The Last of the Renegades

The last of the Renegade Miniatures' ECW figures, that is.  I even needed to order a few Bicorne Miniatures' command figures to bring the regiment up to its full muster of 27 figures.  This is not quite the last of the Renegade figures in The Lead Pile but there are not enough models at hand to field another regiment of foote. 

Having always been drawn to the blue field with encircling motto of the Charles Fairfax banner, I figured this would be a handsome assignment for the out of production Renegade ECW figures remaining in inventory.  As I put this post together, Ross' post on having the discipline to not bite off more than one can paint (see: Back to the Brushes 307) reminds me that buying more than one really, really needs can pay dividends.  

Several years ago, Renegade Miniatures, originally went out of production temporarily but then returned back into production.  When back in production, stocking up seemed prudent.  It turned out to be a sound decision when figure production again went dormant quickly thereafter and has yet to resurface.  Some times, the "buy everything at once" school of thought is the right one.  There are a few ranges of figures, I sure do miss.

On a less somber note, later today sees a F2F game of Zama using Commands & Colors: Ancients.  I will be fielding my 6mm Punic Wars collection in place of the blocks.  One question is, do I deploy the standard scenario as given in the scenario book,

or the deluxe scenario as provided on the website?

Ode to Sheriffmuir

Battle of Sheriffmuir

Graham pulled out his 1/72nd Jacobite collection and we took to the fields at Sheriffmuir for the Tuesday game.  As I commanded the Jacobite right under Mar, my scope of the entire battle was somewhat limited and myopic.  Therefore, for a full accounting of the battle, please visit Graham's post, And we ran, and they ran.

In our engagement, the action on the Jacobite right is recounted in the following Ode to Sheriffmuir.

The Battle of Sheriffmuir
We threw down our muskets,
Unsheathed our swords
Flying down slopes with screams

The enemy stood shocked
Our momentum not blocked
Floating like ghosts in their dreams

From afar, battle is ne'er as seems

photo courtesy
http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/

Their cavalry came on
With their sabers drawn
Resolve not as stout as deems

Many buckled in fear
As our Highlanders drew near
The broadsword overhead it gleams

From afar, battle is ne'er as seems

photo courtesy
http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/

Scots against Scots, melees raged
Hacked fore and aft, none disengaged
Bravery and honor, redeems

Limbs cleaved clean as mighty sword falls
Men stare aghast as horror appalls
From afar, battle is ne'er as seems

photo courtesy
http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/

Cut down where they stood

No commands could be heard
Bodies piled high in extremes

With Argyll high on plateau
Blind to the carnage below
From afar, battle is ne'er as seems

While his right had been battered
His left had been shattered
Torn asunder by Highlanders furloughed

photo courtesy
http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/

and battle is ne'er as seems.

-- Johann Freytag, wounded Sheriffmuir, 1715

Auxiliary Assyrian Spearmen

With a heavy load of gaming and writing of late, time spent at the painting desk has naturally decreased.  Well, can anyone actually have a "heavy load of gaming?"  Like having a heavy load of dessert or a heavy load of fun, perhaps it is not easy to over-indulge in the hobby.  

Anyway, the current tranche of Biblicals comes to a brief halt with the mustering out of fourteen Wargames Foundry Assyrians.  As always, great figures and fun to paint.  Love the large shields.  The black face with bronze metalwork is pleasing to my eye.  With the table cleared of Rivoli, now would be a good opportunity to bring the Assyrians out for a little parade.  I wonder how much larger the collection has grown since the last parade?

On the painting desk are a number of projects but no more Biblicals for now. Paintwork shows much less focus while a number of projects will see an addition or two.  Expect to see some Napoleonic Spanish, ECW, Italian Wars, another battle for WotR, and even a few Star Wars figures cross the finish line in the weeks ahead.

Oh, and with weather improving, more Cycling the Palouse.  I have been out on the road for a couple of days each of the last two weeks.  While many of the roads are still a mess from lingering winter roadside debris, the body is not such a mess besides having gained a few pounds over the long winter.  As mileage picks up, the weight will come down.  Well, at least I hope so!  Hmm. Is it possible that my attitude toward dessert contributes to the winter weight gain?

