Rebels & Patriots: Andy's Hill 1782.

This time, we played a fairly large game using the Rebels & Patriots rules. Michael utilised nearly his entire collection for this clash, while Mike assisted him in adapting the scenario to fit the game’s rules. I supported Michael by sharing my knowledge of the rules. A total of seven players participated in the game.

SCENARIO: Michael Schneider
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider

SCENERY: Angus Konstam, Michael Schneider, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider

1. Forces.

BRITISH

(Ben, Gordon, Mike)

Hessian Brigade

1 x Regular Infantry (Veteran)

2 x Regular Infantry

1 x Light Infantry

1 x Skirmishers

1 x Light Cavalry

1 x Medium Gun

British Brigade

1 x Regular Infantry (Veteran)

2 x Regular Infantry

1 x Light Infantry

1 x Skirmishers

1 x Light Cavalry

1 x Medium Gun

AMERICANS & FRENCH

(Andy, Bartek, Jimmie, Michael)

1st Continental Brigade

3 x Regular Infantry

2 x Regular Infantry (Poor)

1 x Skirmishers

1 x Medium Gun

2nd Continental Brigade

3 x Regular Infantry

2 x Regular Infantry (Poor)

1 x Skirmishers

1 x Medium Gun

1st Militia Brigade

3 x Regular Infantry (Poor)

2nd Militia Brigade

3 x Regular Infantry (Poor)

French Brigade

2 x Regular Infantry (Veteran)

1 x Light Gun

1 x Light Cavalry

2. The Game.

The game began on the tabletop with the First Continental Brigade, which occupied a large hill at the centre of the battlefield. Andy was in command. Two British brigades entered the action from opposite corners: the First Hessian Brigade, led by Mike, and the Second Brigade, consisting of British troops, commanded by Ben (who was playing with us for the first time) and Gordon. The remaining players stayed off the table for the time being.

The British began to attack the colonists' positions on the hill when, unexpectedly, a French brigade appeared on the scene. As a result, the British had to allocate some of their forces to address this new challenge. Gordon approached me while Andy continued to hold his ground on the hill, trying to fend off Ben and Mike, who were pressing hard against him.

Gordon, with his relatively small forces, advanced towards the French. The first to engage were the dragoons. The British managed to force the Colonial forces to retreat, but this manoeuvre positioned them directly in front of the French infantry. The French opened fire, supported by artillery, which destroyed the British unit. The same fate befell the skirmishers who were supporting them. This left the British flank exposed. However, these developments were just the beginning of the surprises that awaited the soldiers of the United Kingdom.

The pressure from Mike and Ben continued to mount, causing Andy to seem as though he was retreating. However, this was part of a Colonial strategy to lure the British into a trap. Once the British reached the hill, three new American brigades appeared on the battlefield. One brigade, led by Jimmy, and two militia brigades, led by Michael, joined the fight. Jimmy provided support to Andy from the left, taking on the majority of the fighting against Mike's advancing Hessian forces. Meanwhile, Michael supported the French attack.

It was now a matter of eliminating as many enemy troops as possible. The British and Hessian forces began to retreat in the face of the clear numerical superiority of the enemy. Soon, their troops were pushed off the hill, but they managed to conduct a fairly organised withdrawal. Ultimately, the Colonials, alongside the French, inflicted greater losses on the British, leading to their victory.

The game turned out to be very successful; however, there was one issue regarding the movement ranges and speed. In large-scale games, it's essential to adjust these values to ensure that gameplay progresses more swiftly into the combat and shooting phases, minimising the time spent on initial manoeuvres, particularly during the first or second turns.

American and French losses.

British losses.

3. Links.

MICHAEL:

To be updated soon.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

Cruel Seas: The German Convoy.

This is another game using the Cruel Seas rules. In this scenario, the Germans are defending their convoy and have a new vessel at their disposal: a freshly painted R-23 minesweeper. They aim to safely escort their convoy to a port protected by minefields.

SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant

1. Forces.

ROYAL NAVY

(Andy, David,  Jimie, Tim)

2 x Fairmile D

3 x Vosper II

2 x Vosper I

KRIEGSMARINE

(Alasdair, Bartek, Gordon, Michael)

3 x S-38 type

2 x S-100 type

1 x R-23 type

2 x Freighter

2. The Game.

The German fleet's mission was to escort the small convoy safely to port. Their journey involved first crossing open water and then navigating through the skerries, which were further protected by minefields—two of which were laid by the Germans and one that was laid at night by the RAF. The German strategy was to engage British boats with the R-23 and S-38, even if it meant sacrificing those vessels, while the other German boats would provide direct protection for the convoy. That was the plan...

The British launched a fierce attack, with their boats arriving one after another on the battlefield, immediately bombarding the convoy and its escort with a hail of bullets. A swarm of torpedoes also emerged in the water. The British initially focused their fire on the minesweeper, inflicting significant damage on its two six-pounder guns. In a short time, the boat I was commanding was destroyed. I was unable to get close to the enemy to deploy the numerous depth charges available. Perhaps next time...

