Posts by Pete H

We are having a few games based loosely on the Tyrolean revolt in the Napoleonic era.

Just as historically the French depradations of the local population had stirred up trouble, historically it was stoked up and supported by the Austrians, but in our campaign it's the Brunswickers against the French who are allied with the Spanish.

To kick things off the French reprobate Mameluke Del Monte is in charge of an area where he's bringing the light of the Age of Reason to them by relieving them of their victuals and portable valuables.

With animosity rising the locals, supported by Brunswickers have revolted.

The first game was a French convoy, having been overtaken by rebels and Brunswickers, needing to fight off the superior numbers of rebels in a desperate fight behind a quickly formed wagon stockade.

Ok that was the scenario but as it turned out all Del Monte had to do was put his feet up with his lads guarding the wagons and let his skirmishers handle the rebels and Brunswickers.

A few volleys from the French skirmishers soon caused disorder in the enemy ranks and the Brunswickers were fleeing leaving the rebels to retrieve their own looted goods.

By the end of the game the Brunswicker cavalry had managed to at last get a charge in but with their commander long gone and casualties mounting they were unable to capitalise and fled the field leaving the rebels (who had done quite well holding their morale ) alone against overwhelming French numbers.

In the end Del Monte was able to wave the rebels victuals at them and point out that was the cost of bringing them the Age of Enlightenment and Reason and they should be grateful for it.

The second lot of six guerillas for Andy. The sword arms on the originals looked like the were holding cheese knives rather than sabres so I replaced them with dome cutlass wielding Perry ACW arms.

The French under Mameluke del Monte had mounted a hasty rear guard at an abandoned church situated in a pass in the hills. They were tasked with getting the pursuing Brunswickers resisting as much as possible getting the Brunswickers to commit all of their forces to the attack so that they could then estimate Brunswickers numbers. The Brunswickers had an initial force of line and shock troops but more forces following up.

Fir their part the French were a rather rag tag force of timid foot, a few skirmishers and a veteran gun.

Things started well fir the Brunswickers as they found some light gun that they'd forgotten was in their train so had that as well.

The Brunswicker officer was up for it and immediately formed his shock troops in close order and set off for the French head on. The other Brunswickers did their best to keep up and managed to draw some fire allowing the shock troops to plough headlong into some timid French allies. Along the way they'd become so geed up that they increased their already massive discipline so they were the napoleonic equivalent of a steam roller. They charged and followed up and charged and followed up until the timid French allies broke and fled. Despite then taking shooting from all sides they laughed in the face of death and fired back, unbreakable .The French started to retreat from the battlefield having caused the Brunswickers to bring on their cavalry and then breaking said cavalry who once again were lured to charged into the ruined church to become disordered and then broken.

On the whole the French shooting was ineffective which spared the Brunswickers some casualties and allowed their multiple assaults to drive home.

The game ended with the Brunswickers holding two of the three terrain features (hill and ruins) but the French causing them to need to deploy extra troops also took a point from the game making it a draw.

The Babbage rules initially have plenty of random units appearing but as you rout them off and they role not to return then it's easier to get rid of others.

In that game it took ages to rout the first rebel unit so they were usually free to turn up again.

The whole set of the rules is in TMWWBK but those are angled more towards natives in colonial warfare.

Not sure if you've seen it or not but James Clavell's 'The Last Valley' is on You Tube. A great film from 1971. TYW devastated Europe. Michael Caine leading a group of mercenaries over wintering in a secluded valley.

Quote from Bryan B

that has to be a record even for you pete

It's that complex colour scheme that helped; black, slightly off black, off black, black grey.

more Brunswickers for Dave's horde.

The deceptively peaceful looking town of Dolor de Cabeza. It would soon live up to is name!

We decided we'd try to adapt the always popular Mr Babbage rules from TMWWBK to the Napoleonics mini campaign. Rather than revolting natives we'd have revolting towns folk.

So it was as the Brunswickers marched in two columns into Dolor de Cabeza to resore order that the revolting townsfolk made their presence known.

The most likely types were mob and skirmishers but we did have a couple of slots for garrison troops who'd revolted if the generating dice rolls were high enough.

There is always a chance (25%) that no rebels appear - they are generated by the Brunswickers moving. The Brunswickers needed to move to sieze the town hall.

You can tell how the game was going to go by the fact that every Brunswicker movement caused bands of rebels to appear. What's more these were motivated rebels. No slink away actions for them. They all attacked the Brunswickers with gusto. The right hand Brunswicker column had rebels appear to their front left right and rear so that after repeated attacks they were dizzy and no nearer their objective.

The left hand column led by a drunkard did manage to make dome headway and eventually a rebel band fled which made others more likely to flee on testing.

The Brunswicker shooting was poor though and it was slow going.

But as the game neared it's end a route opened up for the Brunswickers left column.

