Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: CapnJim on June 09, 2022, 02:20:26 AM
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I am on the Board of Directors for HMGS-Great Lakes, and the Board has decided to have a big game at my wargaming building this August. Ted, a member of my wargaming group, is also on that Board. We came up with an Anglo-Zulu war scenario using Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles. We play-tested the game today in my group's weekly game.
Here's the set-up. Please note that this is a fictional scenario. It's late January 1879. Lord Chelmsford'd left column, in the first invasion, has crossed the Buffalo River. The column commander has left a detachment at Bender's Drift (named after the afore-mentioned Ted) to guard the ford across the Buffalo River. The detachment included 2 companies of Highlanders, a company of Regulars, a company of Marines (each with 10 men), 2 detachments of Rifles (each with 5 men), a Gatling Gun (crew of 3), a surgeon, and the Major commanding. They also had 4 wagons, and oxen to draw them. All the British infantry were rated as "Regular" and were "Steady", and the Rifles were also "Dead-eyes". The Rifles, Highlanders, and Regulars were D12s to shoot. All other die for the British were D10. The Major was "Encouraging". The surgeon was a "Medic". The oxen (and this would come into play!) were D8.
The Zulus had 13 units of 15 men each. Their entry turns were determined randomly (they were all on by turn 3), as were their entry points (there were 8 scattered along various points on the board edge). The Zulus were all "Ferocious Charge", and rated "Tribal". The Zulus would melee at D12, but all their other rolls were d10. They could have 1 to 3 leaders (determined randomly), but ended up with only one. He was 'encouraging". No Zulus started on the board.
Bender's Drift sat in a valley between low ridges, with the border road running along the river the length of the valley. The road crosses the river at the Drift. There are copses of trees that dot the landscape, as well as clumps of trees and shrubs along the river banks. The first pic below shows the battlefield, looking roughly westerly.
The Zulus had 12 turns to break all the British units, thus defeating them. The British relief column, with its cavalry, would arrive on Turn 13.
The Major had the wagons clustered immediately east of the station building at the Drift. The oxen were posted just southeast of that building, adjacent to the wagons. He sent the 2 detachments across the river to the south as pickets. He set up his infantry just west and southwest of the station building. He, the surgeon, and the Gatling Gun, were at the approximate center of their defensive position. See the 2nd pic below to view the British starting positions.
I'll post Part 1 of the AAR, "The Battle Begins...", tomorrow. Part 2, "...And The Battle Ends." will be after that, but by Friday.
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So far, so good.
Those oxen are huge-mongous! Also, my arithmetic fails me at how those six oxen will pull those four wagons. ;)
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So far, so good.
Those oxen are huge-mongous! Also, my arithmetic fails me at how those six oxen will pull those four wagons. ;)
Yes, well, oxen are big animals...and we discussed the oxen-to-wagons ratio. Apparently the 2 smaller wagons were one-ox carts. We were too lazy to walk the 10 feet to grab my other 2 oxen... :o
By the way, as the host, I provided the terrain, while Ted brought the figures (including the oxen and wagons)...
Anyhow, on with the show...
The Battle Begins...
The Major and his men could hear the incessant beat of hundreds of feet, along with the chanting, coming from over the ridges and both ends of the valley. BOTH ridges. "What were Zulus doing south of the River?" the Major thought. Well, soon enough he got his answer. "Zulus! Loads of 'em!" came shouts from his Marines as 2 groups of Zulus came over the ridge south of the Drift. Then: "Zulus to the west!" came shouts from the Highlanders, as they spotted another group coming down the valley. And so it began.
The 2 groups of Zulus came down the ridge from the south, right into the Marines. Luckily, the Marines and one of his Highlander companies got some good volleys into them before they charged home. While the Marines took several casualties and fell back a bit, those 2 groups of Zulus were sent packing. Thank God they had a surgeon. He had patched up a few men of the Marines and got them back into the fight. But more Zulus were coming. The Major figured those 2 groups were a diversion, as now they could see and hear several groups of Zulus coming toward them from the east and the west. "Good God, man" the Major said to his batman. "There must be a thousand of them." Hundreds from the east, and hundreds more from the west. Those must be the 2 horns of their attack. But where was the chest? It was quiet to the north...
