Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: fred on 03 August 2025, 08:41:12 PM
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We played another AWI game with Live Free or Die rules this week - as a couple of our gaming group wanted to try the rules.
It's been a few months since we last played - so need a quick refresh of the rules ahead of the game. Harlem Heights is a smaller scenario with around 50 bases per side - which nicely fitted with what we have painted.
The game is a 10 turn, escalating meeting engagement, with both sides adding in troops from turns 3 to 6.
(https://imgur.com/TkrLPOb.jpeg)
Starting positions American formed troops to the right (NE) with skirmishers nearest the camera. The British have 2 large regiments of Light troops in skirmish formation between the woods, and a regiment of highlanders way off camera to the left.
(https://imgur.com/LSSHrgY.jpeg)
Turn 3 - on the right the British skirmishers have infiltrated around the woods - but then were rudely met by American reinforcements. In the centre the Americans have advanced against the other Regt of Light troops. The American skirmishers have advanced to the wood to engage the Highlanders. And more American troops come on at the bottom of the picture - this brigade is under Nathaneal Greene.
The Americans had tried to charge the Light Infantry to drive them off - but due to the low quality of Hitchock's RI infantry - they failed in the charge and ended up suffering casualties and retreating!
(https://imgur.com/dUi00m9.jpeg)
Battle lines have formed. The Light infantry using their mobility have pulled back to the second wood, whilst that second Regt has moved into the centre of the table. The Americans were struggling to cause meaningful casualties on the Light troops in skirmish formation [6s where needed to hit them, and due to their mobility and high quality they were able to rally off quite a lot the hits caused] And whilst they weren't putting out that much firepower it kept adding up, and the Americans were less able to rally it off.
(https://imgur.com/pKshz2F/jpeg)
A continuous line of Light Infantry screen the British. As their reinforcements start to arrive both from the left, and Hessian's at the bottom.
(https://imgur.com/VMS6Ts0.jpeg)
Nearest the camera Maj General Greene is getting stuck into the action - but his Regt is facing 3 Britsh ones - the weight of fire tells, they loose 2 stands, and Greene is lightly wounded.
(https://imgur.com/uMXbklb.jpeg)
The Americans continue to suffer casualties - with units retreating and causing further disruption to friendly units.
Overall a decisive British victory as they caused 11 stands loss on the Americans, and only suffered 1. The historical result was about 4 stands each.
The two British Light regiments where a major problem for the Americans - they couldn't cause meaningful casualties to them, and their mobility allowed them to dance around the battlefield, and combined with their quality allowed them to rally off disruptions fairly easily.
The Hessians arriving on the bottom edge of the table was historically plausible - and did perhaps tip things the British way, as the rest of their reinforcements didn't get into the game - mainly as they spent a lot of time traversing terrain rather than marching around it.
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Looks great, thanks for sharing!
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Poor Yanks! ;)
Maybe next time.
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Thanks both - yep the yanks felt unlucky- we weren’t sure what they might have done much differently (other than understanding the odds before charging)
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Boy, talk about an ass-whuppin'...
Washington would have his work cut out for him after that...
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If you don't mind my asking. What scale and basing style are these figures?
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They are Pendraken 10mm figures - a very cool range
Troops are on 25mm square bases.
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They are Pendraken 10mm figures - a very cool range
sculpted by Clibanarius, a good thing.
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Very nice looking table. I have a copy of "Live Free of Die" and a mate and I thought about an AWI project in 10mm. However seeing the troop count in the scenarios we decided against it. My mate already has masses of 28mm AWI and I have a small-ish Continental army.If I was starting again 10mm Pendraken would be the way to go.
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Thanks. Yep the LFoD scenarios are pretty high figure count if you are starting from scratch
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I must say I'm still tempted. A great gaming period, and for the linguistically challenged most of the sources are in English.
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I would also recommend Pendraken. Their AWI range are very nicely sculpted minis.
Unless you are totally insane, like myself, 10mm figures are very easy to paint up. So you can work up a good force very quickly. Just don't be insane with the detail. Paint the basic colors and wash. You are finished.
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Here is a YouTube link to painting English troops by Little Wars TV. Notice he doesn't use a wash, which I actually agree with and just how quickly he is able to paint his troops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMGJKKtw4p8