Stemming the Tide After Holowczin GNW Cavalry Action with BLBII

Another Great Northern War play test.

Chris has taken one of Barry Hiltons pre-prepared 4play games, doubled the forces so 3 of us can play and increased the table area. As its cavalry only who move fairly briskly we decided not to extend the movement rates.

The game is based on the end of the battle of Holowczin, the Swedish army has smashed the Russian army at the Dneiper river in the face of superior artillery, defences and difficult terrain and the Cavalry is now pushing onto the Russian artillery park defended by Russian Dragoons.

The Swedes have 6 squadrons of guard cavalry all Veteran, Elite Blade and 2 squadrons of Drabants Royal Guard who are all Guard, Blade. The Swedes all have decent commanders.

The Russians have 10 mounted squadrons and 2 dismounted in woods varying in quality from Veteran Elite to Green, the majority are drilled. They also have a light gun, initially masked by a cornfield. 

4 Squadrons of Russians guard a passage to the Swedish right, including two of Elite horse Grenadiers. 4 Guard the central passage with a gun is support and two units of dismounted dragoons set to rake any unit braving the centre, two more are position to support the centre or cover the Swedish left should I decide to try for the flank.  

My job is to have a Swedish squadron of more than half strength holding the barrel 6 inches from the Russian artillery park by move 8.

Move 1 Steve pushes 4 squadrons into the main gap and two more to cover the potential left flank move.

I get a full hand of orders, as the Swedes can have double orders I use them to form two squadrons left and move them to try for the left flank gap whilst pushing 4 more squadrons towards the centre.

Chris is looking at all the cavalry turning left and going for Steve and thinking thank goodness for that!

Steve fires the dismounted dragoons on my left as the cavalry come in range managing to inflict one casualty. The light gun also fires but at long range misses.

First casualties of the game and they can mount up quickly so I will need to be careful.

Next turn the other unit of dismounted Dragoons has a shot but fails to score a hit.

My two leading left flank squadrons are past the dismounted Dragoons and the gun, moving at 8 inches per turn we are making steady progress but having the ability to only move parts of the army each turn depending on the order allocation is breaking the formation up and leaving some units behind. 

The other four units of guard make varying degrees of steady progress leaving the two squadrons of Drabants behind as I dont have the activations to get them moving.

I get a decent order allocation and decide to sue one of the Swedes unique abilities and issue double orders to the front two units, to move then charge. Move is 8 inches charge is 10 inches plus a D6 so I could get anywhere up to 24 inches total movement.

My third unit of horse get a charge order and engage the Russians in the centre who counter charge.

Both units reach their targets and Melee ensues.

In the centre the Swedes inflict 50% casualties, they Russians inflict non but attrition means there is always at least one casualty for the winner.

A similar result on the left where the Russians take slightly more than 50% casualties.

The Russians pass their morale in the centre and both sides throw in reinforcements, the Swedes again have the advantage in dice and this time destroy the lead unit and force the supporting unit back. They have now though taken 50% casualties in the lead unit and will need to allow the rest of the force to finsih the job.

The Russians fall back and the Swedes pursue destroying the first Russian unit.

In the centre a unit of Swedes rolls a 10 on D10 and gets an uncontrolled charge at the dismounted dragoons, They have to turn more than 45 degrees so are unformed, Chris then gets a devastating close range volley inflciting 50% casualties, no surprise that despite surviving the firing they loose the melee and route back.

On the far right Chris advances his Dragoons and Elite Horse Grenadiers. He has set up in order to do an "All or nothing Charge" allowing, once in a game, a whole regiment to charge a unit rather than just a squadron and throwing everyones dice into the ensuing melee. 

My Swedes are winning in the centre, Steve has committed another squadron to try hold them but this one is again pushed back.

Having broken the first unit of Dragoons my flanking squadrons bounce onto the next one, charging unformed. They break the unit but have taken 50% casualties, on the upside the supporting unit is now in position to claim the game and is also formed up on the flank of the remaining untouched Russians.

Its all happening on the right flank now as my Swedes get an uncontrolled charge, the Russians all or nothing charge goes in and its 9 Russian dice against 5 Swedish, the Swedes are all but destroyed but the casualties to Russians still force them to retreat. On the extreme right with one Squadron eahc its an easier victory for the Swedes who follow up chasing the retreating Russians and shore up the right flank.

The Swedes push through but are held by the remaining Horse Grenadier Squadron. Drilled, Elite these are the bets the Russians have.

A really fun game this did reinforce just how much better the Swedes are and how much less fun the Russians are to play with for Chris and Steve.

We agreed next time to add Saxons to the Russians and hamstring the Swedes somewhat with Polish allies.

Thanks for stopping by.

Progress for Anarchists, Poles and others

With an eye on the forthcoming Partizan show I am trying to get units of Anarchists and finish some Poles whilst I have time.

These three Great War stormtroopers finish the last company of Poles in German Uniform and take me to 5 completed battalions for the Poles.

These four, whilst mainly aimed at Anarchist Sailors will also do double duty as Red Sailors too. These give me 2 units of 10 Red sailors and 2 units of 10 Anarchist  sailors, for the forthcoming game I will mix them as a four company battalion. Three are Scheltrum the other is STP. The Scheltrum are a little dramatic in pose for me but I will mix them with STP rather than have bases of them.

