Part II Victory Hill and the PDF scenario

[Norm]

Part II of the Victory Hill scenario has now been played - we have moved on to the next hour following part 1 and each side has received a single brigade as a reinforcement.

The hill now become the focus of the attack - can the Confederates hold on?

There is a lot of blue uniform advancing their way!

An account is up on the blog, together with a download link for the scenario. LINK

https://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.com/2023/03/part-2-victory-hill-scenario.html

[vodkafan]

Scenario downloaded many thanks Norm.
I have straight away hit an interesting challenge trying to translate it to our favourite Rebels and Patriot rules.
If I translate a Union "limited" unit as "green" AND give them smooth bores (as two of the initial NY regiments are) they become basically chaff. I don't think they will hold back an attack.  I think I must try it!   
 

[Norm]

Hi,

If possible, I would keep the Union firearm types as listed. Overall between parts one and two, you have the union with generally longer range weapons, but with lower quality troops.

There are three grades. Limited, Capable and Superior, so if you treat Capable as regular (or seasoned - however the rules describe the bulk of average trained units), then the other two sit either side of that, less able and more able.

I might for example show the Iron Brigade or at least part of it as being superior - most stuff will generally be Capable, but the Union will have a good bit of early war stuff as being limited (or green in some rules).

To help further with conversion, unit frontage is 6”. There are two weapon ranges for small arms, Short Range (6”) and Long Range (12”), smoothbore muskets can only fire at short range, Rifled Muskets can fire out to long range (with half the amount of attack dice).

Movement is 12” as standard, halved for any proportion spent in difficult terrain.

Command radius is 12”

Units that charge to contact (not really charging, just that last 50 metres or so of assault) test capability (i.e. morale), if they fail they attack at ‘Half Hearted’ (-3 dice). Then the defenders test, if they pass, they can react, most likely with fire, which might be enough to throw the attackers back - if units remain in combat after all of that, a round of close combat is resolved.

Also in the rules, units cannot gang up on a lone defender, other than having a supporting line to their rear, so one unit might fire on the defender in the fire phase and later  in the assault phase, another unit might attempt close assault and they might be supported by a line behind them. Hope some of that helps in your conversion.

[vodkafan]

Great information thanks Norm. And not greatly different from Rebels and Patriots in the basics....we are going to try this Monday.

[vodkafan]

 Norm, I have written up the stats for our units and made a couple of small changes to VPs just to fit with Rebels and Patriots but essentially it translated over very easily. Has.been and I intend to play it  (both parts) through twice, swapping sides all on the same day. A whole day's gaming!
The shooting ranges are the same in R&P as in your rules but the move distances  (for Line infantry) are only half so it will be really very interesting, a direct comparison.
Some other differences in R&P are that a throw of double 1 (very bad) or double 6 (very good) triggers random events; Commanders MUST be integrally part of a unit the whole game; and Commanders have TRAITS randomly generated that can be good or bad. We have not decided yet whether to give each officer a trait for the extra fun element or to keep it straight. We will let you know.

[Norm]

Thanks for having the confidence in the scenario to give a full days gaming over to it. It is a historical situation and so from that perspective, I feel it has some validity in gaming i.e. it is not a contrived situation.

I suppose the only two things that I would try to squeeze into there would be the noted ‘Gallantry’ of 58th New York and command indecision / interference with Bohlen’s artillery, however that could be represented in Rebels & Patriots.

I had my R&P out last night, just to browse. I find the art / illustrations in that book lovely.

[vodkafan]

Yes I have made the 58th NY GREEN but also AGGRESSIVE that was easily done.
Peter is thinking of something for the 1st NY Artillery.

[MaleGriffin]

Absolutely lovely! Well done!

[vodkafan]

OK, my pal has.been and I spent a whole day trying out this scenario twice with Rebels and Patriots rules, we had a pub lunch after the first game and then swapped sides for the second game. It will take me a while to get both battle reports up.  Both games were enjoyable and gave very different results!
I had to do very little tweaking to Norm's excellent scenario to fit R&P, , summarized quickly as follows:

VPs:
enemy unit knocked down to half strength= 1VP
enemy unit destroyed/removed from table= 2VP

Units armed with smooth bore muskets got the POOR SHOOTER option (-1 on firing)
"Capable"  becomes REGULAR
"Limited" becomes GREEN
"Notable" becomes AGGRESSIVE

TURN 1 Modifiers:
Reb units  gain +1 on firing (in addition to the normal FIRST FIRE +1 bonus)
Union units that test Morale because of casualties have -1 on Morale test.

Here are a few pics of the set up:









Capt Buell's Light Artillery


The Union troops blissfully walking unawares into danger.

[vodkafan]

GAME 1 PART 1:

Before we begin I must apologise if the pics are a bit  bland or lacking in the first game. We forgot to use cotton wool to signify firing and I also managed to not take pics of some of the most significant events!  The pics are a lot better in the second game. Hopefully they are enough to help follow the narrative.

The game starts with the initial surprise fire from the concealed Confederates.  The Union troops take between 18-30% casualties all along the line. 27th Pennsylvania, a Regular unit holds steady on the left...
on the right the Green 45th NY are disordered but still hold...

but in the centre the Green 8th NY suffer the worst morale test despite the presence of the Brigade Commander and reel backwards.
On the Union turn The 45th NY give desultory fire back at half effect because of their disorder.