His Highlanders and Regulars could see several groups of Zulus descending on their position from the west, while his Riflemen reported several more coming up the valley and along the ridgeline from the east. And they just kept coming.
With no apparent threat from the north, the Major called his Riflemen back from across the River. While he could see his Highlanders and Regulars starting to get some good volleys off toward the Zulus advancing from the west (they had already put paid to one group of Zulus in that direction), he didn't have anyone in position to engage those coming up from the east. So, he ordered his Rifles into the Drift's station building. One detachment of Rifles got up on the roof of the building, while his other Rifles peppered the closest group of Zulus coming from the east as the Rifles made their way back to the station building. The Major also ordered his Gatling Guns to position themselves at the southeast corner of his position. When everything was in place, at least he'd have a good defense set up all the way around.
They'd need it. All those Zulus were getting close. The Major knew a relief column of cavalry was coming up the Valley from the east. He suspected the Zulus wouldn't care to have cavalry up 'em, so his men had to hold out until the relief arrived. But there were a lot of Zulus. His men's Martini-Henry rifles had already dropped quite a few. Would it be enough? Those Zulus were ferocious in melee. "Dear Lord" he prayed. "Help us!"...
And that's were I'll leave it for now. 3 of the 13 groups of Zulus were beaten back, but 10 more were coming on hard and he and already lost a few men. the Zulus were ready for a fight, but his men were up t the challenge. He hoped......
Stay tuned for Part 2 ...And the Battle Ends.
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Looking good! One of my favorite periods!
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Thanks!
I should note that the pennies indicate casualties on the Zulus, since they were already mounted 3 figures per stand. As you can see, the British were individually mounted. The micro-dice indicate shock on a unit. And we decided that each fig represented about 5 men, so we have about 250 British defending against a thousand Zulus. Ugh...Gene (another member of our weekly gaming group) and I played the British, and Ted played the Zulus.
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And, now, as American commentator Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story...
Part 2: ...And The Battle Ends.
Having beaten back the initial attacks by a few groups of Zulus, the real test came. There were 10 more groups of 'em bearing down on him and his men - 5 from the west coming down the valley, and 5 more coming from the east up the valley. He had arranged his men the best he could, and he only hoped his men could hold out.
And the Zulus came on. Hundreds of 'em. They hit his position from both the west and the east. Some of them hit the Highlander company at the westernmost point in his position, while more got in among the wagon lager. His Highlanders stood fast, but were men were going down. The surgeon was patching up marines, and a few more of them took their place back with their company. And his Gatling Guns were now in action, firing at Zulus who were trying to use the oxen as cover to get in around the station building. The guns got a few, but the firing spooked the oxen, who then stampeded into that group of Zulus. Those oxen played havoc with the Zulus, running over and goring several and flummoxing them to no end. And more were struggling over and around the wagons to try to get into the station building. It was a good thing he had his Rifles there, as they had by now felled several Zulu warriors...
But they kept coming. On the west side, they pushed the Highlander company back, and the other Highlander company and the regulars had to adjust for that. The whole time, the Major kept shouting words of encouragement to his men, keeping their spirit up. And at the station building, more Zulus were trying to get into the building. The Rifles inside were paying the price to keep them at bay, but the men on the roof were playing hell with the Zulus.
By now, there were lots of Zulus laying all around the Drift, dead and wounded. But the major could see the blue- and red-coated figures of his own men lying on the ground around the perimeter. The surgeon yelled out "I'm doing my best, but we're running out of medical supplies, and there are too may men down for me to get to!"
It was getting dicey. As men went down, those still fighting slowly fell back toward the station building. If need be, that would be where they put up their last stand.
