6x6 challenge update for October

In the last couple of days of October I have been able to play out my last two 6x6 challenge games using Galleys and Galleons rules. The first game (fifth in the series) was an ambush game with a Spanish ship chasing an English privateer into a trap.

The chase is on as and second ship lays in wait to spring the trap 

Unaware of a trap the Spanish Galleon closes the gap 

A change in wind direction went against the ambushers and favoured the Spanish 

The Spanish catches up and delivers a devastating broadside

All ships close and exchange shots 

With one Privateers having sustained heavy damage and both decide to break off the engagement

The second game has a Spanish galleon bottled up in port and an English ship waiting for it to make a run for the other corner and escape.

An English ship waits for the Spanish ship to make a break.

The Spanish finally make a break for it 

The English ship closes and engages.

Both ships tack across the board firing when possible

The Spanish ship slips free

Two Spanish wins.

With those two games my 6x6 challenge is complete. A most enjoyable challenge set at the start of this year by Kaptain Kobold and got me playing some rulesets purchased but never played. My favourite challenge games was the Hundred Years War series which ended up running for 10 games as part of a mini-campaign.

The completed list...

• Tank-on-Tank (Lock 'n' Load Publishing) SciFi Variant - 6 games completed in February
• Dark Ages with Dux Bellorum (Osprey) - 6 games completed in January using paper armies
• WW2 Naval (Pz8 rules) - 6 games now completed in July.
• 19th Century European Imagi-Nations OHW Variant - 6 played. The final games were played in August.
• Galleys and Galleons (Ganesha Games) - 6 games completed in October.
• Hundred Years War using Lion Rampant (Osprey) - 6 games completed as part of a series of campaign games.

6x6 Game and monthly progress update

With the blue cloth already spread out on the tabletop there was time for a second Galleys and Galleons game. This time we have a privateer galleon trying to sink a merchant ship which is being escorted by a Spanish galleon.

The Spanish start at anchor and cannot move until the Privateer comes into sight. Then they must first spend one move to weigh anchor before moving.

The privateer (still unseen) moves towards the Spanish.

Spanish lookout spot the privateer as the ship comes around the headland.

Spanish weigh anchor.

The privateer gets a damaging broadside off against the escorting galleon.

As a result of the damage to the galleon there were some garbled orders and the resulting confusion meant the galleon  takes a wrong heading. Meanwhile the merchant is quickly under sail.

With the merchant ship on the run and isolated - the privateer gives chase.

The merchant crew is experienced and is giving the privateer a run for their money. Meanwhile the Spanish escort galleon is in hot pursuit. 

Finally some damage is done to the merchantman.

The merchant ship tries to break free from the pursuit as the galleon threatens the privateer.

The pursuit continues as the merchant ship seeks escape (through getting off the table in the corner)

More damage is inflicted

The merchant ship is finally sunk when so close to escaping.

As it is very unlikely I will play another 6x6 challenge game this month. Here is my 6x6 progress as at the end of September:

• Tank-on-Tank (Lock 'n' Load Publishing) SciFi Variant - 6 games completed in February
• Dark Ages with Dux Bellorum (Osprey) - 6 games completed in January using paper armies
• WW2 Naval (Pz8 rules) - 6 games now completed in July.
• 19th Century European Imagi-Nations OHW Variant - 6 played. The final games were played in August.
• Galleys and Galleons (Ganesha Games) - 4 games have been played so far.
• Hundred Years War using Lion Rampant (Osprey) - 6 games completed as part of a series of campaign games.

Back to some 6x6 games on the high seas

After a couple of weeks messing around with some WW2 games, it was time to play some games from the 6x6 challenge list. So far I have not played any 6x6 games this month.

From my 6x6 list I have completed playing through five of the six rulesets, and only have outstanding the ruleset Galleons and Galleys by Ganesha Games. I played two games using these rules way back in April. Since then I have somewhat forgotten the rules, and so to remind my self of the rules my third game would be a simple affair with a privateer ambushing a Spanish Galleon.

Privateer (Q3 C4)

• Chaser guns
• Galleon rigged
• Razee
• Trained gun crew

Spanish Galleon (Q3 C3)

• Chaser guns
• Galleon rigged
• High castles

A Spanish Galleon in the foreground is surprised by a Privateer.

A couple of islands and small reefs make up the terrain

The Privateer quickly closes and just manages to get a broadside off 

Both ships manoeuvred to gain an advantage  

broadsides are exchanged with both ships suffering hits 

The Spanish Galleon managed to skip free from the fight after suffering a couple of hits

6x6 Challenge progress for August

A couple more games were played with the 19th Century campaign, bringing it to a conclusion and completing all 6 games. One of the games (game 4) was actually played in early July and I somehow managed to overlook it and didn't add it to July's tally.  So for August I am showing 3 games played.

My total games for the year stand at:

• One Hour Wargames (Tank-on-Tank) SciFi Variant - 6 games completed in February
• Dark Ages with Dux Bellorum (Osprey) - 6 games completed in January using paper armies
• WW2 Naval (Pz8 rules) - 6 games now completed with the last 2 played in July.
• 19th Century European Imagi-Nations OHW - 6 games played the final 3 played over July/August.
• Galleys and Galleons (Ganesha Games) - 2 games were played in April.
• Hundred Years War using Lion Rampant (Osprey) - 6 games completed as part of a series of campaign games.

19th Century games were played sometimes on a grid and also with free movement

In September I will have to focus on my Galleys and Galleons games with my paper ships.

