The Combat at Osma: a General d'Armee scenario

 This week's scenario comes from the "Vitoria"  supplement for General d'Armee published by Reisswitz Press.  It is the first of the 6 in the book and is a fairly straightforward affair involving infantry only, except for a battery of artillery for each side.  The British and Allies need to demoralise two of the three French brigades to win, the French win by avoiding this condition.  Speed is of the essence as the scenario lasts only 10 turns.

An overhead view of the battlefield

The French baseline is at the bottom of the photograph.  They have three brigades of infantry (a total of 11 battalions) plus one battery of field artillery.  One of the brigades is held in reserve on the baseline; the other two each must deploy at least two of their four battalions 24" forward (approximately the front edge of the two fields).  The rationale for this is that Reille, the c in c initially decided to attack what he thought was an isolated brigade of enemy troops.  As more British and Portuguese troops arrived and deployed it became obvious he was outnumbered and he therefore switched to the defensive.  His reserve brigade will only be released if one of the other two brigades has a sauve qui peut or retire result.

The British start with four brigades deployed up to 8" in from their table edge; a fifth brigade will arrive at the beginning of turn 5's movement phase.

The action began almost immediately in our game and as I was commanding an army I had little time for photographs or making detailed notes of events; but I will give a quick resume of events.  Napoleonic gamers will recognise straight away that there are no British or Portuguese troops in the photographs.  I do not have any, so I used Austrian, Prussian and Russian units instead.

The highlight for the Allies in the first game, the attack on the French left goes in.

For the first game I commanded the Allies and Steve the French with Bob umpiring.  I decided to use a veteran brigade with an attached horse artillery battery to outflank the French on their left, with a second brigade, without attached artillery, would attempt the same on the French right.  The two remaining brigades, plus the reserve brigade, would try and pin the French frontally.  A simple enough plan, but the dice intervened and the two flanking brigades were both hesitant and therefore did not move.   

The two 'pinning' brigades did advance and the opposing skirmisher screens were soon in action.  Their line brethren deployed from column and then advanced to musketry range to begin the fire fight.   In this they came off second best and with little help appearing from the flanking brigades they decided to try a charge.  These also failed to make progress and it was just as well that the reserve brigade appeared on the scene as both were beginning to waver.

On turn 9, far too late, the flanking brigades got into position and launched their charges.  That against the French left was successful as the target unit had been 'softened up' by the attached artillery and skirmishers.  On the opposite flank, my brigade failed to attack, (it failed its command roll - again).  With only one turn remaining, there was no way the Allies would reach their victory conditions, so we decided the result was a French victory.

After lunch, Steve and I swapped sides and tried again.  He also tried an outflanking manoeuvre and was making good progress until he failed a command roll and the brigade went hesitant.  This allowed me the time to charge the skirmishers screening his artillery before it deployed.  A volley from one of my battalions rolled double 6 which caused a 'destiny' check and the result was his brigadier was killed by a stray shot.  This meant his brigade was faltering and having failed another command roll it retreated.

The Allies ready to push back my skirmisher screen

The Allied guns exposed

This severely disorganised the attack on my right and bought valuable time.  A similar thing happened in the centre, where a successful French charge caused morale problems for one of the Allied brigades.  Once again time ran out for the Allies and the French were victorious.

A post match review brought up one glaring error on my part, I had neglected to give all the 'British' battalions the superior volley rating.  This undoubtedly made things more difficult for them and went some way to explain their poor showing in the volley exchanges and the ease with which the French were able to avoid the Allied victory conditions.

How did the rules play this time?

 Firstly, things moved a good bit quicker for this second game.  We were better acquainted with the rules of course and had less recourse to checking things in the rulebook.  The look of the game was  improved by increasing the size of the units from 3 to 4 bases.  This meant that attack columns could be easily seen to be different to columns of route.  There are some reservations around the amount of 'friction' caused by the hesitant status for brigades, but this may be a hangover from our familiarity with the Shako rules where all brigades can move each turn.  Looking at accounts of Napoleonic battles not all sectors of the battlefield are active at the same time, apart from mutual bickering between the opposing skirmish lines and artillery bombardments.  There are some areas of the rules which could be clearer, but the Too Fat Lardies website does have a Forum where the questions can be asked.  There is also a FAQ available for download and news on a proposed 2nd ed of GdA.

This particular scenario did not have any cavalry involved, trial run 3 will address that.

