=102392.msg1271228#msg1271228
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I need to say that I was deeply impressed and inspired by the League of Augsburg GNW Swedish Ghost Army, a real work of art!
http://leagueofaugsburg.blogspot.gr/2017/07/solidifying-ghost-army-part-5-how-far.html
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Exellent AAR !
Glad that you like the rules and that you using 15mm minis and it play out well !
Best regards Michael
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Thank you!
We enjoyed it, plenty of room to maneuver!
It ran smoothly.
Just putting one marker to remember to take out one base for every two casualties
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A new game has started...
In Ishkutchnayia they are still talking :)