ECW Campaign Game 9 Setup

In the last campaign battle Royalist forces won the Battle of Ottery St. Mary and in doing so gained control of the South West region. On the back of this victory Royalist forces had the option of pushing the cause further west and into Cornwall, or turn their attention to the West Midland region where they have 3 adjacent controlled regions versus Parliament's 2 regions. (A reminder that recruiting armies can re-roll recruiting dice once for each adjacent region they control.)

The Midlands will be key regions in 1643 when marching armies start to take centre stage in the campaign. So with the initiative in their favour Royalists choose to contest the West Midlands region.

Campaign map showing controlled areas and the West Midlands as the next area to be fought over for control.

Next the terrain for the West Midland clash was decided as usual with terrain cards, and the tabletop set up.

Terrain cards

Tabletop all setup and ready for the Battle of Birdlip Lane

Recruiting did not start well for the Royalist supporters and it was only after sending out messages requesting support to the surrounding regions did they muster a force larger than their opposition. The forces are to clash near the small town of Birdlip and lined up either side of Birdlip Lane which bisects the battlefield.

Order of battle...

Parliament:

• 4 Cavalry (Trotters)
• 4 Infantry
• 2 Dragoons
• 1 Commanded Shot
• 1 Artillery

Royalist:

• 4 Cavalry (Gallopers)
• 5 Infantry
• 2 Dragoons
• 1 Commanded Shot
• 1 Artillery
• 1 Elite Pike

Parliament having the fewer units gets to choose which side of the tabletop to defend. Most likely they will choose the near side in the above photo using the woods and Birdlip town to secure their flanks.

WW2 on a grid and ECW cards

Having unexpectedly played one English Civil War battle over two games last week. I wanted a bit of a change and opted for a couple of WW2 games using a grid, and thought it was time to try the rules, and their recent modifications, on a square grid. There will be more on how all that progressed in a future post. In the meantime a couple of photos of the two games played.

German forces launch an attack across a river

A couple of Churchill tanks, recently purchased, make it on the tabletop

As the first phase of the ECW campaign, controlling of regions, is getting closer to completion with only 3 more can be contested. I need to start producing cards for the years 1643 and onwards, when marching armies are introduced into the campaign. The purpose of the cards is to add random factors to the battles. I did consider adding some cards to effect the campaign moves, but reminded myself that the purpose of setting up this campaign is to provide a narrative and wider context to my games.

At my local office stationary supplier I found some blank study cards which I can use to create my cards. There about 100 cards for $3.

So far I am considering the following cards and game implications gleaned from my limited reading of the period.

• A unified command structure under the King - Allows Royalist forces to make 1 additional action each turn.
• Any action in a region next to Thames Vally (and London) - Allows Parliament to field an additional foot unit.
• Envy amongst Royalist commanders - Reduce Royalist actions 1 each turn.
• The Queen successful at raising funds in Europe - For the remainder of the year Royalist forces can field 1 extra unit of their choice.
• Parliament able to negotiate a deal with the Scots - For the remainder of the year Parliamentarian forces can field 1 extra unit of their choice.
• The Navy supports Parliament - Any battle in a region next to the sea allows Parliament to field an extra unit.
• Prince Rupert commanding - Royalist forces can field an extra cavalry unit.
• Loyalties change - A unit switches sides on the eve of battle.
• Bad weather - Artillery units get bogged and fail to turn up for battle.
• A fiery sermon - Parliamentarian army resolve increased by 1.
• Cromwell leading the cavalry (1644 and onwards) - Half the Parliamentarian cavalry can be treated as Gallopers.
• Excise duties applied by Parliament to fund armies - For the remainder of the year Parliamentarian forces can field 1 extra unit of their choice.
• Sickness breaks out - Reduce force by 1 infantry or cavalry unit.
• Support from wealth Royalist Commander - Royalist forces have 1 additional unit.
• Fortress located nearby - Force gets an additional artillery unit.
• Took a wrong turn - 1 to 3 units (D3 dice roll) arrive on turn 3.
• Clubman risings (1644 onwards) - For the remainder of the year forces field 1 less unit of their choice.
• Army pay delayed - Reduce force by 1 infantry or cavalry unit.

For each battle 1 card will be drawn from the pack. Those cards with dates specified will be aded to the pack when the campaign moves into the year. Hopefully I will be able to add a few more cards and any suggestions are welcome.

And finally, a quick shout-out for another blog which is also posting an ECW campaign - 1642 And All That - and comes with a very rich narrative (including a fun bit on 17th Century insults).

