Battle of Guilford Courthouse - rules, scenario, and game report

A couple of months ago I bought a pair of average dice (2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5) with the intention of using them in some One-Hour Wargames-style games instead of standard six-sided dice (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). This week I finally got around to setting up a game to try them out.

It feels like it has been a long time since my American War of Independence (AWI) forces last appeared on the tabletop. The collection is not particularly large, consisting mainly of old Peter Laing miniatures, with the cavalry being the only exception. Looking back, when I purchased them way back in 1978, I wish I had got more cavalry and along with some Highland troops.  Unfortunately, it was not until 2015, when I started dabbling in historical wargaming again, the figures were finally painted and based, many years after the miniatures had disappeared from the market.

Peter Laing 15mm miniatures back on the tabletop for the first time in a while.

My original plan was to select a scenario from the One-Hour Wargames book. I had my eye on scenario 26 - Triple Line. However, after browsing through a couple of books on the period, I decided instead to recreate the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, where an American force deployed in three lines. The main challenge gaming this battle is how to set it up so that the smaller attacking force has a reasonable chance of victory. Donald Featherston discusses this issue in his book when examining how to reconstruct the battle as a wargame.

The sources of inspiration for this game from  "Seven Steps to Freedom" by C. Wesencraft and "Wargamers Handbook of the American War of Independence" by D. Featherstone.

For this game I chose to modify the One-Hour Wargames Horse and Musket rules by adding a rally mechanism and allowing infantry units to charge. With these couple of additions, I hoped, would give the attackers a fighting chance. 

Here are the rules below followed by the scenario and battle report...

AWI Rules

Introduction

These simple rules are based on the One-Hour Wargames system, with additional inspiration drawn from the classic Charge rules. They use average dice (2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5).

The game uses the troop types:

• Infantry – The backbone of armies, fighting in line formations. Quality ranges from elite grenadiers, British regulars, and American Continentals to less reliable provincial and militia units.
• Cavalry – Limited in use and number due to transport difficulties and terrain.
• Skirmishers – Light troops, including light infantry and riflemen, trained to make effective use of cover and broken ground.
• Artillery – Mostly smaller calibre guns, but useful support for infantry.
• Generals – Commanders who can rally nearby troops.

These rules are designed for my 15mm armies, where: Infantry and skirmisher units have a frontage of 4", cavalry 3", artillery 2", and generals are mounted on 2" × 2" bases. Any basing system may be used, provided both armies are based consistently.

Sequence of Play

Each game turn comprises two player turns, where each player follows the sequence below:

1. Movement
2. Shooting
3. Melee
4. Rout
5. Rallying

Movement

All unit movement must be in straight lines unless following a road:

• Infantry and Artillery: 6”  
• Skirmishers: 9” (edit)
• Cavalry and Generals: 12” 

Effects of terrain on movement:

• Towns: Half movement. Impassible for artillery and cavalry except by roads.
• Marsh/Lakes: Impassable.  
• Rivers: Crossable only via bridges or fords. Halve movement.
• Hills: Half movement when moving uphill.  
• Roads: Add 3” to the movement.
• Woods: Halve movement for infantry and skirmishers. Impassible for artillery and cavalry except by roads.

Turning - Units may pivot on their central point to change facing. A turn may be made at the start and/or end of a move.  

Moving and Shooting - Units cannot shoot if they have moved (including any pivots).

Interpenetration - Units cannot move through other units.  

Enemy Presence - Units within 6” of an enemy unit may only retire directly away from the enemy or advance directly towards them.

Charges - A charge is made by moving a unit into contact with an enemy unit. Charges are subject to the following restrictions:

• A charging unit may make one pivot at the start of its move of up to 45 degrees.
• An enemy unit may only be charged by one unit.
• Melee is resolved during the Melee Phase.
• Charging units receive no road movement bonus.

Unit Restrictions:

• British Light Infantry may only charge enemy skirmishers. )Skirmishers who are not light infantry may not charge.) edit
• Infantry may charge skirmishers and infantry.
• Cavalry may charge any unit type.
• Artillery never charge, but all the above can charge artillery (edit)

Musket Shooting

The procedure for shooting is as follows.

• Adjudge Field of fire. Units may only target a single enemy unit within 45 degrees of their frontal arc providing there are no friendly units within 3” of the target. 
• Measure the range. Muskets have a range of 6”.
• Assess Casualties. All units roll an average dice (AvD) and apply the following modifiers in the order listed: 
• -1 if the shooting unit is a skirmisher unit. 
• +1 if the shooting unit is a British Regular unit or American Continental unit.
• +2 if the shooting unit is a British Grenadier unit.
• -1 if target in cover.

