A remote Star War game

Today I hosted a remote Star Wars game with Jon of Palouse Wargaming Journal using the Squad Hammer Core rules from Nordic Weasel Games. The rules were adapted for use with a 6-inch square grid, which makes gameplay much easier for remote games. 

These skirmish games are relatively quick to play, so we managed to fit in two games, giving each of us the chance to be both attacker and defender.

74-Z Speeder Bikes crash and burn after being surprised by a Rebel unit.

Scenario Background

On the desolate frontier world of Kholaris situated on the outer-rim, lies the mining settlement of Dusthaven. Built around the richest vein of Virelium Crystals in the sector, they are used for stabilizing and extending hyperdrive jumps.

But the people of Dusthaven have had enough of the empire. Overworked, underpaid, and brutalized by the mining corporations, the miners have staged an open revolt. A force of Rebels has joined their cause led by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO.

The Empire has responded with force. Darth Vader has been dispatched by the Emperor to crush the rebellion and ensure the crystal mines return to full production. 

Will the spirit of rebellion ignite across Kholaris or be crushed under the heel of the Empire?

Map

The game is played on a tabletop using a 6-inch square grid. While the mat includes dots to mark the corners of each square, these are not easily visible to the remote player. To assist with unit positioning and overall setup, a gridded map was provided, and terrain features such as vegetation and rocks were carefully placed at square corners to make the grid more apparent for the remote player.

A map with the grid was provided to help with positioning of units.

A regimented layout of rocks and vegetation helps to define the squares. 

Built-up and rocky squares provide cover to any units occupying them, while units on hill squares are able to extend shooting ranges. Up to two units may be "stacked" in a single square. 

All movement and shooting ranges can be measured diagonally.

Order of Battle

Rebels

All Rebel units begin the game positioned on the tabletop. They must be positioned in a building or hill squares.

• Han Solo and Chewbacca (Hero unit)
• Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and C-3PO (Hero unit)
• Swoop Bikers
• 1.4 FD Laser Cannon Team
• 2 x Rebel Troopers
• Rebel Sleeper Cell

Empire

All Empire units begin the game along the southernmost row of squares on the tabletop.

• 2 x Stormtroopers
• Dewback Rider
• AT-RT walker
• 74-Z Speeder Bikes
• Riot Control Squad
• Darth Vader (Villain unit)

I also had provided a list of all units and their stats for movement, combat, and shooting to help keep things running smoothly.

Victory conditions

Reducing the opposition to 2 or less units.

Game Reports

These games tend to move along at a quick pace, and between hosting and the fast gameplay, I did not manage to take many photos. So instead, I have written up a report of the game and included any photos that were available after the report.

Game 1 - Peter as the Empire and Jon as the Rebels

As the first Imperial units appeared on the southern approaches to Dushaven,  the Rebels had already taken up strong positions. A squad equipped with a Z-6 rotary blaster manned the high ground west of the town, while the 1.4 FD laser cannon team was dug in on the eastern ridge. The remaining Rebel troops were scattered in prepared positions behind makeshift barricades throughout Dusthaven.

Imperial forces opened fire from a distance. An AT-RT walker and a pair of 74-Z speeder bikes strafed the hills in an attempt to dislodge the Rebel positions. But the Rebels held firm, both well-prepared and well-positioned. The walker was destroyed by some precise shooting from the FD laser cannon, and the speeder bikes took minor damage from the Z-6 rotary blaster before disengaging.

Rather than wasting time on the flanks, the Imperials pushed directly towards Dusthaven. Under cover of suppressive fire, Stormtroopers advanced and eliminated the Rebel sleeper cell. However, the Rebels quickly responded and brought down the speeder bikes, which crashed in a fiery explosion.

The Imperial assault intensified. Darth Vader, supported by a riot control squad of Stormtroopers, charged the barricades. But the defenders were ready. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca emerged to meet the attack head-on. The clash was fierce, blaster shots flew and lightsabers clashed. Long-range fire from the hills continued to pour in and Darth Vader fell wounded, forced to withdraw from the battlefield. The riot troopers were not so lucky, they were cut down in a storm of blaster fire.

In a final desperate effort, a Dewback rider crashed through the barricades, scattering Han, Chewbacca, and a Rebel squad deeper into the town. But Luke stood firm. Supported again by covering fire from the hills, he confronted the beast and brought it down in close combat.

With their commander gone and losses mounting, the last two Stormtrooper squads pulled back from the ruins of Dusthaven.

