A Wars of the Roses remote game

Last week, I was able to play a remote wargame with Jon from Palouse Wargaming Journal, where we tested some rules he has been developing for his War of the Roses (WotR) collection. It was a real treat, especially after spending the previous few days under the weather with a cold. Fortunately, I was on the mend in time for the game. Jon has written up a full game report, which you can find here. Below are a couple of close-up photos showcasing his wonderful WotR collection.  

A Battle prepares to engage…

The archers retire and in go the men at arms.

While we did not use all of Jon’s rule ideas in this session, he seems to be gradually incorporating them as he plays more games, and this was also the first time for me with these rules and the WotR. From my perspective the rules effectively conveyed the tactical limitations of the period. For instance, one rule mechanism which I really liked was to do with the changing of a Battle’s orders which is influenced by the aggressiveness and quality of its leader. This can, and did in the game, result in a Battle holding its ground defensively when you really want it to advance and engage the enemy, and another occasion where a Battle remained on the attack when it would be much wiser to pull back and reorganise the troops.   

The current distraction.

It is tempting to explore how the rules, especially the order mechanism, would work in a Hundred Years’ War game using my old Minifigs. However, I have already been sidetracked this week with some Sci-Fi gaming, using the same One-Hour Wargames scenario (#19: Static Defence) as my last French and Indian War (FIW) game. As for the FIW campaign, my plan is to return to it this weekend for the third and final, decisive game in the mini-campaign.

French Indian War Campaign - Game 2 Report

The French and Indian War mini-campaign continues with the battle of Fort Robert. General William Colchester, commanding the British forces, has swiftly advanced his troops along the coastal road and is now poised to launch an assault on the fort. Meanwhile, the French forces, led by General Lucien Duvall, have been urgently reinforcing its defences. Among their preparations is the fortification of a nearby hill, recognising that its capture would grant a commanding vantage point over the fort, rendering any defence nearly impossible.

You can find the campaign setup details here.

Tabletop Setup.

A quick reminder of the forces involved:

French

• 6 x Regular Infantry
• 4 x Militia
• 2 x Guns

The French defensive plans require them to have 4 units with 12 inches of the fort and another 4 units within 12 inches of the hill. The remaining 4 units are a mobile reserve and available to move around the table freely.

British

• 7 x Regular Infantry
• 4 x Militia
• 1 x Gun

All the British units arrive from the south on game turn 1.

The Plan…

General Colchester’s plan is to occupy the wooded area in the centre with his Militia units, hopefully tie up any of the French reserves, while the bulk of the regular infantry will assault the hill supported by their single gun. 

Fort Robert. Some of the reserve regular infantry can be seen marching off to support the Militia in the centre.

Opening Moves…

The British forces pressed forward as their artillery start to bombard the hilltop. Meanwhile, the Militia advanced into the wooded area, only to come under immediate musket fire from French Militia already positioned there, supported by two units of regular infantry.

The Militia engage in the woods. The remaining French reserve of two regular infantry units are positioned behind the woods.

The Assault…

The main British assault pressed forward toward the hill, but as they advanced, volleys of flanking fire erupted from French infantry positioned behind the woods. The unexpected attack forced several British units to break formation and return fire, momentarily stalling their advance. The remaining troops reorganised to push on, bracing themselves as they move into muskets range with the entrenched French defenders on the hill.

The British assault receives flanking fire as it advances.

The assault pushes on.

The assault comes under withering fire from the hilltop defenders.

Assaulting the Hill…

The British were steadily gaining the upper hand in the woods, forcing the French to call upon the fort’s garrison for long-range support with musket fire.  

However, the assault on the hill was faltering. The determined French defenders, poured disciplined volleys into the advancing British units, and their accurate fire steadily whittling down the attackers.

Long range musketry from the fort garrison.

The British make a final effort to take the hill.

For a moment, it seemed as though the British might be able to seize the hill, their troops pressing forward despite mounting losses. However, the French defenders, bolstered by a few well-timed rallies, repulsed the exhausted attackers back down the slopes, securing the hill. A hard-fought French victory.

The assault is called off.

Summary

The assault had a two-to-one advantage, but this was not enough for the British to seize the hill. The French effectively disrupted the assault with flanking fire from their two regular infantry units positioned behind the woods, drawing away part of the attacking force. 

