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..!!

12 comments:

Hugh Walter said...

I take it the photo of half a column lying on its side is the evidence of John's 'lucky' shot! Lol

Poacher said...

You take it right, Maverick.. :-(

chrissie
xx

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said...

Looks like your game was terrific fun! Really like all those 30mm ACW figures marching around the table too.

Best Regards,

Stokes

johnpreece said...

What a pleasure it is to receive the comments of a discerning and observant reader like Maverick.

Careful study may also reveal several other well aimed confederate artillery shots as well as a battle winning cavalry charge (almost) and heroic defence against the yankee hordes.

In any case a really enjoyable mornings wargaming.

John

Poacher said...

John's Artillery was distressingly accurate during the battle and that, plus the higher morale of the Rebels, helped even the odds somewhat. :-)

chrissie
xx

Pjotr said...

First class report and pictures. I'm interested to hear more about you're rules. Will you post them or can you mail them? Anyway, seems your set up could also work well with the Airfix ACW rules by Terry Wise.

Peter

Peeler said...

Hey Poach and John, that looks a cracking & enjoyable game, good write up and pics too. Loved the roundshot hit!
Regards both,

Poacher said...

It was fun....

But I think the Artillery rules might need a tinker to make John's.. sorry... THE guns a little less effective.

Peter, the rules are a work in progress. That means tbey were bodged together over a couple of hours, from half-remembered books last read mnay tears ago. Once I have them tidied up, I'll post you the .doc file.

The Wise ACW rules, if you mean those in the Airfix books, make me shudder to think of them. Too much like hard work.

And fixed Combat Results tables...? No thanks!

chrissie
xx

Anonymous said...

What a brilliant report! People having FUN-whatever next!

Matt

Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com said...

Looks and sounds like a marvelous game. I wish you many more.

Saving throws perhaps for the poor lads under the gun as it were.?

-Ross

Poacher said...

Ross, that was AFTER the Saving Throws... :-(

chrissie
xx

Archduke Piccolo said...

What a fun 'old school' game that looked! What is it about these simple, straightforward set-ups that attract the eye so much more effectively than more elaborately painted and prepared troops and terrain?
I suspect, too, that not only was it a lot of fun, but at the end of the day you were left with the feeling that your boys had been in a fight.
Fantastic!