A Rebel victory!

The first assault on Dusthaven.

The speeder bikes are destroyed as the Rebels respond.

The final assault by the Dewback rider just before it was cutdown by Luke.

Game 2 - Jon as the Empire and Peter as the Rebels

After their earlier victory, the Rebels knew it was only a matter of time before the Empire returned.

Darth Vader, recovered from his wounds and determined to crush the uprising, led a renewed assault on the mining town of Dushaven. This time the Empire would not underestimate the Rebels again.

Anticipating the attack, the Rebels maintained their defensive positions. A squad armed with a Z-6 rotary blaster held the high ground west of the town, while the 1.4 FD laser cannon team was once again deployed on the eastern ridge.

The Empire struck first, concentrating their initial attack on the eastern ridge. The 1.4 FD laser cannon and its crew were swiftly eliminated with some precise shooting, clearing a key threat to the Empire advance. With the eastern flank neutralized, Stormtroopers unleashed suppressive fire across the town’s defenses.

Then came the main assault led by Darth Vader himself, supported by the Riot Control squad and the Dewback, The defenders at the barricades fought hard, but the assaults were unrelenting. One by one, the Rebels were pushed back from the barricades.

The AT-RT walker, now occupying the eastern ridge, provided steady covering fire that continued to sap the defenders' strength. In the chaos of battle, Han Solo and Chewbacca were cut down in a withering hail of blaster fire, vanishing into smoke and flame. Only Luke Skywalker remained.

With the barricades breached, Luke stood alone against the Empire's attack. Lightsaber in hand, he fought valiantly to hold the line. But with the last supporting unit eliminated he was forced to retire, and with that the defence of Dusthaven collapsed.

Victory to the Empire!

Setup for the second game.

The AT-RT destroys the laser cannon in the initial strike by the Empire.

The assaults begin on the town.

Wrap Up

Well done to Jon on securing two victories, the Force was definitely with him! Overall, the rules worked well converted to a square grid. However, one area that did not seem to flow as smoothly compared to games using free movement was close combat. When a unit attacks a square occupied by two enemy units. If the attacker wins, they are unable to advance if the square still contains another enemy unit. I will have look into seeing if there is a better way of dealing with assaults.

ECW Game report - The Battle of Raventon Crossing

This is an English Civil War battle report following on from the previous post where some pre-game actions were tested to influence an army's deployment, composition, and also its readiness. While also helping develop the game’s narrative.

Infantry engage in the centre.

The tabletop layout was decided by terrain cards drawn from deck. A little bit more on using terrain cards can be found here. The Royalists had to deploy first followed by the Parliamentarians. I should have allowed Parliament to select the tabletop side, and only realised later in the game that I had forgotten.

Terrain cards are used to determine the tabletop layout.

The tabletop is setup and armies deployed.

The pre-battle actions had influenced the make up of the chance cards for each army. The Royalists having one extra rally card, while the Parliamentarians force had replaced a confusion card with a panic card. See the previous post for details about the cards.

Chance cards for the Royalists. One card is drawn and actioned at the start of the Royalist player’s turn.

Parliament’s chance cards. The cards are just cut out from a sheet of cardboard from the local craft store.

Order of Battle

There is little difference in the armies. The Royalists has an additional cavalry unit, while Parliament has an additional infantry unit.

Royalists:

• 4 x Cavalry
• 3 x Infantry
• 1 x Artillery
• 2 x Dragoons

Parliament:

• 3 x Cavalry
• 4 x Infantry
• 1 x Artillery
• 2 x Dragoons

Opening moves along the river

The Royalist forces, led by Sir Charles Blackthorne, began by advancing on their right flank beside the river, committing both their cavalry and dragoons to the attack. In response, Sir Nathaniel Cleve, commanding the Parliamentarian army, countered by pushing forward his left flank cavalry and advancing his infantry in the centre where he had an advantage in numbers.

After an intense struggle, the Parliamentarian cavalry gained the upper hand, routing their Royalist counterparts. However, their success was short-lived as they were caught in a withering volley from the nearby Royalist dragoons and scattered in disorder.

The opening action was along river.

Parliament’s first success with their cavalry was short-lived as their cavalry, disorganised after the clash with Royalist cavalry, were scattered by accurate musketry from dragoons.

