Unfortunately with the Kitchen still being in the process of being done, I’ve lost my games room but tonight when I got home to an empty house for an hour or so I took the opportunity to get a bit out on the living room floor. As you can see from the pictures, I still haven’t found the right edge pieces, or the clips which hold the tiles together, but bearing in mind it was hastily thrown together on a laminate floor, I’m pretty pleased even so. All I have to do now is catalogue all the pieces and work out where I’m going to store it. As you can see, there’s rather a lot of it! Just for the record, that area’s 4ft by about 5.5ft and there’s easily enough hexes to double it, and probably triple it in each colour.

Hex Terrain

Just how much is there?

Anyway, Mike came over to play the French of Victor’s Corps (played in the campaign by someone else) and I played my campaign role of Wellington, although Richard who should have been there to help me run the forces was unable to make it at short notice.

Mike’s already give a battle report here covering the first 10 odd turns. This afternoon I finished the battle off to the agreed turn limit, but the last turn and a half didn’t really change anything except killing a few more men on both sides. The British left attacked the French right but were repulsed almost all along the line, the only unit who got into melee ended the turn shaken along with it’s French opponent.

Here are a few pictures from the two sessions.

French left threatens and Picton forms Square

British Reinforcements march on

Overall shot midway

British view of the village and Spencer's Division

Last ditch attacks on the French Right

End of game on French Right

End result is the French lost 34 SP’s worth of troops, and the British lost 80. (Not including artillery losses from ammunition rolls).

The British and Portuguese have suffered badly from:

• poor command dice (In retrospect, the decision to get the game underway quickly and rate all the generals the same (normal 1d6) was a bad one) meaning that few units got into contact
• Wellington having to have 8 odd units under his direct control due to lack of their parent generals being present. This meant he couldn’t roam the field using his inherent points to help out subordinates
• The inability to bombard the French lines prior to attacking due to the need to get on with things turn wise
• The agreement that the game would be 12 turns long. I did this because I wanted the game done in a night, but PoW suggests that a normal day is 18 turns. The campaign is currently in late March, but to reduce the turns to 12 was IMO too extreme

The British are just getting to grips with the French line, and I think had the game been set for 14 or 16 turns instead of 12, the imbalance of losses so far would have been levelled out and a British victory might have been possible. What it feels like at the moment is we’ve done all the approach marching under fire and suddenly the day’s over.

What this and last weeks games have yet again raised is how difficult it is to port a campaign game to the table, play it and get a satisfactory resolution in a single evening. Either the rules are overly simple and bloody, and the game feels too arbitrary, or the rules play too long for the available time. This size battle was almost exactly what I’d hoped the campaign system was going to throw up, and yet it was too big for PoW and too small for Grande Armee (Or FPGA).

Turn 8

One of the 2 French lines charged by the British Heavy cavalry form square, but the other stand shaken to recieve the charge, their ragged volley failing to stop the oncoming cavalry. Other French firing inflicts casualties on Spencer’s Division while W. Stewarts Brigade receive more cannister at close range and finally rout. They were down to 2 SP’s remaining though so I can’t complain!

The melee in the orchard sees the French cavalry driven off, while in the town Hills troops inflict heavy damage on the two enemy units and they both retire shaken. The British heavy cavalry win the melee, but fail to rout the enemy infantry who pass their morale test (and later form square), while the cavalry failed theirs and retired.

Town clear of French

Victor’s troops rally and unlimber a battery to fire on the town but otherwise don’t move as they don’t have the pips. He does send new orders to the Light cavalry to attack into the rear of the town.

Reynier charges a column up the slope into Spencer’s line but the remaining troops who fired fall short.

British Left flank

Spencer’s charged brigade fail their morale and go shaken, their volley forcing the French line to fall back but the column presses home. Picton’s artillery fires at a column recently retired from the fighting in the town and it routs, whilst skirmish fire from the British in the orchards cause casualties among the Dragoons. Hills counter battery fire against the horse artillery on the flank causes no damage but the battery flees as a result of a failed morale check.

Spencer’s (Blantyre’s) brigade takes heavy casualties from the column in melee and retires shaken.

Hill reorganises in the town spreading back out into town and refusing the flank to the French light cavalry. Wellington realises that it’s crucial that Beresford is brought into the fight, so orders both his and Picton’s divisions to support Spencer and engage the French of Reynier’s corps on the left flank. Spencer fills the gap in the line with Stopford’s guard brigade, not a bad reserve to have kept!

