Have now finished up nine turns.  Both Army’s respective flanks are locked in contact, with the terrain favoring the Federal defenders.

On the Federal right flank….

Although the Federals’ positions seemed exposed, the Confederates are armed with muskets which have an effective range of only one hex.  At two hexes firing strength is halved, which renders their musketry ineffectual.  The Federal rifles have an effective range of two hexes, doubled at one hex.  This is a significant advantage.

However, the two units anchoring the Federal right have run out of ammunition.  This occurs on a fire combat D6 roll of “one”, with a follow up D6 roll of “one” or “two”.  But, the Confederate requirement to roll a D6 to enter melee, with score equal to or below their morale rating, combined with their already low ratings, have hindered their efforts to turn the Federal right.

On the Federal left, the terrain/situation is different, but results  much the same.

The Rebels have to cross open ground to engage the Federal left, while their center advance is channelized by unfavorable terrain.  Some progress is being made  in flanking the Federal right.  However, the Federals will receive reinforcements beginning Turn 10.

The battle is being shaped by terrain that limits each side’s ability to fully or even partially deploy their rather significant artillery assets.

I am looking forward to reading about this battle, but want to hold off until the game is finished.  It’s always fun to find out what I did that was historical, and what was ahistorical.

The Pea Ridge game is developing some action as both flanks are  in contact.

To the South, both sides are deploying, with the Confederates moving into contact.  Van Dorn’s force has managed to unlimber artillery to support this advance against the Union right.  Little room to maneuver, so Van Dorn’s brigadiers are moving right down road, with supports moving into the adjacent woods.

A different story to the North, where McCulloch’s wing is deploying in the woods in order to flank the Union position.  The Confederates have been able to unlimber two artillery units for support but, again, the terrain is masking fields of fire`

You can only read the rules and stare at the setup for so long.  At some point, you have to play the game.

Started my Great Battles Of The American Civil War (GBACW) game the other day.  Pea Ridge is a classic meeting engagement, with only one unit on the map before Turn 1. Then both sides start moving troops onto the map, with each side’s respective forces entering through two hexes.

During movement I maintained brigade integrity for the most part, attaching artillery to brigades to maximize unit density and minimize the length of the “column of columns” moving on roads through heavy forest.  Here’s an overall shot of the game map during Turn 5,  when contact first occurred.

One of the problems I’m having working with the game system is the rules.  There are a number of iterations, which is not surprising since the initial game (Terrible Swift Sword – a true Monster Game) was introduced close to fifty years (!) ago.  The rules changed as publishers changed;  first SPI, then TSR , SDI, and then GMT.  These changes were in both additional detail as well as scope.  In fact, from what I’ve read, the earlier editions of the game are not playable with the new – GMT – rules.  Fortunately, for those just getting into the system, GMT has reissued the main games, and has added others.

Since I had the earlier games, I decided to work with the earlier rules and sold off my GMT GBACW collection.  But the question remained, “Which set?”.  I’m not the only one with this  quandary.

Another rules problem is that many of charts are printed on the individual game maps,  not in the game specific rules packets so they can be copied, consolidated and stapled.  One possible  reason is that the scales of the games vary.  The best I can tell is between 150 and 120 yards per hex.

Ugh!

My current approach will be to use the Standard Rules V.1 (with the included charts), individual map charts,  Quick Reference Card and Consolidated Errata.  The latter two are available over at Russ Gifford’s great SPI site.

Enough of this.  I’ll get to the game in the next post.

Set this one up a few days ago.

A meeting engagement, regiments arrive piecemeal, with the Confederates having to negotiate constricted roadways in order to attack and reach their victory objectives.

I always tussle with whether or not to read about a battle before I play it.  I tend to not consult a reference so to avoid any pre-conceived notions about my approach for my first play-through.  After that, I’ll take a look, especially since I am fortunate enough to have the original two volume West Point History of American Wars.

Here’s a bad shot of the situation after five turns.  Top of picture is North.  The Confederate victory objectives are, for all intents and purposes, at the south end of the board.  Union victory objective is to hold in-place at their present position (Elk Tavern) to the East.

The game’s characteristics are interesting.

Union forces are outnumbered, but most Confederate units are armed with short ranged (one hex) muskets.  But, using fire and melee tactics is complicated by the need for Confederate units to be stacked with a leader in order to melee.  This rule is intended  to reflect the high historical casualties among Confederate brigadiers.  It also makes a two hex melee attack very difficult.

Many regiments’ morale is unknown.  A die roll the first time a check is necessary determines their rating.  Units keep that rating for the rest of the game.  This differs from TSS, which calls for a new roll for each check.   There is also a night turn, when both sides have an opportunity to regroup.