The centres clash

Sir Nathaniel Cleve continued to advance his centre, pushing the leading infantry line forward while repositioning his second line to cover the gap left by the routed cavalry near the river. Both centres engaged in a short exchange of musketry before running out of ammunition. Meanwhile, Parliament’s right-wing cavalry began a cautious advance.

Fortune favoured the Royalists. Their centre-right successfully broke the opposing Parliamentarian infantry after a panic in the ranks, leaving Cleve’s left flank dangerously exposed. Sensing an opportunity, the Royalists committed their reserve cavalry, moving them up on the right to exploit the situation.

Meanwhile, on the opposite flank, the cavalry of both sides were locked in a fierce struggle with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

The infantry centres advance.

Royalist reserve cavalry move along the river as Parliament reposition their second line of infantry.

The flanks

After a prolonged and hard-fought melee on the Royalist left flank, their cavalry at last gained the upper hand, routing the Parliamentarian horse. After regrouping they wheeled inward, threatening the exposed flank of Parliament's centre.

Seeing the futility of continued resistance with Royalist cavalry now pressing both flanks. Sir Nathaniel Cleve ordered a general retreat.

Victory at the Battle of Raventon Crossing belonged to Sir Charles Blackthorne and the Royalist cause.

A hard fought cavalry action on the other flank sees the Royalists about to prevail.

Cavalry threaten both flanks of Parliaments centre, forcing them to retire.

Wrap up…

Parliament had a few moments of success during the game but was unable to capitalise on them. In contrast, the Royalist successes aligned well with the drawing of chance cards, as Parliamentarian units faltered in panic or Royalist units seized the initiative with well-timed free actions.

The pre-battle activity provided some variation to the game and helped with the narrative context. I plan to use it again, though I feel it could benefit from a little further work, for example, could tabletop objectives be added into the mix?

OHW Rules Variations

I used a variation of the One-Hour Wargames (OHW) rules for this game. Some of the changes include:

Dragoons and artillery are represented by single bases and are eliminated after taking 8 or more hits, half the threshold of the two base infantry and cavalry units, which are removed after 15 hits.

Dragoons and artillery musket fire uses a D6-2 and must test for running out of ammunition. 

All shooting units test for Out of Ammunition. Instead of rolling a separate D6 to test for out of ammunition, I check their shooting roll. If a 5 or 6 is rolled, the unit is considered out of ammunition. (Trotter cavalry cannot be resupplied with ammunition if the resupply chance cards is drawn.)

Movement is subject to friction. At the start of the movement phase, a die is rolled. On a result of 1, the movement phase ends immediately for that side. Units can still shoot.

Armies have 1 to 3 commanders assigned to the centre and wings, as well as a general. Each is attached to an infantry or cavalry unit and they have benefits in hand-to-hand combat.

In hand-to-hand combat, a unit with an attached commander rolls two dice and selects the higher result. If a double is rolled, the commander is wounded or killed and removed from play; the unit then reverts to rolling a single die in future combat.

All musketry and charge moves are limited to a range/distance of 6 inches.

Next up

The tabletop is returning to a sci-fi theme and is being prepared for a remote game using a square grid.

Preparing for a sci-fi game.

Pre-Battle actions for an English Civil War game

Having recently painted another base of English Civil War (ECW) infantry, it was not long before I wanted to get the miniatures onto the tabletop for a game or two. I often use a variant of the One-Hour Wargames Pike and Shot rules and chance cards for my ECW games. As this was a one-off battle I thought I would try and incorporate a pre-battle game that would influence an army's deployment, composition, and also its readiness.

My initial idea was to create a deck of pre-battle cards that players would draw from, but that approach did not seem to be that interesting and lacked any decision making. So I asked ChatGPT for help in coming up with ideas for a set of rules using pre-battle cards. The rule ideas it suggested were very useful and I only needed to make a few adjustments.

The rest of this post covers the first draft of the pre-battle rules and an example of how they were used to create a narrative. The actual battle report will have to follow in a future post, as this post is already getting rather long.

An ECW game beckons.

The pre-battle rules take 10-15 minutes to play and are written for a tabletop game using One-Hour Wargames (or variant) which incorporate the use of 15 chance cards. The chance cards are important as this is how the army's readiness is represented.

OHW rules using chance cards. Each army has 15 cards and a card is draw at the start of each turn.

