Ups and Downs

I had thought my wargaming was going to slow down but it hasn't, so three recent battles to showcase. I was at the club again this week and was showing 'Lucky' Jimi what War and Conquest was all about, I think he felt sorry for me as I continually moan about not enough games of my second favourite game. Anyway I brought along Thrax and his boys and more Barbarians, I offered Jimi a choice of sides and he took the Romans, both armies were infantry as I did not want to complicate the game by introducing the different cavalry and their styles of fighting.

 

The Barbarians attack.

  

Steady boys, steady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clash of arms

We lined up and off we went, I simply went straight for the Roman line hoping to knock a few of the cohorts out before I was flanked as Jimi had one more battle formation than me. I hit the Roman left and the routed Auxiliaries took their skirmishers along with them, this time I caught the routers and that was one down four to go. Jimi got the drop on me and hit my centre warbands while I left my last one to threaten his right as he hesitated. Numbers told in the end and the Roman centre lost one unit while another was in trouble. Jimi now turned a cohort to hit my winning warband in the flank but I got in first and hit his Lanciarii, before his legionaries could take advantage of his formation change the Lanciarii broke and ran. The Germans had won.

It was good to take the troops to the club but there was not a lot of interest shown as everyone else was busy. I enjoyed the game albeit it was a 'training' bash and I think Jimi also enjoyed it, his reputation for desperate dice did manage to turn up at awkward times but at others he pulled off some nice throws.

Matt Crump was back from his European battlefield and Museum trip so we played out the second game of our Gembloux Gap campaign. Matt had withdrew from the first clash and was again attempting to push the French from the village of Perbais. Although the Jerries got extra support points for their second attempt I felt fairly confident as we set about the Patrol Phase. I was taken by surprise and failed miserably with this, so much so that my Jump Off Points ended up pretty useless for me, even as a defender, Matt had managed to get a couple right on my flank.

Plan A.

 

Ooops, Plan B then.

 

Mortar incoming!

The Germans close in.

 I held back most of my infantry but did take cover in a couple of buildings, before this however I had put down my rifle grenadiers to cover a dangerous Gemans JOP but within minutes Matt had wiped them out, the morale loss hurt me and and I fell from 11 to 8 as the team broke and the leader was killed. I used a Shabby Nazi Trick to close off one of the JOP's and covered another from a nearby house, this forced Matt to advance across mainly open ground. I had been busy moving my armour, an R35, up the road to get into a firing position, it managed it and as it settled down to wreak havoc on the Boche Matt managed to blow it up with his infantry gun. 

After that I decided to try and inflict some damage but that plan didn't work out either, Matt dropped a mortar barrage which in the end did no significant damage to my guys but anywhere I did manage to pop my head out was covered by the infantry gun, an off table MMG and German infantry, my morale fell to 3. It was all up for the French, I had been outplayed and sent packing, well done Matt. Due to the difference in morale and the fact I only gave two of his guys a headache Matt hardly suffered at all. I think next time will be a trip to the Dungeon.

Two days later it was Seven Years War and a game with Ian, I asked Chat GPT for an idea and it gave me the bones of a scenario, nothing fancy, a meeting engagement and although the objectives were to capture the ridges held by the other side it would be down to who was left standing. Ian took the French and I was the British, for ever looking over my shoulder to see if the council would be hammering at the door to take my Union flags.

 I got two Dithering commanders and one Reliable, my cavalry turned up with a Dashing leader, Ian also had two dopes, one Dashing and his cavalry was Reliable, the CinC can be used to make one poor commander reliable and we both did that. Ian's Dashing fellow was in the centre and I hoped he would advance quickly into the waiting muskets of my centre, he did but it took time. 

British left flank.

French left.

The battle begins.

I advanced my left fairly quickly and the French opposite also came on in the grand manner, my centre advanced to the stream and halted, the troops there came under artillery fire but they weathered it well, my right slowly advanced through the wood on that side of the battlefield and I was happy for the French to attempt to get to grips with that brigade. I was hoping I would win elsewhere and then claim victory. My artillery now played on the French centre and they were devastating, causing battalions to retreat and disrupt Ian's advance. On his right however he reached the stream and charged across it, my boys stood and their crashing volleys caused mayhem in the ranks of the Irish and German mercenaries, routing some and causing others to fall back.

Battle commences.

The British cavalry triumphant.

The French right in trouble.

The magnificent Royal Artillery.

 Ian eventually managed to get some troops up to engage my centre at the stream but once again my artillery chased some of them away, my infantry then stood up manfully and put the rest to flight, although I had by now lost two battalions.

The French left with nothing happening.

The French centre collapses.

The French left also collapses.

Earlier in the game the cavalry reserves of both sides had turned up, Ian again being aggressive and throwing them across the stream, one squadron charging some infantry and the other being charged by my cavalry. This was a disaster for the French as the infantry volleys put paid to one squadron and my cavalry routing another. After this I sent my cavalry to the left flank as a large gap had opened in the enemy line and I wanted to take advantage of it. On my right I kept my boys in the wood while the French commander there was having a dreadful time inspiring his brigade to move forward. By this stage the French were close to breaking point and were not in a good position so Ian handed over his sword.

I know someone has to do it but it is not easy attacking in Honours of War, add this to the fact my shooting dice, especially the artillery were extremely good and you have a recipe for disaster. It was a good fight and nice to see the SYW back on the field of battle, and no knock from the council.

 I picked up the new car a week ago and promptly got lost after leaving the showroom, finding myself in darkest Lancashire along a country lane which was flooded, this necessitated a U-turn on a road not much bigger than my wargame table with other irate drivers to my rear. Obviously there is more to the story but I won't bore you with it. It has taken us several calls to BMW and looking at videos on YouTube to work out the tech on the thing. Remember when you got the key and off you went.

 I know the world is mad and I generally just shake my head these days but the fact that NATO have issued guidance on using words which offend, offend who by the way, like airman, serviceman and anything else which mentions the overwhelming majority of people in the armed forces of the organisation. I had just got over this when I found out that the MOD have decided RAF vegans, all 7 of them, can have vegan uniforms instead of the normal ones. And they expect our enemies to take us seriously. 

Still awaiting scans.

 Oh, I nearly forgot, I have now had, thanks to some bots, over a million views, did I mention that before?