ECW game report - The investment of Stonemarch town

The siege of Stonemarch begins with a small game on a 4x4 foot tabletop. The game represents the investment of the fortified town. Details of the game setup can be found in my previous post here. If the Royalists succeed in getting their supplies through, it will provide a morale boost for the garrison in the up coming siege game.

Rules for the game use a variation of the One-Hour Wargames Pike and Shot rules. The rule changes include:

• Dragoons and artillery are treated as half-units. They shoot with D3 and are eliminated after taking 8 or more hits. Both must also check for ammunition after shooting.
• All cavalry are treated as gallopers.
• The first two “out of ammunition” results for an army can be resupplied.
• Movement tests are required for all unit moves. A roll 2+ on a D6 is required for the unit to move. If a roll fails, no further units may move that turn, and play proceeds to the shooting phase.

Parliamentarian outpost guarding the road.

One of Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell’s first actions, as the Parliamentarian commander tasked with capturing Stonemarch, was to invest the town. His forces established outposts and pickets along the roads to cut off any supplies reaching the defenders. In response, a Royalist force is now attempting to break through the blockade and deliver supplies to the town in readiness for the up coming siege.

Battle Report…

On sighting the Parliamentarian outpost guarding the road, the Royalist force began to deploy and advance. However, they remained wary of additional Parliamentarian units arriving to reinforce the defence. As the Royalists moved forward, Parliamentarian artillery opened fire, while a detachment of their dragoons appeared on the hill, soon followed by a supporting a unit of cavalry.

Royalist force arrives and begins to deploy.

Parliamentarian reinforcements appear on the hilltop.

The arrival of another small unit of Parliamentarian dragoons south of the wood, along with those already positioned on the hill, was disrupting the Royalist deployment as they adjusted to these threats. Royalist cavalry charged the dragoons near the wood and quickly routed them, but their success was short lived as Parliamentarian cavalry arrived south of the wood and counter-charged.

In the centre Royalist dragoons and infantry advanced along the road to engage the outpost. While on their right flank a unit of dragoons, supported by cavalry, pushed forward towards the occupied hill.

The engagement heats up as Parliamentarian reserves arrive and take up position.

The supply carts and their guards hurry up down the road, while a cavalry melee to the left is underway.

The cavalry melee near the woods was dragging on while the supply carts and their guards hurried down the road. As the Parliamentarian cavalry began to gain the upper hand, and the Royalists feared they might break through to harass the wagons. However, the Parliamentarian cavalry were left disorganised after routing their opponents, and a timely volley from some nearby Royalist dragoons was enough to put them to flight.

Elsewhere, the infantry engaged the outpost, to their relief the artillery had exhausted its ammunition. While Parliamentary dragoons continued to hold and defend their position on the hilltop. Their remaining cavalry moved in behind the outpost, ready to lend support.

The cavalry engagement on the left sees the Parliamentarian cavalry gain the upper hand. Elsewhere the dragoons on the hilltop are engaged.

The supply carts push forward as a unit of dragoons puts to flight the exhausted Parliamentarian cavalry after their cavalry engagement.

With the threat from the woods dealt with, the Royalists turned their attention to the outpost. They routed the Parliamentarian infantry blocking the road, only to be counter-charged by the reserve cavalry. Time was now an issue for the Royalists, who needed to clear the road quickly for their supply carts. Meanwhile, the Parliamentarian dragoons on the hilltop were holding firm and continued to harass the Royalist right flank.

The road is cleared of infantry, but Parliamentary cavalry are in reserve.

The cavalry charge.

With the support of a nearby infantry unit, the supply carts and their guards manage to drive off the last of the Parliamentarian cavalry. Finally, the road was clear, and the carts move swiftly along the road and towards Stonemarch.

The road is cleared.

The supply carts move towards Stonemarch.

A Royalist victory. The supplies have successfully reached Stonemarch. This success will boost the garrison’s morale in the next game, which will be a siege of the fortified town. For this game I will be using the Siege-Works pen-and-paper game rules, adapted for play on the tabletop.

Beginning the English Civil War siege of Stonemarch

Following Parliament’s victories at Naseby and Langport, Royalist resistance continues to remain strong in the west. One such area is the town of Stonemarch which is serving as a rallying point for Royalist cavalry raiders harassing nearby regions controlled by Parliamentarian.

Stonemarch defences.

Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell has been ordered to capture the town. Upon his army’s arrival at Stonemarch, he quickly realises a direct assault is impossible. The town's defences were reinforced early in the war with earthwork bastions and will require a full siege. Hartwell’s engineers begin surveying the town’s walls, gates, and approaches to identify weak points, while the rest of the army is ordered to establish a fortified camp and began the investment of the town. Posting outposts and pickets along every road to block supplies and reinforcements.

An outpost defending a road.

To begin wargaming the siege of Stonemarch, the first scenario will see Royalist forces attempting to get supplies into the town. If successful, the defenders will gain a morale boost, giving them an advantage in the siege game.

The Royalists will have to breakthrough the outpost.