Sequence of Play

The pre-battle campaign is played in a series of turns. In each turn:

1) Select Campaign Action. Both players secretly choose one of three campaign actions:

• Advance Aggressively
• Consolidate Forces
• Secure the Region

The same action cannot be selected two turns in a row. For example: A player could choose the Advance Aggressively action in Turn 1, Secure the Region action in Turn 2, then Advance Aggressively again in Turn 3.

2) Reveal the chosen actions. Both players reveal their chosen action and resolve their effects (see next section).

3) Repeat or End. The game continues until 3 turns have been completed, or until a total of two Advance Aggressively actions have been selected in the campaign (regardless of which player selected them).

For solo play I roll a D6 to decide the first action. 1-2 Advance Aggressively, 3-4 Consolidate Forces, and 5-6 Secure the region. After that is a D6 roll 1-3 and 4-6 to decide from the 2 available actions as you cannot select the same action in twice in a row.

Campaign action cards. Alternatively you can just write down the action.

Campaign Actions and Their Effect

Advance Aggressively

• +2 CP
• Army composition - Halve the number of artillery units (round down)
• Draw 1 card

Consolidate Forces

• +1 CP
• Army composition - Double the number of dragoon units
• Draw 1 card

Secure the Region

• 0 CP
• Army composition - Halve dragoon units (round down)
• Draw 1 card, if it’s a disadvantage, discard and draw again (keep the second draw)

What to Track Each Turn

1. Campaign Points (CP). The player with the most CP at the end will choose the tabletop edge and deploy their army second.
2. Event Card Draws. Cards drawn during the campaign influence the Chance Card deck used in the battle.
3. Army Composition. Modified based on the last campaign action taken (e.g., fewer artillery, more dragoons).
4. Advance Aggressively Tracker. Once two Advance Aggressively actions have occurred in total, the campaign ends.

Ending the Pre-Battle Campaign

When a second Advance Aggressively action is selected or 3 turns completed:

1. Add up CP totals for each side.
2. Resolve card effects (as per the drawn Pre-Battle Event cards).
3. Determine army composition based on each player’s last selected action.

The player with the highest final CP chooses the tabletop edge and gets to deploy second. In the event that the CPs are equal, then roll a D6 to decide a winner. The winner chooses their tabletop edge and must deploy first.

Chance Card Deck (for the Tabletop Game)

As mentioned before I use a modified chance card deck from One-Hour Wargames for my English Civil War games. The composition of the deck can change with the pre-battle event cards drawn. The cards used before and changes are as follows (numbers in brackets are the number of cards):

Initiative (2): One unit may move twice, move & shoot, or shoot twice.

Rally (2): 1–3 units remove 1–3 hits (roll 1D3).

Confusion (2): Units must roll 3+ on a D6 to move. Any failure and no more units may move this turn.

Resupply (2): An infantry, dragoon, or artillery unit that’s out of ammunition is resupplied.

Panic (2): The friendly unit with the most hits takes 1D3 additional hits.

No Effect (5): Nothing happens.

Pre-Battle Event Card Effects (10 Cards)

These cards are drawn during the campaign phase. The cards modify the Chance Card deck used during the tabletop game or CP totals:

Officer Rivalry. Replace 1 No Effect card with a Confusion card.

Captured Supplies. Replace 1 No Effect card with a Resupply card

Poorly Trained Recruits. Replace 1 No Effect card with a Panic card.

Troops Get Paid. Replace 1 No Effect card with a Rally card.

Return of Veterans. Replace 1 Panic card with a No Effect card.

Spy in the Enemy Camp. Gain +2 CP.

Powder Spoiled. Replace 1 Resupply card with a No Effect card.

Rumours of Treachery. Replace 1 Rally card with a No Effect card.

Inspiring General. Replace 1 Confusion card with a No Effect card.

Clubmen - Pillaged the Wrong Village. Lose 1 CP.

 

 

Some Pre-Battle event cards were quickly made.

Playing the Pre-Battle Events

I opted to play the Royalist forces and used dice to drive Parliament's decisions.

Turn 1

• Royalists chose to Secure the Region. They get zero campaign points (CP) and drew "Clubmen - Pillaged the wrong village" which they discarded and drew "Troops get paid" which will add a rally card to the chance card deck.
• Parliament chose to Advance Aggressively gaining 2 CP. They drew "Spy in the enemy camp" which gives them another 2 CP.

Turn 2

• Royalists chose Consolidate Forces. They get 1 CP and drew "Captured Supplies" which will add a resupply card to their chance card deck.
• Parliament chose to Consolidate Forces. They get +1 CP and drew "Inspiring general". This will remove a confusion card from their chance card deck.