Vapnartak 2023

 Another year, another crisp February morning start to venture over the border to the Vapnartak show at York.  The Lance & Longbow Society were putting on our 'Lion Rampant' participation game based on the siege of Buda (1541).  Although we only had a couple of members of the public join in there were a good number who stopped and chatted about the rules, figures and general 'colour and pageantry' of warfare in this period.  This was easier in the afternoon as the crowds tended to thin, as they always  do, after the initial rush.

Ottoman skirmishing light horse prepare to advance

Photographs of a larger scale depiction of the raising of the siege of Buda can be seen on the Camisado blog here .  After a busy morning of play in which a closely fought game was narrowly won by the Ottomans, I managed to have a look around the show and see what other games were on offer.  

Also on the ground floor was this "Predator" game by The Bunker.

One of my favourite games was the "Skirmish at Mooste Bridge April 1242" by the Brompton Bankers.  They also use the Lion Rampant rules but base their figures singly as suggested.

I particularly liked the sled.  It is scratch built from various mdf kits

Next to the 'Bankers' was the League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers with their Far East game set in the turmoil of post 1917 Russia.  As is usual the presentation was excellent and demonstrated the possibilities of games set in "the back of beyond"

An overview of the table

Out east there is still a place for cavalry on the battlefield

Some new-fangled technology meets with disaster

Grimsby Wargaming Club had an eye-catching Vicksburg game

As usual at Vapnartak there was a strong trade presence and I think the wargamer should be able to find almost anything they required for the hobby.  The Lance and Longbow Society had a good day with people buying society publications and freezywater flag  sheets.  We ran the game twice with the Ottomans being successful on each occasion.  Thanks to the gallant members of the public who joined in, the many who stopped to chat and of course to Andy, Bob, Steve and Will who helped with the game and Dave and Lynne for providing refreshments.  

One of the main things about going to a show is that it gives us the opportunity to meet up with friends who we may see only infrequently and I would like to thank Alasdair and Phil who both made long journeys to visit Vapnartak to meet up and chat.  It is that sort of camaraderie which is the essence of our hobby.  

General d'Armee; a trial run

 Followers of this blog will know that for a good number of years I have used the 'Shako' rules for fighting battles in the Napoleonic period.  During this time, I have looked at a number of rules sets, trying to find a 'better' feel to how the battles run.  Recently, the 'General d'Armee' rules by David C R Brown, has attracted my attention and after watching a few videos on you tube and reading various reviews, I decided to take the plunge and purchase a set.  The first trial run was a scenario from the 1813 scenario book published by Reisswitz Press to accompany the rules.  The scenario is based on the  battle of Lutzen and concerns the tussle for the villages of  Gross and Klein Gorschen, Rahna and Kaja.  General Souham commands the French defenders, a force of 4 brigades of infantry and one of light cavalry with attendant artillery.  Attacking him is General Zeithen, also with 4 brigades of infantry, two brigades of cavalry and attendant artillery.  To win, Zeithen has to capture 3 of the villages, or two villages and an area of high ground on the French right.  The French win by denying the Prussians victory.

Map from the scenario book

My apologies for the poor quality of the photograph.  The French can deploy no further forward than Gross Gorschen, the Prussians 6" in from their table edge and no nearer than 12" from Gross Gorschen.

Souham deployed with a brigade of infantry in and around each village, the brigades at Rahna and Gross Gorschen each having the benefit of a battery of field artillery.  The French cavalry were due to arrive on Turn 3.  Zeithen deployed his troops across the battlefield.  Pirch's brigade was to attack and secure Gross Gorschen,;Losthin's brigade to push through the gap between Gross Gorschgen and Rahna and Jagow's brigade was to attack Rahna.  Pirch and Jagow each had an artillery battery attached.  Starkenfeld and Mutis were due to arrive with their cavalry on turn 3 and Horn's infantry a turn later.

Pirch's brigade ready to attack Gross Gorschen

The Prussians began their attack and their tightly packed columns soon began to suffer casualties from the French artillery.  Their cause was not helped by some hesitancy from Jagow which meant his stationary units were pounded by the artillery.  Pirch edged to his right, hoping to escape the galling artillery fire, but the 2nd battalion of the 1st Silesian regiment continued to suffer casualties.   The 1st battalion of the Silesian regiment did charge the village, but were repulsed by the 1st battalion of the 14th line.  Meanwhile, the Fusilier battalion of the 1st Silesian  regiment and the Silesian Grenadier regiment were moving to attack the two battalions of the 19th line covering the left flank of Gross Gorschen.  Pushing back the French skirmishers they attacked the French line regiments, but were stalled by the defensive volleys.