Battle for Vizerrara Pass

Battle for Vizerrara Pass Table

Graham arranged for an early morning (late afternoon for Graham) two-player game of For Whom the Dice Rolls (FWTDR).  Given my planning from the previous FWTDR game (see Situational Awareness on the Wargaming Table), the pre-battle briefing was just that; brief!  I was given a rough map of the area, my Republican Order of Battle, and a vague objective.  No information on the enemy was provided, at all.  My Republicans will be entering the table from the bottom map edge while the Nationalists will be arriving from the top map edge.  For all I know, the Nationalists may already be on the table and occupying the town.  The Republican objective is to control the pass.  Artillery and Off-Table Assets for the Republicans are limited.  Who knows what the Nationalists may have up their sleeves?  This should be fun.

On to my brief battle report from afar.  Graham, I suspect, will be posting much better photos of the action shortly.  

Graham's battle report at: Heading Them Off At The (No) Pass-aran.

Relevant photo description follows each photo.

The Nationalists win initiative and bring on an armored car and an infantry battalion in trucks.  The infantry disembark.  The Republicans bring on a field gun, unlimbering it off the road.  Two Trubia Naval tanks advance on either side of the road while an infantry battalion advances on the right of the main road. 

Nationalists move the armored car up the road to counter the Trubias while the Carlist infantry head for the town.  The Basques move up to the river and halt.

On the left, both armies bring on reinforcements and make their way toward the monastery on the hill.

Reinforcements continue to arrive on board as the Nationalists advance across a broad front.  The Republican Asaltos enter on the right with their armored car in the lead.  A Nationalist airstrike targets the Basques at the river.  They are pinned but not much damaged.

While both sides advance in strength upon both flanks in an attempt to control the high ground, the Trubias in the center bypass the enemy armored car and threaten the arriving reinforcements.  

The Nationalist armored car spins around to attack the trailing Trubia from the rear while the truck-mounted AA attacks the lead Trubia from the front.  Both tanks suffer hits.  Carlist infantry moves from the dangerous open ground to occupy the central town.

The Republican field gun sends a shell up the tailpipe of the Nationalist armored car before opening up on the advancing Carlists on the high ground on the left.  The lead Trubia returns fire upon the AA truck and knocks it out.

The Republicans keep making their way up the left flank along the ridgeline while a third Basque battalion arrives and advances up the road toward the action.  Both Trubias attack infantry in the open.  One battalion is caught in march column on the road.

Both Carlist infantry battalions, attacked by the tanks, panic and flee to the rear!  Their battle is done.

With the threat of Carlist reinforcements in the center gone, attention can turn toward dealing with the flanks.

To start off, the Republicans call in a bomber run, targeting the enemy on the right hill.  Near the town, the Asalto armored car goes up in smoke from close range fire from the town.  Ouch! 

Unfortunately, the bombers misidentify their target and the bomb loads are dropped upon their own troops!  The Asaltos survive the unfortunate friendly fire mishap but are shaken from the experience. 

In the center, the Basques cross the river to threaten the town while the Asaltos on the right hill attempt to regain their composure.  The Carlists opposite the Asaltos use this opportunity to attack.

On the Republican left, two battalions of Basques move into position to threaten one Carlist battalion among the hills.  The first close assault is repulsed but the enemy has been softened up in a crossfire.  In the center, the two Trubias drive off to the foothills to support the beleaguered Asaltos.  The tanks are attacked by infantry and the infantry are driven off.  Well, maybe driven over.

On the right, the Asaltos are driven off the high ground with heavy casualties as the Basques in the center advance upon the town.  On the left, two Basque battalions provide preparatory fire into a very hard-pressed Carlist battalion before launching an assault.

The Republican assault goes in at more than two-to-one odds.  The Carlists are thrown back from the heights.

The Carlists rout back across the river.  With more than half of the Nationalist infantry scattered, the Republicans declare victory!  

Well, that was a fun and tense little scenario.  For a two-player game, this was just about the perfect size for two players.  Action was brisk and engaging throughout.  Card play with one player per side seemed smoother than in our recent multiplayer battles.  Both players had opportunities to attack and defend.  Game play seemed much more tactical and meaningful in nature since random off-board assets were kept to a minimum.  Not having much onboard artillery helped smooth the game too.  The rules and the interactions between parts are beginning to gel in my mind.

All in all, it was great fun.  Well done, Graham, for putting together a fine game!

Rivoli: An Executive Summary of Battle

Fierce fighting on the Rivoli Plateau

The sun sets on the Rivoli Plateau and the battlefield is shrouded in darkness.  With darkness covering the battlefield, fighting slackens as visibility decreases quickly.  As the wounded, lost, and bewildered turn toward self-preservation in the cold January night air, I call a cessation to hostilities.

The battle began in the morning with Austrian General Alvintzi attacking south toward Joubert's exposed division situated upon on the Rivoli Plateau.