Artillery Shooting

The procedure for bombardment is as follows.

• Adjudge Field of fire. Units may only target a single enemy unit within 45 degrees of their frontal arc providing there are no friendly units within 3” of the target. 
• Check the range. Measure the range and calculate the number of 6” bounds to reach the target. For example, a unit at 20” range is at 4 bounds.
• Assess Casualties. Roll an AvD and deduct the number of bounds. If the unit is in woods or buildings subtract 1.

Melee

The procedure for resolving melees is as follows:

• Two Sided Combat. Both the defender and attacker roll for casualties.
• Assess Casualties. The unit rolls an AvD and apply the following modifiers in the listed order:  
• +1 if regular or continental unit. 
• +2 if grenadier unit or cavalry unit
• -1 if a skirmish unit.
• Double the result for flank and rear attacks. 
• Double the result if attacking  artillery.
• -1 if charging against units in cover or uphill.
• Melee Retreat. The unit with the most total hits (not just from the melee) must retreat directly away a full move and end up facing away from their adversary.

Rout

Infantry and Skirmisher units are routed and removed from play when they accumulate 13 or more hits. Cavalry and Artillery units are routed and removed when they accumulate 9 or more hits. 

Army Resolve - If a force loses more than half of its units, the remaining units immediately suffer 2 additional hits to represent the fatigue and reduced battlefield cohesion.

Rallying

Generals may rally their troops during the Rally Phase to remove hits. Each General may attempt one rally per turn and has a limited number of rally attempts available during the game. Artillery and cavalry may not be rallied.

The rally procedure is as follows:

• Check Command Range – The unit to be rallied must be within 12" of the General.
• Attempt Rally – Roll an AvD. Remove one hit from one or more units for each point scored, subject to the following limits:
• Grenadiers, Regular Infantry, British Light Infantry, and Continental Infantry: maximum of 2 hits removed.
• Riflemen, Cavalry, Militia, and Provincial Infantry: maximum of 1 hit removed.

A General's total number of rallies available during a game may be determined using the following guidelines:

• +1 rally for each Grenadier, Regular Infantry, British Light Infantry, or Continental Infantry unit in the force.
• +1 rally for an average General.
• +2 rallies for an above-average General.
• +3 rallies for an exceptional General.
• −2 rallies if the force is poorly supplied or has undertaken a forced march.
• +1 if the force is well supplied

The Scenario

This game is my take on the battle using the scenario ideas from the books "Seven Steps to Freedom" by C. Wesencraft and "Wargamers Handbook of the American War of Independence" by D. Featherstone.

Background

A British force of approximately 1900 troops commanded by Cornwallis are pursuing of the American army commanded by Nathanael Greene with an estimated 5500 troops. Greene has chosen to make a stand near Guilford Courthouse, deploying his troops in depth.

On 15 March, Cornwallis attacked the American position. The British drove back the first two lines but suffered heavy casualties in the process. Greene opted to withdraw his third line and remaining troops from the field, but the British victory came at a heavy cost. Cornwallis's army was so weakened that it would ultimately lead to his defeat later that year. A tactical British victory but a strategic American victory.

Forces

British:

1 x Grenadier unit

3 x Regular Infantry units

1 x Light Infantry unit (skirmishing)

1 x Artillery unit

1 x Cavalry unit

1 x General with 8 rally attempts during the game

American: 

2 x Continental units
4 x Militia units
3 x Riflemen units (skirmishing)
2 x Artillery units
1 x cavalry unit
1 x General with 4 rally attempts during the game

Tabletop

A 4x4 foot tabletop is used for the scenario, as this size works well for my 15mm armies.

Map of tabletop

Deployment

The American must be deployed in three lines and each line must have at least 2 infantry units of any type. The Continental units must be in the third line, and one artillery piece must be placed in the first and second line.

The British deploy their units within 6" of their table edge.

Deployment areas

Game Length and Turn Order

The scenario has 15 game turns and the American player begins.

Victory Conditions

American victory - Rout more than 50 percent of the British units.

British victory - Rout or force off the tabletop 1 of the American continental units.

