Pub Battles Germantown

 

  Its a funny thing how something sparks your interest and you are off to a new quest.  When I ordered this game I did so because I wanted to pick up the three American Revolution games from Command Post.  Brandywine has always fascinated me.  I gave read almost everything out there on it and toured the battlefield a number if times.  Monmouth is confused but fascinating and again I have toured the battlefield multiple times.  But Germatown? Germantown is one of those battles you have heard of but really do not know much about it.  The stand of the 40th regiment in the Chew house, the mix ups in the fog and the usual comment of a almost victory for Washington.  So,  after playing both Monmouth and Brandywine multiple time I set up Germantown.

  The map is big;  its 28" x 24".  Compare that to the map for Monmouth at 8.5" x 16" or Brandywine at 24" x 17".  You use most of the blocks that come with the Brandywine game.  But its situation and how the game is organized that caught my attention.  

British set up.  Note detachments screening the British encampment.

  The British, under Sir William Howe set up first.  They were historically encamped near Germantown.  Detachments are located in the direction of the American army as outlying pickets.  General Knyphausen and Cornwallis are out of the picture and both arrive as reinforcements.  

  The American Army under Washington is organized into five columns.  There are three Continental army commands (Washington, Greene and Sullivan) and two Militia commands (Armstrong and Smallwood).  These enter the board along the northern edge where there are six roads.  You pick which commands enter in which roads.  Historically Washington was planning a complicated operation similar to Trenton and hopefully knock Howe's army out of Philadelphia.  

Start of the game.  Americans enter board marked only by command blocks.

What troops are with them?

  But the night march towards the British got off to a rocky start, and a fog limited what you could see.  Two American columns got lost in the fog and were late.  The fog also effected the British who could not tell what was out there.  Visibility is limited in the game to one third of a infantry move.  When the Americans enter the board the only counter you see if the command counter.  The troops with them remain hidden off table until within visibility range.  For the British its a guessing game right away.  Who is out there?  Militia or Continental?  Is it a column made up of regular infantry or detachments?  You will not know until you commit your forces.  

In addition before the game starts two command chips are picked from the American commands and not put into the cup.  These represent the two commands that got lost! Because of this Germantown makes a great solo game.  Playing as the British you do not know what is out there advancing against you until you attack.  Since the two armies are almost identical in size thus makes the fights more even and unpredictable.  

I have now played the game multiple times.  Each game was fast and unpredictable.  Sometimes the British sent the rebels fleeing;  other times the Americans broke through and beat the British.  I have also started to read about the actual battle picking up a couple of books.  This has become one of my favorite games.  I bought it as an afterthought and it certainly surprised me.  Highly recommended!

 

Kriegsspiel Brandywine game

 

 I bought the battalion version of Brandywine called the Kriegsspiel version.  The map is twice as big and they use smaller blocks representing regiments rather then brigades.  You can play this using the Prussian Army 19th century Kriegsspiel rules, or the battalion level Pub Battles rules.  

I am unclear of some of the actual differences in rules interpretation.  I have written to the company and asked about how certain rules actually work.  Once I am better informed I will be write up of a game and how it is different from the Brigade level game.

Until then here is some eye candy of the new maps and counters.

Pub Battles Brandywine

 

  Next in my reviews of the Pub Battles games by Command Post is the Battle of Brandywine 1777.  This was one of the larger battles fought during the war.  Washington was attempting to stop Sir William Howe's advance on Philadelphia.  He deployed the Continental army along the Brandywine river in a very good defensive position.  But Howe out flanked that position and defeated Washington.  

  In setting up the game General Knyphausen's command sets up first south of the Brandywine river.  Next, the three American commands under Washington, Greene and Sullivan set up north of the Brandywine river.  In setting up a defense position the American command has to take into account the second British command under Howe and Cornwallis can enter the game on the south, East or West side of the game map!  Victory conditions are for the British to destroy the American forces and open a line to Philadelphia.  While the Americans would like to break the British they must protect their army and keep it intact.  Now onto our game!

The American Army in three divisions.

