ECW Might of Arms at Skirmish '09 and at the Rat Palace

Gallery Link Here

I put on a Might of Arms variant for ECW at Skirmish '09 Games Day and at home last night. The games played smoothly. MoA is a quickly learned, easily taught, bloody, fast play set of rules for Ancients penned by Bob Bryant. I adapted the rules for ECW because of those reasons. As a result, multi-player games played on my 8x6 standard gaming table can be played to conclusion in less than 2.5 hours.

Skirmish 09 game was no exception to this rule. The rules were taken up by the players (most of whom had never played either ECW nor MoA) and were going strong in two game turns. I didn't get to see the result as I had an emergency and went to the E.R. in the middle of the game. The game looked quite even with the Royalist forces giving the Parliamentary forces a drubbing from fire. I've dumbed down the cavalry factors and adjusted cavalry charge ranges to simulate the differences between trotters and gallopers. The melee factors for cavalry have been adjusted to compensate for the "gentry" vs. the "proles". Some people would like to see more detail. The beauty of the rules is its simplicity but subtlety.

Last night's game was also fast and furious (in a 17th century sort of way). Both sides deployed a single battle line supported by two flanks of horse. I didn't say anything but was looking for a second line as reserves and also to provide supporting fire. The Royalist cavalry swept the Roundhead Train'd Band cavalry from the field in short order and exposed the flank of the Parliamentary battle line. The Parliamentary player turned a brigada to face the threat and came under a pummeling from artillery. It seemed as if the Roundheads were in trouble! Things are not always what they seem when playing MoA! The center and right flank were hotly contested with push of pike combined with laying on of musket butts. Both sides wore each other down over several turns. Again, neither side had a second line. No reserves would prove to be a tipping point. The left flank was the hero flank. Hesselrig's Lobsters were struck in the rear as they attempted to charge the flank of an unsupported Royalist regiment. They then turned and hammered the Parliamentary cavalry. I've included a -1 for facing Cuirassiers/Lobsters(not the crustacean variety). It worked just fine in this instance. The Parliamentary cavalry commander took a pistola shotte to the cabeza and promptly fell off his horse. The rest of the cavalry took morale tests and did not leave the table. The weight of numbers began to take toll on the beleaguered Lobsters. Being worn down and shaken, they could not stand. Their rout began the cascading morale effect for which MoA is known. Units began to go shaken on both sides as multiple morale tests weakened their resolve. The center push of pike was decided when shaken units on both sides began to fail morale and were removed from the table. Look for the blank area in the middle where the center used to be. The fight was tooth and tong! Both sides wore each other out and both sides left the table en masse. At the end of the day, the Royalists held the field with cavalry while the Parliamentary forces were whittled down to a shaken artillery unit and a shaken infantry unit. Terms were struck and the Parliamentary forces were allowed to leave the field with full honors. Such is the fortuna of war!

What did I learn from both these battles?

1. I need to paint more figures! (Duh). I've got 6 regiments of foote per side and 6 regiments of horse per side.
2. The game needs a mechanic to "add weight" into melees. I want to add regiments of horse and pack them into melee so I can get a visual scrum. I'm thinking that players should be able to add regiments into the fight (not getting charge bonus) on the second/subsequent turn of melee. This would add weight of numbers. On the flip side, MoA cavalry melees are usually sharp and relatively conclusive quickly. My jury's still out and will need more games to see.
3. Larger table space. 8x6 is fine for a two person game. The cavalry is free wheeling in this game. I will move to a 12x6 or 16x6 for multi-player games. Again, need to paint more figures.
4. Limiting terrain. I need to consistently use the terrain rules and use more hedges, enclosures, rock walls, etc. I'm of two minds about it however; in my historian's mind, terrain was found that suited the armies rather than hindered movement. My table is 3D, players should be able to see what is what and how the terrain may limit movement. I played these two games to test the rules however and kept the ancillary stuff out. I wanted to get to conclusion and see if people liked the game.
5. GMB Flags are the BEST! They set my collection to the next level! Worth the $100+! My cavalry guidons will follow. This will be cool...highly recommended!

