I caught up with Dave and Stu Monday night and after a tasty BBQ settled down to play an ACW skirmish game.
I based our game on one I saw recently on one of the boards where both sides enter the table and have to occupy an objective, I altered it slightly to the side that has the most figures within 15cm or in the objective at the end of 8 turns wins (I allowed for up to three optional turns above and beyond 8...).
The units attributes are based on those actually engaged in the many skirmishes that occurred during the 1863 Southern invasion of the North in late June as Gordon’s Brigades pushed to cross Susquehanna River at Wrightsville via the Columbia Bridge…
The Federals had three twelve man sections with a force leader including a mixed raw and veteran quality while the Confederates had three ten man veteran sections with an overall leader. Some of the unit leaders were given elite quality status.
The first three turns saw both side deploy toward the objective, a farmhouse and turn four saw the Rebs wins the race and occupy it!
The next couple of turns were interesting as the smaller (but better quality) Confederate force tried to reduce the more numerical Yankees before the game ended as numbers counted in the victory conditions!
Both sides fire was desultory at this stage and few casualties were being inflicted. Turn six saw the Federals Zouaves pass a crucial morale roll!
Turn eight at what appeared the final moments of the action the Rebs finally got get face to face with the Blue Bellies! On their left a section fired a preparatory volley into the Yankee Zouaves which turned out to be the most effective fire of the whole game this was followed up by another section charging which inflicted more casualties! The Zouaves with their leader skewered and 7 out of 12 men down fled! The Rebs who won this melee were then the recipients of fire from the Yankees who were just to the left of the now routing Zouaves and wanting revenge… it was the most inaccurate fire of the night and when the smoke cleared not a Reb was injured!
A random roll saw the first of the optional turns come into play. The reduced Reb unit charged again during it but with less effect and the Yankees return fire this time was more effective taking out their leader. They failed their morale roll routing.
There was no turn 10!
Victory as per the wording of my victory condition went to the Confederates with 23 figures in the ‘victory zone’ to the Unions 22!
I ‘umpired’ this game so I didn’t take many pictures, during turns 5 to nine I was pretty busy!
The Yankees deploying
The Rebs deploying
The Rebs win the race to the farmhouse
Positions at the end of the game...the Zouaves are out of sight!
Finally as an aside a debate ensued on turn 5 on the firepower coming from the house and creating loop holes in the walls to increase it so a compromise was reached and we played on…I’ve made a mental note before I run this game again determine rules for creating loop holes in a structure!
Cheers!
04 July 2011, 08:05:06 PM