  Washington's army is divided into three commands.  One under himself, and two other under Sullivan and Greene.  They get one elite command (Maxwell's light unfantry) and a militia unit.  The militia takes double the first hit so they are brittle.  

The British Army in two wings.

  The British under Sir William Howe have two commands under Knyphausen and Cornwallis.  Most are regulars, but there are a good number of elite commands.  These have the advantage of ignoring the first hit.  A big advantage.  In addition the British have two artillery stands to the American one stand.

My set up and first turn.

  In setting up the commands for the game I referred to the historical set up.  Knyphausen deployed to threaten the various fords over the Brandywine river.  I put detachments by some fords to stretch out the American commands.  My artillery i.placed on a hill overlooking Chad's ford for future bombardment.  The Americans deployed Washington's command around Chad's ford and Sullivan's command further west.  Greene deployed along  the main road to be able to reinforce anywhere on the board the British might come in.  Howe and Cornwallis marched onto the table as they did historically to turn the American flank.    Now onto the game!

Cornwallis pushes through the center of Sullivan's lines.  Greene tries to firm a defense in the north.  Knyphausen starts his breakthrough.

The Americans pulling back to fight another day.

So, how did the game play out?  It ended as a big British victory.  The Howe/Cornwallis wing was able to sweep all before it. Sullivan and Greene were nit able to scramble back and form a defensive line quick enough.   The Knyphausen wing had a much more difficult time.  Attacking across a river ford gives the other side a plus two on their die rolls the first round and plus one the second.  To get across you gave to pound the enemy with your artillery to disorder them then charge across.  In other words use historical tactics.

  The entire battle, after set up took a little under an hour to play.  It was fast, and very entertaining.  The advantage of a game like this is to explore "what ifs." One that has long interested me is if Washington attacked Knyphausen with his main army before Cornwallis finished his flank march.  Or fight out Knyphausen's march towards the Brandywine and the American delaying action.  How about if Washington was warned about the flank march and redeployed his army better.  All are possible with a game such as this.  Its also possible to use the game to generate a table top battle with your miniatures.

So, another fun and enjoyable game.  Simple to pkay.  Easy to set up and not time consuming.  Endless possibilities for play and each game very different.  Highly recommended, and looking forward to playing Germantown next.

 

Pub Battles Monmouth

 

  Here is the first in my series of reviews of Command Post Games Pub Battles.  In this review I will be looking at The Battle of Monmouth.

 The game represents American General Charles  Lee's blotched attack on Lord Cornwallis' rear guard.  The British set up on the extreme right (east) side of the map with the Dragoons block  and Cornwallis counter only.  Lee marches onto the board, in road column on the upper left (west) side.  Lee gets to move twice (2 turns) before the British can.  Units in march column move twice as fast but it takes a third of a move to change from road column to line.  Movement is measured by the measuring device and is broken into foot and horse movement and further divided into thirds.  Since terrain penalty us usually a third of a move this is helpful.  So the game really starts on turn three and the Americans get a chance to enter the board and set up.  

Turns 1 & 2: 

American General Lee and his forces move onto board.  They enter on road column march so they go twice as fast as if traveling overland.   Because there is no British movement (Lord Cornwallis and the stand representing the Light Dragoons sits on the table) set up a defensive position.  His artillery is on a hill.  Note that blocks are set up so the other side cannot see who they are.   Add in a couple detachment blocks and your really not sure what's opposite you.

Turn 3: 

The British enter board. British go first.  They move onto the board. American artillery fires at them but no hits.  Americans take position under cover in woods or behind streams.

Turn 4: 

British go again.  They fire their artillery and get three hits!  The American block is Maxwell's light infantry who is elite.  Usually three hits destroy the unit.  But because it is elite the first hit doesn't count, the second hit flips it to shaken and the third hit makes it retreat.  American artillery fire on their turn and again no hits!

Turn 5.  

