End Game – WRG 6th

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

The Arabs were driven from the field.  The Byzantine Extra Heavy Cavalry (EHC) rallied from their pursuit of the broken infantry units unmolested, and used their ability to shoot (bows and darts) and charge to inflict just enough casualties to break the Arab Heavy Cavalry (HC).

This bad photo’s perspective is from East to West representing (in a crude manner) the penultimate stage of the battle.  The Persians EHC are at the bottom of the shot;  the Byzantine Super Heavy Cavalry (SHC) engaged in the center, with two Byzantine EHC units to the North.  One is engaged and the other waiting to wheel into a flank attack .

The Arab HC shown to the top of the preceding photo is now flanked, with the center Arab HC broken and pursued by the Byzantine SHC. The Arab Commander-In-Chief, along with his Bodyguard is waiting to aide one of his units, while the poor bastard manning the bolt thrower is standing slack jawed, immobilized by the spectacle.

The former Arab HC unit will break and outdistance its pursuers, while the Persian EHC will fight  their Byzantine counterparts to a standstill.

At this point the Arab Commander-In-Chief ordered a general withdrawal, saving himself , his bodyguard and his cavalry for another battle.

Will post up final thoughts, observations, and other inane musings in a follow up before setting up Husaria.

Leaning In – Husaria Initial Impressions

Miniatures, Renaissance, Review

Had enough of WRG 6th for the time being.  Still have to finish the game today, but I’ve started reading a  new set of late Renaissance rules.

Husaria was written by Ian Wilson, and published by The Pike and Shot Society in 2003. Past tense is used because Husaria is no longer in print.  The exact circumstances are now fuzzy, but I snagged a copy some months ago after reading complimentary reviews, and thinking that they could work well for my 25mm Ottomans, Russians, Cossack, Poles and Transylvanians.

The rule set addresses combat in Eastern Europe from 1558 to 1699.  It is specific in that regard because, according to the author’s introduction,  combat in that region differed from Western Europe (and I paraphrase), in that the Military Revolution had stalled;  the predominant cavalry was still lance armed and prepared to charge home, with gunpowder weapons extensively used, but unable to dominate the battlefield.

Troops are categorized as Elite, Veteran, Professional, Experienced and Raw.  Fanatics can be added to the troop mix when deemed appropriate.

The turn sequence is straight-forward:  Roll for who moves first, movement, combat, second side movement, simultaneous firing, response, and new orders (dispatched by messenger).

Initiative and Response Checks are used to reflect morale.  Initiative is checked when a unit must do something “different”, and Response as a result of an action taken against the unit.  There are many, many, many circumstances for which a check of some type is necessary.  One circumstances that promises to be interesting is the Initiative Check required for the first time a unit attempts to move or fire during the game.   Chaos!

Each unit has a Firing Ability Rating (FAR) as well as Close Combat Rating (CCR).  These ratings are applied, along with modifiers and 2xD6 roll, with results determined by a Combat Results Table (CRT).

There are also rules to reflect unit orders,  risk to the general, disorder, and terrain effects.  In short, the usual suspects.

The rules set includes army lists.  Each army has a core group of 6-8 units.  Additional army capabilities and units are added through die rolls.  This promises some variety for each army.  My hope is that this variety does not lead to additional lead purchases.  I’ve started lead mountain again (on that in another post), and I want it to remain a foothill.

There is one glaring omission!  Each unit is assigned a CCR reading something like this:  CCR 4/3/3, with dividing slashes.  There is nothing in the rules that explain these slashes.  I’ve read the bloody rules about ten times (only 24 pages) and cannot find a bloody explanation.  Ugh!  Will probably wind up sending a bloody message to the bloody Pike and Shot Society to see if someone can explain it.  My guess is that each number refers to a round of close combat.

These rules seem to occupy the middle ground between Gush’s Renaissance Wargaming’s super detailed approach and the more abstracted De Bellis Renationis (DBR).  Should be interesting.

Contact!

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

The Byzantine Extra Heavy Cavalry (EHC) have gone to work, breaking the Arab infantry units to their front.  Problem is, when the EHC tried to rally, they went impetuous.  No stopping them now, that is until the infantry’s movement rate goes to zero.  Then the EHC can try another rally attempt.

That’s what the Arab cavalry is waiting for.  Their best chance is to hit the Byzantines while rallying and disordered.  However,   the Byzantine Heavy Cavalry (SHC) are in reserve and moving forward with their general.

Unfortunately for the Arabs, there’s  no help from their flanks.  These infantry units either broke (right flank), or became shaken (left flank)  after seeing their companions in the center of the line break.  The remaining Byzantine light troops continue to pressure these flank units, forcing them to take reaction tests under unfavorable conditions.

It will be quite the scrum in the center.  A quick ugly pic of the situation.