The scenario is based on One-Hour Wargames (OHW) Scenario 13: Escape, with a few adjustments. The Royalists are marching north when they find their route blocked. To achieve victory, they must escort at least one of their two guarded supply carts down the road and off the southern table edge.

The game will be played using a variation of OHW pike and musket rules.

Royalist Forces:

• 2 x Pike and musket infantry
• 2 x Dragoons
• 2 x Cavalry
• 2 x Supplies with guards.

All units arrive along the road on turn 1.

Parliamentarian Forces:

• 1 x Gun (start on the tabletop)
• 1 x Pike and musket infantry (start on the tabletop)
• 2 x Cavalry
• 2 x Dragoons

A cavalry unit and dragoon unit arrive on turn 2 on the hill and on turn 4 south of the wood.

Note: all dragoons and supply guards are half units and are eliminated after 8 hits rather than 15 hits.

The tabletop. Parliamentarian reserves arrival areas marked with blue arrows.

The next post will be the battle report...

English Civil War fortified town ready for a siege game

My original plan was to make and paint a simple backdrop of a fortified town, with a couple of earthwork bastions placed in front for another English Civil War siege game. However, after trying out a few options with the two foam earthwork bastions I have made over the past few weeks (see here for details) and looking at the illustrations in "English Civil War Fortifications 1642–51", I decided to use all the bastions and my woodblock houses to make a more substantial looking fortified town.

A fortified English Civil War town.

The first step was to determine what additional ramparts I needed. I set up the town layout, positioned the earthwork bastions around it, and then measured and cut foam ramparts to connect them and create a wall for a gate. The upholstery foam was cut with a sharp carving knife, then shaped with scissors. very much the same steps as with making the earthwork bastions.

The shaping process can get to be a messy business with lots of small bits of foam which seem to stick everywhere. I used masking tape to help collect and pickup the bits of foam. 

Working out the size of ramparts to connect the bastions.

A messy business cutting the foam.

Masking tape used to collect up the mess.

Easily picks up the bits.

Once the foam was cut and shaped, I painted it with a couple of brown washes, followed by touches of green. While the paint is still wet, and it takes a long while to dry, the colours can be blended with a clean brush to achieve the desired look.

For the gate, I used some MDF scraps to build a three-sided arch that fits neatly over the foam rampart. It was quickly painted brown and lines added to suggest wooden planks.

The painted ramparts.

The gate is made to slot over the wall.

Gate simply painted painted in brown and lines added to suggest wooden planks

The gate slots over the wall.

A close view at ground level.

The completed fortified town.

All is now ready for my next siege game.

The defenders man the walls.

English Civil War game report - assault on fortifications

Last week, I finished a second earthwork for my English Civil War games. These foam earthworks (click here for the steps on how to make them) can be used either as standalone forts or as bastions in a siege setup. With two forts now complete, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the One-Hour Wargames (OHW) Scenario 15: Fortified Defence.

Fortified defence

Scenario and rule notes…

The game was played using a variation of the One-Hour Wargames Pike and Shot rules. It begins with the Parliamentarian forces defending two fortified earthworks. Each fortification is garrisoned by musketeers and a small gun, boosting their shooting value of D6+2. The forts are also well-stocked with ammunition, so the “out of ammunition” rule does not apply to the garrisons.

Some of the other rule changes:

• Dragoons and artillery are treated as half-units. They shoot with D3 and are eliminated after taking 8 or more hits. Both must also check for ammunition after shooting.
• The first two “out of ammunition” results for an army can be resupplied.
• Movement tests are required for all unit moves: roll 2+ on a D6 to succeed. If a roll fails, no further units may move that turn, and play proceeds to the shooting phase.

Parliaments forces:

• 2 x Fort with musketeers and gun.
• 2 x Infantry (mixed muskets and pikes)
• 2 x Dragoons
• 1 x Cavalry

The two dragoon half-units are stationed near the woods on the left flank. The two infantry units are positioned close to the forts, ready to provide support if needed, while the cavalry remain in reserve on the right flank.

Parliament waits and prepares for a Royalist attack.

The attacking Royalists are allowed to regroup at the end of any turn. When they choose to do this all their  units are removed from play and can re-enter in the next game turn with all hits removed. Both forces can resupply any unit out of ammunition. Parliamentarian units do not remove any hits.

To win the Royalist forces must seize and occupy both forts by the end of game turn 15, otherwise Parliament wins.

Royalist forces:

• 3 x Infantry (mixed muskets and pikes)
• 2 x Artillery units
• 2 x Cavalry units

Background…

Parliamentarian commander Colonel John Haversham, having successfully besieged and captured the town of Greyford (see here for the siege game report), received orders to prepare for a Royalist attack. Greyford is located in the Harrow Valley, the main north–south route used for supply convoys, messenger riders, and troop movements.

Acting on his orders, Haversham directed his troops and the townsfolk of Greyford to construct two earthwork forts along the Harrow Valley road, intending to halt or at least delay any Royalist advance through the valley.

