I only managed to snap a few pictures, as I was shepherding nine 8th grade boys, but the boat is looking good:
I had a great group this year with some very smart, inquisitive, and well-behaved kids. Thanks to my wife for bringing me along every year, as it gives me a captive audience to ramble on about history.
We took today as a recovery day, but I did dust off my One-Hour Wargames modifications for the AWI and tried them out on a hex grid. They worked pretty well, I need to exercise them before. I have not played them in so long, I am not sure why I changed the sequence from Move and Shoot to Shoot and Move, I might revisit that.
Here is a rough overview of the game. I used my AWI Southern Campaign Army generator and the Damned Rebels fielded Militia plus some riflemen and the British sported Regulars with a battalion of lights, Hessian Jaegers, and 17th Dragoons.
(Click Photos to enlarge)
Here was the initial deployment:
The British tried to use the Light Bobs to clear the woods on the Patriot left flank with the bayonet, but the riflemen put up a stiff resistance in a bitter struggle that actually lasted most of the game.
The Jaegers dueled with their American counterparts on the other flank and gained the upper hand in the firefight. The Backcountry riflemen decided to fight another day. Meanwhile, the Regulars in the center charged up the hill at the main body of Patriot Militia.
With predictable results, the militia could not face the cold steel of the regulars and mostly quit the field.
All in all a fun little diversion this afternoon. I need to exercise the rules some more, the hexes certainly sped up play, but I need more games before I know how I feel about using them for linear warfare.
If anyone has any opinions on the Move - Shoot or Shoot - Move sequence, let me know.
Thanks and good gaming!
You may have changed the sequence because in OHW, an attacker can't take ground after any successful shooting.
ReplyDeleteI have settled on keeping the sequence of play as written, but having any unit that takes losses, taking a morale check and falling back if failing, this way elites etc can be prised out of woods etc. But the rule also needs the failing unit to be further punished by giving them an additional hit, because otherwise falling back can be an advantage as the attacker has to spend a another turn advancing (i.e. and not firing) and walking into another hail of fire.
Ahhh I think you are correct. I also went back a reread the original OHW rules and I have tinkered so much I forgot that you cannot shoot and move in the same turn in the rules as written! For the smallish AWI battles I am trying to depict, once a unit started falling back involuntarily, it was more than likely to just keep going. I think I'll leave it as I have it now for AWI.
DeleteJust goes to show I need to take better notes while I am modifying things.
Now for my definitive rules for the 1925 Ruritanian ELbonian War I am working on (one army is done, hope to have the second done soon), I think I might leverage your approach.
Looks good Jozi - almost enough to get me to paint my 6mm AWI
ReplyDeleteGet to it! Once you hit a rhythm they go pretty fast. Also I use Army Painter Dip, it covers a multitude of painting sins.
DeleteSo do I - makes it much easier IMO
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ReplyDeleteHi Jozi. I like the look of these. Do you have a recommended figure/ground scale for fighting historical scenarios? Also, in the Army Generator, is it intentional that a roll of 3 only gives the the rebels three units? I am alos wondering whether a square grid might work.
ReplyDeleteKind regards, Simon
Hi! I just saw this comment, I am checking the blog only irregularly. To answer your questions in reverse order:
Delete1) I think a square grid would be better, frankly. I am with Bob Corderey that any pre-20th century looks better on a square grid. But... I had this nice pre-printed hex grid cloth.
2) The Amry Generator I cribbed from Neil Thomas's book One Hour Wargames, so more than likely I made a typo. I will have to go back and revisit it, feel free to modify it to your heart's delight.
3) As for historical scenarios, a base per historical unit works best, even when you have varying strength. In the battle accounts you read "Frazier's Highlanders charged the Spartanburg militia" type accounts, so unless the strengths vary wildly I don't combine units or make them more than 1 base. It is a bit of a swag. I need to do a Cowpens scenario.
To be honest I have been mired in graduate school and my WW2, Eat Front, Double blind convention game that I don't know when I will be able to put on and I need to dust these rules off. As soon as I am done with my degree in the ext two months, I intend to always have a game on the table, so stay tuned.
Let me know how you get on with the rules. Do you have One Hour Wargames?
Thanks for that. I do have OHW but it is, along with lots of other much loved stuff, in a storage container as I am currently rebuilding a house! Should get to it in September so if you have recommendations for the army list correction, it would be much appreciated. I am currently reading the Road to Guildford Courthouse, whichI see is one of your recommended books. Good luck with the studies! Cheers Simon
ReplyDelete