The Bucktails make a full move towards the woods.
27th Penn give a good amount of lead back and inflict the first casualties on the Confederates, but nothing disturbs the Reb's morale.
Stahal cannot rally his shocked 8th NY and they fall back again.

 In TURN 2 Capt Buell races off to the left flank a full move with his artillery battery but doesn't unlimber this turn.
27th Penn suffer more casualties and this time are broken and driven back.
.
45th NY on the right rally off their shock.  Without the element of surprise, the smoothbore musketry of the Rebs doesn't seem too terrible and casualties are still light.
The Bucktails enter the woods.
Oh no! Stahal wastes another turn failing to rally 8th NY and the regiment retreats a third time followed by the odd ineffective Reb musket ball:

TURN 3
and  Capt Buell makes another full move and unlimbers his artillery.


But it's too late to help the nearby Regulars, who are now a half strength unit. First VP to Johhny Reb. the 27th Fail to rally and pull back

The Bucktails begin skirmishing up the hill from the woods and are enough of a nuisance to take the pressure off the 45th NY who form Close Order this turn.
Unbelievably, despite being out of range of the enemy the frightened 8th NY fall back yet again a fourth time. This is beginning to look like complete ineptness or even cowardice on the part of the Brigade Commander. (in Norm's rules they would have been off the table by this point)
Here are how things are looking on the Union side at end of turn 3:



   

[vodkafan]

In TURNS 4 and 5 There is a lull in the firing.
The Rebs are in sole possession of the hill but there is still a bit of a Union threat.
!5th Alabama pull back behind the crest of the hill so as to deny Union cannon a target.

On the right of the Confederate line, the troublesome Bucktails have been driven back into the woods for now but Brigadier Trimble correctly deduces that the 45th NY are getting ready to charge; he brings his still fresh 21st Georgians down and charges the Union instead.

They rumble

The Green Union troops are no match for the Regular Rebs in hand to hand and get pushed back in disorder with significant losses.

Here a terrible thing happens 
The Bucktails attempt to skirmish up the hill again from the woods but roll double 1 on activation. This triggers a random event which ends up being a friendly fire incident; the Bucktails mistake their own retreating troops for the enemy and fire a full 12 dice into them from behind;
This catastrophe makes the 45th NY break and run which gives the rebs another 2 VPs, winning the first part of the Scenario.

What of Brigadier Stahal? Well in turn 4 and 5 he finally Rallies his accompanying troops and starts to move forward instead of backwards. Or is it that he knows reinforcements are on the way and he needs to look like he is doing something?

[vodkafan]

PART 2  sees the first Regiment of Reb reinforcements arrive, to the cheers of their chums on top of the hill:

The Union reinforcements are also arriving in force, but units are jammed up and the artillery cannot get on behind them.

This is going to take a while to sort out.

In the meantime the remnants of the original Union Brigade try to take the hill; The Bucktails realise they have made a terrible mistake and are desperately reckless in trying to redeem themselves.

Likewise the 27th Penn go back in on the Union left flank and it comes down to vicious bayonet fighting

They lose the melee and this time are thrown back for good, down to less than half strength. Another 2 VP to the Rebs.


The 8th NY in the centre are subjected to musket fire from all the Reb units on the hill; this time Stahal is hit.

All the Union units are finally on the table and things are moving.

But it's too late;  Buell's artillery packs up after losing two casualties by musket fire from Elzy's fresh reinforcements and The Rebs have well over their 6 VP points.

The verdict: An outright win for the Confederates.


This took me longer to write than I expected, the second game will be posted sometime tomorrow.
Expect a totally different game!

 

[Norm]

Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to convert this to the R&P rules and then giving up a day of quality gaming time to play it out.

A lovely write-up with a ton of nuance happening. It shouldn’t, but it still surprises me how really good games can fall from relatively few units on the table - very helpful to anyone just starting their collections, to read this account.

I do like the aspect and impact of random events, both of our rules used them to give a good narrative and your Bucktails giving friendly fire and then what rolls out of that is a great example of that.

Having spent a bit of time close up with this scenario, I almost feel like I know these units, so your narrative held double interest, as the story moved in another direction. In my game the Union initially spectacularly held in the centre, in your game they totally failed and then kept on retiring - a feature, it appears of both our rules - to great effect.

Very much looking forward to the results of the second game, which sounds different again, so the scenario seem robust enough to cope with a bit of unpredictability - all good, thanks.

[has.been]

A fun days gaming & (for me) a free lunch, = RESULT !!!!
The first play through had me being Confederate & trying to hold the hill.
Most of the time clinging on.
James fully expected my first volley to sweep away his Yanks. No such luck.
He kept giving ground, but staying in the fight. I think the turning point was
the (literally) Blue on Blue, Bucktails on their fellow Yanks.
It went right down to the wire. A nail biting last move had not one, but two
desperate Rebel bayonet charges to force the Blue bellies off the hill.
Part two started badly for me (double ones for the lead unit of the re-enforcement
brigade = retreat two moves!!!) Help might be coming, but it was taking its
own sweet time. The first game ended with a Confederate victory, hurrah!
Off then for a nice meal during which we discussed the battle.
After lunch we swapped ends & did it all again. Details I will leave to James.
Praise to him for all the preparation.
Most of my pictures just mirror his, so I'll just add a few, for effect.

[Norm]

Your tattered flag in picture 1 looks really good.