The gift of Gunners!

Christmas is a time for giving and this year I am giving Seth and Bruce the gift of Artillery!

Seth is building up a force of Confederates for Sharp Practice and I've assembled a couple of batteries from the Perry Miniatures American Civil War Artillery set this leaves a whole load of gunners left over so I assembled and painted up a gun crew for Seth, although the guy leaning on the wheel while the other pulls the lanyard is likely not drill-book ;)

Bruce is building up a Seven Years War collection so while at Historicon I picked up a Crusader Miniatures Austrian 3-pdr cannon and crew to paint up for him. A lovely model and really easy to paint.

There usually some interest in colours for Austrian guns, I used a base-coat of Vallejo Gold Brown highlighted up with Pale Sand.

Finally, completed on Saturday and entry for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, five more gunners, this time for the Union for Drew.

These chaps are models re-aiming the gun, so one chap uses the trail spike while two more push the wheels. Two more crew members prepare to ram home the next round.

The 12lb Napoleon is from my collection and just included for the purpose of the photo.

These are also on the Painting Challenge blog here....

Patrolling in strength

Last Thursday saw us playing Chain of Command using the 'Cocing up Mud & Blood' amendments from the summer special, plus some of the modifications James and I used in our own Bois De Caures campaign games.

The Bosche commanded by Drew consisted of a Senior Leader commanding four sections each of a Junior Leader, 8 Riflemen and 3 Bombers.

The Poilu commanded by Bruce consisted of a Senior Leader commanding 4 sections of a Junior Leader and D6+6 troops. For the French if an even number was rolled the unit had a VB launcher, 1/3 (rounded down) of the troops were bombers. When rolling for the French on the "Bad Things Happen" chart all rolls are at -2 making the French very difficult to shift.

We would play the modified Patrol scenario. Bruce had two points and added a Sniper. Drew had 8 points and added a MG/08, an Adjutant, a Pre-game Barrage with Feurwaltz.

Both sides started with a Force Morale of 8, definitely Advantage Les Poilus with their special rule.

The Germans had a very aggressive Patrol Phase and were able to get a couple of Jump-off Points well over the half way mark while the French were rather pegged back and only able to get a couple of theirs anywhere near their redoubts.

Fate swung back to the French though when Drew made the first Command Roll of the game turning up treble-sixes and ending the turn, cancelling the bombardment effect immediately.

The initial German push stalled when effective fire from the right-hand redoubt knocked over the  Unteroffizier leading one of the sections but the perfidious Hun replied by deploying their Maxim and raking the redoubt with a deadly fire.

With VB grenades falling all around the Maxim kept up its deadly hail and the French had to commit the Lieutenant to shore up morale among the troops.

Spurred on by the Leutnant and Obergefreiter seized the initiative and made a dash through a gap in the French defences, with the French Lieutenant already committed it was difficult to direct the reserves and the Bosche were able to break through the line and claim victory.

It was all over rather quickly, with a very light casualty count for such an engagement.

A few more shots from the game.

Rebel shenanigans

I've been a while getting this report out, what can I say but I've been busy :)

The first Thursday in November Bruce, Drew and Seth came over for another game in our Sharp Practice American Civil War series. Drew and Seth played the Confederates while Bruce and I the Union.

Having played some rather large games of late we went back to basics with a standard 1863 force each and played the Escort scenario with the Confederates doing escort duty.

The Confederates bolstered the core force with another unit of Skirmishers, while the Union added a Lvl2 with a group of 8 Infantry and a Lvl1 with a group of 8 skirmishers.

It's been rather a long time since we played and the detail may be  bit sketchy. The Confederates threw the least advantageous of their two entry points but did get three free moves and were soon striding manfully (without shoes) across the table.

The Confederates pushed their main body with the wagon up the flank furthest from the Union troops while the remainder of their force attempted to smooth their passage and keep the Federals at bay.