Battle Report

The Americans deploy their first line of defence along the fence line, consisting of two militia units, two units of riflemen acting as skirmishers, and an artillery piece. A second line, positioned in the central wooded area, had two more militia units and another gun, leaving sufficient space for the forward troops to retire through the position should they retreat. The final and third line, consists of two Continental infantry units, cavalry and riflemen.

Both armies deployed.

The British deployed with their artillery covering the road. On the right are the Grenadiers and a unit of regular infantry, while the left has two units of regulars supported by a unit of light infantry.

The British advance on the first American line of defence.

The British advance commences without delay. Their line moves forward against the American troops lining the fence. After exchanging several volleys to wear down the defenders they charge whenever a militia unit shows any signs of disorder. Three of the four militia units gave way to charges and retreat, though one unit stubbornly maintained its ground. In the confusion of the withdrawal, the American gun is abandoned. The British left wing press on in pursuit of the retreating militia, while on the right the remaining defenders were finally routed with the support of the Grenadiers.

The first line of defense retreats.

Grenadiers help rout the last defenders of the fence line.

With the first line swept aside, British attention turns to the second American position amongst the central wooded area. This line had been strengthened by some of the retreating troops from the first line. The attack opens with the British left wing, where the light infantry work their way through the woods to threaten the American flank. 

Supported by artillery fire, two units of regulars advance once more and successfully rout several of the defending units. One unit of British regulars are lost in the process of clearing out the militia.

The British left wing advances taking losses in the process.

On the British right wing the remaining American gun finds its range, delivering accurate fire against the Grenadiers as they try to close with the second line. Determined to stop the troublesome gun, the British commander orders his cavalry forward along the road. Their charge successfully silences the gun, but they suffer heavily casualties and retire from the battle.

Cavalry charge down the road to silence the remaining gun.

As the American second line began to crumble, the Continental units and riflemen of the third line advance to meet the enemy. British units having gained possession of the wooded centre are now exhausted from the prolonged fighting. They exchanged a couple of volleys with the riflemen, but are not in a position to advance further without artillery support, which is yet to arrive.

The central wooded area is finally taken by exhausted British troops.

The Continental infantry are in good order and appeared ready to contest the field. However, with daylight fading no further assault would be attempted without the necessary artillery support. The British retain control of the central wooded area. 

The game ends in a draw with neither army achieving their victory conditions.

The British move up their artillery, but it would arrive too late to support their worn out infantry.

Wrap Up

This proved to be an enjoyable solo game, with American units focused entirely on holding their successive defensive lines for as long as possible. The game unfolded in a manner not dissimilar to the historical engagement, with the British forcing their way through the second line of defence but becoming too disorganised and exhausted to press on. Under the scenario's victory conditions, the result is recorded as a draw, which feels like a fair and fitting outcome.

From early in the game, the British commander was attempting to rallying units in order to keep them in the fight, the loss of any unit would reduce the army's firepower and slow its advance. By the time the British had secured the central wooded area, all the available rally opportunities had been used and most units were close to being eliminated.

The average dice also worked out well and I am tempted to experiment with them further with other One-Hour Wargames rules and rule variants.

Creating a morning attack scenario and battle report

Last week I posted about a remote game I played, hosted by Jon from Palouse Wargaming Journal. The game was the Battle of Quistello, 1734. Unfortunately, because I forgot to take screenshots during play, I had to recreate the flow of the game afterwards using a simple map and a few cut-out counters based on memory (you can read the post here).

The map and counters used to describe the ebb and flow of the remote Battle of Quistello.

As mentioned previously, the map got me thinking about creating a simplified scenario of the battle, with around 8-10 units per side (roughly a third of those used in the remote game). This past week I have been playing a few quick games, slowly refining and adapting the scenario. For the testing I used a variation of the One-Hour Wargames (OHW) Horse and Musket rules which are quick and straightforward using my Marlburian paper armies 

The Marlburian paper armies. These stand at approximately 42mm tall. I increased the size when photocopying them, it makes them easier to cut out and the wonderful artwork by Peter Dennis is easy to see.

My ad-hoc approach to creating the scenario started with laying out the terrain features on my 6 foot by 4 foot tabletop, running a test game, and then making adjustments. The terrain setup went through three iterations. The first scenario iteration closely followed the layout from the original remote game, with some compromises for table size and figure scale. I was using 42mm paper soldiers, whereas the remote game used (I believe) 15mm figures. I also matched the proportion of reserves as closely as possible to the original battle briefing provided by Jon.