Alvintzi attacks Joubert

The initial troop dispositions were situated as shown in the figure below:

Initial dispositions

The battle began at 0830 and ended at sunset at 1700. Seventeen turns were put into the logbook. After fighting throughout the day, most formations neared exhaustion and the 1630 turn saw particularly heavy casualties as commanders attempted one last decisive push before nightfall.  The day-long battle raged over the heights that overlooked the Adige River valley and on the plateau upon which the town of Rivoli sits. Like two prize fighters, the armies bludgeoned each other repeatedly but neither wanting to yield.

The two opposing generals opted for different approaches to victory.  The French chose to go for a knock-out punch and win by Sudden Death.  The Austrians chose a double envelopment to cut the French army in half.  The initial plans looked something like this:

Initial battle plans

Each combatant was issued a situation briefing.  These briefings are provided in detail below:

French Briefing:
The Austrians have launched another relief effort for Mantua. Three attempts have failed before. This one should be no different. Alvintzi needs to break out of the Adige Valley into order to bring his superior numbers to bear. The only way to break out of the valley is to attack on the Rivoli Plateau.

Joubert was posted to the north of Rivoli and while fighting hard, has been pushed back to Rivoli and takes up positions along the Trombolare Heights. Reinforcements are on the way and will continue arriving throughout the morning. Holding the Osteria Gorge is critical. If the Gorge can be held, the large Austrian columns confined to the valley will offer no assistance to the Austrians on the plateau. If the four Austrian columns on the heights can be defeated before reinforced from the valley below, the battle will be won. The goal is the destruction of the Austrian army before it can break out and relieve Mantua.

Napoleon faces several problems. They are:

• Joubert’s position could be flanked on the west allowing the Austrians to break out towards Lake Garda.
• Joubert is initially outnumbered and spread thinly across the front but his troops are hard fighters and he has support from artillery and cavalry.
• If the Osteria Gorge can be forced then both flanks could be in jeopardy and the Rivoli position could become untenable.
• While the Osteria Gorge position may hold, the Adige could be bridged in a few places below Rivoli.

Game length: 0830 to 1900 (actually ended at 1700)
French Command Rating: Efficient
French Maneuver Doctrine: Impulse
French Reinforcement Schedule:

0900 Massena, Brune, 32nd Line, 29th Line arrive on road from Verona to Rivoli.

1000 Massena’s two batteries arrive on road from Verona to Rivoli.

1030 Monnier, 18th Line, 75th Line arrive on road from Verona to Rivoli.

1400 Rey, 58th Line arrive on road from Verona to Rivoli.

1530 8th Dragoons, 15th Dragoons, Rey’s batteries arrive on road from Verona to Rivoli.

Austrian Briefing:
With plans to relieve Mantua (fourth time’s a charm!), Alvintzi has set off down the Adige Valley with thoughts of breaking out into the more open territory in which his superiority in numbers can weigh heavily against the weaker French.

Alvintzi faces several problems. Almost too many obstacles, really. They are:

• To break out toward Verona and Mantua, his army must overcome Joubert’s division blocking his approach.
• The Adige River is unfordable and the nearest crossing is several miles to the north.
• Climbing out of the Adige Valley in order to make an attack against Joubert in the mountains requires that his cavalry and artillery be left behind.
• To access the Rivoli Plateau directly from the Adige Valley requires his army to pass through the Osteria Gorge. This is a narrow defile and easily defended. Reuss must overcome this obstacle to unleash his large column out onto the plateau.
• Until the Osteria Gorge can be taken, communication between Alvintzi on the plateau and his troops in the valley is nearly impossible. Therefore taking the gorge defile is key to the entire operation.
• His four columns on the plateau have been moving and fighting through most of the night and early morning. Austrian punches have not been as nimble as French counter-punches.
• Vukassovich’s column on the east bank of the Adige River is prevented from moving south through another defile by French troops. No possibility of overcoming the defenders guarding this defile. Vukassovich does carry along a pontoon train that can be used to bridge the Adige in a few places.

Game length: 0830 to 1900  (actually ended at 1700)
Austrian Command Rating: Functional
Austrian Maneuver Doctrine: Linear

Austrian Reinforcement Schedule: None

Victory Conditions:
Sudden Death (Assessed at end of each turn):

• Austrians win the battle and play stops immediately if all units from two columns have exited the southern board via either Rivoli-to-Verona or Affi-to-Verona roads. To count, each column must still maintain half of its units neither eliminated nor Demoralized.
• French win the battle and play stops immediately if at least three Austrian columns have been destroyed. To count as destroyed, all of the column’s units must be either eliminated, Shaken, or Demoralized.