This defeat forces the British to abandon their coastal advance, compelling them to move inland instead. Now, their hopes will rest on securing a river crossing downstream from Fort Orleans, which could serve as a launching point for a future attack later in the campaign season.

The campaign map.

French and Indian War campaign - Game 2 set up

This weekend I will be playing the next game in my French and Indian War mini-campaign. I started planning this campaign a few weeks ago. The details on how the campaign was set up can be found here.

The French preparing Fort Robert.

Campaign Background

General William Colchester, commanding the British forces, has orders to attack on Fort Orleans. His plan involves advancing along the coast, using naval support for amphibious landings whenever possible.

French General Lucien Duvall quickly learned of the British intentions after his forces suffered a defeat at the settlement of St. Paul, where the British launched an amphibious assault to strike the French defenders from the rear. This setback has left the French with little time to fortify Fort Robert, which has fallen into disrepair over the years.

Campaign map showing progress

A closer view of Fort Robert. The campaign map is using Scenario 14 - Static Defence - from the book "One-Hour Wargames" which will be set up on a 5 x 4 foot tabletop.

Game Background

Fort Robert is situated on a rocky stretch of coastline. The Royal Navy have informed General William Colchester that amphibious landings will not be possible. With limited time before the British forces arrive, General Lucien Duvall has ordered the garrison to strengthen the fort’s defences. This includes establishing some prepared positions on a nearby hill, as its capture would allow the British to deploy their artillery on an elevated position overlooking the fort, allowing them to bombard the fort and cut off any supplies or reinforcements.

The tabletop setup.

Order of Battle

French

• 6 x Regular Infantry
• 4 x Militia
• 2 x Guns

The French defensive plans require them to have 4 units with 12 inches of the fort and another 4 units within 12 inches of the hill. The remaining 4 units are a mobile reserve and available to move around the table freely.

Prepared positions on the hill.

British Forces

• 7 x Regular Infantry
• 4 x Militia
• 1 x Gun

All the British units arrive from the south on game turn 1.

A view of the British arrival. I realised after this photo that they were one unit short and quickly rectified that. I am obviously struggling to count to more than 10 when I run out of fingers!

Victory Conditions

To secure victory the British must capture and control either Fort Robert or the hill.

Off the painting desk

This week's painting has two units completed to add to my Napoleonic collection. A Hussar unit (Spencer Smith miniatures) and a unit of light infantry (HaT 28mm miniatures). All very simply painted and glossed.

I am slowly replacing my existing light infantry which are Spencer Smith miniatures with HaT miniatures, so a can rebase the Spencer Smiths with their uniform pose as line infantry.

Hussar Unit

Light Infantry

French and Indian War Campaign - Game 1

This is a report on the first game of my French and Indian War (FIW) campaign. The scenario is based on One-Hour Wargames (OHW) book scenario number 19 (A Blow from the Rear) modified to include an amphibious landing.

All the figures are used in the game are old plastic Spencer Smith miniatures. Some have been converted to wear round felt hats and bonnets, and there are also a few of their American Civil War miniatures converted. They are all simply painted with a gloss finish. 

The rules used are a variation of the OHW Horse and Musket rules and the chance cards.

Some of the troops in action.

Background

General William Colchester has been tasked with leading an attack on Fort Orleans. His forces have been recently reinforced and he also has the support of a Royal Navy ship. He plans to advance up the coast, using naval support to conduct amphibious landings where possible and lay siege to Fort Orleans.

French General Lucien Duvall is aware of the British troop buildup to the south, but unaware of their naval support. He has positioned part of his army near the settlement of St. Paul in the hope to delay any British advance along the coast. His goal is to buy time so he can prepare Fort Robert which has fallen into disrepair.

Details on how the campaign was set up can be found here.

The campaign map showing the British plan.

A close up of scenario from the campaign map.

The British intend to launch their campaign by attempting to cross the river near the settlement of St. Paul. With naval support, they plan to land half their force on the French left. Their objective is to secure and control both river crossings. This will allow them to continue their quick advance along the coast and get to Fort Robert before the French can fully reinforce and prepare the fort. Failure to do so will force them to march inland, exposing them to the risk of a French counterattack with their Indian allies.