The scenario had three objectives:

1. The farm on the defender’s right flank
2. The village on the defender’s left flank
3. The town to the defender’s rear

Victory conditions were: holding or capturing two objectives counted as a minor victory, while controlling all three secured a major victory.

Tabletop layout for the first iteration of the scenario. The objectives highlighted with a black circle and troop entry points are A and B for Blue force and C for Red force.

In the second iteration, the objectives were placed more symmetrically, rather than being concentrated on the defender’s left flank. This made the choices of attack and defence less obvious. The canal was also repositioned, set at a right angle to the river instead of running diagonally across the table, dividing the centre from the defender’s left. This adjustment was simply a “let’s try it and see” change, but it did not really improve or add to the scenario.

The defender’s forces were split into three equal groups, with any odd units assigned at the defending player’s discretion, but no more than one unit being added to a single group. Off-table reserves entered from the defender’s two tabletop corners, one unit per corner per turn, beginning on turn 3. So, on turn 3, a unit would arrive at each corner, and so on in subsequent turns until all reserve units arrived.

The tabletop layout for the second iteration of the scenario.

In the third iteration, the canal was once again positioned diagonally across the table, giving any defenders in the town some protection in hand-to-hand combat. By this stage, I had also settled on the rules for the on-table defenders. They could not act until: an enemy came within 12 inches, they were attacked, or until turn 3, when they became free to move and shoot. The later battle report is based on this version of the scenario.

The arrival of reserves remained mostly the same, with one unit appearing at each corner from turn 3 onwards, but with the added restriction that faster units had to arrive before slower ones. The order being: cavalry first, followed by infantry, and finally artillery.

The victory conditions were further simplified. The attacker must capture and hold two objectives by turn 15 to win. Otherwise, the defender is victorious.

The tabletop layout for the third iteration.

In all versions of the scenario, I added small clumps or copses of trees around the river and canal crossings. This prevented attackers from making crossings too easily and forced their lines to break up as they advanced. All units deducted 3 inches of movement when crossing rivers, while artillery could only cross via bridges.

In total, I played six games to test the different scenario variations. A couple of games were ended early when changes, such as placing the canal at right angles to the river, did not work out. While others went the full course. As expected from using the Battle of Quistello as the basis, the scenario proved challenging for the defenders.

Notes on OHW Horse and Musket War Rule Adjustments

• Dragoons replace skirmishers. They may dismount (costing half a move) and fire with D6–2. When mounted, they can charge, causing D6 hits, but are less effective than cavalry, who inflict D6+2 hits.
• Artillery must remain stationary once they have fired, reflecting the difficulty of moving guns in this period.
• Formations are less flexible: units may pivot only once at the start or end of their move.
• Flank/rear charges and enfilade fire: instead of doubling hits, roll 2D6 and take the higher result.
• Elimination thresholds. Infantry are eliminated at 15 hits (standard OHW) while Cavalry, artillery, and dragoons are eliminated at 8 hits. This makes frontal cavalry and dragoon charges against fresh infantry generally unlikely to succeed, unless the infantry are already weakened.
• Army Resolve: Once more than half of an army’s units are eliminated, all remaining units immediately suffer 2 additional hits.
• Commanders (typically three in play) may join a unit to perform one of the following actions:

1. Get a free movement, including a charge.
2. Rally the unit, removing D6 hits.
3. Direct an infantry attack, allowing the unit to fire twice.

• Once joined, a commander remains with that unit and cannot take any further action. Only one commander may be attached to a unit, and only one commander action may be taken per turn.

The Scenario - Morning Attack

Situation

The Red Army has marched overnight and is launching a surprise attack across a fordable river on the Blue Army, which is camped north of the river. Red’s objective is to seize control of the farm, village, and town.

Army Sizes

• Both sides field 9 units.

Deployment

• Blue Army: Deploy 3 units north of the river (running east–west) all within 12" of the bridge.
• Red Army: No units deployed at the start of the game.

Reinforcements

• Turn 1: All Red units enter from the southern table edge.
• Turn 3: 2 Blue units arrive—1 at each corner of the northern table edge.
• Turn 4: 2 Blue units arrive—1 at each corner of the northern table edge.
• Turn 5: 2 Blue units arrive—1 at each corner of the northern table edge.

