Preparing for Battle of the Plattsburgh what if battle

I will be running a Battle of Plattsburgh 1814 what if scenario at Fall-In using Carnage and Glory 2 rules.  The scenario is based on MG Robinson's flanking effort to cross the Saranac and fall on the US positions at Plattsburgh from the rear.  Historically, he brushed aside NY and VT militia units before being recalled once the British learned of the defeat of their naval forces in the naval engagement earlier that morning.  I will run a trial game to make sure the mechanics and playability is balanced before taking it Valley Forge in November. 

New York and Vermont Militia brigades await the arrival of the British from the south side of the ford at the Saranac River

British Cavalry scouts spot red uniformed NY Militia in the distance



MG Robinson's brigade enters the field of action.  All roads lead to the Saranac River ford.

Raid on Lancaster, MA King Phillip's War

Dave Soucy hosted a game day at his home in Londonderry, NH a few weeks back.  I attended a partook in a game featuring a raid by Narragansett, Wampanoag and Pequot First Peoples on a Colonial garrison town of Lancaster.  The settlers had to escort supplies to the Garrison Fort and the First People's won if they captured settlers to hold for ransom and made off with supplies.  Dave Valentine was the gamemaster and he did a great job, especially with the wild bear.  The game ended in a draw with the warbands making off with captives and supplies and the supply wagon reaching the burning garrison house.  Wait, maybe King Phillip did win, since there was no fort to resupply?

Warbands head toward Lancaster as the supply wagon waits on the far side of the stream.

we grapple with the civilians at the entrance to the garrison house

Our warbands close with the garrison house

A melee with the civilians.  We want those women's hats.

Two warbands engage the Colonists in order to keep them at bay whilst their fellow warbands assault the garrison

Dave used a card system which added variability to the game.  One of the cards activated the bear which attacked the humans closest to it.  Unfortunately it was our troops.  Ouch. 

The melee spills into the house where the warbands make short work of the colonists. Capturing the women and supplies,
then burning the garrison house.

Battle of Northpoint, 1814 at Huzzah

 

US forces consulting with the gamemaster prior to play

I ran the Battle of Northpoint, 1814 War of 1812 using Carnage and Glory 2 computer aided rules at the Huzzah Conference in Portland, Maine last weekend.  Another great conference with terrific games and great vendors.  The 5th Brigade of Maryland Militia was deployed across a narrow isthmus south of Baltimore with orders to delay the advance of the British landing forces under General Ross who were fresh off their victory at Bladensburg and the burning of Washington, D.C.  The Marylanders deployed to cover the choke point and the British prepared to push through them.  After a hard fought bought, the British won a major victory.  Their rockets spooked a couple of Maryland units, including a battery and a battalion of militia, damaging the US line.  A sound British plan of attack involved pinning the US right wing and smashing their left worked effectively.  If the militia units had lived and fought up to their historical antecedents the story might have been different.  A well played game by all involved. 

Initial dispositions from the British side looking north toward the Maryland militia.

The British 5th Foot square off against the 5th Maryland militia, supported by the 2nd and the Colonial Marines.  The Marylanders have militia rifle companies supporting their flank and the 51st Militia to their rear.

 

Carnage at the Blockhouse at Havoc 30

Rich Wallace's beautiful game of Carnage at the Blockhouse, an AWI game with Colonials attacking a British Blockhouse.

Peter shifts his colonial militia forward, at the game's beginning.  Beautiful terrain as usual.  Way to go Rich.



 

The blockhouse also has a nasty surprise with a cannot on the second floor



Colonial Cavalry prepare to take on British Light Dragoons. 

 

 

 

British Lights assault the militia at the wall.  Only to be shattered by our first fire

 

 

 

 

The Continentals charge the Hessians coming onto the board, only to falter 50 paces short and then get smashed by gunfire.

 

Rich , our gamemaster is hard at work.

The Militia will fire.  These loyalists were sent scurrying away.  A later assault by a British Grenadier unit was more successful.  The militia and colonists held on for a minor victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Havoc 30 Rhodes assault

I played in a couple of games at Havoc 30 this last weekend.  They included a what if Rhodes hadn't waited for Early at Gettysburg and launched his assault early.   

The Rebs objective was to hold as many sides of the Crossroads in the center of the board in front of where I am fitting, appropriately outfitted in blue.

 



A view from the Reb's Center toward the Crossroads.  At this point two regiments have advanced into range of  my dice of death

 

The rebs charged Rich Wallace's guns and ended up just short.  He fire canister, then eventually had his entire command destroyed.

I had four units along the fence line and the Rebs charged up before I shot them to pieces

My troops at the stone wall had a flank shot on the boys assaulting Rich. 

A very bloody action

 

Christine, Rich and I held the crossroads for the Union. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Hold the pass at Havoc 30

Using a scenario idea from Warning Order Magazine, I designed a Hold the Pass scenario in which a dozen Bavarians attempt to hold a mountain pass from 20 larger Austrian units.  It is designed to be a challenging scenario for the both sides.  The Bavarians need to decide how to allocate their limited resources (troops) and the Austrians have to decide where to send their troops.  In this case they pushed up both flanks into the mountains after drawing the Bavarians attention to a push at the pass.  The Austrians set up there batteries to fire down the pass, then ended up masking two of them for most of the game. The Bavarian cavalry sallied forth and caught one battery before being demolished by Austrian Uhlans in line (the Bavarians were in squadron column).  There was no holding back the Austrian hordes.  They suffered fatigue climbing the hills, but rested before assaulting the Bavarians.  Parts of the mountain hillside were impassable, others just slowed you down and increased fatigue. 
I used Carnage and Glory II computer aided rules for Napoleonics.  The setting was the Lithuanian Club in Shrewsbury where Havoc Gaming Convention has been for a number of years. 