If no sudden Death then points will be awarded.

Winning on Points (Assessed at end of game):

2 VPs for each enemy unit eliminated.

1 VP for each enemy unit demoralized.

3 VPs (Austria only) for controlling Rivoli-Verona road exit.

3 VPs (Austria only) for controlling Rivoli.

5 VPs (Austria only) for controlling Affi.

5 VPs (Austria only) for controlling Zuanne.

At the end of fighting, the situation looked like,

Situation 1700

As seen in the battle photo above, the French nearly destroyed two Austrian columns in the north while the Austrians nearly completed their double envelopment of the French.  The Austrians had a chance at snagging a Sudden Death victory by exiting Lusignan and Liptay off-table at Affi but chose to maintain their double envelopment and help spring Reuss from the gorge bottleneck.   

The Austrian column under Reuss, having battled hard all day to break through the Rivoli Gorge, finally succeeded.  The arrival of fresh troops for the French saw these Austrian gains onto the Rivoli plateau short-lived.  As daylight faded, Reuss' Austrians suffered reverses and their foothold upon the plateau became untenable.

In the north around Lubiana, the end of the day saw Koblos and Oksay retreating in disarray.  Based upon Alvintzi's earlier instructions and plan of battle, Koblos and Oksay withdrew back to the north to preserve the army.  Much of Lebley and Vial's commands were equally battered and in no condition to pursue vigorously (or effectively!).

The Austrians performed better than their historical counterparts but based on casualties suffered, I lean toward declaring a minor French tactical victory since the Austrians were unable to successfully break out onto the plain below Rivoli.  My long term plan is to collate all of the correspondence and combat results into a more detailed battle report at some point.  Perhaps this will include a series of posts highlighting portions of the battle?  The mounds of dispatches to sift through are daunting and much of the action will need to be condensed unless I plan on writing a book on this battle.  By the time I re-examine all of the data and tally casualty returns, the final result may edge back toward a draw.  It really is that close.

I know I asked a lot from the players in this venture and appreciate their diligence in feeding in their orders and dispatches. This battle has waged for over two months now and I am very grateful to all whom participated. The decisions made by the generals produced much enjoyment for me and generated an interesting narrative.  Not something I could have experienced on my own.  I was surprised many times and tried to follow the intent and spirit of each order.  It is fair to say that this undertaking would not have been the same without their generous and helpful contributions. Some of the dispatches were very entertaining. Some were very methodical. All were greatly appreciated as the players' participation added greatly to the battle refight.

I sincerely thank all participants for making this a very enjoyable game. I hope players found this enjoyable as well and this exercise provided some insight into the historical battle, itself.  All are worthy commanders.  Each turn, with limited information, they assessed the situation and made some profound and insightful inferences. Chapeau to you all!

Should they so choose, I would enjoy reading the thoughts, impressions, and perspectives of commanders whether as a reply here or on your own blog.

Situational Awareness on the Wargaming Table

Photo courtesy http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/

Graham, our Master of Ceremonies for a continuing series of 15mm Spanish Civil War games featuring his recently published For Whom the Dice Rolls rules, has been very diligent in providing Game Briefings before the Tuesday night Zoom battles.  This extra effort has been quite useful in preparing for the task at hand.

MC Graham as puppet master moving our troops

This week's offering was no different.  In the battle packet were map, Orders of Battle, and a briefing.

Since one never knows which side will be assigned for play, I typically look over both OBs and briefings beforehand.  Approaching each battle as a puzzle to be solved, I mentally make notes of time/space considerations, relative strengths and weaknesses of each combatant, and potential avenues of attack and lines of defense.  The rules receive a quick skim too.  These pre-game exercises help to focus my attention toward improving my situational awareness on whichever side I land.

Battle map

Pre-Battle Notes:

• The Nationalists hold a numerical advantage in infantry, armor, and heavier artillery.  Republicans hold an advantage in field guns. Nothing more.  There are no Off-Table Assets in this game.  Wait.  The Nationalists have brought their Off-Table heavy artillery asset on-table!
• Nationalist terrain objectives are nearer to the Nationalist baseline than are the Republican objectives to the Republican baseline as shown in the two diagrams below:

  

  Nationalist entries and objectives (yellow)

  

  Republican entries and objectives (blue)

• One Nationalist objective is to 'control' the railway.  Does that mean simply to cut the rail line or possess all or parts of it?
• With numerical superiority and objectives within easier reach, I expect the Nationalists to attack.
• With inferior numbers, lacking armor, and objectives much farther away, I expect the Republicans will fight a defensive battle. 