ECW Campaign Game 8 - Part 2

As dawn appeared on Day 2 of the Battle of Ottery St. Mary, Royalist and Parliamentary forces faced each other again across the battlefield. Both sides had spent the night trying to reform their lost units. Parliament had been able to reform their cavalry units and Royalists their dragoons and commanded shot. From a rules perspective this had meant both sides were allowed to restore one of the following groups of units to their original game strength:

• Cavalry
• Infantry
• Dragoons/Commanded Shot
• Artillery/Elite

Order of Battle:

Royalist forces (11 units)
2 x Cavalry (down 2 units from the previous day)
4 x Infantry
2 x Dragoons
1 x Commanded Shot
1 x Artillery
1 x Elite Pike

Parliamentarian forces (8 units)
3 x Cavalry
3 x Infantry (down 1 unit from the previous day)
1 x Dragoons
1 x Artillery

The army resolve remained as at the end of the previous day. Royalist army resolve was 4 and Parliament 3. The resolve is added to with each unit lost and when it exceeds the number of remaining units the army retires.

Under the cover of darkness Parliamentarian dragoons had crossed the river and taken up position on the Royalist left flank.

Opening positions day 2

And on to battle. Again!

Royalist forces positioned ready for the start of day 2. Their line is shortened with the remaining cavalry held in reserve. The Parish of St. Mary is used to protect their left flank.

Royalist centre and right flank units advance towards the river (which is fordable)

Parliamentarian dragoons harass on the Royalist right flank

Parliamentarian cavalry (Trotters) engage the Royalist centre with pistols which lead to the elimination of a unit and opening up the Royalist centre.

Dragoons supported by infantry attack the defended ford

Royalist cavalry charge forward to plug a gap in the centre

Parliamentarian cavalry reserve help holdback the Royalist cavalry, but elsewhere Parliamentarian units rout and army resolve exceeds the remaining unit numbers.

A Royalist victory as their dragoons supported by infantry were able to rout the Parliamentarian left flank. The choice to restore their dragoon strength overnight worked in their favour. However, the smaller Parliamentarian force had given them a run for their money, and their cavalry had for the first time in the campaign had bested their counterparts.

Movements on day 2

When I first set up this game I was expecting and easy Royalist victory. The introduction of a game clock and game start time has certainly been beneficial to the game's interest. In this case it created a short sharp engagement, followed by a battle with reduced units and adjusted tabletop deployment.

ECW Campaign Game 8 Part 1

The Royalist commander deploys his forces at mid-afternoon near the Parish Church of Otterly St Mary. Facing them a smaller Parliamentarian force is positioned behind a fordable tributary of the River Otter.

Forces deployed ready for battle at mid-afternoon

Positions at the start of the battle

Having arrived very late to the field of battle, the Royalists had little time before dusk and quickly pushed froward on both flanks. On their right flank dragoons pushed forward and engaged infantry occupying the fields near the ford. While on the opposite left flank, Royalist gallopers swiftly crossed the river and charged into Parliamentarian trotters who had pushed forward.

The resulting cavalry action drew in cavalry reserves from both sides. The Royalist cavalry must have been unprepared from their rushed deployment and were soon routed. (In other words they rolled a string of 1's.)

The advancing Royalist dragoons attacking near the ford were having more success, but were unable to shift the defending Parliamentarian units before the arrival of the centre infantry units and night.

The game clock and advancing cavalry

Parliamentarian defenders wait as dragoons advance towards the ford

A large cavalry action in progress

Parliamentarian cavalry defeat the Royalist cavalry

Actions at the ford

Battle movements

At night fall neither force was in a winning position. Parliament had lost 3 units and Royalist 4 units. A drawn game does not help the campaign at this stage where both sides are trying to control areas. So the options were to: 1) have another battle, or 2) have the attacking Royalists retire out of musket range and restart the battle at 6am on day 2.

Continuing the battle the following day seemed the best option. Both sides would keep their army resolve as at the previous day, but could bring one of their unit types back to full strength. Parliament chose to restore their cavalry and Royalist's their dragoons and commanded shot. So the game would start with the same forces except the royalist would be down 3 cavalry units.

Over night the Parliamentarian dragoons were able to sneak across the river and secure the hilltop on the Royalist left.

As day breaks forces are ready to do battle for a second time

ECW Campaign Game 8 Setup

The lead up to game 8 of the English Civil War campaign has Parliament choosing to raise forces and attempt to control the South West region.

During Parliament's turn they decide to move on the South West region

Cards are used as determine the terrain layout which includes a fordable river running East to West across the tabletop. All units, except artillery, can cross the river at any point, but will suffer one hit when fording and not crossing at the bridge or shallow ford.

The selected terrain cards. The river will run East to West and be fordable along its length

Tabletop setup and waiting for units to be deployed.