Dead Pile In The Upper Left Hand Corner

I’m A Strong Person…Yes I Am….Really

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

In the latest WRG thread, I whined about not being strong enough to put together a workable synopsis/cheat sheet for the rules I find most challenging (read obtuse).

I channeled a TardMuse, and put one together.  Here are  the links to this work in progress.   Any corrections, other ideas are welcome.

Page 1       Page 2

Just click on the small(ey) images and the normal ones will appear.  Jeez… another thing to figure out.

 

Pea Ridge

Boardgames, Sessions

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.

         

 

More 6th Edition

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

Now in Turn 10 of my latest WRG 6th Edition game.  As hoped for, the going is smoother.  Not just rules knowledge, but my tactical sequencing has improved.

By this I mean the staged use of troop types.  Light infantry is given time to skirmish, heavier infantry deploys methodically and, most importantly, the cavalry (especially the Byzantines) wait for the proper time to advance and charge.  I know, basic stuff, but that’s what I lose sight of when grinding through a new rules set.

This sequencing seems especially important with WRG 6th Edition.   If you miscalculate distances between those three troop types, you wind up with units stacked up, without room to maneuver.  The results are ugly and, to paraphrase Dean Wormer “Disordered, Shaken, Burst Through and Routed is no way to go through a WRG 6th game.”

This crummy photo from my first game illustrates what can happen.

I kept the ruler in the photo (all how-to-do-it references for wargame photos stress not to leave game paraphernalia out of any shot – which I don’t get because any table I’ve played on is covered with rulers, dice, tables, charts and rule books) spatial reference.

The Arabs are at the top of the photo, Byzantine cavalry at the bottom.  The light infantry has evaded through the heavier infantry and cavalry , with the infantry now blocking any cavalry response without disruption, either by a countercharge or rout.  And, what the hell will the body guard at the very top of the photo do?

For better or worse, 6th Edition RAW (Rules As Written) won’t let you just slide units all over the battlefield.  No “fast and furious” here.  Sloppiness has its consequences.

As mentioned in my earlier posts, these rules are difficult.  At this point on my learning curve the big problem is that answers to tabletop situations are often spread out through two or three rules sections.  This is especially true for rout, pursuing, and rallying.  While there are sections focused on each topic, the nuance is buried in movement, or dicing for arrival or some other sections.  If I was a stronger person, I’d track all of this down and consolidate into a situation-specific write-up.

Anyway, I’m fortunate that I can enjoy the game at a leisurely pace and not pressed to finish in, let’s say, an afternoon.

Details, Details

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

Now in my 12th turn of my first real WRG 6th game. This is where all the shortcomings become apparent. Rules problems effecting play, various combinations of errors of omission and commission, bad tactics, a record keeping system that is not effective, and the creeping feeling that I’ve had enough and need to either reset or try something else.

The latter is, to me, the real challenge in wargaming. Who wants to slug it out, pay attention to logistics, grind through an attritional slog, go to the rulebook one more damn time? Too much like real life.

But, right now, is when you really start learning a game. You have to dig through those rules and read them very, very carefully; looking for nits, buried fractions, lengths and percentages.

Hopefully, this will all make the next game a lot more fun. Because, this one is now dragging

Regardless of this low pitched whining, it is a fun game. Light units have skirmished and scattered, the Byzantine Heavy Cavalry is blasting through the enemy infantry, just about to come into contact with their Arab counterparts. Their Super Heavy supports lagging behind, with Arab light cavalry lurking on exposed flanks.

It’s mayhem that should end in about four turns.

Here’s a representational photo.

Terminally Serious

Boardgames, Sessions,

Our Fall of France game ended during  the recent posting hiatus.  Here’s a screen shot of situation when I conceded.  Ugly.

Tim did a great job of applying unrelenting pressure on a broad front.  He might argue this pressure was too dispersed, but, in the end, his operational approach worked.  Yes, I held out longer than my historical counterpart(s), but the end result was still the same; a French defeat.

This broad, sustained pressure precluded any  concentration for a decisive counterattack, given the Allies’  slender armor and tactical air resources.  Every unit was needed to plug the recurring holes in a shallow defensive line.  The combination of tactical air, armor and strong infantry divisions capable of absorbing punishment was just too great.

A strategic withdrawal in the south would have been an option.  But, a passive surrender of French territory would be politically unthinkable, even though not a real game consideration in terms of victory points lost.

On second thought, maybe the end result wasn’t “the same”.  The British Army is still on the Continent.  No Dunkirk, no evacuation to fight another day.  With this outcome, the entire course of the war changes.  Negotiated settlement?   An interesting “what if” that has started a soft and gentle Siren’s Call to start up a session of A World At War or Blitz.

