Club Game Night!

Our first "Game Night" for the club in over a year!   

It was great to see all the guys and get together to roll dice and play games.  The room was double sized and masks were required by the hotel. Twenty members of the club showed up for the night.

 At a club game night there are three games put on.  This gives everyone a chance to play in a game they  may like.  

And there is usually a wide variety of games of all different periods.

Here's the line up for the night.  Write ups were from the game masters about the game they put on.

GM: Phil Hammond

Battle of of North Anna at Jericho Mills - Virginia May 23, 1864 

Scale: 15mm   Rules: Fire & Fury Brigade 2.0

As Lee and Grant did their dance south along the rivers of Virginia in what would become the Overland Campaign; each time Grant sought a way around Lee to sever his line back to Richmond the wiley old general found the means to beat Grant to the next stop and lay in another defense.  That strategy almost failed Lee at the river crossings on the North Anna where Gouverneur Warren's V Corp managed to cross the river at Jericho Mills unmolested. As all good deeds do get punished, V Corp decided to bivouac instead of press the advantage they had gained which led to Confederate skirmishers discovering Union troops in force across the river. Very soon the battle would be joined and Warren's men would find them between a rock and a hard place (the river). 

As Union Commander will you get to press your advantage in the face of growing resistance?  Or as the Confederate Commander tasked by General Longstreet to 'handle this problem' will you give the Yankees the push they need to take a swim in the North Anna?  The OB is semi historical to allow for a bit more 'contact' on both sides. Read that as some fun with the boys!

GM: Mike Bailey

Cruel Seas 

 An American tanker in the Mediterranean developed engine problems and fell behind the rest of the convoy. Temporary repairs got them going again, and some PT Boats were assigned to escort them to safety, but some nearby Axis boats are closing in for the kill. There is room for three Allied players and three Axis players. Both sides will have targets for their torpedoes.

                    

GM: AJ Wright

Wild West - Colt Express (boardgame).  

Something different for a Friday night!

 Train robbers, a Marshall, shootouts, gold to be had......the Wild West at it's best.

Next club meeting will be June 18.

Past glory: game night Crimean War

   Well here is a surprise for me.  While visiting AJ's blog I came across a YouTube video he did of one of my Crimean war battles.  Here are a few pictures from that game.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FZgdpocxTYY

   I had never seen this before and was delighted when I discovered it.  Thank you AJ! I am always amazed by all the very clever things you come up with.

The March to Richmond game

  Club game day and it is a big, American Civil War spectacular.  Infantry, artillery, cavalry, a fleet of ships and a observation balloon. Here is the scenario for the game:

  "McClellan has landed his army at Fort Monroe on the peninsula. He now must get his siege train in position to bombard Richmond and take the rebel capitol. With naval assets available, the Union players will need to fight their way up the peninsula to Richmond. the Confederates must stop the Federals and protect the capitol."

   The table for this game was over 20 feet long.  There were twists and turns and all sorts of interesting terrain.  Off table was the James River.  Both sides ships were extremely nice models mounted on moveable tables.  A most amazingly clever idea!

Richmond.

Unimpressed observers.

  Both sides set up on the far table with the majority of their troops.  The Southerners had some river batteries to protect the water front.  The Northerners had two transport ships which could hold a division each.  These could land anywhere  along the river.  If they landed in the waterfront by the piers they could land the entire division plus guns.  Otherwise only a brigade at a time and no artillery. The Federals had two transport ships and two casement iron clads while the Confederate head a single iron clad ship.

  Both sides set up the majority of their forces on the far table.  The Federals planned on using their artillery superiority to blast through the Confederate lines.  This was a long process and sounded better then it worked.  This front was a neat grinder and both sides were locked in a see saw action which saw heavy casualties but little movement. 

Naval action.

Shore batteries

Confederate division moves to stop the naval landing.

 This caused the action to move to my front with a battle between ironclad ships and shore batteries. The heavy guns of the shore batteries blasted the ships and kept them at a distance.  But the two Federal ironclad hanged up on the line Confederate ship and eventually sank her.  But not before a transport was sunk.  This meant the Federals could only land a single division.  Which they did  behind enemy lines and within sight of the outskirts of Richmond.  But the Southern commander had held a infantry and cavalry division in reserved for just this eventuality.  So the landing party was stymied.

In all it was a very fun game and a visual spectacular.  Thank you to Ralph. For all the hard work you put into this.  The game saw 25 club members participate.  The game lasted from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

She wore a yellow ribbon

  At game night Peter put on one of his outstanding " Yellow Ribbon" games.  Cavalry vs Indians doesn't get better on the table top.  Visually the games are beautiful and the rules cover the actions as they were fought and not a Hollywood version. The rules, "Yellow Ribbon" reflex the realities of fighting in the old west.  These are one of Greg Novak's  best rule sets.