Game Night:
On game night, the game was much more well-attended than expected so commands were shuffled around a bit to accommodate seven players.  I think four players were expected.  No matter, Graham quickly allocated commands.

Phil, Will, and the two Richards were promoted to commands within the Nationalist army.  Steve, Ian, and I were plopped into the role of Republicans.  Since I had a copy of the rules, Graham appointed me as CiC for the Republicans with Ian and Steve taking on the role of brigadiers.

Now with only a few minutes to formulate a battle plan, I made some quick time/space calculations.

--------------------- Begin Digression --------------------

OK. Has anyone ever been in a participation game at a convention (or anywhere else) in which the victory conditions are such that units must reach a certain point on the table within a certain number of turns (typically exiting the opposite side of the board) to claim victory?  On occasion, the post-mortem shows that the unit(s) could not have reached the objective under the most favorable conditions.  Well, I have witnessed this situation as well as suffered it. 

Show of hands?   

--------------------- End Digression ----------------------

My quick calculations showed that Republicans moving in the fastest combat-ready posture (skirmish order) would take about eight impulses (three turns) to reach the hills on the opposite board edge.  That is not reckoning on any active resistance from a superior force or having the correct mix of activations to actually perform these required impulses.  With enemy resistance, I figured one enemy battalion could add a delay of three impulses to the timetable.  Given that these games rarely last longer than three turns in the typical three-hour gaming session, I deemed the Republicans unlikely to reach their objective within the given time constraints.  Is that enough to shift the Republican battle plan firmly to a defensive posture?

Perhaps, but there is yet another piece of information to consider.  What about the players, themselves?  While I have only gamed with the Monday Night Gamers for about six months, that is enough time to identify a few, general player profiles tendencies.

Will and Phil seem to be tenacious and aggressive attackers.  I have witnessed both tearing up any opposition standing between them and their objectives.  Ian and Steve, on the other hand, appear more suited to defensive postures.  Calm and capable, these traits I want for commanders in the trenches willing to hold a line.  Of course, I could be very well wrong but this is how I placed today's wager.  With the Nationalists holding the cards in numbers, attainable objectives, and aggression, there was little question in mind that the Nationalists would attack.  The Republicans seemed better suited to take the defense and counterattack if the opportunity presented itself.  

Now, with Graham orchestrating scenario development and player assignments, were these same considerations in play for him too?  Hmm.

How did these quick plans pan out?  Please visit Graham's battle report at The Sunken Road Conundrum to find out.

The gaming session ended at the beginning of Turn 3 with the Nationalists holding initiative but the Republicans poised for counterattack.  Even unopposed, a Republican attack from the start could not have reached the Nationalist baseline before game ended.

Know thy self, know thy enemy, and know thy situation.

Two-fer Tuesday: Sea Peoples

Today brings forth another double-shot Tuesday.  Maintaining the recent Biblical theme, two units of Sea Peoples depart the workbench.  Only a couple of handfuls of these figures made it into The Lead Pile and here they all are painted in a blue/white motif.  Figures are from Wargames Foundry.

First up is a unit of mixed spear and javelin.  Perhaps, I ought to have placed the javelin in the front rank but I chose to put the tough guys in the front.  Maybe the spearmen are protecting the javelin tossers while they target the enemy from relative safety?

Second, is a stand of bowmen.  As Peter has shown over on his blog (see: Peleset Archers #2), these are very nice sculpts. Mine seemed to have more flash and mold lines than did Peter's figures.

Anyway, two more useful additions to the growing Biblicals project.  Still a few more Biblicals in work until I switch gears for another project break.

With all of the gaming of late, painting output is slowing down.  At least it seems to be slowing down.  Recently, I have been going several days in a row without ever picking up the brush.  Some of the non-painting time has been spent putting together another Battle of WotR figures from Perry.  Like the first Battle, it will field 52 figures strong.  Other bits of time have been consumed with the ongoing Rivoli PBEM game.  With the sun literally setting over the battlefield, the battle will be drawing to a close very soon.  Then, I will be faced with the decision of how to tackle the mountain of correspondence the game has generated. 

Tonight’s remote game features a return to the Spanish Civil War.  Having a hardcopy of the rules in-hand and another game under my belt, I may have gathered enough data to begin a review or posting on some aspect of the rules.  Perhaps a recap of Tuesday's action will be up first?  Graham sent out a battle briefing so I will be ready when the curtain is raised on the battle.