Order of Battle: Royalist
4 Regiments of Foote-2 muskets per pike (18 figs per regiment)
6 Regiments of Horse-Various grades-including one Lobster regiment because it was painted
2 Medium Gonnes
1 Galloper (light) Gonne-I have the model and made up the rule for it. Gotta' get it on the table!
1 Dragoon Regiment (8 figs mounted and dismounts)

Order of Battle: Parliamentary
4 Regiments of Foote-2 muskets per pike (18 figs per regiment)
6 Regiments of Horse (9 figs per regiment)
2 Medium Gonnes
1 Dragoon Regiment (8 figs mounted and dismounts)

Might of Arms ECW Game

I've run out of time trying to fix Victory without Quarter for multi-player games at Skirmish 09 Games Day next weekend in Plano, Texas www.dfwirregulars.com . Steve Bidwell and Scott White were gracious enough to come down to the Rat Palace III and work through a mod. of Bob Bryant's rules-Might of Arms. MoA is our ancients game of choice and an ECW variant was on the Yahoo Groups files. We tweaked the melee and shooting modifiers and came up with a crackin' multi player game that's easy to teach, learn and plays well.
I have not given up on Victory without Quarter and will tweak/play it in smaller games after Skirmish.
Will update the gallery next weekend. I've finally completed:
11 Regiments of Foote (18 figs per regiment)
96 Horse
6Medium Gonnes
2 Light or Galloper Gonnes
2 Regiments of Dragoons (8 figs per regiment)
Command figures
It's been a hectic six months to get this done....but it's done and ready to play.

Next project...star forts and field works!

After Action Report Battle of Montgomery 1644

Click the Title to see the AAR Gallery!

We played our first Victory without Quarter game yesterday as advertised. The game was visually enjoyable for me since it has been a long six months to get things to this point. We played the battle as a four player game. The game's ebb and flow seemed to be OK and the rules conventions were "old school" with a sprinkling of Warhammer Historicals to add a bit of flavor.

We found some major glitches and holes with the rules. Instead of griping about them publicly and on multiple list-servs, we tweaked them to fit our gaming group's style of play and to make this rules set viable in a convention setting. The game was apparently written for a 1v1 game on a small 6x4 table. We modified the rules to accommodate up to 6 persons (that's all my current collection will support) and a minimum table size of 8x6 (my standard gaming table in my gaming house). The rules now support simultaneous movement instead of moving unit by unit, standardized cavalry formations, cavalry melee process, removal of units after routing (ala Might of Arms) and fast resolution of tabletop events.

Please take a few moments to have a look at the after action report below to see what the issues were and how we resolved them.

After Action Report

Steve Miller

We played VwQ yesterday and some major design and playability kludges came up during the game. They are not in any order but most if not all affect the way the game is played and player’s perceptions (most critical at this juncture before Skirmish 09 Games Day) of the period and game. The headings below are the areas of concern.

Movement

Apparently this game was designed for a 6x4 table. We found the movement rates a little slow on my 8x6. If you play on a larger table (recommended because of the basing and modern “25mm” figure size) use these movement rates:

Type	Old Movement	New Movement Rate
Foote	4”	6”
Horse	8”	12”
Cuirassier	6”	8”
Limbered Light Gonnes	6”	8”
Officer	12”	12” (no change)
Courier	3D6	3D6 (no change)
Charging Gallopers	16”	16” (no change)
Charging Trotters	12”	12” (no change)
Charging Cuirassier	9”	10”
Rough Terrain	No change
Cross Linear Obstacle	No change
Use same formation movements	No change