Hill reorganises his line

Turn 9

French firing does little harm to the Anglo-Portuguese forces and Victor & Reynier both know that this is their last chance, they can still break Hill and Spencer but it must be now. Good command dice enables Reynier to send 3 columns up the hill to meet the Portuguese and British line, his heavy cavalry charges Picton once more and Victor throws his last unblooded Regiment against the town. His light cavalry attack Hill’s artillery in a death or glory charge.

French cavalry attack Hill's artillery

Reynier gets up close and personal with Spencer

The Portuguese of Spencer’s Division don’t like being charged and retire shaken, while their compatriots in the orchard are so composed that they elect not to form square but to volley fire at the oncoming Dragoons, and Hill’s artillery calmly load cannister as the cavalry approach. Their fire kills Beaumont the cavalry commander and forces the cavalry to retire. Stopford’s volley stops the French column in it’s tracks but the rest of the fire from the British is futile and the French hit home.

The melee routs the unsupported artillery of Spencer’s Division but the others are drawn.

The French attack is stalled and Wellington now seizes his opportunity, personally commanding Stopford’s guards to charge the shaken column to it’s front while Portuguese Light cavalry charge one of the other columns on the slope.

Wellington joins the fray

Portuguese Cavalry charge

Beresford gets his troops started moving, wheeling them left while Hill moves his reserve brigade into square next to the battery so the cavalry can’t ride them down.

Hill's Square

In reserve no more. Beresford moves

At this point the French have lost 83 Strength points, including 4 units routed and one general killed, while the British have lost only 45 SP’s and 3 units routed. Victor’s Corps is spent and can’t possibly take the town, while Reynier is about to be swallowed by Picton’s and Beresford’s divisions on his left flank, with enemy cavalry to his front and the remnants of Spencer’s Division as well. It’s been a good game, but it doesn’t seem sensible to carry on from here as I seriously doubt the French can win given the victory conditions of taking the town.

Scenario

I plonked down a few bits of terrain, and then some road and realised that this valley could easily hold a settlement/village/town (whatever you want to call it!) with a key set of road junctions. So, Wellington has opted to try to stop a French advance here, while two Corps under Reynier and Victor hope to unseat him. The aim of the game is for the French to take and hold the town or otherwise force Wellington to retire, his objective is to stop the French getting the town.

Rules are Principles of War, using 6mm Baccus & Adler figures based on 25mm base sizes (60mm x 30mm), but using the bog standard 15mm measurements. (Seems to work to me)

As ever, click on the pictures to make them bigger!

Starting positions.

Starting Positions

Starting Positions

Turn 1
The French won the initiative roll and got to move first each turn. Reyniers Artillery moves up under his direct control, while his heavy Cavalry move onto the middle hill. His infantry shake out into Line to advance on the enemy. Victor doesn’t hang around getting his infantry into columns and with his light Cavalry on his left flank advances straight at the town unlimbering his artillery at extreme range also.

In response, Hill gets a brigade into the town, the rest of his division forming line behind while Picton advances into the orchards covering the slopes of the middle hill.

End of Turn 1 overview

Turn 2
Reyniers Corps continue to move forward, his artillery firing at the British of Spencer’s Division but pretty ineffectively as they’re firing at long range and can only cause morale tests.

Reynier's Corps

The cavalry come to a halt at the end of their command arrow atop the hill.

Cavalry

Mind you, firing at long range does have its uses, as one of Victor’s column’s fails its morale test falling back shaken. The rest of his infantry move up to start threatening the town.

Victor's Corps

The British continue to hold their positions waiting to see how the attack develops.

Turn 3
Victor continues his advance with several columns against the village although they’re now in range of Picton and Hill’s artillery as well as skirmishers in the buildings.

Getting close to the town.

In response, Hill orders his troops to move to support the brigade in the town, while Picton mindful of his exposed flank pulls back his right hand brigade and refuses that flank, while moving his other brigades further into the orchards towards the heavy cavalry which have deployed into line on the hill above him.

Hill moves up around the town.

Picton in the Orchard

Turn 4

Victor’s Columns move into the town and around the right flank, closing on the British but unable to charge as they’re either too far away or on the wrong orders. One of his Divisions is badly split up by poor command rolls successively leaving half it’s Regiments behind. His cavalry continue to advance steadily around the left flank though, and are now threatening the entire British right flank which has moved forward from the safety of the orchard to aid the struggle for the town.

Overview at the end of turn 4

Columns in the town

French Light Cavalry

The fire from the British is telling, inflicting casualties on all 3 columns, but the one outside the town fails its morale and goes shaken. The opportunity is too good to miss and the British line charge.

British Line charge French column!

