Civilians

 

I like to place little things around my table to liven it up.  Farm animals in the yard, ducks and geese by waterways.  That sort of thing.  I especially like to add small numbers of civilian figures.  You can use them to add color or as an objective.  One game I played in had each figure knowing some sort if information.  One figure knew when enemy reinforcements were entering.  Another could tell you where a hidden ford was.  Still another was the village idiot and gave out nonsense!  Great fun.

4th July parade

 

          A few more pictures of the American force under General Washington.

Colonel John  Glover's 14th Continental line Regiment.  Recruited from Marblehead Massachusetts.  The Regiment was made up of sailors and mariners.  Figures from Eureka Miniatures.

 The rest of Colonel Glover's brigade.  The 3rd, 13th and 26th Continental line Regiments.   Figures are from Brigade games.  

Colonel "Light Horse Harry" Lee's dragoons

Continental Artillery companies.  Captain Hamilton's New York company in buff and blue and Captain Procter's PA. Company in blue and red.

July 3rd Parade

 

  Set up a parade of some of my Continental Line.  Along a country road  reinforced brigade marches under the watchful eye of the Commander in Chief, some towns folks and some non interested sheep.   

Regiments include the 9th Continental (1st RI) and 11th Continental (2nd RI)  line battalions.

The 1st and 3rd New York, Smallwood's Maryland  and 19th Continental regiments.

Also an opportunity to show off my new roads from Wargames Terrain.  

I will post a few more Continental and Militia pictures tomorrow.  Then Sir William Howe's army the next day.

A Very Bad Day

 

Its a very dark day for our country.  I promised once to never post anything political.  Today, upset and horrified I will break my promise.  Back to more pleasant things tomorrow.

Historicon 2024! Who is going?

 

Its that time of the year!  Two weeks to the Historicon wargame convention.  Getting ready to go.  Anyone else out there going?

June Game Night

 

Last Friday was club game night.  As usual members put on three different games.  Usually these are in different time periods.   Here was a run down if what was offered.

Scot Landies and Gordon Pitsley - Napoleonics

Rules: Sons of Napoleon, 28mm, 2-6 Players

The club’s newest members host a new set of rules. French troops face off with an Anglo-Portuguese troops in 1812 Spain.  Division commanders on each side participate in a larger corps sized engagement. You’re not quite sure what is happening on your flanks, but the Corps Commander is sure to visit during the battle and give you direction! Just when you think you are making progress, your fellow division commander may falter on your flank, or you may walk into the fire zone of an enemy grand battery! Players face some unique challenges beyond just their opponents across the table. Join the battle as we try this new rule set with a unique card driven combat system.

Bob Oulette - Rome versus Carthage

Rules: Commands & Colors Ancient, 28mm, 4-6 Players

In 205 BC, Hannibal’s younger brother Magon landed a Carthaginian army at Genova to reinforce Hannibal in Italy. But before Magon could link up with Hannibal, the Roman praetor Publio Quinctilio Varo forced him to give battle. This is a fight between two equal size, yet asymmetric forces that could decide the fate of Hannibal’s Italian adventure.

George Zanni - The Battle of Mobile Bay

Rules: Gridded Naval Wargames by Bob Cordery, ACW 1/600 ships on a grid cloth, 2 - 8 Players

This is a fast-play set of rules. In the past, we had two games in 2.5 hours.

Rear Admiral Farragut tries to take the city of Mobile with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. Wooden sea-going broadside ships and up to four monitors. The Confederates tried to stop Farragut with a few small wooden ships, a ram or two, one Ironclad, a few shore batteries, and the will of God. There are mines in the waters that are capable of sending a ship to the bottom.

Note: This is my fantasy version of ACW Naval. Fast and simple; it’s a game, not a reenactment. 

American Civil War ships

 

On Monday a small group of us got together to play a Civil War ship game.  The period is fascinating because developments in ship building went crazy with a variety of unusual ships appearing.  George agreed to put the game on using a variation of the Gridded Naval Wargames by Bob Cordery.  These are played on a hex type mat and are very simple but not dumb.  instead they simple down the things that can happen.  A lot of chrome is left out but that still gives you a fun game.  

Your basic ship types are monitors with turrets, casement ironclads, steam ships, paddlewhellers and rams.  Each ship has its advantages and disadvantage.  Iron ships can take a incredible amount of damage but are very very slow.  Steam ships are fast and have lots of guns but limited amount of damage.  Paddlers are really manoverable.  And rams can if course ram and are very fast but very fragile.  

The game was four union ships had to get pass the Confederate ships.  There were islands and sand bars in there way. 

 

Warren and I took the Union fleet ;  warren had a monitor and a steamer, I had two steamers. 

 John and Phil took the Confederate fleet of two paddelers, A steamer and a iron clad.

The game moved very fast.  First phase both sides shot and add damages.  Then both sides roll with high side moves first.  islands block movement and you cannot fire over them.  Sandbags will cause your ship to ground and be stuck;  but you can fire over them. 

The Union navy charged forward.  I took two Steamers and made straight for the lower passage while Warren with the monitor made for the northern rout.  Basically we found out very quickly that iron ships are clumsy and slow.  It was the wooden ships that did most of the fighting.  I used my two steam powered frigates to race pass an casement iron clad ship.  Then the extra number of guns to blast the smaller paddelers who came out to fight one at a time.  In the end the Union eliminated three of four Confederate ships and exited off the table.

There was enough time left in the day we reversed roles and played again.  Similar results with the Union again winning.  Two games in one day that's a record.  The rules are simple but with twists and provide a fun game.  Naval purists will moan and complain about how unrealistic the rules are.  Well, they are.  They simplify lots of things so a die roll gives you a result.  A game can be played in a reasonable amount of time and gives a reasonable accurate result.  But best of all you get to play with these unusual and strange ships and have a fun day out.  Ill take that any day of the week.