Friday 19 March 2010

First Battle!

Today John Preece and myself set up and played through a quick ACW game using the 30mm Spencer Smith and SAE figures that have been completed to date.

John took the pesky Rebels, and I the stolid Union forces.

OOB was as follows.
Rebs.
1 x Mounted General Officer.
3 x Infantry Regiments @ 20 figures each
1 x Infantry Regiment @ 16 figures.
1 x Cavalry Regiment @ 15 figures.
2 x Artillery Batteries @ 1 gun and 4 crew each.

Union.
1 x Mounted General Officer.
6 x Infantry Regiments @ 20 figures each.
2 x Artillery Batteies @ 1 gun and 4 crew each.

The table was about 6 x 4 foot.

Scenery was scattered around to give an ACW "feel", and care was taken to ensure neither side had an obvious advantage in terrain.

The battle was a Meeting Engagement, with no real attempt to outline any victory conditions. We really just wanted to play with the shiny toy soldiers!

The rules were slung together by me over the last few days, and were based on the old 1962 Featherstone ones, with a little (but not TOO much) Warhammer Fantasy Battles thrown in.

They actually worked okay for a first run-through. A tweak here and there is certainly needed. But the game was fun and I think John especially enjoyed the Artillery rules, which worked very well indeed, much to my dismay when one of his guns managed to enfilade a whole Infantry regiment in column, using roundshot. Ouchie..!!

Anyway, here are some photos. They are pretty much in the order taken.
The dark blues are a little light in the shots. That's down to the camera's flash.










Ouch! That's GOTTA hurt! The effect of roundshot down the length of an advancing Infantry column.


Those damned Rebel guns!







Steady, Boys! Here they come!



Two Reb Infantry regiments advance across the railway line.


Hitting back!


Rebel Cavalry moves up.


Bracing themselves fo the Rebel Cavalry charge!


The flanking move comes to grief, routed by the Rebel's very accurate Artillery.


The Confederate horse routed a Union regiment on the Reb's left flank, but was too weak to follow up the advantage. Instead it swung around to attack the rear of of the Union regiment by the woods, and its survivors were shot from their saddles by the Union infantry in the forefront of this picture.



And STILL they held..!!