All in All - The Barons' War AAR

This past weekend I finally managed to meet back up with the Army of Central Maryland group. 

The game of the day was The Barons' War, with miniatures, terrain, and rules guidance provided by Mike.

The scenario was an ambush. The attacking warband, caught unawares while passing through the village, would score points for units moved off the opposing table edge. The defenders would score points for each enemy unit removed. 

The attackers had fewer numbers but consisted of mercenary units that were generally well equipped, along with with monks and local guides. The defenders had a core of knights, mounted knights, and serjeants, but were supplemented by a larger amount of quickly scrapped together levy.

The attackers advanced with their levy and monks leading the way, marching through the town. The defenders, having spread out in deployment, started to shift towards their left. 

The Barons' War uses alternating activations with most units able to perform a single action in a turn: move, fight, rally, etc. A commander and his retinue has more actions, and can divvy out those actions to other friendly units within a certain range, though this causes the unit to become Weary (a detrimental status where all dice rolls are at -1 and requires a morale test to remove). The attackers' commander, for example, could use his actions to order his crossbow units to shoot a second time in a turn. This would prove useful when the crossbows moved into close range. 

The attackers continued forward under a steady hail of arrows, with the monks and levy catching the worst of it. 

Meanwhile, a single unit of mercenary crossbowmen hunkered down in the middle of the town. They managed to take out a single mounted knight, but the defenders' use of the village's walls generally kept them safe. 

The main engagement occurred on the other side the village. An attacking unit of serjeants led the assault on the wall, but between the defenders' mounted knights and bow levy, the serjeants were repulsed.

In the distance, the defenders' commander, his retinue, and the well-armed serjeants rushed to bolster the levy units behind the wall. 

However, the rest of the attackers' units charged in together. Both of the defender bow levy units, as well as a unit of spear levy, were broken and began to fell back, leaving only the defenders' commander, his retinue, and a unit of serjeants left to defend the flank. The mounted knights were also finally brought down.

We ended the game there for time. Post-game discussion left the situation ambiguous; if the attackers only had a limited number of turns (I believe Mike said it was 5 turns total) then there was no way to get any units off the table in time. However, the defenders were going to have a difficult time winning in combat against the attackers' remaining units, especially with the crossbows shooting twice at close range. Further, it was unlikely they would have completely removed any units before the game ended.

Overall we enjoyed the game. Once we got the rules down it moved pretty quickly, and nothing felt off-kilter. I wouldn't mind seeing more of The Barons' War on the table. 

French Press - 'O' Group AAR

Last weekend Rocky was kind enough to host a game of 'O' Group, which allowed me to finally break out the French and German battalions that I had spent so much time painting. 

The scenario was a modified version of the Cristot scenario from the main rulebook. The Germans were the attackers, with three infantry companies, a machine gun section (though I realize I accidentally gave myself a second section in the game), a Panzer II platoon, and a Panzer III platoon (each of two sections). 

The defending French had three infantry companies (with one having only two platoons), two machine gun sections, two 25mm anti-tank guns, and Renault R35 platoon with two sections.

Like the book scenario, the Germans would need to capture two of the four BUAs of Cristot by the end of sixteen turns to win, or either side would need to inflict 3 FUBARs on the other side.

The German assault on the town was blunted early when a machine-gun reinforced infantry platoon was chased from an orchard by combined French infantry and tank fire.

On the other side of the road that split the table, the French enacted a refused flank, pulling back while opposing two German companies. The French FO used his placement on the hill to call in battalion mortars and the single French artillery mission that was available. 

The French fell back to the town, with four infantry platoons occupying a BUA each. 

The R35s' fire continued to hold off the attacking Germans. They had to be careful, however, as the Germans had integral AT rifles and could potentially damage the French tanks (the French infantry lack integral AT fire, thanks to their sending their AT rifles abroad).

I decided to bring the Panzer IIs on to support the German right flank. 

And the Panzer IIIs rumbled onto the table to engage the R35s. 

As the Panzer IIs rolled forward, German infantry followed behind.

The Panzer IIIs managed to knock out one of the R35 sections. Rocky revealed his two AT guns which had deployed in ambush: one aiming at the Panzer IIIs, and on aiming at the Panzer IIs.

The Panzer IIIs eventually managed to knock out the second R35 section.

A Panzer II section was lost to French AT gun fire. 

The German infantry rushed to the hedgerows lining the road, hoping to launch an assault into the town.

However, French fire was heavy enough to continually shock the German infantry. And one platoon was routed from the table, giving the Germans a FUBAR.