Turn 5
The French turn begins with the shaken column failing to stand the charge from the British and routing off the table. Again French firing is fairly innocuous, causing limited casualties and a few shaken markers which will be easily rallied off. The remaining column that has attack orders is thrown into charge against the line in the town, while the other division of Victors Corps manouvres around the right flank of the town to bring as many muskets to bear as possible.

Better command rolls finally let the rest of his units move up and Victor changes the orders of this division to Attack (which will take effect next turn) and the Cavalry complete their command arrow at the edge of the orchards, unlimbering their horse artillery to be able to fire at close range against the flank of W. Stewarts brigade.

W. Stewart's Brigade in trouble.

Reynier changes the orders of the heavy cavalry on the hill to attack Picton in the orchard.

The British line stands and fires to recieve the column charging in, while other British firing forces one column in the town to retire through the support behind it shaking both units, and another volley shakes a French line outside.

The town removes all the benefits of the dense formation though, and the melee is a draw, except that the french fail their morale while the British do not. It will continue into the next turn.

Column charges home

Hill orders his W. Stewarts brigade to charge the shaken French line to their front, knowing that they will be enfiladed by grape from the Horse Artillery whether they charge or stand anyway.

Overview of the town

Picton’s brigade in the orchard fire skirmishers at the heavy cavalry ahead of them and inflict casualties and they fail their morale going shaken.

Wellington joins in on the order change merry go round and orders his cavalry to engage Reynier’s first division to their front in an attempt to buy some time on the right flank.

The situation at the end of the Turn.

End of Turn 5

Turn 6

The French line unit charged by W. Stewart’s line stands shaken to recieve the charge with its firing stopping the charge dead, and other french firing forcing another British brigade to retire shaken.

The melee in the town continues, the French “winning” the round but the British stay although shaken.

Reynier and Victor both move units up, rallying off shaken markers and the Heavy Cavalry on the hill charge into Mackinnon’s Brigade in the orchard who fail to form square, and fail to cause any casualties at all firing. Other British firing does cause casualties on Merle’s leading regiments but they barely falter in their step.

Merle's Advance

Heavy Cav v British Infantry

The Cavalry melee is over in a flash, the British losing men and streaming back behind some Portuguese thereby shaking them into which the cavalry pursue causing Picton to evade a full move away but the plucky Portuguese beat the Cuirassiers and another prolonged melee sets in.

Portuguese beat Heavy Cav

Continued melee

Inglis' Brigade

Turn 7

The infantry charged by the British cavalry form square, and further firing inflict heavy casualties on W. Stewart’s brigade but they hold. The melee in the orchard is a complete draw, neither side able to do any damage while in the town the French are beaten but roll a 1 on their morale and hang on in there albeit shaken.

Merle pushes his line and columns towards the waiting Line of Spencer’s division on the hill.

Merle's advance

Around the town

The British cavalry unable to charge a steady square charge instead two regiments in line to their right, and Picton throws Mackinnon’s brigade back in to reinforce the Portuguese fighting the Cuirassiers. Hill commits his reserve brigade to the melee in the town.

British Heavy Cav

Wellington still can’t decide whether to commit Beresford to reinforce the right or the left so does neither.

Overview at the end of turn 7

So far, the French have lost 39 SP’s (not including those lost when units routed), while the British have lost 16 SP’s, but the French I feel are gaining the upper hand in the town and must surely soon break Hill’s Division.

White Plains Table

Since it was the first game for all three of us, Matt & GM having professed to “reading through the rules last night” and not being a terribly large scenario, I figured it would be best if I umpired/read the rules while the other two played. We muddled through quite well in the end, having a few questions that still need resolving. The game played quite slowly, partly because of our uncertainty in places, and partly because the scenario has variable entry times for some of the British troops which thanks to GM’s rolling, occurred on the same turn his Hessians could cross the bridge. Thus ensued quite a big log jam of troops which we elected to bypass because of time marching on, and teleport troops into a position where we could see an assault going in.

The game never got anywhere near completion, but we all learned some vital lessons about the ruleset, that you really need to plan ahead what you’re trying to do. Its not a ruleset where the player can be really reactive every turn, sending troops one way and then the other. Have a plan and stick to it seems to be the order of the day.

I took a few pictures of the action which are below. As ever, click on the picture to get a bigger sized one.