Managing the movement to contact is difficult.  Command radii are limited, there are lots of artillery units to clog roads, with very little room to deploy from column – necessary for movement at any pace through the heavily wooded areas – to line.  This makes coordinating attacks difficult, especially when time is of the essence for the Confederates.

All-in-all, an interesting challenge.  Here are close ups of the west and east flank’s action.  Notice at east flank (2nd photo), that the Confederates have to move through heavy woods (which effectively limit movement to one hex per turn) in order to envelope the Union blocking force at Elk Tavern.

Long overdue wrap up on the game.

Since the fighting at the Railroad Bridge and northern fords had devolved into ineffective firefights, I played the Truex-Gordon fight for the last three turns.

Gordon was able to flank Truex and force a retreat to cover the Washington Road Turnpike.  The Confederates enveloped individual Federal units and, while taking fire casualties to units in one hex, were able to bring overwhelming odds to bear for close-combats.

Truex’s regiments took a terrible beating.  If I had kept track of Brigade Effectiveness, I’m sure they would have been rendered incapable of offering any resistance.  As it was, without the book keeping, they were rendered incapable of offering any resistance.  Note the similar outcome.  Note I did not have to act like a bloody accountant (Sorry Tim).

On the other hand, the Federals had prevented any Rebel units from exiting the map.

I’d call it a draw.  Good game.

Completed Turns 9 and 10 for Drive on Washington.

The Confederates have finally crossed the “Discovered” ford in strength. One of Gordon’s Regiments attempts to pin Truex’s Union division, while the remainder attempt to flank Truex to the south, opening the way to Washington DC. Maruading Rebel cavalry charges a limbered Union artillery battery but, implausibly, fails and is locked in melee. The belagured artillerymen are saved by a timely charge by one of Truex’s brigades and the Southern cavalry retreats. Truex’s division begins a fighting withdrawl to the southeast in an attempt to thwart Gordon’s envelopment.

At the Railroad Bridge, Ramseur’s division begins a prolonged firefight with Rickett’s Union division. Further north, Rodes attack against Tyler’s Federals fails and Clendon’s outnumbered Union cavalry shatters Grimes’ brigade’s charge across the southernmost ford.

The Southern attacks aimed at the two northern fords and the Railroad Bridge have stalled, and their is little prospect for success.

While Gordon’s division has pushed Truex’s division back towards Washington, they running out of time.

In Drive on Washington, victory points are assigned not only for units destroyed or captured, but also for the number of Confederate units that can exit the map on the two roads leading to Washington DC. The number of factors that exit the map are multiplied by a factor based on how early in the game this occurs. The best chance for a decisive Confederate victory is to exit the map prior to the beginning of Turn 12, so the next two turns are critical.

Quick post.  Was hoping to get two turns in but sidetracked by Negronis and Twilight Zone Marathon.

Cranked out Turn 7.  Confederates started moving across the discovered ford, but were stopped cold in their assault attempts across the lower Monocacy.  Even little two strength units can (especially during the defensive fire phase), with a not too improbable roll, slap a Pin result on a powerful stack, freezing them up for a turn.  Makes forcing a bridge a tough – resisted the temptation to use dicey – proposition.  Especially difficult when you lack artillery assets.

Here’s the situation at the end of the turn.

Christmas is over and company’s gone.  First opportunity to get back to Drive on Washington for about a week.

This is a simulation of the Battle of Monocacy, where, depending on who you read, a Confederate attack on Washington DC was stopped by General Lew Wallace of (later) Ben Hur fame.

This SPI game is supposedly hard to find judging by the price out on EBay.  I picked up a copy on the cheap a couple of years ago, and like most things, it was a little too good of a price to be true.  The box was badly battered, and the rules looked like they had been last used to house train a dog.  Still, the map was in great shape and all the counters appeared to be present.  Wrong again.  Missing three counters; one Confederate leader and two Union units.  Still, I can play the game.

Union forces are deployed at fords or bridges along the Monocacy River in an attempt to guard approaches to Washington DC.  Four separate Confederate divisions are placed in general areas, poised to attack, but must first by activated by their overall commander, General Jubal Early.  Early’s arrival is rolled for each turn, with a roll equal to or less than the game turn placing him on the map.  Division activation occurs when Early passes within ten hexes of a division commander.  The division may move the turn after it is activated.  The Confederates may also search for a ford on the Union left.  The discovery of the ford is handled  by a random chit pull.  The Union may destroy the “Wooden Bridge” denying the Confederates one crossing point by rolling a one or two, but cannot destroy the Railroad Bridge.  The bridge to the right of the Union line is weakly defended, but some distance from the Washington turnpike.

It took four turns to find the ford, six turns for the entire Confederate force to be activated and moving, and three turns to  burn the Wooden Bridge.