We decided to call the game at the end of Turn 14, as there wasn't a chance for the Germans to press into the town in two turns or cause enough casualties for three FUBARs.

I definitely could have made some better tactical decisions. The major mistake I made was poorly deploying the third German company all the way on the German right. I had hoped to catch the French on the right side of the table in a pincer attack but they fell back too quickly. This left a third of my force out of the fight, which then meant that the French actually had more infantry in the main attacking area. 

The Consolidation action is one of the more complicated aspects of 'O' Group, and I definitely need to work harder to understand it. Storm of Steel has a YouTube video that's worth watching.

I probably should have brought the tanks on earlier as well, as they could have put more pressure on the French compared to the slower moving infantry.

Rocky also suggested that the scenario itself needed tweaking. Going forward, I will remove the third French company and add a light howitzer to the Germans. We'll have to try the scenario again and see how it shakes out.

Village Quar-rel - Clash of Rhyfles AAR

It's been a while, hasn't it? 

For a number of reasons, my hobbying dropped off the map earlier this year. No purchasing, no painting, no playing. 

I did finally get around to demoing a couple games of Clash of Rhyfles, which not only has done a bit to get my hobby malaise cleared up, but ticks a couple boxes in my 6x6 challenge.

To keep things simple, the Coftyrans and Crusaders had four basic rhyflers and a milwer (the in-universe equivalent of a corporal). This meant that all models were equipped with basic rifles, and players could use the Leader rule with the milwer. The objective was just fighting to the last quar.

The rules have largely stayed the same between the previous iteration in the Rhyfler’s Pocketbook and the current version. 

The streets of the village were quickly filled with bodies from both sides.

The first game saw the Coftyrans start with an early lead, but eventually the Crusders came back to win with a single model left. The higher Snapshot value of the Crusader's Bogen rifle helps when returning fire or making Snapshots, where the longer Harlech rifles of the Coftyrans have better range.

In our second we, the two side deployed different. Playing as the Crusaders, I realized I was boxed in with the placement of the buildings and bushes! 

It didn't help that I kept rolling terribly when attempting to treat my wounded Quar, which left two of them dead outright.

The Coftyrans cleaned up the remaining Crusaders, leaving them in control of the village. 

The demos created some local buzz, and I've assembled my Crusader and Coftyran specialists and tractors. And there's been some movement on the next starter set from Wargames Atlantic, which will feature Creevin, who have the best uniforms. 

Bits and Gits - Space Gits AAR

Recently I was delighted to hear that a local club was going to be running a Space Gits event, where you could show up, build a few gits, and play. As it's part of my 6x6 challenge and I had some gits painted, I showed up to get a few games in. 

Both games were simple affairs using the quickstart rules - three orcs each, either with blasters and headbutts or pistols and hand weapons. 

The goal was to collect as many bottle caps as possible either in 30 minutes or when everyone was knocked out. 

The biggest draw of the game is its dexterity-based gameplay. Players move and shoot in the direction that the dice roll, representing drunken orcs stumbling around and firing wildly. Even damage is represented by dice towers that have to move with the orc they're attached to, and if the tower falls over, the orc drops to the ground, drunk and inchoate!

It's definitely not a serious game, and you have to be in the right mindset for it. There's going to be a lot of eyeballing whether a die is aligned with an orc you're shooting at, or if you've got to fudged a little movement. 

Hilariously, we had to move over to a side table in the second game, which meant a reordering of the table and a tarp that made moving way harder! Apparently our orcs chugged a few more beers during a smoke break...

I'm hoping to play more games soon! Since games should only last 30 minutes on average (and will likely end sooner), you could easily run a campaign in a single day. 

Big Day - Fire in the Sky AAR

This past weekend was Cold Barrage. While I wasn't able to make it to Saturday, I had decided to volunteer as a gamemaster on Friday, running Fire in the Sky.

Amazingly, three people decided to sign up! We had enough time to run through three scenarios from the rulebook with some slight modifications. 

First, I ran the players through a quick history of Operation Argument (or Big Week), then a quick walk through the rules. After answering some questions, we hopped into the first scenario: Rolling Thunder.

The Allied player started with three squadrons of P-47s, defending three squadrons of B-17 bombers. The Germans have two ME-109 squadrons (one of which has one-shot rockets attached) and one FW-190 squadron. 

The Germans appear randomly (both in time and deployment space) behind the B-17s, with one squadron starting on the table. 