Pictures from an earlier game

6x6 Challenge - 19th Century game number 6

The final game of my 19th Century 6x6 challenge was to be a pitched battle between the Ustoria and Greater Novia armies. The background to the campaign has both countries battling over the disputed territory of Scailand, sitting between lands of the Ustorian monarchy and the Novian states who have united politically under the banner of Greater Novia.

The winner of the campaign is the country with the highest public opinion. Opinion is influenced by press coverage of casualties and heroic actions on the battlefield. Entering this last game we have public opinion sitting at 15 percent for both countries. A victory here will be decisive!

Greater Novia was starting the game with 8 units due to 2 of their units getting bogged down. While Ustorian forces had 10 units in all, but 3 units were going to be delayed until game turn 5. All forces had to enter the game via the roads on their own edge of the tabletop.

The opening moves of the game sees both sides attempting to occupy the towns

Greater Novian troops control the central wood and redirect their assault on the far flank

Ustorian artillery are well positioned on the hill, but are on the wrong flank! As Novian forces make their flank move in the distance.

Greater Novian forces start to pressure the Ustorian left flank. Commanders on both sides were feeding in their reserves (in other words using their rally options to remove hits)

The Ustorian flank starts to fail, but the Novian forces were slow to follow up.

The delayed units finally arrive just in the nick of time. 

The late arrivals are rushed into the line.

The Greater Novian cavalry can be seen emerging from behind the woods to charge a very depleted infantry unit, which they were to successfully eliminate. 

The Greater Novian cavalry charge was soon met by the counter charging Ustorian cavalry. The Novian cavalry disorganised after their pervious charge were soon eliminated. Both cavalry charges were to feature heavily in Press reports and generate the old debate in the nobility and usefulness of cavalry.

The closing moves before both armies held firm after having 50 percent of their units eliminated.

So how did they fare in the press reports?

Greater Novia:
-20 for the loss of 4 units
+5 for a glorious action in capturing a town
+5 for past glories with a successful cavalry charge
This takes their public opinion to 10 percent.

Ustoria:
-25 for the loss of 5 units
+5 for a glorious action in capturing a town
+5 for past glories with a successful cavalry charge
This takes their public opinion down to 0 percent.

(Neither side had -5 points for a defeat, as both lost 50 percent of their units in the same turn.)

A campaign victory to Greater Novia in the last game as both sides came to the negotiation table to sort out a settlement over the Scailand territories.

I started these campaign games with some very simple rules based heavily upon the Neil Thomas Rifle and Sabre One-Hour Wargame rules. A number of ideas have been added and tried out in the games (and a few other mini-games played) and I now need to write up my notes. I have deviated from my usual grid-based rules, mainly because I have introduced variable movement.

19th century - 6x6 challenge game 5

While I do some reading and planning for a mini-campaign using my recently completed French Indian war armies. It was time to get back and complete my 19th Century Imagi-Nations campaign which is one part of my 6x6 challenge.

It feels like it has been a while since I last played a game. So I had to dig around in past posts and campaign notes (scribbles) to find out where I had left off the campaign. The featured post on the right has details the campaign which is won by the side with the best public opinion after 6 games.

Public opinion going into this game stands at:

• Ustoria 30%
• Greater Novia 40%

The last major engagement was won by the Ustorians, and after each major engagement there has to be a rear guard action. For the games themselves I use the setup rules from Wargaming 19th Century by Neil Thomas.

Having rolled for the number of terrain pieces and randomly laid them out based upon dice throws. Having a gridded table helps with this process. The forces were selected from tables in Neil Thomas' book and delivered the following:

Ustorian Advance Units

• 6 x infantry
• 1 x skirmishers
• 1 x cavalry
• 2 x artillery 

Greater Novian Rear Guard

• 1 x artillery
• 2 x infantry
• 1 x dragoons*
• 1 x cavalry

* Whenever 2 cavalry are selects the side has the option of changing one of the units fro dragoons.

All is set for the game...

The Greater Novian rear guard prepare to delay the attacking Ustorian forces

As a delaying tactic Novian dragoons and cavalry treated the first few advancing units

The delaying tactics are over and the dragoons and cavalry start to retire to the next line of defence

More of the Ustorian advance guard move down the road towards the waiting defence line

Initial attacks begin on the flanks

The Ustorian attack starts to build with artillery in place to support the attacks

The Novian right flank is exposed and their defence line is at risk

On the same turn a cavalry charge takes out the supporting artillery. The Greater Novian defence line is in trouble

The Novian forces rally to their next line of defence between the woods, building, and hill

Ustorian forces regroup for the final assault

Ustorian forces are grinding down the Novian defenders, but are taking heavy casualties

Breaking the final line was very costly in Ustorian units

The last Novian unit retires. An Ustorian victory, but only just, another lost unit would have handed the victory to the Greater Novian rear guard.

This turned out to be a good close game. How did public opinion move with the press reporting of this latest engagement?

Ustorian:

• 5 units lost = minus 25%
• Past Glories with the successful cavalry charge = plus 5%
• Glorious action with the taking of the final defence = plus 5%
• All up they lost 15% public option and now sit at 15%. Even with the recent victories the public at home get war weary.

Greater Novian:

• 4 units lost = minus 20%
• Defeat with the lost more than 50% of their units and allowed 5 enemy unit to leave the field = minus 5%
• A total loss of 25% moved their public opinion to 15%. The earlier victories have been quickly forgotten by the press and their readers.

Down to the wire with one game to go in the campaign.