American skirmishers who got hammered by round shot over a few turns

American troops wait for the British on the hill

Rall's Hessians wait for the bridge to be completed

DP's everywhere as the British finally arrive

Teleported British moving to attack the hill

Anyway, the intention of this post is to (re)introduce you to the Campaign system as it currently stands, and to go over a few of the improvements. One of the things I wanted to try to achieve when I set out to revamp the system was to make it more modular in approach, so that the settings could be changed on the fly and easily by someone NOT a programmer. This I hope will allow others to download the system and with a little bit of effort run their own campaigns using the “software”. We’re not quite at a releasable state but it would be helpful to see what others think of it now.

The system has a 3 tier security system. Those not logged in, those logged in and not allocated a command, and those logged in with a command. Those not allocated a command will have a limited menu, with a map showing the current positions of all units so giving this access to an “observer” who doesn’t want to play but wants to keep in the loop prevents players having access to information they shouldn’t have.

The following screenshots are from a partly set up campaign, so some things are not displaying correctly, for example the weather and the date. Please click on the screenshots to make them legible!

Improved Interface

A couple of bits of feedback from the original system showed that finding information from messages was difficult at best. One of the improvements I’ve made is to incorporate a suite of code from the internet (why reinvent the wheel!?) for the message screens, which now allows having multiple messages open at the same time, and most importantly includes a search box which will filter both message and sender for specific keywords. Want to find all messages which refer to “Lisbon”, well now you can!

Orders Sent

Another improvement has been to the unit order screen, incorporating the tree view from the Unit details page with check boxes to select that unit is to receive the move order.

Unit Order Screen

New Admin Options

This bit has seen the bulk of the work done and follows the ideas laid out in this post campaign-system-design-thoughts-pt1

Environmental
Here the admin can set what type of roads are represented, their road limits, and also the weather effects. It also allows the setting of road limits to either “men” or number of units, or indeed switch them off.

Admin Environmental

Orbat
The admin can select what unit levels are orderable within the system. This allows you to model the orbat to a more granular level than you want to move strategically. So, here a brigade is lowest level, but these brigades are made up of Regiments, Battalions and Companies so if a brigade meets another brigade, you might want to play a lower level ruleset than say Principles of War, or Grande Armee!

Admin Orbat

Units
This is where the admin can dictate what unit types are in the game, whether they count for movement limits and also what their base movement is. This allows the map to be scaled how you want.

Admin Units

General
Mainly on/off type settings, here the admin can dictate the feel of the campaign, can couriers be captured, are there guerillas and which side will they attack etc.

Admin General

This is a shot of the unit details screen, which as you can see goes down to a much lower level than the unit orders, and also shows the current strengths of the units.

Unit details

And lastly, this shot shows the lines of supply page. I hope to be able to add a map to this page to show the lines as they get amended as this is a difficult thing to remember or necessitates multiple windows being open.

Line of Supply Page

The figures were a joy as ever to paint although a few in the bag were miscast badly which is a real shame. Matt’s going to be getting a late Christmas present of the American’s (If you’re reading Matt, Merry Christmas!)

Heavy rain greeted the troops of Bravo Company. A mixed squad of 1st Squad and the platoon command went out on perimeter patrol.

Table set up

Table set up

The Americans have to clear 2 PEF (Potential Enemy Forces), randomly placed on the table in sector 1 and 5 (Top left and middle right).

American's patrolling

American's patrolling

American's patrolling

In the early few turns the Americans activate and move towards the nearest PEF. This PEF moves off towards the middle of the table and the Americans chase after it resolving that it is actually nothing.

Chasing to catch up to the PEF

Unfortunately the chase has taken the platoon commander close to the second PEF which is resolved to be a 3 man Local force VC cell. Even worse, two of the three men are REP 5′s and the LT goes down hit twice by the enemy.

LT goes down

The VC spring the ambush

The US troops manouvre into line to push forward triggering a firefight which they are on the losing side.

Firefight

Three more of their number go down while one of the VC is knocked down and another ducks back when his SKS jams.

American casualties pile up

Another round of firing knocks the VC leader down too, and the US advance to take two prisoners while the medic tries to save those wounded who haven’t already bled out. Unfortunately several of the wounds are too serious for him to do anything. 6 Casualties out of ten men, with 4 KIA, 1 Light wound, 1 Heavy wound. Not a good day! I’m beginning to think that more than 1 squad needs to be sent on patrols together.

Results of the patrol

Anyway, here are the photo’s

Anyway, I think the end result isn’t too bad all the above notwithstanding. I’m not sure how I’m going to base these up, 20mm squares, pennies, whether I’ll sand and pva the bases or try to do some fancy flag stone type thing. Nor do I really know what I’ll play with them, but I’ve wanted some Musketeers for a while! (Typical Wargamer eh?!)