The initial German attack was successfully, with the rocket-equipped Me 109s knocking out two B-17 sections before being wiped out in return.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck seemed to be against the Germans in this scenario. While they managed to shoot down a couple of B-17 sections, the Germans were eventually either shot down or had to retreat. The Americans claimed a solid victory. 

The second scenario, Zerstorer Ace, gave the Americans three P-51 squadrons, while the Germans would be attacking with two Me 109 squadrons and one Me 410 squadron. The Me 410 squadron leader was also an Ace, which meant his could reroll failed Firepower rolls and Saves and could modify his Special Ability die roll by plus or minus 1.

This was another uphill battle for the Germans, as their activation cards saw them go in piecemeal against the Americans and were picked off. The slower Me 410s were the last to go in, but their anti-bomber guns and rockets weren't enough to shoot down the amount of B-17s needed to even the score. 

Which meant another American victory!

I decided to change things up for the final game and skipped to the Dora Dora scenario. The Americans had two squadrons each of P-47s and P-38s (my favorite twin boom plane!). The Germans originally had three squadrons of Me 109s, but I swapped squadron out for two squadrons of FW 190s. 

For this scenario, the Germans could deploy their squadrons as they pleased. 

During this scenario, the Germans had better luck with activation cards. They also spent a good amount of time circling around the American formation in a large group, rather than approaching by separate squadrons. 

It was during this third game that the Germans solidified a potentially devastating tactic: get in close, wait for the Americans to approach, then use a Reaction to slip towards the B-17s and then attack. This led to one squadron of B-17s being wiped out!

However, the American players still had Lady Luck rooting for them, and while this was the closest game of the three, the Americans still scored more victory points by the time the last German squadron was cleared from the skies.  

Overall, the players said they had fun and one (a board game designer working on his own strategic-level game focused on the 8th Air Force!) commented on how the game had enough period-specific distinction to feel correct. I was also complimented on my work with the miniatures, which was very kind.  

I feel like I have a handle on teaching the rules. I have two immediate improvements that I know I have to make: 

1. I need to make the German players more aware that they can use their Reaction to beeline towards the B-17s (they just can't attack them during the Reaction)
2. Squadron Leaders are NOT needed to perform combat actions such as Side Bounces, Rear Bounces, or Focused Attacks. This stemmed from me extending the condition that Squadron Leaders are needed to fight head-on for zero action points, or are needed in order to attempt Reactions, to other complicated aerial maneuvers. 

I also need to redo the unit labels, as I messed up some of the plane designations. A friend also suggested adding Axis and Allied symbols to the labels for better recognition on the table. I did this in marker before the game, but proper symbols would be an improvement. 

That said, I believe I have a good enough handle on the rules that I plan on running more games this year, and can hopefully make this a successful 6x6 goal. 

 

Brought to Heel - Wrath of Achilles AAR

With much of the mid-Atlantic states locked down by snow and ice, the local gaming club had to cancel the planned game. I reached out to Rocky and asked if he wanted to play at his place. 

He agreed, and brought out a ruleset of his that I haven't had a chance to play yet: The Wrath of Achilles. Specifically designed to play out the Trojan War, it has plenty of chrome (interventions of the gods, prayers, very specific units for Homer's characters). The game doesn't use dice, instead relying on chit draws of various types of metal in increasing worth. And it's best suited for two players, which means Rocky doesn't get to bring it out very often in group settings. 

I decided to take command of the Trojans, with Rocky leading the Achaeans. This battle was set early in the war, with all the major personalities present. The hordes of Achaeans had plenty of units with big shields, while the less-numerous Trojans had more units with slings and bows incorporated. 

The game would end if either side lost eight units or their camp (for the Trojans, the gates of Troy). 

As the Trojans, I pushed hard to control the hills which would anchor my left flank. 

The Achaeans made their way across the Scamander River. I hoped that the Will of the Gods would go in my favor early in the game, as there was a chance that the Scamander would rise up against any units in the river, forcing them to take a morale test. Unfortunately, the Greeks managed to cross unopposed. 

Greek skirmishers approached the Trojan lines, hoping to cause some early hits and maybe through the defenders into disarray. The Trojans fought off these attacks, forcing the skirmishers to retreat or even flee.

The Trojans' return fire did cause some problems in the Achaeans' line, forcing Rocky to halt a turn and regroup. The Greek Nestor was felled by an arrow launched by Pandarus. 

With thundering voices and crashing spears, the Greeks launched their attack into the Trojan line. 

In the grinding melee, the Greeks' martial skills began to show. Sarpedon and his troops were forced back, sundering the Trojan line in two and resulting in the loss of a frontline unit. The Trojan right flank was further harried, being forced back. 