Unfortunately it was just on opening time and the drunkard commander wa distracted by the fine beers on offer at the local hostelry so that his march on the town hall just fell short.

It was a quite well balanced game. Think we need to try it again with the mob poorer at fighting and the rebels being less enthusiastic to get to close quarters.

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Quote from Bryan B

did they have dog meat to celebrate?

Very harsh coming from a nation with frog and snail on the cuisine.

As things hotted up the Franco Spanish were in hot pursuit of the Brunswickers who were evacuating via a river crossing leaving only a small rear guard behind. The perfect target for Teniente colonel Nacho Libre to make his name by destroying it.

Wasting no time he decided that it was in fact better for Mameluke Ali del Monte to lead the charge because well you never know.

Ali's French streamed forward as did Nachos peasent marksmen. There was a unit of fancy dan Brunswicker mounted skirmishers just ready for the shooting. Several volleys poured in and the skirmishers were routed only for it to be revealed that they were a straw unit.

By now Ali had advanced a bit further as the Brunswickers actual units fell back. Even Nachos Spanish line were moving forward though things got a little out of step as units had clearly forgotten how to drill and were doing a hokey kokey kind of stop start advance.

At that point major Shortenhausen sprung his well concealed trap.

His whole force had been hiding on this side if the river not stranded on the other side as Nacho had thought.

The Spanish and French understandably started to retreat being pursued by the might of the Brunswicker force. Mameluke Ali did a better job of this than Nacho despite retreating through a bog.

Though on a road Nachos troops still couldn't do left right and so got strung out on the road some not moving at all.

Worse still it was Nachos in unit that refused to budge. Maybe they bravely sacrificed themselves as a rear guard sorry target or maybe they were the worst drilled. We'll never know as they were the target of much Brunswicker shooting and Nacho ended up being carried woundedfrom the field by his fleeing men.

Everyone except Nacho is claiming this as a victory. A Brunswicker ambush or a successful retreat by Ali.

I think as has been suggested is good. Line infantry in 12 man units so a couple of those. Maybe a 12 man light infantry unit. Just as standard there's 14 points there. Then a couple of 6 man skirmishers units at 4 to 6 points and some light cav and a light arty piece. That should give you 24 points with some options to swap out/ upgrade or downgrade units.

We kicked off a short Napoleonic campaign, French and Spanish versus British, Brunswickers and Ottomans, with a couple of small games.

The Brunswickers had been raiding and made off with some French supplies. As they neared their camp they were caught up to be the Comte del Monte's cousin, Mameluke Ali del Monte.

Problem was the French were strung out in pursuit and Mameluke Ali's cavalry ended up fighting the Brunswicker cav without their infantry support. They came off the worse and fled meaning that their leader was no longer in the thick of things.

The Brunswicker infantry gave the wagons chance to get to safety by forming the defensive line and awaiting the French infantry.

They needn't have worried. Confusion in the ranks meant that the French infantry started shooting at each other. Failed charges and advances and shooting ( it was that disastrous for the French) made it an easy defence for the Brunswickers who made off with the carts. It's only when they unpack them that they'll find they contain del Montes table linen and a selection of fine cheeses.

Elsewhere Armando el Cabroncito led a large column of very green Spanish ( and I'm not meaning eco warriors) who were marching up a road only to be ambushed by a small elite force of Brunswickers. It turned out that the Spanish had several decks worth of aces up their sleeves as they gained some additional cavalry and had secreted snipers all over the woods. Six double 6s worth in fact with a few double 1s that actually helped.

The elite Brunswickers held on until the last turn but were finally routed leaving el

Cabroncito with a clear road ahead of him.

Here's the second set of 12 Brunswicker Rifles.

stick those bayonets on the rest before doing anymore painting

Here's 12 Brunswicker Rifles and an officer to add to Dave's Napoleonics.

whilst we were getting all the WW1 stuff together we were thinking of having a small Napoleonics campaign.

We have all the minis we need already painted ( but maybe finish off Dave's Brunswickers).

Possibilities are :

Mediterranean: French Spanish v British Ottomans and irregulars/ militia.

Louisiana: French v Indians or French and Indian v British and Indian

Louisiana/ Tejas: French v Spanish

1812: American with French help v British

Maybe a bit of a stretch to later 1800s but Mexican v French or Mexican v American.

Bryan has British and French, Dave has Brunswickers, Andy has Spanish/ Mexican and I have Indians and militia ( could be American or other).

I'll bring some minis for Rebs and Patriots this evening if anyone wants a game.

Bryan could you bring some French and British and we can sort out a game.

that was a good game, great to have the Napoleonics out again and Rebels and Patriots is one of the better Osprey sets of rules. We'll have to have some more games of it as we have lots of minis ready to go.

I'll be there around 4pm.

Quote from JohntheWanderer

I thought the reason for the columns was to give greater depth to burst through lines with bayonet charges

I think it was that plus the column was more maneuverable than the line.