Turn 3

• Royalists chose advance Aggressively. They get +2 CP and drew "Powder Spoiled". This will negate the captured supply card removing a resupply card from their chance card deck.
• Parliament chose to advance aggressively. They drew "Poorly trained recruits" that adds a panic card to their chance card deck.

Parliament with a total of 7 CP will have the deployment advantage being able to choose the tabletop side and deploy second. In addition they will remove a confusion chance card and add a panic card to their chance card deck. As they were advancing they will halve their allocated artillery.

Royalists will only add a rally card to their chance card deck, having gained and lost a resupply chance card. As they were advancing they will also halve their allocated artillery.

The game's narrative from a Royalist perspective...

Sir Charles Blackthorne, commanding Royalist forces in the county of Northmarsh, had received word that a Parliamentarian army was advancing to contest his hold upon the region. Cautious by nature and loyal to the Crown, Sir Charles had spent the past weeks sending his troops off to secure the region and getting loans from Royalist sympathisers to keep his troops in pay.

Upon learning that the Parliamentarian force was under the command of Sir Nathaniel Cleve, a seasoned officer with experience from the wars on the Continent, Sir Charles resolved to draw in his scattered troops and prepare for battle.

His scouts reported the capture of several barrels of gunpowder from a local storehouse, yet hopes were dashed when it was later discovered the powder had spoiled, likely owing to prolonged exposure to damp weather.

Determined not to linger indecisively, Sir Charles gave the order to march leaving his artillery train to follow up behind. Yet as his force advanced, it became clear that Cleve had either anticipated his movement or had been warned by a treacherous spy. The Parliamentarian army was already in position barring the road ahead.

A closer view of an ECW game.

All is now set for a game.

A project finished, some ECW Painting, and two book games

I have now finished painting all of my Star Wars Legion miniatures. It is good to have the project essentially wrapped up from a painting perspective, especially having started back in March with the starter box set. I definitely ended up spending much more on the miniatures than I originally intended. There was always that one extra units I just needed to make the collection complete or add variety, and it was always on sale. How could I resist!

The Star Wars collection.

The one saving grace is that I spent little to nothing on terrain, having either scratch-built it or repurposed stuff I already had in my wargaming stash. With my son visiting for a day of painting, I needed to quickly find something else to work on and decided to return to my English Civil War collection. The unpainted pile is slowly dwindling, just enough remains to complete three more bases of infantry and four bases of cavalry. Once those are painted, that will likely mark the end of my ECW collecting and painting, though I may still pick up a few heavy artillery pieces in the future to allow for siege scenarios.

One more infantry unit to add to the ECW collection.

The remaining figures to be painted.

Two book games arrived yesterday from Worthington Games: “Waterloo Solitaire” and “Bismarck Solitaire”. Both look very interesting and have solo mechanics driven by dice to manage the opposition. I had originally planned to just purchase the Waterloo game after watching a YouTube review of the game, but then added the Bismarck game to the order to reach the free shipping threshold. You never know it may just tempt me to dust off my naval models and play some naval wargames on the tabletop.

Recent purchases.

I have had a chance to play the first scenario from the Waterloo book, which includes a total of 24 games (12 playing as the French and 12 as the Allies). The games have three levels of difficulty which gradually increase as you play through them. In my first game, I played as the French and was defeated. I managed to break the Allied right wing, but things quickly started to go wrong when the Prussians began arriving over three consecutive turns (3 sixes in a row for Allied orders). From that point on, I was in serious trouble.

Playing a game using pencil so I can erase and play again.

Finding a use for stuff in my wargaming stash

One of the benefits of packing up and moving house is I now have a much better sense of all my wargaming stuff, having late last year packed and then unpacked everything. This is especially true for items that I had stashed away a good while ago with the thought, "This might be useful someday," or "It would be a shame to throw this out." As it turns out, I found a use for two such items this week to add to my Star Wars project.

The first item was a piece of plastic foliage, an orange thistle-like plant, that I would have picked up from a local craft store. I often find myself browsing for items that may be useful terrain while my wife shops for fabric for her quilting hobby. I find many of these plastic plants can be pulled apart, with individual pieces repurposed as wargaming scenery. In this case, the orange thistle consisted of clusters of plastic spikes attached to a central ball. I peeled them off, and they turned out to be perfect for creating colourful alien plants. They stand reasonably well on their own, but I plan to hot-glue them to washers for added stability.