Special Rules

• Rivers and canals are fordable by infantry, dragoons, and cavalry, but not artillery. Crossing deducts 3" of movement.
• Blue units cannot move or shoot until: a Red unit comes within 12 inches, they are attacked, or it is Turn 3.
• Blue reserve units must arrive in the following order: cavalry or dragoons, infantry, and artillery.

Game Length

The scenario lasts 15 turns. The Red player moves first each turn.

Victory Conditions

Red Victory: Control at least two of the three objectives (farm, village, town). To control an objective, no Blue unit may be within 3 inches of an objective. Otherwise, the Blue Army wins.

Inspiration

Based on a remote game hosted by Jon at Palouse Wargaming Journal. The scenario draws from the Battle of Quistello (1734), during the War of the Polish Succession, where Austrian forces surprised the Franco-Piedmontese by crossing the Secchia River, capturing supplies, prisoners, and forcing a retreat.

Map

Tabletop layout for Morning Attack.

Table for selecting army units.

Battle report

The game is being played with my Marlburian paper armies, with the French as the defending Blue force and the Allies as the attacking Red force.

Order of Battle

The French rolled 5 on the table for selecting units. They will field the following:

• 4 Infantry units
• 2 Artillery units
• 1 Dragoon unit
• 2 Cavalry units

The Allies rolled a 2 on the table. They will field the following:

• 3 Infantry units
• 1 Artillery unit
• 2 Dragoon units
• 3 Cavalry units

Both armies will have 3 commanders. One French commander starts on the tabletop, while the other can arrive at the same time as any reserve unit.

Tabletop sets with 3 Blue army units positioned within 12 inches of the bridge.

The Allied forces advance swiftly towards the river. Cavalry on both flanks forded the water with little delay, while in the centre their infantry pressed forward under the cover of supporting artillery fire. The surprised French defenders along the river responded with musket fire and began to refuse their right flank as Allied dragoons threatened their position.

Opening moves as the Allied units arrive.

The Allies press forward in the centre while their cavalry on the flanks ford the river.

The Allied cavalry rapidly pressed forward, advancing on the farm and towards the town. By this time, French reserves had slowly begun to appear on the flanks, but all three objectives are currently controlled by the Allies. In the centre, a unit of dragoons charged the French infantry, who mounted a stubborn defence under their commander’s rallying efforts. Gradually, however, their centre began to take casualties, allowing the Allied infantry to start crossing the river.

Allied cavalry advance towards the town, while French reserves start to appear.

On the left flank Allied cavalry attack the French infantry and hold the farm.

In the centre Allied infantry start to make headway and begin crossing the river.

More French reserves entered the field as a cavalry clash broke out around the farm. Allied dragoons pushed into the town and waited for their infantry to arrive. On the Allied right, a brief cavalry skirmish quickly ended, leaving French infantry and artillery facing off against Allied infantry near the village.

A cavalry clash on the Allied left flank.

Infantry push up in the centre while infantry face off on the Allied right flank.

French cavalry and infantry soon gained the upper hand near the farm, overwhelming the Allied cavalry and routing them, leaving the farm in French control. In the centre, the last French infantry unit, being unopposed, began marching back towards the town. While cavalry from the farm also moved towards the town, which is defended by a single unit of Allied dragoons.

Near the farm the French gain the upper hand.

With the farm in their control, the French start to advance towards the town.

On the French left, their infantry hold firm against the advancing Allied foot, preventing them from supporting the single dragoon unit in the town. Overwhelmed by combined French infantry and cavalry attacks, the dragoons were swept away, leaving the town firmly in French control. With their numbers dwindling, the Allies are forced to withdraw, holding only a single objective.

French hold off the advancing Allied infantry who are trying to support the dragoons in the town.

The dragoons are routed and the Allies lose control of the town and another objective. They now only hold one objective, the village on the right flank.

Wrap up

The battle ended in a French victory. Their stubborn defence ultimately secured the day. Although the Allied cavalry and dragoons advanced swiftly, they lacked sufficient infantry to consolidate and hold their objectives. A more focused effort on just two of the objectives, the village and the town, might have been the better approach. 

This was the second play through using this last version of the scenario. In the previous game, it was the Allies who claimed the win.

French and Indian War Convoy Battle Report

This is a battle report for a French and Indian War scenario where a supply convoy is trying to reach a fort and is expecting an attack by enemy forces. See the previous post for the background, order of battle, and victory conditions. 

The tabletop with the supply convoy arriving.

