Thursday, April 6, 2023

Battle of Long Island

After providing Jolly Broom Man a taste of an AWI game using Fields of Honor (see Back to the Revolution), the battle was reset and a call went out for a larger player count.  Four remote players accepted to fill the four commands and the battle was set for a refight Cornwallis' flanking attack as part of the Battle of Long Island.  

Mark and Chris took command of the Rebels.  Steve and David took up their places at the head of the British army.
Heard's Brigade stands in silence.
Red disks denote RESERVE status.
White balls show First Fire bonus.
The Rebels wait in silence.
Note gun section on rear hill covering the main road.
At the beginning of battle, the battlefield is quiet as General Heard positions his brigade on Shoemaker Heights overlooking the bridge.  If the British can breakthrough here, the flank to the American positions at Brooklyn will be compromised.  The Rebels must hold! 

The British army begins the game off table.  Divided into four brigades, all may begin arriving on Turn 1.  Most of the Rebels begin off-table and enter as reinforcements too.
British Army
Rebel reinforcements
Lord Percy begins the attack by ordering Smith's Brigade of four regiments up the road toward the bridge.  Seeing the Redcoats on the road, Heard sends one of his militia regiments off to contest the bridge.  The Rebel 6lbers on the hill east of Shoemaker's Hill makes it presence known by inflicting casualties upon Smith's lead regiment.  Rebel reinforcements from Brooklyn are already reaching the battlefield with Nixon's Brigade in the lead. 
First blood as the British army advances.
Percy chooses not to concentrate his attack solely down the road and against the bridge but advances broadly against the entire American position.  MG Jones is ordered to sweep wide against the Rebel left while MG Pigot pins the Rebel militia on Shoemaker Heights. Seeing the might of the British army to its front, the militia at the bridge quickly reconsider and retire. 
Redcoats advance across a broad front.
MG Jones' Brigade marches off to turn the Rebel left.
Alongside Smith, Mathews' Guard Brigade forms up and chases the militia off with a volley as the British army prepares to cross the stream.  Rebel guns on the hill continue pounding the Redcoats at the stream.  Rifle fire from the Continentals, positioned within the breastworks, cripples the 63rd foot. As Pigot's Brigade forms up at the foot of the heights, all of Heard's militia unleash a devastating volley into the British ranks.  The 5th Foot is sent packing almost before the battle begins!  British casualties are surprisingly high.  Percy may have some very hot work today.  Sensing Heard will soon have his hands full, Nixon quickly brings his brigade up in support.  For now, the Rebels are giving better than they get.
The Redcoats line the stream as they prepare to cross.
Rifle fire stops the 63rd in its tracks.
Casualties are very high.
The destruction of the 5th Foot!
But these early Rebel successes may be short-lived.

On the British left, Smith and Mathews unleash deadly volleys into Heard's militia along the stream.  Two militia regiments scatter.  Having seen half of his brigade disappear, Heard's Brigade is broken.  In what has been called Pigot's Charge (thanks, Chris!), Pigot, at the head of his two remaining regiments, leads the way up and onto the heights.  Heard and the militia to which he is attached are overwhelmed.  The militia scatters in the face of this assault and Heard is killed. Pigot reaches the heights but loses a second regiment in the fighting.  Pigot's Brigade is broken in these efforts.  To finish off the remnants of Heard's Brigade, the guard destroys the remaining militia situated behind the rail fence.
Pigot's Charge!
'X' marks the spot where Heard falls.
As Heard's position collapses,
Nixon brings up his brigade.
The last of Heard's Brigade is destroyed.
Nixon's boys let loose a tremendous volley into the face of Pigot's remaining regiment. The redcoats are cut down.  Before Pigot can get himself out of harms' way, the Rebels advance and Pigot is captured.  On the Rebel left, Jones maneuvers his brigade into position to threaten the Rebel flank. Two volleys from the Redcoats and a regiment of militia forming up at the foot of the hill scatters.
Pigot is captured!
With Nixon now in command of the heights, volleys pour down onto Jones' Redcoats.  Fire is hot and the 10th foot is destroyed.  On the British left, Smith advances his brigade along the road.
Rebels concentrate fire against Jones.
As the Rebels bring up more troops, the firefight intensives.  Jones witnesses two of his regiments disintegrate in minutes.  His brigade is broken.  Back on the British left, the persistent Rebel gun continues its work.  Another of Smith's regiments crumbles.  Smith's Brigade breaks and continued efforts look pointless.  Percy calls off the attack.
First Jones breaks and then Smith.
The Rebels hold out to see victory and drive back the British invaders!

Well done to all players but especially to Mark and Chris for their careful handling of the Rebel army.  My condolences to Steve and David.

This was a very interesting battle to watch unfold.  First, the British took heavy casualties almost before the battle began only to come back to destroy Heard's entire brigade in coordinated attacks.  While Heard was destroyed, his stubborn defense allowed time for the Rebels to bring up Nixon and Parson's brigades to counter every British threat.  

Well played and very fun to watch.

Thanks for a great game, guys!

44 comments:

  1. Great game. Looked good for the rebels early on. I thought Pigots' charge had swung the game back to the Brits. Sadly not to be as the stubborn American resistance held out

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    1. Glad you liked the game, Neil! The Rebels got off to a great start and that early success put the British on the back foot.

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  2. Oh deary me, back to the norm of another British defeat at the hands of the Rebels;)! After suffering such a dreadful start, I was surprised that the British were able to make a game of it and towards the end I though they might gain a victory, albeit somewhat Pyrrhic in nature. Well played by one and all and certainly a scenario with plenty of replay value.

