Is it that time again? Quarterly Wargames Day #1 2024

Gosh! Time for another day of gaming with Shed West Richard, this time on his turf. 

The day started with some 30mm Seven Years War. This is a passion project for Richard, with big units of big figures. He's been musing on a set of rules for a while, and resolved to try them out on us.

Phil and Gary had the French, who were set up between the two rivers. I had the allies. My aim was to drive them off the table. I have some troops to the left, who the French think are the advance guard of the main army. They're not. My main force is coming in top right. I'm out numbered, but have the element of surprise so their actions are limited for the first turn or two.

My first action is to cross the far river quickly with some cavalry. Rivers are only passable at bridges.

Across the river I press up with my feint in order to pin them to the river line. Phil thinks Gary should cross the river and attack me. I'd like that just fine, but Gary demurs.

My horse deploy quickly, having crossed the river. In the background their infantry supports march up, and more horse goes in search of other crossings. I subsequently drive off both of their cavalry squadrons. This enables me to get my infantry across the river and deploy. Phil blusters and Gary expresses astonishment. They haven't been paying attention to Richard as he explains his rule concepts, so I'd say I'm more in tune with what he wants to see on the table.

I follow up with a combined infantry and cavalry attack on his supporting infantry.

A quick wide shot so you can see the game in all its glory.

Shooting starts at the other end of the table. I'm tying up two infantry regiments here, which works for me.

Actually, shooting has started everywhere. My cavalry have been driven off, as you can see.

But I've now got two regiments of foot in range to fire.

The combined fire causes their red regiment to break and flee.

For some reason Gary tuns his regiment at the bridge round to cover for the rout. It is too good to miss  charging across. They perform an emergency response to about face (boo!) and drive me off (shame!).

I have one regiment established across the river, but my cavalry has been driven off. Getting more troops into the zone where I need them is going to be problematic. In the background there's cavalry fighting going on as Phil counter attacks onto my side of the river. The French are showing no sign of being inclined to withdraw.

Gary feels threatened and forms a square.

I close on him with two regiments and volley him. He fails to break. My plea for a dense target modifier falls on deaf ears.

Then loads of their cavalry turn up, and I form a square as well.

To try and relieve the pressure I charge across one of the bridges and am counter-charged.

With the failure of the charge, and with more cavalry coming up, Gary opens his square up. My infantry across the far river are doing a good job of discouraging their cavalry from attacking me, but I'm basically pinned in this end of the table. I have no way of pressing the attack home any further, so I advise the umpire that I have accepted defeat in this scenario (or at least, accepted I can't win).

Richard has somethings to work on with the rules. He didn't get a lot of love for his approach to  cavalry melees, and he needs to nail down his turn sequence, but otherwise it all played well enough. He took the scenario from a book in the Wargaming in History series, based upon the Battle of Krefeld in 1758. I think for me to emulate my predecessors they will have to be much more delayed in their response to the emergence of my flanking force, or the game needs to start with them across the river.

After that game we paired off for a couple of games of "Spartans & Successors". This was Phil's choice of the options available, which surprised me because I didn't think he was a fan. I played the Gaza scenario with him, and Gary & Richard played Raphia.

My game with Phil was quite close. I provided him with a Rummikub stand for his cards as he still can't use his left arm and that worked well. In the end I ran out a winner in terms of breaking his army, but he killed Ptolemy in the final turn as well, so my army retired in grief, despite having broken his.

Richard won more comfortably. It was Gary's first game, and Richard has played a few times in the last year. He is planning to take the rules to the next SOA battleday. He and his co-presenter are just discussing how to include Romans in the system. It is something I aim to do when I finish my current project with the Jacobites.