But the Major could see the dust cloud to the east. He prayed it was the relief column. The Zulus could see it too. And more fresh groups of Zulus came on, His men had punished several groups already, but there were just too many. Then, to his horror, a group of Zulus charged the other Highland Company and wiped them out to a man. But those brave Scots went down fighting, and made the Zulus pay a heavy price for their little victory. Another group of Zulus tried to come across the ford near the station building, but the few Marines that were left held their ground.
That dust cloud was getting closer. He knew it, and so did the Zulu chieftain. One last wave of that chieftain's spear, and one last push from fresh groups of Zulus. One charged the regulars, and another tried for the station building again. This was it. The whole fight would come down to this.
And then it was over. Taking heavy casualties, the Regulars at the west end and the Rifles at the station building survived the onslaught. The Major looked east, and could hear the bugles call, and could see the banners and pennants of the British cavalry. The Zulus chieftain could see and hear them too, and what Zulus remained faded off back across the river, over the ridges, and up the valley. His men had held out. Barely, but they had held. God Almighty had answered his prayers.
And it was indeed over. I'll cover the Butcher's Bill and my thoughts on the game in my next post, hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!
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Great report!
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Great report!
Thanks, BaronVonJ!
And now to wrap things up...
The Butchers Bill and Final Thoughts
It was very close, but the Zulus couldn't quite break the British before the relief column arrived on the scene. The British started out with 4 groups of 10 figures (2 Highlander companies, a Regular company, and a Marine detachment), 2 groups of 5 (Rifles), a Gatling gun with 3 crew, a surgeon, and a mounted leader (the Major). That's 55 figures. We decided on a figure to men ratio of 1 to 5, so that's about 275 men (and a pair of guns). At the end of the fight, they had 15 figures left standing (about 75 men). 3 regulars, 2 Marines, 5 Rifles, and the gun crews, surgeon, and the Major - and none of them with more shock than figures. The British held, but it was a very costly win.
The Zulus started out with 13 groups of 15 figures each, and (as it turns out) 1 dismounted leader. That's 196 figures, or just under a thousand men. When it was all over, they only had 56 figures left standing (under 300 men). It was an even costlier day for the Zulus.
The attached pic shows the field of battle at the end of the fight...
When it was all said and done, we all thought the battle, using Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles and units stated out per the "official" suggestions, really felt like an Anglo-Zulu War battle. Here are some notes:
1. We only tweaked the rules for this scenario just a bit. Since the British really had nowhere to go, if a British unit had to regroup or retreat, we had them fall back toward the center of their position by the distance called for in the rules, or when they got to that center, whichever was the least. Only if neither one of those was possible was the unit destroyed (which did not happen in our game). And as such, British units fought to the last man. The Zulus fell back the requisite distances per the rules, but units were considered out of the fight once they got down to 3 figures (a stand) or less. We figured once a Zulu unit got that beat up, the remnants simply faded away...
2. We used one Joker card. If you drew it, you could play play one of 3 ways. You could use it as an Ace (wild card). You could use it to have something good happen to the activated unit (such as an bonus fire or move action, for example). Or you could use it to have something bad happen to an enemy unit, playable at any point during the turn (like have them do nothing for that turn, have them retreat, or, as I did, have the oxen stampede through them. We had the oxen melee with d8, and they still caused havoc in a Zulu unit!). The trade-off was if you took the 3rd option, you couldn't use it to activate one of your units, effectively forfeiting one of your units' action for that turn.
3. This game really came down to British marksmanship vs. Zulu melee power. The British got some great volleys off, and did a number on several Zulu units. But once Zulus got stuck in, they then did the number on the British. But, true to fashion, those 2 companies of Highlanders made the Zulus pay dearly in melee...
4. The surgeon earned his pay. He brought back quite a few British soldiers with his handiwork, but failed his last 2 "Medic" rolls. We figured he was getting overwhelmed and running out of medical supplies.