  One aspect of Peter's games are his meticulous pre game briefings.  Each figure in the game is named and players have orders and objectives for each command.  For the U.S. Forces their objective was to move the wagons and mule train through a valley and off the board.  Commanders had to maintain a steady stream of ammunition to their men as they used up a lot and fast.  There weapons had longer ranges but they had fewer men and were less mobile. 

  For the various Indian war bands these briefings explain their marksmanship, medicine (morale) and victory points.  Yes, they were supposed to stop the wagons. But each band could gain victory points for other things.  These included capturing horses, counting coup or collecting scalps.  It is very difficult to coordinate bands and once your medicine (morale) is exhausted your band leaves the field.  In other words Indians fight like Indians and not Napoleonic light cavalry.  One of the most difficult things for the Indians were activating their war bands. To do so you had to roll two six sided dice and equal or better your medicine. Hard to do if your medicine was 12!  Thus some bands moved right away while others watched the game unfold and never moved!

  The action commenced with the U.S. Forces slowly advancing through the valley.  Some war bands advanced against them, others stayed put.  The cavalry dismounted to form firing lines while the War bands advanced and skirmishes with them;  then fell back when their medicine failed. 

  My three bands of Oglala Sioux activated right away and I moved them towards the right wing of the U.S. Line.  Due to random movement speeds (throw three dice) I could not coordinate the advance and it was more of a one at a time attack.  Each band moved forward, exchanged fire with the skirmish line and fell back.  On my right Bruce also advanced his bands to skirmish with the cavalry troop to my left.  Poor Art and Dave could not get their warriors moving!  An interesting part of the game was each bands medicine points.  For each casualty you got you lost two points. This caused you to call back and rally. If you lost all points your band was removed from the game.

  Byron's cavalry troop managed to put up enough fire to cause my bands to retreat. But I finally caused enough casualties on him that I could close.  At this point he ran out of ammunition and I wiped out his troop!  Although his horses got away I managed to gather a tremendous amount of victory points so I could go back to my tribe and brag about my great brave victories!  Actually I had all but exhausted my medicine points and had to leave the field.

  In the other side of the hill the U.S. Gray horse troop tried to charge a war band and got their captain shot out of the saddle!  One of Dave's war bands managed to drive off some horse holders and capture a number of horses.  And finely, in the last turn he got his last band activated!

  All in all a fine game and a great evening.  Thank you Peter gives great game.







   

MacKenzie Heights: The Battle

  Game set up. Russians to the right.  Cavalry is in the center riding through the village. One brigade of eight battalions to their right and another brigade of eight battalions to their left.  This brigade has massed their guns into a grand battery opposite the French.   The British are entering the field in the top left and French are entering on the bottom left.  The Russian commanders decided to concentrate against the French.  The cavalry, four battalions of infantry and one battery would hold the British.  On the Allied side there was no coordination but just a hardy handshake and a cheerful good luck.

Long line of Russian cavalry ride out of the farm towards the British.  Massed columns of infantry March out towards the French.

Russians regiments massed and advancing against the allied regiments.

The French advance onto the field with the Zouaves in front and the Line battalions to their rear. Artillery and cavalry are thrown out to protect the left flank.

Russian columns marching down on the French.  This is the first of two waves of infantry.

   The French prepare to receive the Russians. Two line battalions changed formation to double lines.

  The poor Zouave battalions are decimated by the Russian massed artillery.

  The first wave of Russians punch through the French line infantry.  A second wave threatens to out flank what is left of the Zouaves.

   The end of the colorful French Infantry.  Ground down by the Russian juggernaut.

  The French commander forgot about his cavalry.  The Russians ran up to the and destroyed them by musket fire.  A sad end to the beautiful French army.  But what if their allies?

!

The British Light Division March into the field in column and deploy into line.  Artillery, both line and horse anchor the flanks.

       Against them the Russians attacked with three cavalry regiments.  They hoped to hit the division as it deployed but were unsuccessful.

Coderington's brigade of the 7th, 23rd and 33rd Regiments formed into line and destroyed the Russian cavalry one regiment at a time.

  British firepower then silenced a battery on the hill.  With little opposite them the way into the farm looked open.  But by this time the French had been destroyed and the Russian player was turning the entire army against the  outnumbered British.  It was at this time the French and Russian players devieded to call the game and retire.

  So the battle ended.  Personally I would have liked it to have gone on for a couple more turns.  There was very little in front of the British who could have taken the hill and farm.  I think the French were devastated by their defeat and the Russians just happy to not face the British rifles and artillery. 

  All in all a good scenario and one which I am sure we will try again.  All players agreed it was a balanced game and all had great fun.  Perhaps we will see this one again!