HotT semi historical napoleonics

 It seemed like time for some HotT games, and Andy popped around with three armies to choose from. We decided to try our semi-historical napoleonic armies in a 48 point game.

Andy's army is mostly shooter's, with some delightful flyers (95th Rifles, and British light infantry, and some riders and knights, lead by several heroes.

My French are an interesting mix: behemoths (French columns), shooters, blades, hordes (French conscripts), riders and knights, also lead by heroes.

The setup from behind the French army, the French are defending and their 'stronghold' is a Spanish village

British hero

British flyers, 95th Rifles, and light infantry

More 95th, which I think Andy had taken as warband

French columns/behemoths

French 'knights' - heavy cavalry

French hordes/conscripts

The stronghold.. scratch built quite a few years ago

Initial contact on the French right, a rider (French Hussar) destroyed by the British infantry (Shooters)

Two of the French columns have broken through, eliminating British shooters in the line

On the French left, French knights supported by shooters, lead by a hero general, face of against British knights 

The British flyers overfly the battle lines, landing in the French rear, where most of them sat out the battle, as their command was starved of PIPs

Getting messy on the right, casualties on both sides. Andy attacked a French column from front and rear with flyers

Battle is joined on the left

In the centre things are actually pretty quiet

British casualties mount on the right

The British right French left, and the British command is demoralised

Lots of 'argy bargy' on the French right, but British casualties are mounting

But so too are the French casualties

However finally the British left breaks too....

I liken the larger HotT games to a balanced diet. Pizza alone night after night can get boring (Lorraine might disagree). You need those meals with lots of vegetables and protein too, otherwise you feel unsatisfied. We now tend to find that the 24 point HotT battles satisfy the itch to some degree, but the larger games (double and Big Battle) are more satisfying. They play significantly differently.

St Julien 1915 ...

It's always great to get the Great War Spearhead armies out onto the table. This time it was Jon's wonderful 10mm armies. Jon created a very cool scenario  (he's very good at that!!) set during 2nd Ypres, following the gas attacks against the Canadians, and centred around the town of St Julien. There was an element of 'historical license' in Jon's scenario construction in order to make an interesting game. The terrain has a covering of snow, and there were British armoured cars, and aircraft on both sides.

The game was structured around a remnant of the gas shocked Canadians holding the town of St Julien in the centre of the table, a British division advancing. to relieve them and seal of the hole in the British lines, while a German division advances to the attack, intent on exploiting the gap that they have created with their initial gas supported attack.

My apologies for the 'tease', but we spent so much time yarning the game never reached any sort of resolution. 

However here are a few photos of Jon's wonderful armies.. 

Warpath in 6mm

Andy and I toyed with the Mantic warpath and Firefight systems not long after they came out. We decided to get back in to some Warpath .. we like the system, which I described as Epic Armageddon Lite. The activation system creates a really interesting game dynamic far superior to anything in the sci fi genre that we have seen before.

We did ponder whether some Spearhead mechanisms might adapt to this too, but that's a very different matter. Anyway, no AAR, just few photos. e sue the perspex explosion markers to mark suppressions on units.  

Usdau 1914, refought in 6mm

 Righto, we thought.. Great war Spearhead we thought, let's try a new scenario, we thought..  Usdau, 1914, we thought.. seemed vaguely familiar, we thought, but anyway, out came my 6mm armies (Irregular Miniatures), and on we went. 

Only problem.. we chose a scenario we'd already played.. here is the link to the previous game, played with my 20mm armies.

Anyway, a photo record of the action in 6mm

The battlefield seen from the NNW.. Russians defending the high ground to the left, Germans attacking from the right. The rail line running along the table counts as level 1 entrenchments for stands immediately behind it

Usdau is a 3 village sector 'town', heavily occupied by the Russians

The Russian left, more lightly defended than the right, which hangs as an open flank

Jon flank marches two regiments on the right, deep flank marches

A German regiment holds the German right, and a second regiment advances directly towards Usdau

The Russian reserve regiment turns to face the flank march

Fire opens on the Russian right against the flank march (Russians on the left of the photo, Germans advancing on the right)

The German regiment advancing directly towards Usdau comes under fire and begins to take casualties

Jon pushes the advance on the flank

The Russian right flank defenders are also taking fire and casualties

German flanking force is taking signifiant casualties in what is becoming an intense firefight

Russian 'reserve' regiment taking intense fire, including direct artillery fore from 77mm gun batteries that have now unlimbered in support

The defenders of Usdau aa\come under heavy and sustained fire

That German regiment advancing directly on Usdau is feeling the heat, fails a morale check and withdraws

The remnants of the retreating German regiment seen in the upper part of the photo moving away from the camera

Usdau.. it's pretty hot in there now, casualties mounting on the defenders

The scene across the battlefield from behind the German flank march

The German attack had failed, with one regiment having pulled back, and one of the flank marching regiments teetering on the brink of collapse too. However both of the Russian right flank regiments were also just a few stands away from compulsory morale checks. Their larger size saved them, since all of the Russian troops are counted as 'Green'.

Comparing this refight with our 2018 version, the German flank march was stronger this time around, Jon flank marching two regiments. However this meant that the remainder of the Russian force had been pretty much unengaged.

The German task is pretty demanding. The scenario notes comment that the Russian defenders are classified as Green to provide a degree of vulnerability given that the scenario models an open flank for the defenders.  Interesting that in two runs through, the Germans have struggled to take Usdau, or to drive Russian regiments to a morale check.

However, another great game