5. With the British position so concentrated, and with interior lines, the Major earned his keep as well. He was able to rally and encourage his men on several occasions. Between the Major and the surgeon, they were able to keep units fighting.
This was a hell of a fight, really had the feel of an Anglo-Zulu War battle, and should do nicely for our HMGS-Great Lakes Board game in August.
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Glad to hear the FFOL:BB rules worked out for you. I have them but haven't played them yet. Played FFOL, though.
I like how versatile they can be and will be using them for a variety of eras when my go to rules, Rank and File, are not appropriate.
Nice report and summation.
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Great to meet you today CapnJim! If you’re up for a trip by again end of July, we have great little mini-con fundraiser.
https://www.marchtovictory.net/battles-brews
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We're back from vacation, and nearly caught up. And now it's time to go through the LAF, and see what I missed in the last couple weeks.
It was great to meet you too, Jaye. But, I've been informed by Higher HQ that we're already booked that weekend, so I'll have to pass on it this time. Thanks for the invite though...
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We are planning another run-through of this scenario this coming Saturday. Of course, an illustrated AAR will follow...
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I only just spotted this thread… damn Cap'n, but you always seem to have such cool games!
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Thanks, Grump! Both my wargame bud, Ted, and I are long-time wargamers and convention GMs. I think we're getting pretty good at coming up with good scenarios. 8)
Glad you've noticed too!
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We're back from vacation, and nearly caught up. And now it's time to go through the LAF, and see what I missed in the last couple weeks.
It was great to meet you too, Jaye. But, I've been informed by Higher HQ that we're already booked that weekend, so I'll have to pass on it this time. Thanks for the invite though...
Recruits is a great convention coming up, Love to have one of your games.
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I'd love to. But me brother may be coming up for a visit just then. We don't have his visit finalized yet. When's the deadline to register a game?
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Usually tou can go up until a week before. Nothing listed on the website gor cutoff. I know the organizers so shouldn’t be a problem.
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Roger that. Thanks, Jaye.
BTW, 2nd game played of Bender's Drift this Saturday past. I plan to post the AAR any day now.... 8)
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Major Dunnit rode at the head of the relief column, commanding his Squadron of Dragoons. As they rode up the trail that paralleled the Buffalo River, they came over a low rise. He rose his hand, signaling his men to halt. He did not like what he saw. "Sergeant!" he barked. "Sir", Sergeant Hornswoggle replied. The Major: "Go fetch me the Colonel. Snap to it, man!". And the Sergeant rode off, in search of the Colonel.
The Major looked at his bugler. "Form line" he said. And the bugle sounded. And his men formed line, as the Major had ordered.
The Major looked up the valley, through his spyglass. He could see Benders Drift, several hundred yards ahead. He and his men could hear firing as they approached the rise on which they were, but that fire was slackening. He could see one of the Troops that he had sent forward off to his forward left, reduced to a dozen men or so. And he could see men on the roof of the Drift's station building, but there weren't very many. He could see clumps of red and blue lying on the ground near the Drift.
And there were dozens of Zulus surrounding the building, trying to get up on the roof. And hundreds more littered the ground all around the Drift. But he could see the other Troop he had sent forward, just left of and beyond the station building, preparing to charge into the mass of Zulus on the far side of the building.
Just then the Colonel rode up. "What is it, Dunnit?". "Look for yourself, Sir". the Colonel looked through the glass and gulped. "Go on in, major. Give what's left of those lads a hand". "Sir!", Dunnit replied. He turned his horse, and rode to the front of his men, all formed up into line. "Draw sabers!" he shouted, followed by the sound of a couple hundred sabers being unsheathed. "Forward at the trot!" "March!" And the bugle sounded. And the line, khaki-clad men on big horses, sabers at the shoulder, moved out. These men, their blood up, meant business.
The Zulus must have heard and seen them. For it no time, they balked, and melted away over the ridges and up the valley, leaving what was left of the British to their own devices.
As the Major's squadron passed them, the lone troop fell in with them, their blood up as well. And his other detached Troop rode out from the other side of the Drift, with less men than when they left.