Order of Battle

French

Positioned at the settlement of St. Paul:

• 1 x Gun
• 3 x Indian Warriors

Positioned along the river at the two crossings:

• 5 x Line Infantry
• 3 x Militia
• 1 x Trusted Officer
• 1 x Commander

British

Landing Party:

• 1 x Gun
• 5 x Line Infantry
• 1 x Trusted Officer

Main Force:

• 2 x Line Infantry
• 4 x Militia
• 1 x Commander

Special Rules

1. French reserves positioned at the settlement cannot be activated until turn 7.
2. French units may not cross the river.
3. British land party arrives on turn 6 and can only land 3 units per turn.

Other Notes

• A trusted officer is assigned to a unit and must remain with them for the duration of the game. They improve the unit's combat capability. 
• A commander can join and leave units. When attached to a unit the unit reduces the number of hits from combat.
• When attached to a unit, any enemy combat dice rolls that have a natural 6 will remove the trusted officer or commander.

Victory Conditions

The British must control both river crossings with no French within 6 inches of them at the end of the game.

The tabletop setup. The two river crossings are circled and the red arrows shows where the British advance and land.

Game Report

The British main force, led by their commander, advanced toward the left-hand bridge, where they soon encountered French militia and a unit of regulars under the command of a trusted officer. Musket fire quickly erupts across the river. The French militia are holding their ground, refusing to be easily driven back.

The main British force arrives and is soon engaged by the French defenders.

Soon a British naval ship appeared off the coast, and its landing party quickly came ashore. This caught the French by surprise as a British force has a beachhead to the French rear. Meanwhile, the main British force was beginning to gain the upper hand against the French militia at the other upstream river crossing.

The British begin their landings.

The main British force is starting to get the upper hand.

In response to the British landing, the French forces stationed near the second river crossing downstream swiftly turned to face the new threat. At the river crossing upstream, the French had suffered heavy casualties, with some units routing. Despite this, the regular infantry, led by their trusted officer, continued to hold the main British force at bay, refusing to give ground.

The French have about faced and move to engage the British landing party.

The French gallantly hold on at the river crossing.

The landing party is soon engaged.

Somewhat belatedly the French reserves began to move towards the action, and their artillery was quickly positioned to target the British landing party. The gallant French unit was still holding back the main British advance at the river crossing, hoping desperately their reserves would arrive. With their primary force stalled, the British seized the opportunity to send a militia unit toward the downstream crossing in an attempt to outflank the French defenders.

French reinforcements start to arrive.

The landing party is engaged.

A unit of British militia can be seen moving to the river crossing downstream. 

The British landing party, supported by their gun, began to gain the upper hand against the French defenders. A series of musket volleys and canister fire had struck with deadly accuracy, forcing the beleaguered French units to break and retreat into the woods for safety.

The French defenders are struggling under some withering British volleys.

The lone militia units is almost at the second and undefended river crossing.

The French reinforcements, primarily composed of Indian warriors, arrived too late to turn the tide of the battle. Despite making several brave charges and routing a few British units, the battle was lost and the remaining French units were forced to retire, leaving both river crossings firmly in British hands.

British forces gain the upper hand at both river crossings.

Summary

A British victory. From a campaign perspective, this will allow them to continue their march along the coast towards Fort Robert.

While the British victory was no walkover, I could have made things much more difficult for them had I concentrated the majority of the French forces on the river crossing furthest from the coastline. This approach would have delayed the British landing force involvement fas they marched to the upstream crossing, and their flank would have exposed to the French reinforcements coming from the settlement.

This game provided the opportunity to use my scratch built ship and landing boats. It is always fun getting newly completed models into a game.

Planning a French and Indian War tree campaign with a map

I have recently been playing a few French and Indian War games and made a scratch-built a ship with landing boats so I can incorporate some amphibious operations into my games. While I enjoyed playing the one-off games, I wanted to play a few games that were linked as part of a campaign. 

The question is what campaign approach to use? Any approach should:

• Keep the game count manageable, about 3 games sounds just fine.
• Provide a supporting narrative to keep the games engaging and with an objective.
• Have a map, as I like maps and the making of them.

This short campaign is designed to allow for one or two amphibious landings.

Step 1 - Find a suitable campaign approach.

I found an example of a simple tree campaign consisting of 3 battles in an old Warhammer set of rules I have.  

A simple tree campaign found in a Warhammer rule book.

Step 2 - Select suitable OHW scenarios.