Movement System (Card Deck) and Army Organization Changes

We found that persons that were unfamiliar with the period or just wanted to try the game had a hard time deciphering the card/name system. More importantly in a multi-player game (4-6+) drawing individual cards and moving by the unit produced a slow game where the majority of players had nothing to do for a period of time. This is ok for a 1v1 but not advantageous for multiplayer or convention type games. We switched to a simple card deck with a corresponding numbered OB for both sides. “Aces” and “face cards” were the commanders with numbered cards by suit (red=Royalist, black=Parliament) for the units. Reload, Artillery and Event Cards remain in the game as they provide action and some flavor. My advice is to purchase a cheap set of cards from the Dollar Store and build a game deck using cut and paste.

Organization/Simultaneous Movement

Armies should be divided into wings and players given a roster card in the following manner:

Side: Royalist/Parliamentary Center

Brigadier: Sgt. Major Smythe-Fruit Bat

1. Lifeguard Cuirassiers-Sir Thomas More
2. Miller’s Foote-trained
3. Smyths’ Dragoons-raw

Wings should be as evenly divided as possible; giving each player enough units to enjoy the game. Given the size of my collection right now, 4-5 units per player maximum is all they will get. If players want more, they can paint more and contribute to the “cause”.

When a card is turned, ALL players on a side may give an order to a unit corresponding with that number (Left Wing #1, Center #1, and Right Wing #1). If the card turned is a commander, the commander still gives orders to a unit. If it is the CIC, he still retains his ability to give orders. Again, doing simultaneous movement per side speeds the game play. Cards are taken out of the pile as units rout and are destroyed. Simpler system, faster play.

End of Turn Card Procedure Changes

When the E.O.T. card is turned, all the cards PLAYED in a turn get shuffled and placed on the bottom of the deck. NON played cards in a turn get placed on the top of the deck. The E.O.T. card gets placed in the bottom part of the stack (should be done by ref or by various players during the game for fair play purposes).

Labels for Units

Labels for units (figures on table) should correspond to the OB given to the player. For example:

1. Chas I Lifeguard (veteran gallopers)

Events

As previously stated, event cards stay the same. The event process is slimmed down in this fashion:

When an event card is turned, turn the next card, consult the roster number for the unit or commander involved, roll 1D6 and then consult the table. Events happen now; again producing results for the players. In a convention game, events should be controlled by the game master/referee. Every event should not be bad nor should it always benefit players to keep player interest. In home games, play the chart as written.

Cavalry Organization and Melee (A huge problem with our game)

• We standardized the size of regiments at 4 stands because that’s what my collection will support.
• We ditched saving throws totally. They were just another dice throw that slowed down games.
• To Hit has been modified to:
  Horse hit on a 4+ (hit Cuirassiers on a 5+) This is easier to remember plus cuirassiers seldom were seen on the ECW battlefield due to their cost. There were only two regiments in the ECW. Both were raised by Parliament.
• Melee has been changed to an MOA format. We fight until we get a winner and loser. Losers test morale, pass=continued melee, fail=rout 3D6, pursuit=3D6 (may check morale to NOT pursue).

Melee Flowchart

Round 1: Front Rank only fights
Determine winner/loser
Loser tests Morale-Fail?=Rout-Pass? Get pushed back 2”, Continue Melee

Round 2: All stands fight
Determine winner/loser routs 3D6
Loser tests Morale, Fail?=Rout 3D6, Winner tests not to pursue 3D6 or choosing pursuit. If losers caught? Destroyed. Pick ‘em up.

Melee Tie?
Both sides test morale, pass? Continue next round, Fail? Losers rout 3D6, pursuers may test morale to NOT pursue, if fail or choose pursuit? 3D6. If losers caught? Destroyed. Pick ‘em up!

Melees are fought across the table simultaneously and resolved simultaneously. Makes the ebb and flow faster with all players participating.

