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Thursday, April 27, 2017

One Hour Wargames: AWI House Rules


For me, Neil Thomas’s One Hour Wargames horse and musket rules are perfect for my AWI 6mm collection and the amount of time and space I have.  They are particularly good for Southern battles, as these would be considered brigade sized actions in Europe or even in the northern theater.  They were strategically important and easily reproduced in their entirety on the tabletop and there are a large number of very plausible hypothetical scenarios that can be played.

Like any good wargamer, I have fiddled with them a bit in order to fit my perceptions, I hope you find these useful. The core rules have a lot of subtlety, despite their simplicity, and frankly my efforts here are really just gilding the lily.

Here is a summary of what I changed.

  • I changed all measurements to base widths (BW) a la Polemos.  My collection is based with a foot battalion on a 100mm frontage (~4”)
  • I wanted to differentiate between qualities of forces, so I created custom Fog of War cards for each side.  The British have more positive cards than the Patriots
  • Add Leaders, who can Rally based by removing hits, but run the risk of being lost.  You can give a better force more leaders
  • Added modifiers for Elite units and poor discipline
  • The bayonet was important, so added aggressive infantry that can engage in hand to hand combat with other infantry.
  • Gave rifles an extended range

I left the movement rules pretty unchanged.  I assume all units are in some sort of open order (“Loose Files and American Scramble”) but that woods represent heavy clumps of trees.  Possible alternative I am toying with:

Non-Skirmish infantry may move through woods, but suffer -2 to firing (unable to deliver volleys) and do NOT get the cover bonus.  This would allow regulars to maneuver in the trees but will be less effective than lights or skirmishers.




Unit Ratings for AWI Southern Theater, 1780-81
These lists will create forces for pickup games or the scenarios in the book.
British:
Roll
Attributes
British / Hessian Foot Battalion
Aggressive
Roll d6, 4-6 = Elite
Light Infantry
Skirmish, Aggressive
Hessian Jaegers
Skirmish, Rifle Armed
Grenadiers
Aggressive, Elite
Loyalist Infantry
Roll d6, 5-6 = Poor Discipline 
British Legion Dragoons

Loyalist militia
Poor Discipline
Artillery

·        I know it seems odd to have Lights be both Skirmishers and aggressive, but in operation they would frequently form up and deliver bayonet charges. Elite rating would probably not be out of lien for some battles as well.
Rebels:

Attributes
Continentals
Roll d6, 4-6 = Aggressive
Skirmishers
Roll d6, 3-6 = Riflemen
Militia
Poor Discipline
Dragoons

Artillery


Sample Forces: Cowpens
Tarleton’s Column
  •         British Legion Dragoons x 2
  •         Light Infantry (Skirmish, Aggressive)
  •         British Legion Infantry
  •         7th Foot (Aggressive)
  •         71st Highland Regiment (Elite, Aggressive)
  •         Artillery


Morgan’s Light Corps
  •         Continentals (Aggressive)
  •         3 x Riflemen (Elite)
  •         2 x Militia
  •         Washington’s Dragoons


Wednesday, April 26, 2017

OHW Scenario 6: Flank Attack

Been off on vacation, cruising with my amazing wife in exotic tropical waters, but just a few updates.


  • I have taken the plunge and sold off my entire 28mm dark ages project in favor of 6mm Dark Ages.  My order got off to Baccus right before the price increase.  
    • Madness you say?  We shall see.  I am awaiting a package filled with Normans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Byzantines, and Saracens.  Add to that a bunch of Microworld Games Orcs and I will be able to play in England circa 1066, the Norman conquest of Southern Italy and Sicily, in Hyboria, or even Middle Earth!
  • The SBCT project is almost complete, all painting is done, just finishing the bases for the OPFOR infantry.  Stay tuned for pics and a look at some rules. 
  • While on vacation, we saw the Castillo San Cristobal in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I highly recommend it.  I will post pics when I get a chance, but I do think they could improve the presentation a bit.  Nice diorama in the museum, though.
I did manage to get in a quick game of OHW using my 6mm AWI and my amendments.  It was scenario 6, Flank Attack.  The Blue Force (Continentals) were tasked with breaking through a small British blocking force.  Meanwhile, the rest of the British force was falling onto their flank!
Initial Situation


After two turns, the Continentals are trying to deploy and the British Legion is preparing to fall on the flank

Fog of war card: not a good day to be a British Officer!

One Continental regiment breaks on the blocking force as the flank attack continues to develop. 

Finally, a good fog of war card for the British...

The Continental flank collapses before they can break through...

... and the British Legion delivers the coup de grace, as the Continentals are caught between the dragoons and the bayonets of the 71st Highlanders.


OHW is still delivering the goods for me, despite my enjoyment of RDG.  I will have to get a few more games in of both.

Meanwhile, good gaming!


Monday, April 3, 2017

Buy my 28mm Dark Ages Project! Normans, Viking, Saracens, Welsh SOLD

These have sold, thanks!

Buy my entire 28mm Dark Ages project!  I am downscaling and because I am quite insane, I am redoing it in 6mm.  My madness is your gain!  I would rather sell it at a discount to one guys that ship a bunch of different stuff.

$280 via Pay Pal, CONUS only, free shipping via USPS (going to all fit into a 14” x 14” box, cost about $20)

You may PM me at The Miniatures Page or email me at: jpandjozismyrl AT gmail.

Included are:
  • Normans for England, Italy, Sicily, or the early Crusades
  • Saracens for Sicily, Fatimid’s, or the Crusades
  • Vikings for anywhere Vikings show up
  • Unpainted Welsh / Scots still in the bag


A total Painted force of 21 mounted figures, 140 Foot figures and enough unpainted stuff to flesh things out and painted casualty figures too!
Here is everything you get: (Click photos to enlarge)




Details

Normans:



  • Mostly Conquest Miniatures, with a few Perry and Gripping Beast.
  • Painted: 15 Mounted, 36 foot, 24 archers


Vikings:
  • Mostly Wargame Factory, leader is from Gripping Beast, Berserkers are Old Glory
  • Painted: Leader, 9 Berserkers, 6 archers, 56 armored and unarmored foot
  • Unpainted: 6 Berserkers and a bag of extra shields







Saracens / Moors / Muslims:
  • Old Glory with some Gripping Beast Plastic Arab Cavalry
  • Painted: 6 Mounted, 14 Foot
  • Unpainted: 6 Mounted, 3 Gripping Beast plastic Arab cavalry sprues, 42 foot (Old Glory, a mix of Arab archers, Arab Spearmen, and Sudanese Spearmen)





Other Stuff:

  • Casualty figures and tokens with weapons and broken shields
  • 4 bags of Welsh Archers, spearmen and dark ages Scots command and mounted, the idea was to make a Welsh warband, all old glory