And they approached the building, a British Officer hailed them from the roof of the building "You could have bloody well come a bit sooner, eh? A few more minutes, and you'd likely be diggin' our bloody graves. The buggers just about had us". Just then, a dozen or so Highlanders and a blood- and sweat-stained apron-clad man come from around the left of the building. therer were a few green-jacketed troops up on the roof with him.
The Colonel rode up. The Officer on the roof climbed down, saluted, and said "Major Blatherin, 13th Foot, at your service, Sir! It seems we've kept this drift in the Queen's possession. By the skin of our bloody teeth it looks like, I should say."
"Major Dunnit, have these lads looked after. Report, Major Blatherin". "Sir." And he began his report....
The Major will give his report tomorrow....Higher HQ has summoned me...
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Major Blatherin went on: "As you I'm sure are aware, Sir, I was asked to see that this Drift remained available for our use. To do that, I had a company of my own lads, 2 companies of the 91st, a company of Her Majesty's Marines, a Company from the 60th that I split into 2 detachments, and a Gatling Gun section. The Colonel also saw to it had a Surgeon was posted here. To good end, I might add. I fully intend to mention him in my dispatches. That man and his orderlies did yeoman's work here today."
"I set up an all-around defense." As the Major pointed to each position as he described it, "My lads and a company of the 91st facing west. The Marines facing south, and the other company of Scots facing east. One Detachment of the 60th just north of the River, and the other up on the roof there. I placed the gun section in the center, so they could react as i thought necessary. 'Twas a good thing I did, too, as the buggers came from all sides. We could hear that bloody chanting before we saw them. A large group came down the valley from the west, while 2 smaller groups came at us from the northeast and southeast. The lads put our Martini-Henry's to good use, but there were hundreds of them. And they kept coming."
"The southeast group hit us first, going after a company of the 91st. Those chaps held on at first, but the Zulus kept at them, and wore them down. I had the Marines move to take their place facing east, and I recalled the detachment of the 60th I had posted north of the drift, and had them join their brothers on the roof."
"Then that big group coming from the west hit my lads from the 13th. Those poor chaps didn't stand a chance - there were just too many of the buggers. But I must say, my lads gave as good as they got. And the other company of the 91st and the Gatlings saw to it those Zulus were sent on their bloody way"
"We killed the buggers by the bunches. But the lads don't like it up 'em, I must say. But we didn't see any more of them coming, and what was left of them fell back after a while. Then it got quiet. Too quiet, to my way of thinking"
The Colonel had gotten down from his horse. He told Major Blatherin "Take a break, Major. You may continue in a moment. Here have a dram", and he handed the Major his flask. The Major took a long swig. Maybe too long, but the Colonel didn't say anything. The Major took a second swig, wiped his mouth with his dusty sleeve, and handed the flask back to the Colonel. "Thanks you, Sir. That's some lovely Scotch. You have no idea how good that tasted..." After a moment, the Colonel asked the Major to continue...
The Major will finish his report to the Colonel tomorrow...you may rest assured this battle was by no means over...
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...and the Major did indeed continue. "It was a fair bit before the buggers came back, Sir. Between the Surgeon and what officers and sergeants were left, they got some of the lads back on their feet. Good enough, anyway. I set the lads up again. My lads and some of the Scots, along with the guns facing west. The rest of the chaps from the 91st facing south, and the Marines facing east. I posted all the lads from the 6oth up on that roof" he said, pointing to the building.
"I thought perhaps they would press in on us from the west, as they did the first time. I was wrong. When they returned, a large group came up the valley from the east, with smaller groups from the north, south, and west. Hundreds more, I should think. I instructed the men to mark their targets. Make every shot count, I told them. And they did, but there were so many of them."