The Kings supporters had been very active and a strong Royalist force was recruited. Parliament support was not as strong and all promise of support seemed to fad away, even with support coming from the adjacent South Coast region recruitment was poor. So we have the following Order of battle:

Royalist Forces (14 Units)
5 x Cavalry (Gallopers)
4 x Infantry (Pike and Musket)
2 x Dragoons
1 x Commanded Shot
1 x Elite Pike
1 x Artillery

Parliament Forces (9 Units)
3 x Cavalry (Trotters)
4 x Infantry (Pike and Musket)
1 x Dragoon
1 x Artillery

The Parliamentarian commender reluctantly deploys his forces near the small town of Otterly St Mary, and hopes Royalist forces will be slow in deploying allowing for a late start to the battle. A late start may allow Parliament to get away with a marginal loss and escape the battlefield with few losses.

Royalists deployed and Parliament cavalry face them on the right flank

A wider view of Parliamentarian forces (near tabletop edge)

Parliament foot positioned in fields guard a shallow ford

In this game I have incorporated a game clock again. Dice decide the battle was to start to be 3pm (6am plus the score of a D10 dice adding a number of hours). Each game turn takes 1 hour. This late in the day will require Royalists to attack quickly or risk the smaller Parliamentarian forces slip away under the cover of darkness.

A couple of books arrive and a WW2 game

The last couple of secondhand books I had ordered arrived in the post this week. The Napoleonic theme of the books continues on my painting desk with a couple of Austrian units completed. My aim is to increase my Napoleonic armies by about 25 percent. This should keep me occupied while I ponder what is my next project will be.

Recent arrivals

I have already started to read "Napoleonic Wargaming" by Charles Grant. While I will not be creating 40 plus figure units, it is most enjoyable reading how the thinking behind the rules and research that influences the Charles Grant's rules. I found it interesting to read the guiding principles for these wargaming rules are to be:

• completely workable
• as accurate a representation as possible of some tactic or manoeuvre
• and visual satisfying 

In many ways the book follows the same approach as "Battle", his WW2 rules, working through the areas of the rules: infantry, cavalry, musketry, light infantry, melee, artillery, moral, terrain and orders. One thing it does not cover are any game reports which "Battle" did have. So far I am finding it is wonderfully written and packed with lots of details used to help define the rules.

An Austrian Line and Grenadier unit - Spencer Smith models

As a break from English Civil War wargaming I decided to have a quick WW2 game and tryout a couple of rule changes. Using the existing tabletop setup with a few additional fields and woods a game was quickly setup with the Germans trying to force a river crossing against a quickly prepared defensive position.

German forces advance

Reconnaissance units quickly cross the bridge.

On the far bridge British units wait dug in on an overlooking hill.

British HQ in the village coordinates the defence.

ECW Campaign Game 7 Report

The campaign year 1642 continues with the Battle of Brecknok. Royalist and Parliamentarian forces are deployed ready for battle close to the River Wye which flows nearby.

Forces are deployed - the river is only crossable by bridge

Map of battle deployment

Having decided to introduce a game clock and with the battle starting at 9am. I found my old game clock to track the hourly turns. However, for the narrative of this report I am not sure the precision of a clock is suitable for an English Civil War game. Instead I have gone with: dawn, early morning, mid-morning, late morning, midday, early afternoon, mid-afternoon, late afternoon, early evening, evening, and dusk.

The game clock was used to track time

Midway through the morning after seeing Parliamentarian forces were in no hurry to make a move, the Royalist commander began moving his forces forward in a general advance.

On the Royalist left flank Parliamentarian cavalry quickly engage advancing cavalry. While Royalist commanded shot move forward on the near river bank.

By late morning the first round of cavalry combat is over. Honours going to the Royalists. Their centre continues to advance with difficulty through the fields.

The Royalist centre traverse fields in a rather disorganised manner. Their cavalry have seen off their opposition, but are in a rather disorganised state after the melee.

Parliamentarian dragoons engage the Commanded Shot as they move along the opposite river bank.

Parliamentarian cavalry reserve rout the Royalist cavalry. 

At Midday both sides had their wins and loses on the flanks and all was looking fairly even.

Along the river bank both sides push forward infantry units to support their dragoons

The reserve cavalry from both sides engage on the flank for a second cavalry melee.

By early afternoon the battle is in full swing with centres of both armies closing for the final phase of the battle.

The Royalist centre begins to move forward while the Parliamentarian commander moves his last unit of cavalry reserve across to the right flank.

The Royalist cavalry rout their counterparts and prepare to receive an attack from the last unit of Parliamentarian cavalry.

Mid-afternoon and the powerful Royalist centre begins its attack.

The Royalist centre now organised after clearing the fields engage in musketry fire.

Both centres close as they run out of ammunition and engage in push of pike.

4pm late afternoon after push of pike the larger Royalist centre overwhelm the Parliamentarians.

After a push of pike Royalists are victorious 

A victory to the Royalist cause and Wales is under their control.

Battle movements