 Although the British pulled their chit first they want to move second. To delay their move Cornwallis rolls a d6 and rolls less then his command rating (4).  Lee tries to bump it back but fails to roll his rating (2) or less.  Americans move first and they unpack their baggage and rally Maxwell back to full strength.    The British move up to attack.  Because they have already moved the Americans cannot pull back but have to fight.

 In the battles both sides lose a detachment.  The British on the southern edge push back Wayne's Pennsylvania brigade.  On the northern edge the Jersey militia holds steady in the woods and destroy a detachment then push the Dragoons back!

Turn 6:

Washington arrives on the field and dismissed Lee.

Cornwallis goes first.  He again tries to delay but this time Washington makes his command roll so Cornwallis cannot delay.  The British unpack their baggage trains and rally the Dragoons and von Donop.  The Royal Artillery continue to cause hits while the American Artillery continues to miss (terrible die rolling really).  Washington pulls back to a better defensive position.  He sends Maxwell and Stevens to attack in the north woods. Grey is shaken and falls back.

Turn 7:

Washington goes first.  He sends Maxwell and Stevens to continue the attack in the north.  Else where he straightened his lines. Cornwallis pushes forward on all fronts.

In the fighting, Maxwell destroyed Grey.  But von Donop pushes back the militia.  The Royal Artillery and Continental Artillery both force the other to fall back shaken.

And finally The Guards and Light Infantry continues to force Wayne back.

End of game:

At this point we have run out of time. Historically this was when the rest of the American army would arrive on the field.  The British were looking to hold them them off so the rest of the army could continue its retreat towards New York.  Remember that the French fleet was due and threatened to cut them off.  The last thing Sir Henry Clinton wanted was a long protracted battle.

 On points the Americans win having destroyed two British blocks (1 regular and 1detachment) to one American (detachment) block.  In addition the British baggage is exposed and threatened.  But they might break threw in the American center.  And they could turn the American flank on the south.  While not historical you could also fight out a what if by having both dudes bring on all their troops for a massive battle.  In other words there us a lot if potential for this small game.    So all in all a pleasant battle and a good game which took about an hour to play.

I find the game to be challenging in that you do not know what is in front of you.  In addition the British must attack and attack more quickly then I did.  I think there are lots of options for both sides and room for what if games.  So  I am eager to play it again.  But first I want to try out the Brandywine game.  More to follow!

Command Post Games Pub American Revolution Games

 

Brandywine game

  At the start of February I mentioned I was ordering some games from Command Post Games.  These were from their Pub Battles games series and all were about battles during the American Revolution.  They are called Pub Battles because they are designed to be set up quickly and play in an hour or a little more.  They are command level in scale in that  block represents about 1500 to 2000 troops and is usually a Brigade. The rules are fairly simple  and the maps you play on incredibly detailed.   I order Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth.  In addition I also ordered the battalion level Brandywine game.  This is a slight departure from the others in that the map is very large (twice the size if the others) and each small block represents a battalion or combined battalions of about 450 men.   An addition to the rules for battalion level is included.  I will be giving a general review of what you get and what the games are like.  As a follow up I will review each game I got.

Why are they called Pub Battles?  Because they are easy to set up and can be played anywhere.  The rules are relatively simple but still provide a interesting game.  Think early Avalon Hill games before the arrival of SPI.  The games are shipped in a clear plastic tube.  You get a map of the battlefield, three red and three blue dice, a measuring device and a set of rules (mine are version 3.2)  and scenario guide as well as the blocks to represent troops and stickers to put on them to identify the units.  Some games have more items some less.  As an example with the Brandywine game you get all the blocks you need for both Germantown and Monmouth.  So if you order those games you need to have bought Brandywine.  The maps are reproduction of period maps and ate little works of art.  They come printed on canvas or a less expensive version on paper.  Maps range in size from Brandywine at 24" x 17" to Germantown's 28" x 24" to  Monmouth's 8.5" x 16". The Brandywine battalion level map is really big at 24" x 48".  Scale of the maps run from 8000:1 for battalion level Brandywine to 16000:1 for the other maps.