For my tree campaign, I selected One-Hour Wargaming (OHW) scenarios for each battle, while attempting to create a cohesive narrative between the scenarios. This process took longer than expected because each scenario had to fit logically with potential outcomes, wins and losses from previous battles. I found myself looping through various options until I found the ones which fitted the narrative I had in my head.

Some of the initial planning for the campaign with OHW scenarios identified.

Step 3 - Making the map

Next, I needed to incorporate the scenarios into a map to add more context to the campaign. The map helps establish a connection between each battle, their terrain, and the broader campaign.

I sketched out each selected OHW scenarios on its own 2-inch by 2-inch pieces of paper which was cut out. With a rough idea of how I wanted the map to look, I arranged the cut out pieces of paper on a larger sheet to establish the flow between scenarios based on which side wins or losses. In some cases, I had to flip a scenario map to create a mirror image. Once satisfied with their placement, I began sketching the map to incorporating the scenario maps.

Not the best photo of the cut out scenarios as they were position on a blank A3 sized page.

Having sketched out the map it was a simple process of colouring in the map.

Final map showing each of the scenarios.

Step 4 - Double checking the flow with the tree campaign.

A final step was double checking the flow of the tree campaign with the scenarios.

The scenario maps in a tree structure

Campaign narrative using the map as a guide.

With reinforcements and support from the Royal Navy, the British plan to advance up the coast and capture Fort Orleans, leveraging their naval support to undertake amphibious landings. However, Fort Robert has onshore guns that prevent any naval operations. Capturing Fort Orleans would be considered a major British victory, requiring three tabletop wins within the campaign.

The map showing the planned attack approach of the British.

Minor victory is achieved by crossing the river further downstream to set up a bridgehead for future operations or the capture of Fort Robert. These can be achieved with 2 tabletop wins and 1 loss.

The circled areas would be considered a minor campaign victory if held.

Looking at the narrative for the first tabletop game.

An initial victory is crucial for the British forces at the start of their campaign. A loss would give the French time to reinforce Fort Robert’s defences, forcing the British to move inland towards Henry’s fram in search of a river crossing upstream of Fort Orleans. This inland route would expose them to counterattacks from the French and their Native Indian allies. While, a victory would allow the British to advance swiftly along the coastal road, isolating Fort Robert and cutting off any French reinforcements.

The British launch their first attack across the river from King’s Town and also land forces further down the coat. 

The scene is set for the first game.

The tabletop is setup for the first game, OHW scenario 19 - Blow from the rear. The British will be using their Naval support to land troops behind the French left flank. A slight modification to the scenario.

The tabletop is setup and the campaign begins!

New game, models, and book purchases

This week, a few purchases arrived. Some were planned, while others were more spontaneous and others opportune. One of the planned purchases came about from a call with my son, who suggested we should both start collecting the Star Wars Legion game and play some wargames. Since he’s not interested in historical gaming, I figured, why not give it a try? The game is new to me, but after watching some YouTube tutorial videos, it seemed like an interesting game. I decided on the original core starter set, as it has miniatures from the Star Wars films the I remember, while my son opted for a Clone Wars starter set.

A planned purchase.

So far, I have painted a couple of test figures. I’m aiming for a clean and crisp look without using washes or dry brushing. A final gloss finish helps to conceal any of my painting mistakes.

A few test miniatures painted.

My impulse purchase was from the local hobby shop. A M7 Priest to add to my WWII collection. The kit includes two models with the option to build one as a Kangaroo. I’ve already assembled and painted one as Priest and hope to get them on the tabletop soon.  

An impulse buy.

One completed Priest

For now, I need to finish a French and Indian War game that is underway as part of a tree campaign I have started. I plan to write it up once things are less busy on the home front.

Early stages of the FIW game.

I finally get to use the Sloop for a landing in the game.

Finally, I picked up two second-hand books from a retailer here in New Zealand, saving on international shipping which seem to add so much to the cost nowadays. I had been searching for a reasonably priced copy of “Renaissance Armies” by George Gush for a while, so when it popped up, I quickly grabbed it (well clicked and added it to the cart). I saw they also had “Featherstone’s Complete Wargaming” at a good price too and decided to get it after reading a review on the Lone Warrior site (here). The book feels like one big magazine, filled with various articles and perfect for picking up, reading a bit, and putting back down.

Latest books to add to the collection.