Flanks:

This is not discussed in the rules. I am undecided at this point. One option is to allow one stand to fight at a -1 disadvantage. The other option (much more unforgiving/draconic) is that units hit in the flank do not fight back. This is common in most horse and musket rules and would punish a player for making a stupid mistake of exposing their flanks. I am leaning toward the “no fight back” to speed play in multiplayer games.

Shooting into a Melee?

This is not discussed in the rules. To keep balance, no shooting into a melee is allowed. This represents the chance of shooting your own teammates. That would be stupid to play and just plain dumb.

End of Turn Card “Housecleaning Process”

Routing and shaken units outside of 8” of enemy must test morale when the end of turn card is turned.

• Routers and shaken pass? They move up a level to shaken and “steady status” respectively
• Routers fail? Pick ‘em up
• Shaken fail? Rout 2D6 for infantry, check next turn if they are still on table (if not charged, forced to take morale, or EOT card turned again). Become routers-subject to failure rule next EOT if not rallied

Rallying Units

Units may attempt to rally if outside of 8” of enemy. Routers fail? Take ‘em off. Shaken only? Pass a morale test and upgrade status to “steady”

Saving Rolls for Infantry and Artillery

We ditched the saving rolls to give a more decisive result faster. Saving rolls are a useless step in the process of moving the game along for players. We retained the “to hit” modifiers. It’s tough enough to hit at medium or long range for both infantry and artillery. That works for my simple mind. Again, 1v1 games on a smaller table may want to use this convention if so desired. I will not.

Army Break Point

An army that loses 50% or more of their units sues for terms and quits the field. (Game over). I would rather use the Koenig Krieg army break point rule but I can’t find my copy presently. It works better but for now, a static break point percentage works for me.

Quick Sheet and Event Chart

I am in the process of modifying the quick sheet to condense it to 1 page front and back. The Event chart will be modified ditching the 10s dice roll and using 1D6 when an event is turned for a particular arm…i.e.: Event card turned, unit identified, roll the dice.

1st Victory without Quarter Game Saturday!

I've finally painted enough figures to try out the rules! Am putting on the Battle of Montgomery-1644 (Book 2 ECW scenarios-Caliver)on Saturday. Stay tuned, will post up how the rules play and a gallery (of course).

Sealed Knot Uniform Links

I've put the current version of the Sealed Knot UK ECW uniform color links in the links section. Here they are again! This is what I'm using for my ECW foote. Highly recommended!

Royalist
Parliament

ECW Project Milestone-Five Months!

It's been a couple of months since I last posted on the ECW project. Been in the hospital and getting classes done for the summer break.

Ok...here's what I've got done to date...I started this project in January, 2009.
96 Heavy Cavalry-Old Glory, Dixon, Foundry
24 Cuirassiers-Foundry, Old Glory (yeah I know there were only two regiments-I've got 'em both-they're fun to paint!)
24 Dragoons with Dismounts (12 each for both sides)
8 Artillery Pieces (in field works)
10 Reload Markers (musketeers reloading)
8 Hit Markers (dead guys)

Am working on the infantry now. My goal is to get 10 regiments of foote (18 figs/regiment)done in the next two weeks. The goal is to have the army done, play a couple of games and get the rules down before our annual Skirmish '09 Games Day on July 11, 2009. It can happen. It's good to have a summer break.

Click the title or click here for the ECW gallery.

More Pics From Petit Brioche-1940

Clay took some nice pics of our 1940 France game on Sunday. Several questions were asked about the map. I'm thinking one can get a better idea of our table with these pics than with a simple map. Our terrain is 3D rather than felt, wedding cake hills or hexes. All the pieces are interchangable and are indexed.

CLAY'S PICS

Thanks Clay!

Another question came up about the Soumas. The Early War FoW French list has an attached tank platoon as a support choice for the Fusiliers/Dragons. That's the place in which I put them. I hosed my friends again (they continue to indulge me) by using some H35s for recce/light cavalry tanks because I didn't know where to get AMR35s. Now I do, that will be remedied.