The biggest upset, however, was Achilles and his Myrmidons being chased off by Asius and the Thracians!

Agamemnon was all too happy to prove that he didn't need swift-footed Achilles. Asius was chased from the hill, forming another hole in the Trojan line. And cowardly Paris retreated from his position next to Hector. 

King Priam's view from the wall of Troy was rather dismal. Sarpedon and Hector were the only warriors holding back the bulk of the Achaeans. The Trojan right was in complete tatters, and Odysseus was pushing for the gates. The only place the Trojans held with any real certainty were the hills, but if Hector and Sarpedon began to fall back the defenders would be flanked. 

Further combat only saw more losses on the Trojan side, until they hit their army break point. And then failed their test! Thankfully none of the major Trojan characters had fallen, and the path to the city entrance was clear. The Trojans retreated, leaving the field in the hands of the Greeks. 

As it's Rocky's set of rules, I asked if he had any tactical advice that would have helped me in the course of the game. He noted that the core of the Trojan line should be Hector flanked by Paris and Pandarus, who all have ranged attacks. Hector's inspirational aura would help keep Paris and Pandarus' smaller units in the fight, flanked by other large combat units. He also noted that I could have sent the two Trojans units who could form shieldwall into the hills, which would have locked them down and kept that flank safe, without losing the initiative of the agile units. 

Alternatively, I could have put most of my strength on the open right side of the battlefield and pressed hard for the Greek camp, which would have ended the game. A riskier choice, but maybe something to try for next time. 

1066 and All That - Song of Battle AAR

My first game of the new year was one of Rocky's offerings, "Song of Battle", which is meant for larger battles in the Dark Ages.

The scenario for the game was a "What if" Battle of Ouse Bridge in 1066 between Harold Godwinson and Harald Hardrada/Sigurdson. Historically, the Battle of Stamford Bridge was decided when the Anglo-Saxons surprised the invading Norwegians, who rushed to battle without their armor. In Rocky's version, the Norse were aware of the Saxon approach and had time to gear up.

Both armies sought to break the other side through unit losses; additionally, the town and road exits would contribute to losses if held by enemy units.

The Anglo-Saxons were commanded by Harold and his brothers Leofwine and Gyrth, with an army consisting of huscarls, dismounted mounted fyrd, and regular fyrd. The Norwegians were commanded by Sigurdson, Harold's traitorous brother Tostig, and the Norwegian noble Eystein Orre, and commanded an army of huskarls, bondi, and mercenaries from Scotland and Flanders.

As the town was fairly open and didn't impede combat, Harold took his command up the center, facing off against Orre's smaller force. 

Sigurdson's larger force held the Norwegian left flank, protecting the army's road exit from Leofwine's command. 

On the Saxon left, Gyrth's fyrd faced off against Orre's bondi and mercenaries who held the riverbank.

Harold's glorious charge into combat was hampered somewhat by his huscarls panicked by some arrows fire by the bondi. 

He was joined by another unit of huscarls who suffered the same lack of nerve!

Harold's other warriors had a better time of it, forcing back their opponents. 

The Norwegians did attempt a rear charge into the retreating huscarls, but my dice luck swung the other way and they managed to hold. That allowed Harold to rally one unit of huscarls to a better morale state, while the rest of the troops reformed. 

Sigurdson's troops crossed the water to engage with Leofwine's fyrd units. 

Orre's troops were holding against Harold's huscarls, but the grind was beginning to go the Anglo-Saxons' way.

Outside of the town, Sigurdson's warrior punched a hole through Leofwine's line, threatening to collapse the flank. 

Harold's troops were chased out of the town again! 

Having spent the entire battle shuffling forward, Gyrth's command finally made their way to the river, somewhat outflanked by Tostig's bondi. 

With his troops spent, Orre commanded them to go into shieldwall to block Harold's advance on the Norwegian's line of retreat. 

Leofwine's troops were still fighting, but his line was collapsing in the face of Sigurdson's warriors.

We had to call the game due to time, with an inconclusive result. Post game discussion was that it could have gone either way. Harold was likely to win in the center, but would have to then turn to face Sigurdson's troop. 

I did enjoy Rocky's rules, as they gave what could have basically been a shoving match some tactical flair. Units could decided when to go into shieldwall, trading offensive capabilities and movement for better protection and steadiness. Leaders could use limited resources to intervene at critical moments. 

I'm looking forward to trying this again; I suggested another "What if" of Harald Hardrada against William's invading Normans.