The attack by Michael and his S-38 boats was ultimately unsuccessful. He attempted to ram the British vessels, but their agility allowed them to evade the assault and respond with gunfire. One of the German boats was out of range, while the other was sunk. As a result, the situation for the Germans grew increasingly dire.

The ineffectiveness of the German attack forced the convoy's close escort into action. Alasdair and Gordon took the lead with their boats. While Alasdair advanced, Gordon stayed close to the convoy. Alasdair opened fire, focusing his shots on Jimmy's two Vospers. He successfully sank both, but could not prevent the torpedo attack. The torpedoes were already in the water and were quickly approaching the ships in the convoy.

Torpedoes presented the most significant threat now. Although most of them were inaccurate, two directly targeted the first freighter. I managed to narrowly avoid the first torpedo, fired by Jimmy, but the second one, launched by Andy, struck the ship's bow and exploded, causing considerable damage. The ship was swiftly finished off by the guns and cannons from Andy's, David's, and Tim's vessels. 

There was still a second ship in the convoy, and all the torpedoes had already been fired, giving it a chance to reach its destination. However, there was one major problem: it faced an entire British squadron, and the only protection left, apart from one of Gordon's boats, was either too far ahead or sunk. Therefore, the chances of success for the second ship were quite poor.

Despite Gordon's desperate attempts (he managed to sink one of the Vospers), the British boats were given a free hand to fire on the German tanker. The six-pounder cannons struck the German ship repeatedly, ultimately causing it to sink. At that point, we were finished. The Royal Navy had once again emerged victorious.

Once again, we used a table that was too large. We played our game on a 4'x8' table, but only utilised half of it. Consequently, we did not test traversing minefields, navigating skerries, or similar challenges.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720326367506

Set an East Ablaze: Town in Silesia, 1921.

As Alasdair suggested some time ago, we should use his paper house models for the game again. Initially, I was leaning toward Very British Civil War, but after discussing it with Michael, we decided on the Silesian Uprisings. Now, we needed to adapt these British-style houses to fit the Silesian context. To achieve this, I devised a storyline about a secret training center for German spies. We used the Set an East Ablaze rules for the game.

SCENARIO: Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Alasdair Watson, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

GERMANS

(Alasdair, David)

Officer (+2)

3 x Infantry (9 rifles, LMG, C3M3)

1 x Field Gun (C3M3)

1 x HMG (C3M3)

1 x A7V (C3M3)

1 x Mk. V Female (C3M3)

German Spy

POLES & FRENCH

(Andy, Gordon, Tim)

Officer (+2)

3 x Infantry (9 rifles, LMG, C3M3)

1 x Field Gun (C3M3)

1 x HMG (C3M3)

2 x Renault FT (Gun, C3M3)

1 x Renault FT (MG, C3M3)

French Spy

2. The Game.

 

In 1921, during the third Silesian Uprising, Polish troops advanced toward a town that does not appear on any maps. This town is an abandoned special center for German spies, where they were trained for transfer to Great Britain during the Great War. The plan was to blow up the entire center, but a French spy intervened to prevent this destruction. The Germans, concerned about the lack of communication from their spy sent to investigate the situation, decided to dispatch additional forces to uncover what was happening. This is where our story begins, as Polish troops cautiously enter the town while a French spy and a German spy search for each other in a local pub.

The Polish forces divided into two groups and advanced along the roads, which facilitated quicker movement. Soon, the Germans appeared. The Poles opened fire, and with the first salvo from their cannon, they succeeded in eliminating half of one of the German units. Meanwhile, the Germans advanced in three columns: two along the exit roads and one remaining in the centre of the field. However, the Germans began to encounter issues with their equipment, with the first unit to break down being the A7V.

Both sides advanced toward the town centre, with the Polish troops moving quickly. Meanwhile, the German spy had repaired the broken wires connected to the explosives. The French spy noticed this and rushed out of the pub toward the Polish troops, shouting, "Courez! Tout est miné!" (Run! Everything is mined!). The German spy also exited the pub through the back, calling out to his troops, "Lauft weg! Alles ist vermint!" (Run away! Everything is mined!).

The withdrawal of the units began, marking the start of the real fight. A German Mark V tank confronted a Polish Renault tank, armed with a gun, but had to retreat during the duel and subsequently broke down. The same fate befell two Polish tanks. While the Polish forces attempted to repair their vehicles, the Germans chose to abandon theirs. Nonetheless, the Germans managed to destroy one of the Polish tanks in the process. 

As the Polish forces intensified their fire, the Germans began to suffer significant losses. Despite this, they continued their withdrawal and detonated explosives throughout the city. However, they did not manage to destroy all the buildings, and the city ultimately remained under Polish control, resulting in a victory for the Polish forces in this battle.

3. Links.

SESWC:

To be updated soon...

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720326199012