The Union forces did get quite an good starting position and were soon deploying troops to cut off the Confederate advance. Some nifty shooting by the Confederates did take down the leader of one of the Union skirmisher units rushing to block them and the other Union skirmishers had a bad roll on the shooting random event table and were restricted to close range fire.

The game developed with the escort pushing well up the table and the Union troops overwhelming the Confederates with both fire and bayonet, could the column make it off the table before the their morale collapsed. In a word, no, the escorting troops column was right at the edge of the table when the Confederate morale collapsed to zero, a minor victory to the Union tonight.

More pictures from the game, as usual, thanks for Drew for taking the additional shots.

Hundred Years War: English (1)

Last Thursday was Agincourt Day and as it coincided with paint night at the Madison Tea & Crumpets Wargames Club meeting I thought it was only right that I should slap some paint on those Perry Miniatures Agincout English that I've been collecting and assembling for ages.

I gave them a coat of grey primer and with one batch I had a 'bollocks' moment. The bloody stuff clarted up and covered them in little lumps of crud. Being plastics I could not revert to the usual stick them in nail polish remover tactics so I gave them a scrub with a toothbrush* to get most of it off and then gave them a re-coat with some Rustoleum satin Nutmeg as a base-coat.

Calamity mostly avoided I then sorted out my first dozen English longbowmen with my usual, base-coat, wash and a couple of highlights method.

Here are some close-ups of the finished groups, another dozen are almost complete, another dozen started and some men at arms are also on the go. Made a nice change from all the ACW painted of late.

For this group I went with a red, white and black colour scheme, but with no consistent livery. Hopefully they hold together well without being identically uniformed.

The chap second from right was started by chum Drew on paint night, I finished him off and completed the highlights so he could go back to painting his ACW collection.

* You'll be thankful to know that I since binned the toothbrush.

A bloody action at Mirror Lake

Thursday evening we convened for another game of Sharp Practice using my ACW collection. Bruce and I played the Union troops while Drew and Seth again played the Confederates.

The forces were based upon last weeks game but with a few more troops for the Union as we played the Attack on an Objective scenario.

 The table was laid out as the photo above with a farm and orchard on on flank and woods, boggy ground and rolling hills covering the rest. The objective would be in the top right corner,

Wary of the Confederate cannon the Union tried to push to the left through the woodlands, but deft use of three 'four command card' activations pushed their cavalry down the right flank to allow them to dismount and form up on the Confederate right flank.

The Confederate horse were much less subtle and made a gambit to grab ground in the centre. Union skirmishers deployed into the farm from their secondary deployment point and soon the Confederate cavalrymen started to suffer. Eventually their leader was wounded and they had amassed enough shock to see them breaking for the rear.

The Union force advanced under a steady and accurate fire from the Confederate Napoleon which eventually forced back the right hand end of the Union line. Both forces created their firing lines and some brisk volleys ensued.

It was pretty much settled though when the Major commanding the Union forces was shot from his saddle, although the game ended with both forces on Force Morale 3 the absence of the senior leader made it much harder for the Union forces to control the shock taken in the firefight.

We declared a minor victory to the Confederacy as they still held the objective.

More photos from the game, again thanks for Drew for taking the additional shots.

A brisk action at Deer Creek

Sergeant Gallard and his section attempt to hold up the strong Confederate push on their right

Thursday evening saw Bruce, Drew, Seth and myself convene at Scrivsland to play some Sharp Practice with my American Civil War collection.

I've now got quite a lot painted - and even more finished since this game - so we can now play some quite large battles. Before the chaps arrived I picked a couple of evenly matched forces from the later period in the war:

Confederates - Drew and Seth:

• Captain James Turnbull (III) leading three groups of eight infantry with rifled muskets.
• First Lieutenant Gregory La Vert (II) leading two groups of eight infantry with rifled muskets.
• First Lieutenant Daniel Carter (II) leading two groups of eight infantry with rifled muskets.
• Second Lieutenant Dominic Harris (I) leading a group of six skirmishers with rifled muskets.
• Corporal Nathaniel Jefferson (I) leading a group of six skirmishers with rifled muskets.
• Second Lieutenant Harvey Greene (I) leading a group of eight cavalry with pistols and shotguns.
• Sergeant Elijah Barnes (1) commanding a medium gun with five crew.