Now is a good time to replace those entryway lights…………

 

Underway

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

Finally have the WRG 6th edition armies discussed some time ago on the table. As usual, the process was not smooth.

I’ m older than when I first started playing this system, but not wiser when it comes to matching up figures and economically compiling an army list. Always was problem. Neat listings very quickly rendered illegible with cross outs and scribbled notes.  Thought I had these things worked out when I ordered the new figures. But, once based and consolidated into an army list using the finished painted figures, the results were less than optimal. Workable, not not approaching optimal.

 Of course, I had the immediate wargamer reaction that the solution was  buying more figures, expanding what I had. But, that was madness given cost and shipment time. Also, the thought of another larger scale painting project just makes me cringe. So, instead of that, it was back to rebasing and finagling the unit mix.

Fortunately, I came up with a very satisfactory mix for each army, minimal figure wastage (only 4 painted figures not used) and a workable 1,200 or so point total for each side. Just right for a game with each side commanded by a single general.

In between sessions of rebasing figures – which for me always includes the nerve wracking prospect of an Xacto knife blade snapping and flying into my eye – gluing and re-flocking, I found time to really dig into the rules.

When you Google up “WRG 6th Edition Rules” the narratives are not positive. There is some feeble recognition that this rule set was once state of the art but the emphasis is on complexity and the availability of newer rules.  However, I find the procedural nature and author Phil Barker’s mannered and arcane presentation (with critical elements of information sometimes taking the form of a single buried sentence) oddly soothing. These rules whisper “Take your time, there’s no hurry, this action doesn’t have to be ‘fast and furious’”.

My first walk through lasted 3 turns on a terrain-less surface. Lessons were learned, some figures rebased (again), lists reorganized and I re-set, again without terrain. I ginned up  army rosters to keep track of orders, casualties, and other miscellany.

Now, three turns into my second game, I’m impressed on how smoothly the system plays.  Especially when there are no Rules Lawyers to deal with – and in my distant memory this system was notorious for attracting/creating them.

Sure, the checklists of reasons to test Reaction, and those for Shooting and Combat modifiers are lengthy, but not so onerous that a quick glance through takes care of any adjustments that need to be made.

All in all, I’m glad to playing WRG 6th again. No need to find a “better hole”. For Now.

 

Return To Kernstown

Boardgames, Sessions

The post’s title evokes images of a Hallmark special movie.

Not really.  This return was a slasher movie bloodbath, attributable for the most part to my ham fisted re-entry into the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) system.

This is/was my first home board game after the re-organization and re-direction of collection.  The upshot of all that summertime thrashing was to establish a focus on several series of games, rather than any number of one-offs.  The emphasis now is on play, not reading a new set of rules, stumbling through a couple of plays, and then moving on to something else.  Sure, there are several magazine and specific games that I want to and will play, but this new emphasis increases time spent moving counters.

These GBACW games are part of the first series as published by SPI and others, before the revamping rolled out  by GMT. The new rules  seemed far more involved, without a commensurate increase in enjoyment.

So, the decision was made to fill out my collection, and start in on the cycle, using the last iteration of the SPI rules but ignoring, for now,  options and artillery overshoot (ugh).  I relied not only on that set of rules, but also the wonderful GBACW resources developed and published by Russell Gifford over at Boardgamegeek.

Just like Hollywood, my sequel unfolded much like its predecessor.  The Confederates used their cavalry to pin the Union 2nd Brigade, while their three infantry brigades with attached artillery attempted to skirt the Union positions either to flank them and attack, or exit the map.  If successful, either of these approaches would result in a decisive Confederate victory.

This flanking maneuver soon became a fire fight that degenerated into a nobody is moving an inch brawl.

I enjoy the chaos of this game system.  Probably the real Loki of the system is the Ammunition Depletion rule.  If a firing unit roles a “1”, it must check for ammunition depletion.  If that subsequent roll is a “1” or “2”, the unit cannot fire during either the defensive or offensive fire phase until resupplied.  In Kernstown, the Confederates cannot be resupplied.

Here’s an example of the fun.

With four turns left, the Union has five units ready to vaporized Brigadier Fulkerson and the remnants of his brigade,  and then fall on the exposed Confederate flank.  What happened?  Three of the five offensive fire rolls were “1”, with each of the succeeding rolls being either a “1” or “2”.  No “Blammo!!!”***

Despite the general mutual slaughter, the Confederates were able to grab critical Victory Points (VIPs) through Federal sloppiness in dealing with exiting cavalry units, and the Union garnered VIPs by maintaining morale and holding their initial positions.  The result was a draw.

I’m looking forward to playing Volume II, Pea Ridge!

*** The Word Tim B (Friend and Wargaming Opponent Extraordinaire) blurts out when an an enemy stack or unit is eliminated.  Adorable.