Parliamentarian forces attempt to seize control of the South
East Coast region. Setting the scene for the next battle.
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| Campaign Map indicating the next battle to be in the South East |
The battlefield is quickly determined using terrain cards and for the second time in a row a fordable river is selected. The dice indicate it will be close to the table edge. See the previous post for more information on choosing terrain for the tabletop.
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| Cards determine terrain setup |
D3 dice were rolled for recruiting activities in the South
East Coast region. As expected Parliament support was high and the order of battle is:
Parliament
- 5 x Cavalry
- 5 x Infantry
- 2 x Dragoons
- 2 x Artillery
Royalist
- 3 x Cavalry
- 3 x Infantry
- 2 x Dragoon
- 1 x Commanded Shot
The smaller Royalist force deploys first and gets to make one move after Parliament forces are positioned.
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| Opening troop positions |
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| Royalist cavalry position on their right flank |
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| The infantry and commanded shot take up defensive positions in the parish and nearby woods |
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| Looking down the tabletop |
I don’t know whether to say ‘looking good for Parliament’ as my record on choosing the winning side seems to cast a spell of doom on them! The terrain cards are a good device.
ReplyDeleteThe terrain cards are working out well and I may add a few more with marsh and lakes. I am not sure how the Royalist cause can win this game.
DeleteDoesn't the map say "South Coast"?
ReplyDeleteYes, it should say South Coast. Too much haste when typing. Thanks.
DeleteInteresting terrain selection system. I noted that rivers were a relatively uncommon card, they are still fairly common since even one will always cut the table in 1/2.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered make it possible for a river to run on an angle across a corner or across North-South rather than East-West?
I'm not an ECW buff but while rivers are prominent in campaign accounts I couldn't remember a battle across one, after a bit of googling I gave up since the closest I came were some skirmishes across bridges by a few score men. There may well be some though. Ridge lines that run across most of a battlefield on the other hand seem very common.
Just an observation. This was a timely campaign though, I've just played my 2nd ECW game of the year.
Thanks for your question. I will now have the direction determined by how the card is laid. I have tried to limit the effect of rivers by having one which can only be crossed via bridges and the other (stream) which can be forded anywhere and is treated as difficult terrain.
DeleteECW Battles with rivers are very much in the minority (according to my Battlefield Atlas of the English Civil War) and my campaign has thrown up two in the early stages. I may have to add a few more non-river cards to the pack.
I look forward to possibly seeing an ECW post on your blog.
Peter, perhaps when you draw a waterway, roll a die and on evens you keep the card and on odds discard and draw a replacement.
ReplyDeleteCertainly easier than making extra terrain cards.
DeleteOn the terrain cards, what do the green bits around the grey buildings represent?
ReplyDeleteOn some of there cards I tried to be a bit more artistic and so the green bits don't mean anything. I think I started with the building cards first, then got lazy and stopped adding green bits.
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