Royalist attack plan…

After assessing the situation, the Royalist commander decided to concentrate the first attack on the left fort, leading with his infantry. His artillery was ordered to take up positions to bombard the right fort, softening it up for a later assault. The cavalry’s role was to screen and protect the infantry and guns against any Parliamentarian cavalry or dragoons that might advance. Once the left fort was captured, the plan was to retire, regroup, resupply, and then launch a second attack against the right fort.

Game report…

The Royalists advanced their infantry, but delays hindered the arrival of their artillery and cavalry. After a few rebukes from the Royalist commander, the remaining forces finally arrived and took up their positions as the assault on the left fort commenced.

Only two Royalist infantry units arrived on the first turn.

The Royalist assault begins as their remaining troops and artillery take up position.

With the assault on the left fort was quickly in full swing, Royalist artillery bombarded the right fort to soften it up for a later attack. Although the Royalists suffered losses from the defenders’ fire, they managed to drive out the garrison, only to see fresh Parliamentarian troops to take their place. After a few more assaults ammunition was low and the Royalist commander withdrew his forces to reorganise and resupply in preparation for a second attack.

The assault on the left fort is in full, while artillery bombard the right fort.

The Royalist forces break off their first attack to reorganise and resupply.

During the lull in the fighting, both sides resupplied their troops. The Royalist second assault began in a rather disjointed and piecemeal fashion. Precious time was lost, but eventually the attack on the left fort resumed. Meanwhile, the artillery’s bombardment of the right fort continued with some accurate shooting.

Before long, the defenders of the left fort broke and fled, allowing the Royalists to shift their focus to the right fort. Their bombardment had been effective, and its defenders were routed. Yet, the Royalists failed to advance quickly enough to seize the opportunity, and the Parliamentarian infantry began preparing to reoccupy the fort. As evening fell, the Royalist commander ordered a withdrawal.

Royalist troops were slow to take up their position for the second attack.

The left fort is cleared.

The right fort is cleared by artillery fire, but a slow advance by Royalists were unable to take advantage. 

Summary...

A Parliamentarian victory, the Royalists just ran out of time and failed to occupy the forts. During the first assault, the Royalists failed to use their cavalry effectively to block or tie down Parliament’s reserves, allowing them to reoccupy the fort. Poor luck with movement rolls (several early rolls of 1) further hampered the Royalist advance, so their units were slow to take up their positions and begin the attacks.

A second earthworks fort and some ECW painting

This past week and weekend, I managed to make another earthworks fort and paint up some English Civil War infantry that had been sitting around primed for a couple of months. I also painted a General Fairfax figure that had been lying around and hiding in the remaining ECW lead pile.

Another earthworks is added.

The earthworks are made from upholsterer’s foam and coloured with watered down paint. Cocktail sticks are painted and pushed into the foam for storm poles. (see my previous post on the steps to making a foam fort.)

The new earthworks will be a useful addition for an upcoming siege game. My next step in preparing for the game is to draw and paint a backdrop of a fortified town. The backdrop I currently have looks more 18th Century than 17th Century. I have just finished reading English Civil War Fortifications 1642–51 by Peter Harrington, which is filled with lots of illustrations that will provide plenty of inspiration for the backdrop.

General Fairfax - a Hinchliffe model.

Latest infantry painted. These models are mainly Minifigs, but the officer and drummer are Hinchliffe.

I also managed to paint some farm animals this week for the siege game. I picked them up while browsing the local hobby shop. They will be used in a game before the siege, if the defenders can escort the animals safely across the tabletop, it will improve their chances of withstanding the siege.

Farm animals added for supplies.

A recent pick up from the local hobby shop by Warlord Games

In the meantime, both earthworks will see action in a game this week using the “One-Hour Wargames” Scenario 15 - Fortified Defence.

The tabletop is set up for the OHW scenario 15 - Fortified Defence.

Making some English Civil War fortifications

Continuing the siege theme from my last two posts, this afternoon I decided to make some quick English earthworks using upholstery foam. These will be useful for playing out some smaller siege actions set during the English Civil War. I have purchased the ebook “English Civil War fortifications 1642–51” from Osprey for ideas and some inspiration.

The completed earthworks.

Current reading.

The steps used to create the earthwork...

1) The foam is measured up using a couple of bases.

2) The foam is cut out and the ramparts shaped.

3) The foam is cut in half and an area removed to create the parapet of the earthworks.

4) Scissors are used to help shape the ramparts and cut little divots to make the ramparts a bit uneven.

5) A brown wash is liberally applied to the shaped foam.

6) Additional colours are added.

7) Dark brown dashes of paint are used to give the impression of wood supports on the parapet.

8) Painted toothpicks are pushed into the foam to create the spikes.

By having the earthworks cut in half, they can be placed along the table edge as part of a larger defensive position, or set up as a small standalone fortification. 

Set up as a fortified position.

After looking over the photos and seeing how they dried, the earthworks appear a little lighter than I intended, so tomorrow I will be applying another brown wash to darken them down and give them a more earthy look.