For the game I am using a variation of the One-Hour Wargames (OHW) horse and musket rules. Some of the changes include:  

Shooting Changes: Subtract 1 from shooting rolls if the unit fired during the previous turn, reflecting the difficulties of visibility following an initial volley. Militia units always subtract an addition 1 when shooting.  

Charge Changes: Only Indian units and regular infantry may charge. If a charge does not eliminate the target unit, the charging unit must retire facing away from the target. Units have to wear down their target first, else risk failure.

Movement Adjustments: Units (excluding carts and artillery) gain an additional 3 inches of movement when traveling on open ground or roads. Carts move 6 inches on roads and open.

Elimination Tests: To determine if a unit is routed, roll a D6 and add the result to the unit's accumulated hits. If the total is 16 or more, the unit is routed and removed from play. Modify the D6 roll as follows: add 2 for Indian units and 1 for militia units.  

Battle Report

As the convoy advanced along the road, gunfire erupted from the northern woods. Reacting swiftly, the British commander ordered three units to engage the ambushers. Meanwhile, the supply carts, flanked by regular infantry units, hurried forward, determined to reach their destination. The intensity of the enemy fire from the north woods increased as additional reinforcements of Indian warriors and French militia emerged along the tree line.

Gunfire erupts from the trees. Additional French reinforcements can be seen moved through the north woods.

Along the road British engage while trying to push the carts to towards the fort.

As the convoy crested the hill and the fort came into view, so too did a line of French regular infantry advancing rapidly from the south. See the danger, a detachment of regular infantry from the fort's garrison sallied forth to intercept the approaching threat and help to bolster the convoy’s defenders and prevent the French from cutting off the carts before they could reach the safety of the fort. 

More French reinforcements arrive from the south.

A unit from the fort marches out to help protect the carts.

As the supply convoy began its descent down the hill, the British units holding the northern flank faltered and routed, leaving the convoy dangerously exposed in its final run to the fort. A unit of French regular infantry moved to cut off the convoy’s path. In response, all remaining British forces formed a protective cordon around the supply carts, relying on the fort’s gun to provide them with covering fire.

The convoy’s northern flank routed.

The French close in.

With their rearguard routed, the remaining British units marched alongside the supply carts, taking relentless French fire. Despite suffering heavy losses, they shielding the carts and ensured their safe passage to the fort's gates. 

Continuing to march along the road the British take heavy casualties.

Finally the supply carts reach the fort.

Wrap up…

The battle was a British victory as both supply carts successfully reached the fort. In hindsight, I should have pushed the French forces from the northern woods closer to the fort in an attempt to cut the road ahead of the convoy, even at the risk of coming under fire from the fort’s gun. If I were to replay the scenario, I would also consider bolstering the French southern reinforcements with another unit of regular infantry to balance the engagement.

The supply carts move into the safety of the fort.

French and Indian War convoy scenario

Having recently completing two scratch-built supply carts for my French and Indian War forces (see previous post), I was keen to see them in action on the tabletop. This post outlines the game setting and order of battle, while the next post will have the game report. The game scenario is inspired by two sources: 

• “Convoy (1) Wagon Train” from “Scenarios for Wargamers” by C.S. Grant and 
• “Scenario 25: Infiltration” from “One-Hour Wargames” by Neil Thomas.

Supply carts on the move.

Background

A guarded supply convoy has been sent to deliver much needed supplies to a fort. On the march the convoy has spotted enemy forces and expect an attack before they reach the fort.

Map of the tabletop.

Forces

British forces in the fort. 1 unit can leave the fort on turn 6.

• 1 Militia Unit
• 1 Gun
• 1 Regular Unit

British Convoy

• 3 Militia Units
• 3 Regular Units
• 2 Carts

French Blocking force

• 2 Indian units

French northern reinforcements arriving turn 3

• 2 Indian units
• 2 Militia unit

French southern reinforcements arriving turn 6

• 3 Regular units

Special Rules

The convoy carts can be captured or destroyed if a French unit makes contact with them and no British unit is within 3 inches of the cart.

Victory Conditions

The British forces achieve victory by escorting both convoy carts to the fort, while the French forces win by capturing or destroying both carts. Anything else is a draw.

Fort awaiting supplies.

Tabletop setup with convoy arriving.

Battle of Lake Trasimene - scenarios and remote game report

This week, I hosted a remote Ancients game with Jon of Palouse Wargaming Journal blog. The Battle of Lake Trasimene was selected, and we would be using a variant of One-Hour Wargames that uses D3 dice instead of D6. These rules can be found at the top of the tab. I recently added a morale and an army resolve system to the rules, the resolve mechanism is based on Jon's approach in his Hex-Based Basic Impetus rules variant.