"They hit us from all sides. The lads fought well, but they got through the Marines and my lads, and wore down the chaps from the 91st. They overran the guns, and even managed to get up on the roof, where I had posted myself by then. We ran them off the roof, but the 60th paid dearly for it. But so did they, Sir, as you can see." the Colonel could indeed see that the drift was surrounded by hundreds of dead and wounded Zulus. "The Dragoons you sent forward ahead of your column did help us, Sir, but I feared it was too little too late"
"And we were nearly out of ammunition. The Surgeon and maybe a dozen lads from the 91st had their backs to the wall of that building, and it was just me, Colour Sergeant Murphy, my batman and a handful of lads from the 60th on the roof. One more push from them, and I don't think we could have held them off. It rather looked they were indeed ready to do just that when we heard that Major's bugle, and saw his men riding to our rescue. I tell you, Colonel, I've not seen a prettier picture that those Dragoons riding up the valley, and those bloody buggers scattering away before them. I rather thought our time was up"
"Thank you Major" the Colonel said. "You've done splendid service here today. Go see to your men. It seems the Surgeon's work today isn't quite finished yet." "Right, Sir" the Major replied. He then saluted, turned around and walked off to see about his men.
And it was indeed over.
Ted (a fellow LAF member) and Gene played the Zulus, while another fellow LAF member Mike Demana and I played the British. As with the first game, the Zulus had 12 turns to take Benders Drift (named after Ted, one of the our players in both games). At that time, the relief column would appear and the game would be over. Unlike the first game, once the Zulus deployed their 8 initial units (entry points rolled randomly), they received a total of ZERO reinforcement units for the first 6 turns. So, at the end of Turn 6, we took a lunch break. We rolled randomly for the British casualties (a medium task roll for each "Out of Action" figure), and a pleasantly surprising number of them got back in the fight. And the Zulus took all 8 reinforcement units, and rolled randomly for entry points again. And, one of their initial units was still reasonably strong, and they had just fallen back on the table. So the 2nd Zulu wave was 9 units. On an interesting note, the Joker, used in same way as the first game (and all of our FfoL games now), only got played twice the whole game.
If we had a 13th turn, we all believe the Zulus would have taken the joint. And instead of a heroic British stand right up there with Rorke's Drift, we would be reading about another British catastrophe...but the relief column showed up, literally, in the barest nick or time.
It was indeed another fun and enjoyable game using Fist of Lead: Bigger Battles. Once again, it was British firepower pitted against Zulu close-in power. And it was a very near run thing.
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Great report, Jim! It was my first-ever game of FFOL: Bigger Battles. I was very impressed with how they scale up. I have seen other rules sets fail that test and seem to be the same game with more dice rolling. I think what I liked best about the big battle game is that the "Shock" mechanic, which is more of an afterthought and doesn't have much effect in man-to-man FFOL, is a major mechanic in Bigger Battles. And it works really well, giving a running gauge on the morale of the unit in question and forcing units to rally and take a breather. Like I said, I was impressed and encourage folks to give it a try!
I had a blast spending the weekend with Jim, Ted, and Gene. Jim's gaming palace is a really cool location and honestly is likely the dream of every miniature gamer who wants his own building to house all his gaming stuff. I had a blast. And what's more, a beerfest was in town (village?), and Jim and I retired to that after the Colonial game Saturday to celebrate our hard-won victory with some local brews.
A wonderful weekend, and thanks for the invite, Jim!
Mike Demana
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great game! :)
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Thanks, fellas!
And glad you enjoyed your trip north, Mike, as well as enjoying FfoL:BB!
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Looks and sounds great !
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If you will permit an interloper to ask some questions, it seems you are using 10 man units for the British and 18 figure units for the Zulus based on the photos - though less certain about the Zulus.
Basic question is how many units did you have all told in the game versus number of players? Also, how many units do you feel a player can handle in a game before the game would bog down too much? How much difference did it make having British individual based versus Zulus multiple figures per base? Last, how many units - overall - do you feel might 'break' the rules?