Along the Confederate lines

Union - Bruce and myself: 

• Captain Stanley Parsons (III) leading three groups of eight infantry with rifled muskets.
• Second Lieutenant Ross Drucker (I) assisting the captain.
• First Lieutenant Howard Van Klassen (II) leading three groups of eight infantry with rifled muskets.
• Sergeant Eugene Naler (I) assisting the lieutenant.
• First Lieutenant Thaddeus Thaler (II) leading two groups of eight cavalry with breach loading carbines.
• Sergeant Thomas Gallard (I) leading a group of six skirmishers with rifled muskets.

The Union troops also were bolstered by a mule train, a musician and a secondary deployment point.

Via a risky coup de main Lt. Thaler and his horse seize the high ground on the Confederate right

The table was set up fairly open with some scrubby hills, sparse woodlands and marshes. On one flank was a farm where the Union troops had set up a field hospital and on the other a fenced orchard. In the photo below the Union deployment points were top right and the Confederate deployment point was bottom left.

The battle after after several turns

It was clear from the initial deployment points that the battlefield would end up a diagonal affair slashing across the centre of the table. The Confederates rushed skirmishers supported by their artillery up their left flank. 

Lieutenant Dominic Harris and his section get emplaced in some marshy ground.

 The Union troops deployed to try to form a firing line in the centre, the main force under the captain formed an open column then skirted a scrubby knoll to form up on the left flank.

Captain Parsons and

 Lieutenant Drucker swing wide on the Union left.

While the Confederates shook out their line the Union horse rushed up at the trot to take position on the hillock on the Confederate right

Union troops in column make rapid advances on their left

The Union right was quite outnumbered so Sergeant Gallard and his troops were moved into the field hospital to help shore up the right flank of Lieutenant Howard Van Klassen.

Lieutenant Howard Van Klassen's line is formed on the Union right

Sergeant Gallard and his section fall back in the face of withering fire

Initially the Union troops gained an advantage on their right, driving off the Confederate skirmishers under Lieutenant Harris, but the Rebel artillery fire started to sway the battle towards the Confederates on that flank. The Union skirmishers in the farm also gave ground in the face of the fire coming from their opposite numbers.

Lieutenant Van Klassen's left is driven back by the concerted artillery fire.

 On the Union left they were taking their advantage, while the Union cavalry dismounted and poured accurate and withering carbine fire into the Confederate left the main force under Captain Parsons shook out into line and started exchanging volleys with the Rebels under Captain Turnbull facing them. The Rebels had the advantage of deploying in the edge of the woods, but the Union troops had the superior controlled volleys.

Captain Parsons' troops form a steady line.

 On our right the wight of fire began to tell, the left-hand group of the formation was forced back in some disorder by the artillery file, and Van Klassen had been struck, not fatally, but sufficient to cause some consternation.

The main body on the Union right is in some difficulties

The Union horse were ensconced on the hillock and despite Thaler being hit were overwhelming their opposite numbers with volley after volley of accurate carbine fire, the battle was finely in the balance, whose left flank would crack first?

Lieutenant Thaler and the Union horse have a strong position on the Confederate right flank

Unfortunately, we would not get to find out, it was well past 11PM and time to wrap up. Maybe, having not played for quite some time we had too many troops on the table and spent far too long gassing beforehand.

Would the Union right collapse before the Confederate right?

Thanks to Drew for some of the photos used in this report.

More images from the game.

Union troops in column

Driving off the Confederates with steady, accurate fire.

Your author contemplates another beer!

 

The main body of Confederate infantry