On the Prussian left, Jagow had managed to begin to advance, but his artillery was still obstructed by the infantry, meaning they lacked it's support.  Losthin's advance drew some of the attention, but both brigades suffered significant losses.

Veran's brigade garrison Rahna

Zeithen's spirits were raised by the arrival of his cavalry.  He immediately ordered Starkenfeld and Mutis to drive back the skirmishers on the flank of Rahna and then advance to the high ground.  The Silesian Uhlans were  keen to obey and quickly saw off the skirmishers.  However, their enthusiasm got the better of them and they charged the battalions of the 22nd line who were deployed at the foot of the high ground.  These relatively newly raised troops formed square and drove back the uhlans with ease.  

The Uhlans riding to defeat

The discomfiture of the Prussian cavalry opened up an opportunity for Souham.  His cavalry were outnumbered, but, they could attack their opponents before they could recover.  Laboissiere seized that opening.  Placing himself at the head of the Baden Dragoons they charged forward to attack the Prussian cavalry.  Ably supported by the 10th Hussars, the dragoons were victorious and Jagow began to glance nervously towards his left as his cavalry supports were driven back.

At Gross Gorschen, Pirch felt he had at last made progress.  His artillery was now deployed and was pounding the village, the fusiliers and grenadiers had pushed back the French flank and were in position to attack the village.  Even more important, the French artillery, which had caused so much damage had at last been silenced, but at a terrible cost.  The Prussian skirmisher screen had been shredded as it tried to pick off the French gunners and the 2nd battalion of the 1st Silesian infantry regiment had been destroyed in a suicidal final attempt to overrun the guns.  He ordered the 1st battalion of the 1st Silesian regiment and the grenadiers to attack Gross Gorschen, hoping to at last overcome the determined defenders.

The end for the 2nd battalion 1st Silesian I R.

After a final salvo from the artillery the Silesian infantry charged, at least the 1st battalion did, the order to the grenadiers did not get through.  The Silesian infantry attacked gallantly, but once again were driven back.  Pirch had done all he could, his brigade had been broken on the rock of the French defence of Gross Gorschen.  It was just as well that Zeithen had moved Horn's reinforcements to the right to bolster the attack.

Meanwhile, against the odds Jagow had achieved some success.  Supported by artillery the infantry of the West Prussian I R had attacked the village of Rahna and driven off it's defenders.  One village captured, only two more required !

The West Prusssians attack

It was at this point that we called a halt.  The scenario length was given as 20 turns and we had managed fewer than 10.  Given that two French brigades had not been committed and one Prussian brigade was all but lost, the decision went to the French.

How did the game play?  Well one positive aspect was the command system.  It had the benefit of having more order options than 'Shako' and it introduced more 'friction' into the command process.  The accent is definitely on deciding on you priorities each turn, as you are unlikely to be able to do everything you want.  The rules cater for different qualities of troops and commanders, (but then most modern sets do this anyway).

One 'clunky' aspect of the rules is the charge phase which we had to keep referring back for, plus the brigade morale states.  Looking at the message board on the Too Fat Lardies website a new version of the rules may address the first of these items and also streamline a few other things.  Which goes to show that no matter how much play testing you do some areas of a new rules set will probably need revisiting.

Will we use them again?  Well our next game will be another General d'Armee scenario.  We will see how things work out second time around. 

Wistanstow: an ECW scenario for PIke and Shotte

 Steve and I played this scenario some eight years ago, the report is here.   Since then our ECW collections have grown and our own version of the Pike and Shotte rules have evolved to incorporate various changes.  With this in mind Steve thought that revisiting the scenario would be a good 'end of season' encounter.  (The game was actually played before Christmas, but it has taken me this long to get around to posting it on the blog).

The Parliamentary forces  under Lt-Col. William Reinking are deployed to hold the village of Wistanstow, just to the north of Craven Arms in Shropshire.  They are being attacked by a larger Royalist force under the command of Sir Michael Woodhouse.  Reinking's objective is to hold the village long enough to enable the parliamentary baggage train to get away and then withdraw in good order northwards towards Shrewsbury with as much of his force as he can.  Woodhouse wants to break through as quickly as possible, capture the baggage and destroy the enemy army.

The Parliamentary position at Wistanstow can be seen in the photo above.  Beyond the road is Mackworth's  regiment of foot, then a field gun covers the road to the south.  Next is Hungerford's regiment and a light gun, with Lloyd's regiment to their right.  The garrison horse cover the right flank with Lloyd's Horse held in reserve at Wistanstow.

Woodhouse deployed Scudamore's horse on his right, with Scudamore's Foot, a light gun and a forlorn hope of musketeers. 