I ask as I contemplate using the rules for a game at a local club meeting soon. I've played the basic FFOL a few times but never run them - and want to use FFOL Bigger Battles for my game to get more figures - and units - into the action. Appreciate feedback from all the participants. And thanks in advance.
Cool game.
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Basic question is how many units did you have all told in the game versus number of players? Also, how many units do you feel a player can handle in a game before the game would bog down too much? How much difference did it make having British individual based versus Zulus multiple figures per base? Last, how many units - overall - do you feel might 'break' the rules?
I'll let Jim answer the hows and why's of number of troops per unit. There are suggestions in the rules but as we had to cover a wide swathe of history we leave it to players to decide on numbers as Jim did.
The reason almost all the FfoL rules suggest 5-8 minis a player is because over the years I've come realize thats about all most players can mentally handle. So in BB it's 3-4 units plus a hero and commander. But this can be switched around to any combination. Doesn't mean you can't do more, but there's a reason most games, any games give players more than 8 units.
The rules can only handle 52 units or miniatures because that's how many cards are in a card deck.If you follow us on an social media (YouTube/blogs) my group regularly runs Bigger Battle games with 8 players, maxxing out the deck with 50 units on the table. Games rarely go over 3- 4 hours.
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Okay. Sorry about the delay on responding. Higher HQ and I are mucking about in n Portugal...
In this game, the British had 4 10-figure units, 2 5-figure units, a Leader (the Major), and a medic (the Surgeon). We split them between 2 players.
The Zulus had a total of 16 units ( either 15 or 18 figures per unit) and 4 leaders. They ended up being split between 2 waves. We had 2 Zulu players.
The basing system is simply because it's what we had. We used microdie to mark casualties on the Zulu stands. Each 3rd casualty saw a base removed. The Zulus needed the larger units, as British rifle fire could really whittle them down before they charged home.
Hope that helps...
We have found that the number of units a player can handle depends on the FfoL experience of the player. A max of 3 or 5 for inexperienced players and a max of 7-8 for experienced players. 4 players per game seems to work best.
More than that can slow the game just a bit, and markers to denote which units have activated each turn are helpful
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Thanks to both for the replies - and no worries on the later reply, real life matters more (sometimes!) than gaming and Portugal seems like some nice time away (wife and I may be doing a big 25th anniversary vacation in western Europe in 2024, maybe 21 days, one big expensive vacation instead of 3-4 smaller but also expensive vacations).
Interesting take on 4 players versus 8 players. But I'd lean towards the smaller number - the system is good but the U-Go,EEW (everyone else waits) system can grate a bit at times if the other players aren't engaged and kibitzing or otherwise harassing/humorizing the table (one of the problems with Sword and the Flame, too, U-Go/EEW). Not a problem with the right sort of gamers who appreciate the goal is having fun, not taking it serious, and actively engaged in the game even when not their turn to move figures/units.
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I don't have much choice in the matter. 8-10 players show up every Thursday.
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One does what one has to do. ;)
And it's really more the number of cards (i.e. number of units/heroes/leaders) you want in the deck each turn. That really governs pace of play. Once you do that, you divide them between the players....I tend to use/create scenarios, so that governs the units, etc.
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Well, this coming Friday, my weekly wargaming group will be playing out a Fenian Raid in Upper Canada scenario, using the (relatively) new Blood & Steel rules. This will be our first try of these rules, so we will do a smallish scenario. I made up the army lists, using the example lists published in the main rules to guide me along. We'll choose missions and board edges Friday upon commencement of festivities.
I've set it in the run up to the Battle of Ridgeway on 02 Jun 1866 a few miles west of Fort Erie in then-Upper Canada (now, Ontario).
Below are the Army lists I've made up, pics of forces to be used, and the table on which we'll play (it's about 3-1/2 ft. N-S, and about 4-1/2 ft. E-W). I will GM, and Ted and Gene will duke it out...and, of course, I will post an illustrated AAR afterwards...
If anyone has any suggestions regarding the army lists, I'm all ears (well, eyes really...) :D
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Okay then. We played the game yesterday. But first, one correction - please ignore the "Tactician" trait for the Canadian Captain.
