Taiping Era. Now with boats.

A couple of years a go I made some Chinese War Junks. Having made them I never got round to using them, and they've been cluttering up a shelf in the study. As you'll know from the last post I've been digging around in the Far East again, so it was time to get out "Taiping Era" and refresh my memory for Tuesday's game. 

I went for the Ever Victorious Army fighting the Taipings around Shanghai. I used the full EVA plus a couple of guns, but with the early period commanders. The EVA are a quality class better than the Taipings, and are also better drilled. When I wrote the rulebook I rated the Taiping Commanders as more inspirational than Ward & Burgevine of the EVA, and on reflection that might not be fair. The EVA were outnumbered about 3:1 for this game, but they should be able to cope with those odds. As ever, the EVA are on the offensive and trying to clear the rebels out of a local village.

Phil & Steve took the roles of Burgevine and Ward respectively, and Chris and Tim were various Taiping Wangs. The EVA won the initiative roll, and let the Taipings move first. They advanced where ever they could, as I had purposely given them a defensive position on their right flank, which is the traditional "Joss-house* on a hill" that features in so many memoirs. I was hoping for an epic struggle as its garrison fought off repeated attacks from the EVA.

I gave the EVA two junks they could use for a river landing. They were enough to carry a brigade of three battalions and their supporting artillery. Steve chose to split his force, sending one battalion and the gun to land at amongst the hongs and go downs on the bank of the Yangtze-Kiang. Ward stayed behind with his other two battalions. 

The troops quickly disembarked and occupied the commercial district.

It has been a couple of years since we played the rules last. In that last game Chris, Phil & Tim played, and Chris got to use the 1860 French, who are a nifty little force. I re-read the rules before we started, but had a brain freeze part way through the second move, and let Chris order a flank charge with his spears in open order. This should not have been possible, and rather messed up the position for Steve. On the other hand, they had the initiative, and once again let the Taipings move first. That let the longhairs get the jump on them, instead of the other way round.

I should point out that by this stage, a few moves in, the EVA had caused in excess of 40 Moral Vigour tests, which are passed initially by rolling 7 or less on a d8. Chris had not failed any of them until the combat above. Phil, on the other hand, had taken about 8 on d10s passing on 9 or less and had failed two of them.

The spearmen flank charge succeeded in driving one of Steve's battalions out of the square, whilst the swords men remained locked in combat to the front of the remaining unit. I played that wrong too. I should never have let Chris form his light troops into a solid line.

However, in the second round of combat luck flipped. Despite taking four times as many MV tests, due to being outnumbered and flanked, the EVA stood firm and drove off both of the Taiping units. Chris was not at all happy.

Phil was developing a two pronged attack. One battalion, led by Burgevine, were intent on storming the main town gate, whilst the other tried to tie up Tim's left flank. The green flag EVA unit by the bridge are rifle armed, and so should be quite a handful.

Tim came at Phil with everything he'd got, as much as possible,  whilst Phil, supported by a musket armed unit across the river, blazed away to limited effect. TBH I think Phil had got the units the wrong way round. He should have lead with his musket battalion, and used the rifles for support from across the river. At point blank range I don't differentiate between muskets and rifles for the number of tests inflicted.

Having boldly landed his men at the wharf Steve went a bit tentative. He needed to strike fast and engage the Taiping unit hanging around here to free him up for the attack on the village. Chris has fortified the Joss House with two jingals. Steve's infantry unit attacked in the flank earlier has finished wading through the paddy field. Chris has a single infantry unit down by the river, but its MV has fallen to four under heavy fire from Steve's other unit.

Between the bridge and the joss house Steve's third infantry battalion is still beset by a couple of Taiping units.

But not for much longer. In an epic round of combat, both the Taiping units are driven off again.

This is followed up by a charge on the swordsmen, whilst another battalion attacks the joss house. Behind them the EVA launches a bayonet charge on the units protecting the gate area. Even further in the distance Tim and Phil are engaged in a fight round the far bridge.

Chris' infantry that had left the sanctuary of the joss house earlier succumb to a devastating volley from the EVA infantry that landed by junk, and flee to the safety of some waiting sampans.

Whilst Steve's infantry storm the joss house and his other battalion led by Ward break the swordsmen, Phil's attack on the gates is driven off. It looks like the attempt to liberate the village may have to be postponed.

Steve now has two battalions in the joss house, but alas I fear the battle has been lost elsewhere.

The defences of the village still look very strong. Time to call it all off.

Phil withdraws back across the bridge to escape the enveloping hordes, and the game ends.

A battle that was tense at times, and would have been helped if my memory for things I'd written was better. It's not like I forget complicated stuff. I should be able to remember things like Open Order infantry can't charge formed bodies of troops.

Once again rolling buckets of dice did not seem to lead to a smoothing out of distribution overall. Phil was very unlucky to have failed to make serious inroads from his right flank, and also unlucky to suffer as many MV fails as he did. Still that's to be expected when we roll dice.

The war junk performed suitably well, with the figures fitting comfortably. I think it was disappointing that Steve didn't go all in and use both junks, but he made decent progress, nonetheless.

For now this will all be put away. I have some figures from Irregular on order, covering the 1839-42 1st China War, and when they are done we will see a return. I've also got some Chinese rockets on order too, so what with me finishing the Congreves perhaps these will be back sooner than I thought.

*"Joss House" means a Chinese Temple. "Joss" is a corruption of a non-Chines word meaning idol, before which you purify the air by burning joss sticks whilst you pray.