The 100 Days...

Game four for the week was a 4000 point Volley and Bayonet game set in 1815 during the 100 days. We used the Volley and Bayonet rules, and the 'Road to Glory' scenario system. It was played using Keith's 6mm armies. 

Richard and I commanded the allied army, Keith, Alastair, and Andrew, the French.

Richard had some of the worst luck I can recall in a war game in decades I think. His flank was devastated by Keith's French attack.. a well coordinated attack using French cavalry and the Old Guard (that said, Richard did manage to defeat the Old Guard, forcing them in to 'Exhaustion')  ... 'un catastrophe' for the allies. However it was still a chance to push lovely miniatures around a table with great company.

Boer War with Volley and Bayonet

 One of the many things I love about VnB is the way in which small changes in the rules significantly alter the play, the whole feel, of the game. Adrian has a series of tweaks that allow Boer War actions to be totally playable. For example, the Boers are all skirmish stands, sharp shooters, shoot with two dice... you get the idea. If you know the rules, I realise you might go 'what?', but the point is that they work. Game three for the week was a Boer war action with Adrian, Jon, and Alastair. A train was trapped, the Boers having partially damaged the line. A relief force was on the way. Could they make it?

No they didn't. We were too cautious with the relief force, and the Boer troops managed top destroy the train's guarding force before we managed to get there. A really fun game. The game was played using Adrian's 15mm armies.

Ottoman outing with DBR

Just a few shots of tonight's DBR outing, Ottoman Turks vs New Model Army. The second game as I try to re-learn the rules, thanks to Keith's patience. The game was relatively short, and didn't end well for the Ottoman army. However, lots more learned. The game was played with our 15mm armies.

Battle at Helena, 1863

With friend Murray interested in ACW, and enjoying our Volley and Bayonet games so far, we tried a take on an 1863 historical scenario, Helena. The game we played was vaguely similar to the historical battle, but scaled, massaged, and adjusted, to make something more of it. Historically, the Confederate forces made some headway, but were eventually driven off by the Union defenders who were well supported by a gunboat in the river at their back. Their artillery was seriously delayed by the muddy state of the roads along which they'd advanced. In our game this meant that by the time it arrived on the table, the battle was decided.

Union defenders on the left, holding the high ground and the town nestled against the river

Union artillery in field defences

The Union gunboat

Confederate attack in the centre

Close up of the Union defences

Advance against the centre

Confederate attempt to push around their left/the Union right flank

The bold Confederate charge against the centre

... and against the Union left on the Confederate right flank

Both attacks in the centre were repulsed. The two brigades making the attack against the artillery failed morale, lost the combat, and routed.

The Confederate attack on their right against the Union left was repulsed

Pressure was applied against the Union right, but too little, too late

An interesting scenario, a difficult 'ask' for the Confederate attackers, but a wee bit of fun all the same. The game was played with my 15mm armies, mostly Freikorps models.

The Gauls take to the battlefield

 Four of us gathered at Keith's this week for a round of DBA games. I'd just finished the Gallic army (II/ 11 ) (Essex, 15mm) and couldn't resist.  I modelled them as mostly fast warband, with a couple of solid Wb, a psiloi, and three cavalry. They didn't perform well under my generalship. Not to worry, they did better under the generalship of others .. yay!!

Just a few photos of that initial outing.

Tonkin Wars with Volley and Bayonet.

 For something a little different, a 15mm Volley and Bayonet game with Jon and Adrian, set in the Tonkin Wars in the 1860s, using Jon's beautiful 15mm armies. The row boats with oars come form Adrian's collection (and yes they are sporting British napoleonic figures).

The game was fictional, but based upon several French operations of the time, in which a shore landing was made in an effort to capture and destroy an ammunition depot.

The French landing was made with support from a naval gunboat ... of course!!!

Naval Thunder .. in the Pacific

 Last week I played in the second naval game in a campaign series that Keith has organised, as I understand it as a part of a test of the campaign system for the writers. The game was played using Keith's 1/3000th ships (Navwar IIRC)  using the 'Naval Thunder' rules. Just a few random shots of Keith's beautifully painted miniatures.