As I mentioned, this fictional scenario occurs a few hours before the Battle of Ridgeway on 02 June 1866. While Gen. O'Neill and his Fenians were moving south, he sent a Major forward with a company-sized detachment to find the Canadian force that he had heard had just de-trained in Ridgeway. At the same time, LTC Booker was ready to move his men - units from the Queen's Own Rifles (QOR), 2 Independent Rifle Companies, and units from his own 13th Battalion Militia - north to find and engage the Fenians, LTC Booker had been informed by locals that the Fenians had supplies stashed around farms a bit north of Ridgeway, so he sent a Captain with a company-sized detachment, consisting of a men from the 13th Battalion and the QOR, to find and destroy those supplies. That set the stage for our little affair.
As I mentioned we used Blood & Steel for this fight, our first foray with these rules. After a few random die rolls per the rules, Ted played the Canadians and entered from the south board edge. His mission was to capture and destroy 2 of the 3 objectives along the centerline of the table (represented by a barrel - powder - and a crate - muskets - in the woods and a pile of bags - of food - near a farm. Gene played the Fenians, and he was to enter from the north board edge. His mission was to advance his leader as far forward as possible. I acted as Umpire. We set the game limit at 8 turns.
And away we go:
Part 1 - Find those Supplies!
The Canadians moved up near the road near the northeast of the field. They led with their 2 units of the QOR, followed by the 3 units of the 13th Battalion. They moved straight north at first. Meanwhile. the Fenians moved down the road near the northwest board edge, toward a farm.
For a while, the forces had no idea their enemies were about. The first hint of trouble came from smoke billowing from the woods east of the Fenians. A units of the QOR had found and set fire to the crate of muskets. Then, the lead Fenian unit, as it moved down the road just south of the farm, spotted the left-most unit of the Canadian 13th Battalion. Those 2 units traded ineffectual volleys. BUT, the 2 forces had now discovered each other.
The other QOR unit found and destroyed the barrel of powder, while the Fenians deployed around the farm, facing southeast toward the Canadians. The 3 units from the 13th Battalion wheeled northwest to face the Fenians. Units traded volleys, and both sides began to take the odd casualty here and there.
To be continued...
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Part 2: Close, but not quite...
The Canadians had accomplished their objectives, but to win, they now had to do it the old-fashioned way - engage and defeat the enemy. The Fenians had only met one of their objectives - their Major had only made it to the centerline of the field. They had some more work to do. Advantage - Canadians.
The units from the Canadian 13th Battalion moved deliberately west toward the Fenians, firing musket volleys as they went. And since the units from the QOR had done their job - they had found and destroyed the crate of muskets ad the barrel of powder - they now moved west through the woods to hit the Fenian left.
But the Fenians didn't just stand there. They formed a rough line centered on a farm cabin, and sent volleys toward the Canadians. And the Fenian Major slowly made his way, behind his line of troops, to near the southwest board edge. That met the Fenians' 2nd objective - back to even up!
Then, the deciding event occurred. The 2 units from the QOR took up positions behind a fence at the farm, and delivered devastating close-range volleys into a Fenian unit, destroying it. That tipped the scales back toward the Canadians, and the Fenians decided they had had enough. With the destruction of the Fenian unit by the 2 QOR units, the Fenian Major had his drummer sound the retreat, and the Fenians quit the field.
And that was that. Both sides had accomplished their mission objectives. But the Fenians got the short end of the stick in casualties. Both sides started out with 42 figures. The Canadians lost 4 men, while the Fenians lost 11. And that did it, as the Fenian Major failed his required Resolve test at the end of the 8th turn. It was a hard-fought game, and it went right down to the wire.
It took about 2 hours to play those 8 turns. We liked the rules, and will likely play them again. Maybe next time with my 28mm War of 1812 troops...
Hope you enjoyed this battle report. We enjoyed playing the game it's about.