Battles & Brews Again

 

While the outside game was going on - and it was WAY hot outside - I set up for Armoured Storm, which was a much easier and faster prospect than prepping for one of my F&IW games! We played a simple meeting encounter scenario with 3 players a side each commanding two platoons of 5 "early war" tanks each, with 2 HQ tanks to deploy at will; two flanking armored forces meeting head on.

Shooting range was the length of the 6-foot table but anything over 20" was only possible on a roll of "10" on a D10. . . and of course two of these improbable shots took out two German Marders in the first couple of turns! Afterwards, the shooting at long range proved completely ineffective and both sides closed to better the odds.

The British "Honeys" and the German PzKw IIs took the brunt of the damage dished out, the Honey platoon becoming the first Unit to be knocked out completely.

 

 After about two hours both sides had lost about a third of their tanks and decided to call off their attacks, satisfied with a "draw."

Armoured Storm is a fun little game, that could be bigger if you wanted it to be. It has simple intuitive mechanics with a system for setting initiative and orders for each turn that involves both sides and is almost a "sub-game" in itself. Give it a try - the price is right!

Battles & Brews

 

 I planned to put on a F&IW game at Battles & Brews this weekend and completed the bases on these Rangers a couple days ago to premiere them at said game. These are "repaints" - check them out here in the Wayback Machine. Then I hurt my hand and decided I didn't want to haul all the required terrain and heavy metal so. . . I am opting for a "lighter" game to make it easier on my sore hand. 

We're going to play Armoured Storm by author Daniel Mersey, of Lion Rampant fame.

 

This game will be "lighter" all around - way less terrain and tiny (MicroArmor) tanks. We played this once a couple years ago; here are some photos from that game that never made it into the blog.

 

The highlight of this game for me? I volunteered to command the weakest German tanks on the field, a platoon of PzKwIIs. We went "hull down in the pass" to protect our left flank and "brewed up" an entire platoon of Crusader IIIs that intended to roll right over us!
 

 

Maybe I'll see ya this weekend.

 

Muskets and Mohawks at Wiley Wargame Weekend

 

 

Not a very timely post but it is what it is. . .

I brought out the toys in October in honor of The Baron's Birthday. I only had the time and access to my toys (refer to previous post) to put on a smallish game (5' square foot table), so decided to take up where we left off two years ago at the first Wiley Wargame Weekend. There I hosted a bigger game (here) of Muskets and Mohawks that timed out just as the two armies were faced off for a firefight across the river. I thought it would be fun to let the same armies have that firefight, and replaced the river with a road to make it easier for them to get at each other. 

 

Maneuvering for both sides was literally straight forward into musket range, except for the Natives that Fast Moved into charge range of the British left flank Regulars.

 

 

The ensuing series of charges by the Natives chased the British Regulars into the cover of the woods at the cost of one of the Native units. When the Melees were over, the British Regulars were gone and only the Native Leader remained of the two original units. The line troops blazed away at each other. . .

 

 . . . until there were only two line units left on each side, the French having the edge in quality and the lone Native Leader causing morale issues for the Provincials by firing into their flank from the trees.

 

Feeling outnumbered and perhaps outmaneuvered, the British conceded. The players were all new to the system, and seemed to generally enjoy the game.  One player REALLY didn't like the activation rules. This is not an uncommon reaction to a first go at Two Hour Wargames rules; they can be an "acquired taste."

See ya!
 

It's a Trap! Game Two. . .

For Game Two at Wiley Wargames Weekend we changed up the rules; Muskets and Mohawks from Two Hour Wargames provides a very different feel from Fistful of Lead. Muskets and Mohawks is small-unit skirmish scale, so we put a few more figures on the table and modified the scenario slightly. The original scenario is here.

The British started with 2 units of 10 Regulars (Rep 4; Leader Rep 5) and a higher command Leader Rep 5 in the Stockade and 2 units of Virginia Provincials (Rep 3; Leader Rep 4) and a higher command Leader Rep 5 on the road, one and two moves in from the eastern table edge. The Provincials are the troops the British need to get across the river to win.

The Provincials were screened by 2 units of 6 Rangers (Rep 4; Leader Rep 5) and a higher command Leader Rep 5 in the woods on each side of the road. 

The French and Indians started 6 units of 6 Natives (Rep 4; Leader Rep 4) and a higher command Leader Rep 5 on the edge of the southeast corner of the table, and 2 units of 6 Marine Irregulars (Rep 4; Leader Rep 5) and a higher command Leader Rep 5 on the northeast corner of the table. They would all move normally from the edge of the table on their first Activation. Winning the first Initiative roll would be critical.

Another addition was 2 units of 10 French Marine Regulars (Rep 4; Leader Rep 5) and a higher command Leader Rep 5 on the road, just off the eastern edge of the table, in "hot" pursuit of the Provincials. They would enter the table on their first Activation.

The British won the first Initiative roll and so the Provincials were able to steal a Fast Move on the French (only possible outside of 24" of the enemy). The Regulars formed up to exit the stockade.

The French began their pursuit. . .

. . . the Natives intercepted the Rangers in the woods almost immediately.

The Rangers got off a few shots but were quickly overwhelmed. This sacrifice kept all of the French from Fast Moving themselves, so would have to hope for at least one failed British Initiative roll in the next few turns.

Meanwhile, the Regulars were on the march.

The Provincials made it to the river and began to cross; the Rangers skirmishing. The British Regulars marched to the river bank in order to provide more covering fire. As the Rangers left the cover of the woods to attempt their river crossings they were all routed by French musket fire and Native charges!

 

The French Regulars arrived at the edge of the clearing just in time to see the British establish a solid firing line at the edge of the river.

After some light fire from both sides, the French decided they didn't have the manpower to force the river, and ceded the game. The British won a tactical victory, in that they succeeded in getting the Provincials across the river, but they lost all their Irregular troops in the process! Strategically, that will keep them bottled up in the fort for a time, while the French and Indians operate at will in the countryside.

This game reminded me how much I enjoy playing Muskets and Mohawks. I've been playing Sharp Practice 2 a little lately, and while I enjoy it too, as I've written previously, SP2 has a lot of moving parts and trait-oriented rules that can be hard to remember. Like DBA, Muskets and Mohawks provides less granular information a la morale and unit effectiveness during the course of the game. It is your job as commander to put your troops in the best position to be successful, and the game (reaction) system shows you the results of your decisions. I like it; I can provide a proper narrative for those times when the dice throws up the unlikely result. . . which any student of history knows is more common than gamers like! 

Thanks to The Baron for hosting a fun weekend of gaming. See ya!