A tabletop with the new orange alien plants.

A closer look.

This is the type of plant. I had pulled all the spikes off all the plants and did not take a photograph.

The second item was a crashed sci-fi plane from an old Games Workshop starter set that featured Tyranids and Space Marines. I had picked up two of those sets back in the mid-2000’s, but the second plane never made it to the painting table. Now it has finally been prepared and painted for some scatter terrain.

A old Games Workshop crashed plane added to the Star Wars terrain.

In addition to the alien plants and the crashed plane, I also managed to complete another building and some scatter terrain pieces, which can be used either as sewer covers or rooftop vents. The sewer covers will be used in ambush-style scenarios, where units can emerge from underground tunnels to strike behind enemy lines. The sewer covers were found at the hardware store in the plumbing section. I have no idea what they should be used for.

New building and sewer covers.

The sewer covers can also be used as vents on a building.

And finally, on the gaming front, I have been trying to adapt the Squad Hammer Core rules to work on a 6-inch square grid. The goal is to make it easier to run a remote game. A gridded board simplifies movement compared to freeform movement. In the picture below I use the new repurposed orange plants to mark out the corners of each square.

A test game of Squad Hammer Core using a 6-inch square grid.

It has been a rather productive week for wargaming, helped along by some wet weather that kept me indoors and away from outdoor chores.

Remote Wars of the Roses Game Report

Yesterday, I had the chance to play a remote Wars of the Roses (WotR) game hosted by Jon of Palouse Wargaming Journal, using his beautifully painted armies. This was the second (or possibly third) WotR game I have played with Jon using his "Blood n Roses" rules.

The scenario, provided by Jon, was based on the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, fought on 2 or 3 February 1461. As there is limited historical detail available this is Jon's interpretation of the battle.

All the photographs in this post are courtesy of Jon, as I somehow managed to lose all my screenshots taken during the game.

A close-up of the action early in the game, featuring Jon’s beautifully painted armies. It is hard to fully appreciate them when playing remotely. One of the downsides of remote gaming.

For the game, I chose Edward IV and the Yorkist army. There is little difference between the two armies, as both were deployed in the typical three Battles consisting of men-at-arms, billmen, and bowmen. The centre Battle in each army was reinforced with a group of household knights.

The starting positions.

Pre-game activities...

Before the game begins, both players roll to determine their commanders’ attributes and priorities. For my commanders, the dice decided that Edward was inspiring and motivated by rewards for good service, while both Herbert and Devereux were brave and focused on winning the battle. I cannot recall Jon’s commanders’ traits, other then I do remember that Tudor (I think) was intent on simply surviving the battle.

These attributes grant re-rolls during the game, which can be very useful in a close fight and may just tip the balance. The priorities help play a role in determining the overall winner.

At the start of each game turn, each Battle is secretly assigned an order by its player. Once both players have made their choices, dice are rolled to determine whether each order is successfully issued. If not, the Battle retains its previous order. The available orders are:

• Defend – cannot close with the enemy, but may reorganise to remove hits and improve combat effectiveness.
• Manoeuvre – must make a movement and may not close with the enemy.
• Engage – must attempt to close with the enemy for hand-to-hand combat.

Getting your orders right, and successfully changing them when needed, is crucial to success. Poorly timed or failed orders can result in Battles advancing too soon and exposing themselves to a well-timed counterattack, or not being ready to engage the enemy to take advantage of a situation. This is where re-rolls (granted by commander attributes) become very useful, improving your chances of successfully issuing key orders.

Initiative is given to the army with the most Engage orders, allowing them to activate one of their Battles first. If both sides have an equal number of Battles with Engage orders, then a dice roll decides initiative. Once initiative is used, coloured dice are drawn from a tin to decide the activation order of the remaining Battles.

Let battle commence...

Both armies opened the battle with a general advance and closed the distance. The Yorkist army seized some early momentum.

On the Yorkist left, Herbert’s Battle forcing Tudor’s troops to give ground. Despite fierce resistance, Herbert was able to hold his position.

In the centre, Edward led his troops forward. At first, his advance made good ground, pushing the Lancastrian centre back and threatening a breakthrough. But his eagerness to press the advantage proved costly. Over extended, Edward’s Battle was struck hard by a counterattack from Pembroke. The fighting was fierce, Edward’s men-at-arms were cut down, and he was nearly captured or killed. Only by going on the defensive and withdrawing spared his troops and allowed his Battle to regroup and recover.