Initial view of the Bavarian dispositions

Bavarians watching the Austrian horde approach

Steven and Arofan the Austrians versus Edgar and Rich, the Bavarians

Austrians advance on turn one



Initial view of the pass from the Austrian table edge.

Bavarians guard the pass

the Bavarians might have positioned there troops to block the gaps up the hill

Austrians move up the hill.  The Bavarian Cheval leger hits the Austrian horse battery before running into the Uhlans.

Peter runs the compuer

Austrians on the plateau

up the hill

Clash of the second cavalry unit with the same result as the first

Austrians have the high ground

The big battalion wins

clash on the flanks

the GM at work



Clash in Palestine: WW1 game at the Old Colony Wargamer Club

Last Thursday Tom Desmond and Dave Soucy ran a preview of their WW1 in Palestine game that they called Planes, trains and automobiles.  The game featured a british breakthrough towards a Turkish held rail depot, complete with Germans and Gurkhas. A fun evening that saw my plane shot down and the Gurkha contingent break through the Turkish front lines.

The rail cars await loading as the British approach from the far side of the table.

All is quiet at the bazzar.  How long will it remain so?

Here come the Brits.

moving onto the table and toward the Turkish garrison.

Let's drop our bombs on this building.

We are going downnnnnnnn.  Yes, it was that fun. 

Cold Wars 2019

Steve Umbrell and I drove down to Lancaster, PA for our last visit to the former Lancaster Host Hotel, now the Lancaster Wyndham Resort. I ran the Battle of Craney Island on Friday morning using Carnage and Glory 2 computer assisted rules, and Steve ran the Battle of Obarschima 1812 in Russia also using Carnage and Glory 2 rules (I ran the computer for this one as well).    I will start with a few pictures of Craney's Island, follow with a battle report from Sacile 1809 (another C&G2 game) and finish with assorted photos from other games.

Craney's Island

We had three British players and three US forces holding Craney's Island, the rear gateway to the Portsmouth, Virginia Naval base where a the superfrigate the US President was undergoing repairs.  Admiral Cockburn wanted to put an end to this threat to Britain's dominion over the high seas and launched a combined arms naval and land assault upon the island fort.  I added a brigade of DC militia which were not present for play balance (they arrive on turn 4).  The British had to roll a D6 each turn to determine whether or not they would ground on shoals and be stuck for a turn or not.  The end result was a historical one, a US victory, although a minor one.  100 British sailors and marines made one of the most glorious charges I have seen using the C&G2 rules.  They attack a disorder DC rifle unit of 200 men.  186 surrendered and the rest fled, allowing the attacker to continue.  The 14 remaining riflemen ran through there supports, the 4th VA militia.  They, in turn, also retreated rather than stand and face charging British sailors and marines, even though they out numbered them 600 to 100.  They fell back on the DC militia to there rear, disordering them.  The British continued there mad dash and smacked into the DC militia, whom they meleed.  The British won the melee, and the DC militia retreated, ending a most glorious charge. 

 

 

Americans on the right, British players on the left.

The British naval landing party advances

A shot of the game prior to commencement of action.

The British arrive on board.

The landing forces move forward toward Craney Island.

Almost in charge distance, taking punishing fire from the naval batteries the British persist in the advance.

Coordinating with the land forces in preparation for the combined assault.

The initial British advance

The combatants with the gamemaster and his computer.

 

 

 

 

  Sacile 1809

I commanded the Austrian left, guarding the pass to the mountains.  I had four units of infantry and a light 3 pound battery.  The French had to advance up the hillside, taking on a lot of fatigue.  They then sought to make a disjointed attack on my fresh infantry units in line.  I sent them packing and repositioned my troops to better hold the pass.  We ended the game with a minor Austrian victory. 

 

Tom Garnett always has gorgeous terrain and this was no exception.  Shot prior to set up. 

Austrian center  2 battalions and a 12 pounder and right wing (horse heavy)

The Austrian right wing, horse and a grenzer unit.

My command guarding the pass, one unit deployed in town, one in support to its rear and one to the fore with the last in support.

The French arrive and the Austrian wait.

 

 

 

My unit 519 has sent two French assaulters packing (note the red marker) and my unit on the right prepares to deal with another assault in a similar manner.

My 3 pounder battery is dealing with the French to their front , supporting their infantry.

The French advance more cautiously as we continue to inflict damage with canister.

The French assault our center battalions as the game ends with us in firm control of the pass. Minor Austrian Victory.

 

Other games I photographed

A Bolt Action game set in Crete

Another shot of the Crete terrain

This one is for Mike Paine. 

This one too.

1848 Hungarians versus Austrians and Russians

A close up of some hussars

Hungarians awaiting action.