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    1. The Rebel first volleys were quite effective in this game with British morale tests failing to shrug off the incoming fire. Attacking can be difficult but if I keep this game in regular rotation, I expect to see tactics evolve to overcome these challenges. British did have opportunities for success. They simply fell a little bit short. We will not mention dice...

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  3. Great game and we’ll worth sticking that cannon a bit further back. I’ve already worked up an alternative British strategy should I ever get to play it again from that side of the table. As to this fight all I can say is thank god for Chris’s late but timely arrival.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the game! Well, if you have an alternative British plan, we will have to trot this scenario back out on the table another day.

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  4. Dogged defense by the dirty Reb's wins the day!
    Very well played by those Colonial generals on an excellently coordinated effort.

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    1. Yes, the Rebels played a very good game in which they supported each other superbly.

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  5. The too & fro makes for interest, especially for multi players. nice to see a side that takes a hammering able to get back into the saddle and pull out a win …. Whichever that side is!

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    1. Seeing some ebb and flow in a game keeps interest high, no doubt. I have seen this scenario go either way and from minor victories to crushing defeats.

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  6. Another lovely looking game but seems like the dice Gods may have been with the rebels. A few less devastating volleys, and the British might have gained the day. Do the militia have any negatives in terms of firing and morale, or are they classed the same as standard line infantry?

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    1. Thanks, Keith!

      The Continentals are less effective when matched against the British in Fire, Melee, and Morale. Most of the American militia are much, much less effective than their British counterparts. Keeping the militia on the table for more than a couple of turns under fire is a big accomplishment.

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    2. Ok well that all sounds about right....must have been the unmentionable dice!

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  7. Well that was a whirlwind of a game. Props to you Jon for the scenario. The rules are easy to pick up too. An enjoyable evening. Thanks again, and apologies for missing the start.

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    1. It sure was! Glad you enjoyed the game. You arrived just as your brigade was arriving on the table so no need to apologize. Your timing was perfect.

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  8. Another entertaining report of what seems like a well-balanced scenario. Are there any special rules for capturing commanders, or is it just simply a case of moving a unit to where they are located?

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    1. Thank you, Lawrence! Very pleased to see that you found the report entertaining. There are special rules for addressing the fate of leaders caught in a hex alone. In this case, Pigot was not able to slip away.

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  9. Many thanks Jon for a fine game, it was great fun even for us on the losing side! ( I blame my dice, of course ).
    Looking back, I have a hunch that the destruction of 5th Foot may have been quite important, as it made a gap between our two British commands and we lost co-ordination somewhat. Were we wrong to spread ourselves along the whole front?
    Your rules worked really well, easy to pick up, fast moving and frequently quite bloody!
    Many thanks again - what a splendid setup, and excellent facilitation for us virtual visitors.

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    1. Sorry that got marked 'anonymous' - it was me. Also thanks to fellow players Steve, Chris and Mark, great to game with you all!

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    2. and finally, I admit this clip seems quite appropriate...
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqZTP8-8wIs

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    3. You are welcome, David! Great having you take a seat at the table. Losing the 5th early on was a blow, for sure, since it meant that Pigot could not afford another loss before breaking. Still, Pigot's charge up the hill was a gallant attempt.

      Fitting video too! Your boys took a hell of a beating!

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  10. Another splendid game and narrative, a fine win for the rebels their tenacious defence paying off in the end.

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    1. Thank you, Phil! Yes, this was a well-deserved victory for the Rebels.

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  11. Nicely done Jon as always I am impressed by your enthusiasm to run big games with multiple players 😅

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    1. Thank you, Matt! Having four players is not much more work than one.

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  12. Well done AAR, easy to follow and love your use of graphics. The British die rolls were probably bad in spots based on the results of some tactical situations. The Americans did co-ordinate well, a key to making a defense work. Your recent 'quiet' on the posts suggested to me a good report was coming along. Not disappointed there!

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    1. Thanks, Joe! Your encouraging remarks on my AAR style are always most welcome. With each battle report I wonder if the product is worth the effort. Comments like yours are most helpful.

      Yes, British die rolls were probably bad in spots and American die rolls were better than expected in spots. The Americans made a terrific showing.

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  13. Looks like the rebel managed to stand their ground against expectations. Nice looking game and report!

    Christopher

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  14. A great looking game. Was this Reject Steve and Dave, Jonathan?

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    1. Thanks, Ray! Yes to Reject Steve and no to Reject Dave. The David present was David from the Ragged Soldier blog.

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  15. It looks like a fun AWI scenario for sure and evidence that you can’t let the first die rolls dictate a game; much can happen. 😀

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    1. There was tension and drama, for sure. Sometimes it is not over until it is over. For this umpire, it was fun!

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  16. Superb looking game and interesting report. I do love the AWI, sadly sold my collection a few years back. It is on my to do list to rebuild, figures purchased and waiting patiently in the queue.

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    1. Thank you, Meic! I look forward to seeing you rebuild your AWI project.

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  17. Entertaining game that you contrived to put Mark once more on the winning side! Sounds like a see saw either way till the end, my favourite kind of game!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks, Iain! Yes, plenty of tense action throughout. On another victory for Mark, perhaps, I am setting him up to take advantage in a future game?

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  18. The rebels fought well. Congratulations! I love your storytelling.

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    1. Thanks, André! I am very pleased you enjoy my storytelling.

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