Meanwhile, on the right, Devereux initially gained ground, pushing Wiltshire back. However, the effort drained his troops. Lacking the strength to consolidate or recover, his exhausted men could not hold. Wiltshire seized the moment driving Devereux’s Battle back.

By mid-battle, the tide had begun to turn, and the early Yorkist success had been lost as both armies struggle for an advantage.

The flow of the battle.

By this stage of the battle, both armies were battered and worn out, each side pausing to take defend orders to regroup and reorganise before engaging in the next wave of attacks.

When the attacks resumed, it was Herbert who struck a decisive blow. His Battle shattered Tudor’s already weakened force, sending the Lancastrian right into disarray. Wasting no time, Herbert wheeled his troops around, threatening the exposed flank of the Lancastrian centre. A dangerous position for the enemy.

On the opposite flank, however, the tide had turned against the Yorkists. Devereux's Battle, worn down and unable to recover from their earlier exertions, finally broke under renewed pressure. The Lancastrian left, now victorious,  pivoted ready to strike the vulnerable flank of Edward's position at the centre.

But luck favoured the Yorkist army and Edward at this crucial point in the battle. Orders for Pembroke to engage Edward's Battle failed to be carried out. This delay proved costly. With both Herbert and Edward under Engage orders, the Yorkists seized the initiative for the next turn, ready to act while the Lancastrians faltered.

The flanking Battles pivot to engage the centres.

With the initiative firmly on with the Yorkist side, Herbert pressed his advantage. He led his troops in a charge into the exposed flank of the Lancastrian centre, striking Pembroke’s Battle just as Edward, leading his remaining Household knights, launched a determined frontal assault.

Caught between two forces, Pembroke’s forces fought bravely in a prolonged and savage melee, but the pressure proved too great. Pembroke’s troops began to falter, then flee. The centre Battle collapsed, broken and routed.

With both Tudor’s and now Pembroke’s Battles shattered, the Lancastrian army’s resolve crumbled. What remained of their army began to leave the field of battle. A victory to the Yorkist army.

The attack upon Pembroke.

After game throughs...

This game was a real arm-wrestle between the two armies and could easily have gone either way. In the end, gaining the initiative at the crucial moment was just enough to tip the scales in the Yorkist favour.

A big thank you to Jon for hosting the game and for providing a set of enjoyable rules that created plenty of tense moments. The order system and the careful use of re-rolls in combat added real decisions to the game, allowing a player opportunities to shift momentum in their favour at key points during the battle.

Star Wars Game Report

I have finally got around to writing up a game report on one of my games using my Star Wars Legion miniatures. The game used the Squad Hammer Core rules from Nordic Weasel Games. For the scenario, I used “Destroying a Supply Depot” from Scenarios For All Ages by C.S. Grant and S.A. Asquith, making a few modifications to suit the Sci-Fi setting. It also gave me an opportunity to use some of my newly scratch-built buildings and hills.

Rebel speeder seeks out a target.

Background

Varnis is a semi-arid world located on the edge of the Outer Rim. Most of the time it bakes under the glare of its twin suns. Despite these harsh conditions, pockets of resilient flora and fauna do manage to survive across the landscape. The Empire maintains a strong presence on the planet due to its valuable deposits of Tibanna crystals, which are refined and used to boost the output of energy weapons. The mining operations are typically protected by garrisons of troops.

The Rebel Alliance is supporting a local insurgency aimed at disrupting and hopefully halting the Empire's mining efforts. In this particular raid, the rebels are launching a early dawn assault on a remote storage facility housing Tibanna crystals.

The facility is defended by two squads of troops, a detachment of two speeder bikes, and a heavy blaster emplacement mounted on the garrison building’s roof. A garrison officer (villain) is commanding the site.

The tabletop setup. The garrison building is in the centre and storage facility to its left.

The two troops are on patrol. The officer and speed bikes are at the garrison and the heavy blaster is on the roof.

Under the cover of darkness...

During the first three turns of the game, the Rebels advanced under cover of darkness with all their units except the skimmer which arrives on Turn 3, marking the beginning of the main assault. The Rebel units cannot move within 12 inches of the enemy and, each turn roll a D6 to determine how many units they could activate. 

The Rebel order of battle...