British army at Monmouth

Blocks represent infantry, cavalry or artillery.  Each has a pre printed sticker (which you need to afix) that tells you what type of unit it is and if there is a special ability.  These could be elite or militia and effects how they fight and take hits.  In addition there are detachments which represent smaller units and have no markings.  And baggage trains which are your supply and have a really big effect on play and victory.

The Monmouth game

How do they play?  Lets run through a typical game turn.  Again I am using the 3.2 version if the rules here and following a rules tutorial on the companies website.  Usualy one side or the other sets up first.  I will use Monmouth as an example.  The game represents Lee's blotches attack on Cornwallis' rear guard.  The British set up on the extreme right side of the map with the Dragoons block  and Cornwallis counter only.  Lee marches onto the board, in road column on the upper left side.  Lee gets to move twice (2 turns) before the British do.  Units in march column move twice as fast but it takes a third of a move to change from road column to line.  Movement is measured by the measuring device and is broken into foot and horse movement and further divided into thirds.  Since terrain penalty us usually a third of a move this is helpful.  So the game really starts on turn three and the Americans get a chance to enter the board and set up.  

Turn sequence and movement:  put the small command blocks into a cup and pull one.  Lets say you pull Lee.  His command can move.  But, lets say Cornwallis wants to go instead.  He has to roll his command points (printed on his stand) or less on a d6 and if he dies he can move instead. Not so fast!  Lee gets to roll to see if he gets his move back.  But his points are 2 and he fails so Cornwallis goes.  Its a neat little system which builds in fog of war and uncertainty.  Sometimes its best to go first, sometimes not.

So Cornwallis moves first.  To move you place the measuring device on the map and move your block.  A infantry or artillery block can move the foot movement rate and cavalry and command cubes move horse.  You deduct a third of your move for terrain penalty.  You get a free change of facing once per turn and then it takes a third of your move.  Pretty easy.  Because units do not match up completely with map symbols it us suggest that wherever terrain the majority of the block is in or on is what terrain it is in.  I would also recommend you state clearly what terrain it is in.  Come on don't be that guy in a game.

Note that artillery if it does not move can bombard.  It fires out to a full infantry move and traces a straight line to the target.  It rolls three dice and effects are right then and there.

Both sides get to move before combat.  If you move second, and the enemy has moved up to fight you you can move out if combat range.  

Fighting: After all movement is complete you fight.  Blocks must be in contact and you line up blocks evenly.  If attacking or defending you can have a block directly behind as support.  Both sides get to fight.  Lets look at a fight between two blocks which have support.

Defender rolls first.  They roll a 2-5-6 which translates to two hits.  The first hit flips a block over so its name is upright.  It is disrupted.  The second hit forces it to retreat.  If there was a third hit it would have destroyed the block.  Now, if the defender had been under cover it is hit on a 5-6 only.  

The attacker rolls.  They get a 4-5-6.  The defender is destroyed.  Now the defender gets to choose; does the support move up and continue the fight?  Or it best to retire and leave the fight.  If they stay the attacker gets the sane choice;  keep fighting or retire.

If you have an elite block it ignores the first hit.  On the other hand a militia  block doubles its first hit.  

Detachments ate considered small units.  They have no unit designation and in combat only roll one dice.  If hit they are gone.  But, because the other side cannot see what the designation is they do not know what is in front of them.  Again the fog of war.

Baggage trains are an important part of play. These represent not only supplies but head quarters and all the support your army needs.  Once you unpack the baggage train it can rally any unit within A move.  If the unit us shaken it can be restored to full strength.  Great!  But you cannot repack the baggage and if captured you have list the game.  Interesting little way of representation of supplies and such.

Ok, so that is a rundown about the games.  A brief explanation if his to play and what they are about. In my next posts I will run through each of the games and his they play.  If you want a little more details or a visual explanation if play here are links to some videos that explain it better then I did!

Videos to help play:

How to play Pub Battles:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_aB6szOMDLc

How to move:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fg9PnHgni74

Combat:

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

Baggage trains:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TrJMh_-_Z_0

And here is a link for the company:

https://www.commandpostgames.com/pub-battles/brandywine/#comment-7472