Early stages of the game.

When setting up the scenario, I searched the internet looking at various historical sites, wargaming sites, and some board game sites for ideas on both the terrain layout and composition of forces involved. I also ran a couple of quick solo play tests to ensure that the scenario was reasonably balanced a possible for an ambush scenario.

Here is the scenario detailed below followed by the battle report.

Scenario - Battle or Lake Trasimene

Background

On June 21, 217 BC, Hannibal and his Carthaginian army ambushed a Roman army led by Gaius Flaminius at Lake Trasimene. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for Hannibal, with the Romans suffering heavy casualties.

Hannibal had positioned his army on the hills overlooking the road that the Romans would be marching along. When the Romans arrived, they were attacked from all sides. The Romans were caught completely by surprise and were unable to form a proper battle line.

The battle raged for several hours, but the Carthaginians eventually overwhelmed the Romans. Flaminius was killed in the battle, and the majority of the Roman army was either killed or captured. Only a small number of Romans managed to escape.

Situation

The Roman army is marching along the southern edge of the tabletop while the ambushing Carthaginian army is positioned in and around the hills ready to spring the trap.

The layout on a 6x4 foot tabletop

Orders of Battle

Roman

6 x heavy infantry

1 x cavalry

2 x light infantry

Roman Army Resolve = 14

Carthaginian

3 x heavy infantry

2 x Gaul war bands

1 x light infantry

3 x cavalry

Carthaginian Army Resolve = 18

Deployment

Roman units must deploy along the road beside the lake's edge.

Carthaginian units cannot be within 12 inches of the Roman deployment.

Starting deployment positions

Reinforcements

There are no reinforcements in this game.

Special Rules

The Roman Army Resolve has been reduced by 4 to 14 to reflect the surprise element of the ambush. They can however increase their resolve by 4 if a unit exits from the eastern edge of the table.

Game Length

The game lasts for 15 turns or until one arm’s resolve is reduced to zero. The Carthaginian player goes first in each turn.

Victory Conditions

The player with the most army resolve is the victor.

Battle Report

I suggested that Jon play the Carthaginians, as the Roman tactics for the battle are relatively simple which is always helpful when you are hosting a game. They just needed to deploy their units and create space so that they are not forced to retreat into the lake, then try to force their way along the road.

From a Carthaginian perspective, the best strategy is to engage quickly and prevent the Romans from deploying fully. This will give the Carthaginians an advantage early on, as their cavalry and Gaul war bands are less resilient than the Roman heavy infantry. The challenge for the Carthaginian side is to us their units wisely and take advantage of any Roman retreats. The longer the game goes on the batter it is for the Romans.

Opening Game Turns

The Carthaginian cavalry and Gaul war bands descended rapidly from the hills, giving the Romans little time to deploy. Only about a third of the Roman army was effectively deployed before the Carthaginians attacked, forcing one Roman unit to retreat. This early retreat increased the difficulty for the Romans to manoeuvre.

The Carthaginian ambush is sprung.

Mid-Game Turns

At the front of the Roman column, the units were holding their own and getting organized, ready to counterattack. However, at the back of the column, things were going from bad to worse. Carthage's cavalry attacked two heavy infantry units, forcing them to retreat. In their retreat they pushed back two other units into the lake, eliminating them from the game, and costing the Romans a full 6 army resolve points.

Mid way through the game.

End Game Turns

Carthage's cavalry quickly exploited their success and began to encircle the rear of the Roman column. In the center, the little success the Romans had achieved under the leadership of Gaius Flaminius and his veteran heavy infantry evaporated with the arrival of the Carthaginian cavalry on their flank. The veteran infantry eventually succumbed to the cavalry onslaught, along with Gaius Flaminius himself. This broke the remaining resolve of the Roman army, and the battle was lost.

Gaius Flaminius in the thick of battle.

The Roman army resolve collapses as in the distance Carthage’s cavalry start to mop up the panicked Roman units.

After Game Thoughts

A historical result, and from a game point of view, the double retreat at the tail of the column turned out to be a real blow to the Romans. This was not just from the lost units, but it allowed the swift Carthaginian cavalry to quickly engage Roman units in the flank and capitalise upon their good fortune.

Well played Jon and a comprehensive victory!