These Footsore (Now Wee Wolf) WW1 Russians will be great for the Whites, I picked these up already painted, I did add highlights, uniforms touch up and new flesh to tie them into my own figures, they also needed the rifles painting, but a quick job over all and should mix in nicely.

This Harquibusier from Empress is just lovely and the first of the "German” type troops for the Deluge project. I have a very small number of these old Bohemia Miniatures figures to pain whilst I decide what rules will work best.

I forgot to take a picture of these before I started to add them to bases but decent progress for the Anarchists, particularly happy with the cavalry command base.

Good progress as I get more painted for this project, happy I am getting these ready for the game.

Decent batch of painting this week, I am making better progress than expected.

The Anarchist Cavalry have been a main focus so good to get some completed. I tend to paint the oils on the horses in colour batches hence a few greys here, more brown horses to mix in soon. These are mainly Scheltrum with second from the left being a Renegade German Officer with a Ukranian hat. Middle figure unknown possibly a Boxer Rebellion Russian?

This STP gun and crew worked well, the gun is very green but matches the ones I see outside Eastern European museums and the two I already have. 

A third company of Siberian Rifles making a small regiment, mainly Copplestone with two Scheltrum and some head swaps.

As progress is good with the Anarchists and Reds I am going to try get a few Poles completed as well, this is the start of a third company with this unit, eventually plan 4 but getting 3 complete for the game will do me. Scheltrum on the left and Renegade on the right with a Studio Siberia head which I much prefer to the Scheltrum head.

I will share more as I have it, thanks for stopping by.

First ACW play test

Steve’s AWI rules we play tested are, it turns out, based on a work in progress set of ACW rules and tonight we get the figures on table for the first time for a run out.

Great fun but it has to be said my dice were particularly awful, even for me.

Chris and I had 2 Brigades of infantry each with a battery each. Chris was attacking with the Reb's, slightly less troops but much better quality. 9 regiments a mix of crack and veteran with a two gun battery.

I had the Yanks but 3 of our regiments were off table with Steve, could I hold off the better quality confederates until Steve could arrive to support. 8 regiments of various strengths a mix of drilled with the odd green and veteran unit with a three gun battery supporting. Steve would roll at the end of each turn for arrival of his 3 regiments of drilled reinforcements.

We used card activation with a card for each brigade to see who went first. The rules allow for 4 actions per unit, fire, move, manouvre, reload etc. As each brigade activates you roll to see if you get an extra action, on a 6 you do on a 1 you get one less. Excellent commanders get a plus one so an extra action on a 5 or 6 and no chance to reduce to 3.  My commanders were not too good, Chris managed an extra turn a couple of times. First move the larger 5 regiment brigade of Rebs pushes forward.

My turn and I try get my left hand brigade to spread out and cove more ground, actions do require a roll to complete, shuffling to the left to fill a gap is a complex manouvre requiring a roll of a 4, I manage this no times in 4 rolls. hardly a shuffle. The shape of things to come I fear.

Hard evidence of my inability to roll a  decent dice. I am not on my own Steve has rolled for the Yankee reinforcements, they wont be arriving this turn.

On my right the Rebs have pushed forward quickly and aggressively. They manage a volley and inflict some casualties, 1 firing dice per base needing a 5 or 6 at effective range. I fire back with a large 7 base veteran unit and may as well have fired in the air. 1 casualty. Sigh!

On the left I have decided to shift a different unit and manage a staggered line to cover the advancing Rebs, again they have fired and inflicted casualties whilst my response suggests we have been issued with defective rifles or bad powder.

The rebels advance into the woods and we are almost able to volley each other (8 inches in woods)

On my right the Rebs charge the large veteran unit who are driven back 12 inches. The Rebs have taken casualties but as hey are crack they are unlikely to fail any morale and have now left my front regiment exposed. 

In the centre we have an uneven fire fight, casualties on both sides but my green troops loose a base after 5 casualties and the Rebs Veteran and Crack troops after 6 or 7 so I am taking morale tests more often and less likely to pass them.

Chris's artillery has only 2 guns and one is smoothbore so shouldnt be that good, 2 dice needing 5's and 6's. I probably dont need to dwell on this one.

The rebels close with my lead unit, two volleys sends it realing back in disarray almost to the guns.

My artillery in response? Lets just say Chris isnt too worried at this stage.

Chris advances one regiment of Rebs through his front damaged unit and volleys my drilled Yanks, along with the earlier artillery hit this forces a morale, I roll double one and they are off table, not that I am getting frustrated at all!

My remaining unit then takes a further two volleys and is forced back with commander taking a hit and losing a level of command.

Last move of the game and Steves reinforcements turn up on the flank of my pretty much destroyed brigade. Pretty much just in time to cover the retreat (Someone less kind might say route!) of my two very badly mauled brigades.

Despite my desperately poor dice its easy to see the rules have potential and I have enjoyed it, all be it laughing at my own expense. I look forward to playing them again soon, hopefully with a couple of weeks off I can replenish a little luck.

May the odds be ever in your favour!

Thanks for stopping by!