The Rebels have six units:

• Leia Organa with droid carrying explosives
• Han Solo and Chewbacca with droid carrying explosives
• Rebel Troopers with rapid fire weapon
• Rebel Troopers with medium blaster.
• Local Insurgents
• Skimmer with medium blaster and rapid fire weapon

The storage facilities can only be destroyed by a unit carrying explosives.

The Rebel attack begins at dawn.

Han Solo and Chewbacca creep up behind a hill.

The Rebel attack begins...

As dawn broke, blaster fire shattered the morning silence as the Rebel assault erupted without warning. Their first volleys caught the garrison patrol near the storage facility completely off guard. Within moments, the squad was cut down in a hail of red blaster bolts.

But other garrison troops were quick to respond. Speeder bikes roared into action, engines screaming as they weaved their way towards the Rebel positions. The Rebel skimmer surged forward to intercept, its blaster cannon lighting up the gloom, but both units flashed past each other in a blur of motion, neither being able to land a decisive shot.

Early Rebel success as the garrison patrol near the storage facility is eliminated. The speeder bikes and skimmer can be seen kicking up dust in their wake.

The sound of the speeder bikes grew louder as they sped toward the storage facilities kicking up dust in their wake. The garrison officer was also running towards the storage area while shouting orders into his comlink desperately trying to organise his forces.

Meanwhile, a firefight was underway on the far side of the garrison. A second garrison patrol had come under fire from Rebel troopers who had circled around the flank and now held the high ground on a nearby hill. From their elevated position they had pinned down the patrol.

Speeder bikes run the gauntlet of Rebel fire as the heavy blaster on top of the garrison building provides covering fire.

Han Solo and Chewbacca had barely made it to the cover of the storage facility when blaster bolts sizzled overhead. The garrison officer, supported by a pair of speeder bikes, had run the gauntlet of Rebel fire  pinning the heroic duo down.

Han and Chewbacca soon found they were on their own and isolated. The remaining Rebel squads were fully engaged, trading fire with the heavy blaster cannon entrenched atop the garrison roof, and were not in position to lend support. As more blaster bolts flew in their direction, Han muttered through gritted teeth, “Great. Just the two of us again.” Chewbacca growled in agreement and raised his Bowcaster to return fire.

Han and Chewbacca dive for cover.

Han and Chewbacca were forced to delay planting the explosives, pinned down as they engaged in a firefight with the garrison officer and the strafing blasts from the speeder bikes. 

Then the tide began to turn...

One speeder bike spiraled out of control, trailing smoke before crashing in a fiery explosion. Moments later, the second bike cartwheeled out of control as Rebel troopers redirected their fire having destroyed  the heavy blaster cannon on top of the garrison building. Rebel troops now surged forward, racing toward the storage facility.

Surrounded and outgunned, the garrison officer made his final stand, but it ended in a storm of blaster fire. With the immediate threat cleared, Han and Chewbacca started placing the demolition charges “let’s blow this place.”

Rebel forces run towards the storage facility as the garrison officer makes his last stand.

After thoughts…

The Squad Hammer Core rules are continuing to provide the fast-paced games I am looking for. Most games last between 6 to 8 turns and typically take around 30 minutes to play. In an evening, I will often replay a scenario, trying out different tactics or swapping out one unit for another to see how it changes the game.

Combat can be quite decisive at times. This can add a real sense of tension when choosing your unit orders, which all seems to suit skirmish-level games as they are not about grinding the enemy down through attrition.

Here are some of the house rules I use with the rules. Noting the rules do get updated on the Wargames Vault so my version of the rules may well be outdated.

• Vehicles and Individual model units cannot regroup (they cannot remove 2 hits using the Regroup order unlike Troop units).

• Individual heroes/villains and Troop units can use the Defend order, allowing them to take up a defensive position and remove 1 hit.

• Vehicles may only turn up to 90 degrees at the start and/or end of their movement. All movement must be in a straight line.

• Shooting ranges are limited to 12" for pistols and 18" for larger weapons. These ranges are increased by 6" if the unit is on elevated terrain like a hill or building rooftop.

• Speedster units must always move at least half their movement distance. This half-move is free if they’re not given a direct order during the turn.

One rule I occasionally forget is applying is the firefight rule, where units can return fire or fall back after being shot at. As a house rule, I limit a unit's ability to returning fire only once per turn, (the core rules do not seem to specify a limit).

All being well my next post will be another battle report, but instead of Star Wars it will be a the Battle of Mortimer's Cross. A remote Wars of the Roses game hosted by Jon of Palouse Wargaming Journal.