The stage is set for a series of sharp and vicious fights to force the bridges and known ford, or to quickly locate the ford on the Union right, and envelop the forces deployed along the Monocacy River.

As with my other games playing the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) system, fire combat is not always  bloody, but in most cases will stop an attack through either a rout or pin result.  By 1864, Union cavalry units had carbines.  Their 5x adjacent hex firepower stopped Rebel cavalry from seizing key terrain on the Union left, allowing Truex more time to react to Gordon’s division moving across the now discovered ford.

By Turn Six, the game was really moving.  Here’s a few photos showing the situation before and after the turn.

I’ll pick up the narrative after Turn 7.

Finished up Cedar Mountain yesterday.   Took awhile, and that was a problem.  Tended to lose focus during sporadic 1+ turn sessions. Finally got serious and cranked out a number of successive turns to maintain momentum.

Still, a good game and enjoyable.  A classic encounter battle, with each side fighting to seize and hold four hexes representing key terrain.  Victory points are awarded for each turn a side controls a hex, as well the standard GBACW points for inflicting casualties on brigades and leaders.

Here’s a detailed account of the historical battle with an map from the excellent Obscure Battles website, recently featured in Web Grognards.

The rules are generally the same as Wilson’s Creek and Stonewall.  However, there is no ammunition depletion, and extra rules are added for artillery overshoot and target density in each hex.  Neither of these new rules had any material impact on gameplay.  Both sides were happy that rolling a one no longer involved the possibility of running out of ammunition.

Union forces deploy some distance from the victory hexes, with Confederate units entering the map throughout the game beginning with Turn One.

The Union units had the most favorable terrain for a quick advance, and established possession of the victory hexes.  Confederate entry speed was hampered by the lower stacking and movement rates in woods.  All of the fighting took place in the center of the map, in the area bounded by Cedar Run and the turnpike.

After the failure of an initial Confederate assault, arriving troops were sent on a flanking march around the Union left.  Although the initial assault by the flanking units was repulsed, the weakened Union units fell back under pressure, both in the center and left, establishing a horseshoe shaped perimeter in an attempt to conduct an orderly retreat.

Newly arrived Confederates, supported by the tattered remnants of units that had been fighting throughout the day, were able to cutoff any Union retreat.  The result was a decisive defeat for the Union, mitigated in Victory Points for the number of turns the Union had controlled the victory hexes.

This was a bloody game, with the aggressive Federal army suffering significant casualties.  Confederate units were also badly battered.

Why?

This spate of GBACW games piqued my interest in the Civil War.  One of my favorite military historians is the late Paddy Griffith.  Although he died (way too soon) several years ago, you can still access his website.  He once did me a very kind favor years ago.  But that’s the subject of a separate post.

Back on topic.  This spate of games (like to use spate) motivated me to buy two of Paddy’s books.  One I had owned years ago, but made the mistake of lending it to a Civil War enthusiastic colleague of mine, and as usually happens in that situation the book was swallowed up into the great void of “I can’t remember that”. This book, “Battle in the Civil War“, is an illustrated and very accessible version of his text heavy, and far more detailed,  “Battle Tactics of the Civil War“.  I decided to employ one of Paddy’s theses in this game.  BTW, both books are well worth the cost.

This thesis is that shock tactics were rarely used in the Civil War, but not because of the popular idea of the deadliness of rifled musket fire, but that the armies lacked the ability to coordinate this type of attack, and that by the time they did have the experience, both sides shied away from assaults during open battle (and this does not include the catastrophes of Cold Harbor, The Crater, et al) and were content to engage in lengthy fire-fights.

Confident that I am better than Franz Sigel or Dan Sickles, I launched a series of maniacal John Hood like melee combats.  For the most part, Richard Berg’s rules led to a bloody shambles.  Because…….Berg’s rules (and he is a wonderful game designer), allow low value musket and rifle fire, doubled, to either pin or rout units in the adjacent hex.  This especially benefits the defender, who can conduct defensive fire before the attackers can fire and move into the hex for melee.  An attack in depth is a possible solution.  Stack three attacking units in the hex, put your lowest valued unit on top because it will take the fire hit,  and hope that two of the three survive a morale check.  If the attackers are not pinned or routed, they may cause the defender to break and rout before contact is made.  This is somewhat consistent with Griffith’s observations that units would  break if faced with the threat of a melee.  My conclusion:  Paddy would have had a different design take on GBACW.

Anyway……….

Another enjoyable game, and I am putting “Drive on Washington” on the table for another (and probably my last) round of GBACW.

Here’s a series of photos to give some vague concept of what happened in the game.  I take a solemn vow that I will never, never, ever, use an IPhone for photos, and if for some reason I break this vow, I will always, always, always, turn on more lighting.  Not impaired, just pathetic.