Anyway, hope this help clear up some of the questions...perhaps generate some more?

Petit Brioche-1940

My favorite Flames of War game is France 1940. We played a smaller scale game on Sunday. Forces: French DCM Companie versus a Boche Schutzenkompanie. The French held a series of entrenched positions supported by a platoon of Souma S-35s. The Germans were quicker and faster and well supported by artillery. The French were out tubed and out shot.

The game was fun and followed history. Blitzkrieg versus French WW1 mindset. The Germans blew through the French lines with relative impunity taking acceptable losses.

Thanks to Clay and Scott for indulging my FoW fancy. Early war is the best period for Flames of War. Anyone can lumber around in Tigers, JS3s, etc. It takes brass huevos to play tinclad armor and trained infantry (French). If you missed this game, you missed a good time!

Below is the situation and scenario sheet given to the players. Try it, you'll like it!

Le' Petit Brioche

1940-Somewhere in France
On the Road to Calais

DFWIrregulars

May, 2006

General Situation:

The French General Staff is in total disarray since the Germans punched through the Ardennes. A firebrand named Erwin Rommel is reported to have split the BEF and the French Northern Corps and is moving rapidly toward Calais. The Staff's indecision has cost valuable time and has also scattered meager armored resources throughout France. If the Germans reach Calais, the battle for France is over as the government and people of France are despondent and weary of defeat.

German Objective:

Take and hold the strategic crossroads town of Le' Petit Brioche for follow on forces racing to Calais. You have 12 game turns to accomplish your mission. Rommel is in command. His special magic powers apply in this game.

French Objective:

Hold the strategic crossroads town of Le' Petit Brioche for 12 game turns to give Northern Corps time to reorganize the Calais line.

Forces:

German:

You've been given command of an ersatz schuztenkompanie. You may call upon a reduced Panzerkompanie as follow on reserves. (1 HQ-2 Early MkIVs, 3 Lt Panzer Platoons-3 Pz38Ts) after turn 2 as per FoW rules. You have 3 dedicated Luftwaffe sorties for your mission. Use them wisely

French:
You've been given command of one of the last intact Escradron de Fusiliers company. Your infantry is all Metropolitan and may entrench on a roll of 3+

You may hold up to ½ of your force in reserve. You've been ordered to NOT fortify the town as it's destruction would swing public opinion rapidly towards defeatism and surrender.

Battle of Gettysburg-10mm

We played a cool Gettysburg game at Allen Eldridge's place yesterday. The game was in 10mm with the entire battlefield represented. We played the 1st and 2nd day but ran out of steam (we're old farts) to play the 3rd day.

Hats off to Allen! Great game, easy to learn, fun to play. Here's the URL to Clay's gallery of the game. Enjoy!

http://mysite.verizon.net/krista.smith/Gettysburg.htm

Play it again Sam-FoW Interlude

I've not posted in a while, work and health have gotten in the way. I watched the History Channel's "Patton 360" and got a wild hair in my nose for a quickie FoW throw down. I hadn't played any games on my new Terrain Guy Mat so it was a double opportunity to take a break from the ECW obsessive compulsive project and throw some bones.

I didn't want Clay and Steve Bidwell to "have to play" my 1940 French as Vichy French so I put in a couple of DAK companies. We kept the game down to 1000 points per player (4 players) so we would have some drivin' space. My Terrain Guy mat is only 8x6 so we played on a smaller table for a change. That part was different and gave folks some walk around room in the Rat Palace III. The 8x6 is large enough for a casual game but frankly is way too small for my tastes when playing much of anything else. I like to use all the table space available (16x6) whenever possible. I'm one of the "old schoolers" that relishes the sight of the table drooping in the center from the weight of the lead on the table!

The Allies started their run for the airfield (off table) and promptly lost their light screen. The Amis and Brits sent their attack in piecemeal and were chewed up and spat out by the "Goimans".

Good game and a good break.