On the road from the south was William Sandy's Horse ready to make a charge straight up the road.  Beyond was the bulk of the infantry, four regiments, deployed in two lines and supported by a light gun.  On the left were Lunsford's Horse and Sandy's Dragoons and held in reserve were the Ludlow Horse.  Woodhouse was also expecting his own artillery train to arrive (this was dictated by die roll).

The close terrain in the centre almost ensured a protracted struggle between the rival infantry forces.  Above can be seen the contest between Hungerford and Crott by the road.  Scudamore had more open terrain to his front and he skillfully managed the coordinated advance of the forlorn hope and Scudamore's foot.  Their fire, ably supported by the light gun sufficed to force Mackworth to retreat to the churchyard and take advantage of it's stone wall

On the Royalist left, Monmouth's regiment was not faring so well.  Their attempt to dislodge Lloyd's foot was repulsed with heavy loss.

The Garrison Horse on the Parliamentary left attempted to prevent Lunsford's Horse and the dragoons from gaining access to the lane which led behind Lloyd and Hungerford.  In the confines of the lane the fight was a long one, but in the end, it was Lunsford who prevailed.

Along the road in the centre Sandy's and Lloyd's horse had been watching each other.  Reinking had moved the artillery to the right to support Hungerford.  That threat removed, Sandy's charged with Lloyd responding.  Lloyd prevailed, but was reluctant to move further forward; a reluctance seemingly justified when the Royalist artillery was observed to arrive and deploy covering the road.

Reinking saw that the horse on the Royalist right was attempting to work around his left and sent his final reserve, the second troop of Lloyd's horse in that direction.  However, his main concern was the increasing pressure on his infantry.  Mackworth was having difficulty holding his position in the churchyard.  The combined fire of his attackers was inflicting increasing losses, even behind the stone wall.  A final, telling volley proved too much and Mackworth's men broke and fled the field.

Reinking's attention was elsewhere, attempting to rally Hungerford's foot .  The regiment had broken when attacked by Crott's foot and had fallen back as far as the northern edge of Wistanstow.  Reinking's appeals to the men to rally had fallen on deaf ears and they had streamed from the field.  Crott's foot had switched their attentions to Lloyd's regiment, but had been driven back when the field gun fired into their flank at close range.

The reprieve for Lloyd's men was brief, as Gerard's foot moved forward and drove them back in rout.

With his infantry driven from the field and his right wing cavalry in disarray, Reinking ordered Lloyd's cavalry to hold off the Royalist cavalry as long as they could so that he could perhaps get his artillery away and give his infantry a chance to reform.

Although an uneven contest in terms of numbers, the terrain does give the Parliamentary commander a chance of achieving his goal of delaying the Royalist advance.  Many thanks to Steve for setting up the game and to Bob for commanding the Royalists.

RECON 2022, Pudsey

 The familiar sign that another wargaming year is coming to a close is our trip to the RECON show at Pudsey which is organised by the Wakefield & District Wargames Club.  As I mentioned in my previous post we were attending in support of the Lance & Longbow Society and putting on a participation game based on the battle of Stoke Field, 1487.

Other games were of course attending and here are a few photos to give a feel for the range of what was available.

James Mitchell had his 'Sudan Death' 2mm scale game.

The desert table mat works well with this scale of figure

At normal viewing distance you don't appreciate the work that has gone into these small figures

Next door by contrast were the Hustle Club with their Dragon Rampant game 'The Ghosts of Mousillon'

Upstairs, near the Bring & Buy stall were the Yarkshire Gamers with their Italian Wars game 'The Siege of Forli'

Many more photos of this splendid game can be found on Ken Reilly's Yarkshire Gamer podcast here  You will also find an interesting piece on wargames shows in general.

Also upstairs was a game by the Glory Boys, 'Zombie Glory'.  I was particularly taken by the buildings which gave the flavour of a typical town in one of the numerous Zombie films churned out by Hollywood.

We were set up in the main hall and ran our game twice and managed to recruit a couple of members of the public to join in.  Both sides managed one win,  the result in each case could have gone either way with both sides one unit loss from defeat.

Scales prepares to charge the Irish Bonnachts

Lincoln with the rebel left wing moving up to support Schwarz and his German mercenaries  

Having weakened Scales' cavalry the Gallowglass move in to finish them off

  

Thanks to Andy, Bob, Steve and Will for helping with the game; the gallant members of the public, Jim and John,  plus  David and Lynne.  Not forgetting Chris Jackson and the other members of the Wakefield club for organising the show.