Once more into the breach...or at least over the walls

A degree of confusion this week. It was supposed to be my last play test of the "Gough in China" game ahead of COW, but Chris had another engagement, as had Steve and Tim was unwell. Phil & I were going to do some DBA, but then it turned out Chris was around this week after all as he'd cancelled the wrong Google Invite in error. Anyhow, I'd taken the game down and boxed it for COW, and then Phil called and said Chris was picking him up in 15 minutes. Great opportunity to test my new system for setting the game up  quickly (the road and river parts are numbered). It pretty much worked, and I'd got everything set up, bar the buildings in the city, as they walked through the door.

Since the last game I have re-jigged the city layout, added firing platforms for the defenders, changed some of the Chinese Moral Vigour ratings, built the gate house, re-wrote some of the rules and repositioned the starting location for one of the British brigades. My re-reading of the accounts has improved my understanding of what happened in places. I still have an issue with how things would have played out if certain things didn't happen, and I needed to explore them in this game.

Chris started with an attack on the bastion, supported by his artillery on the hill top whilst his assault columns moved up. As the defender I should have stepped back behind the walls instead of taking the damage, and then repopulated the walls as the attackers put the ladders up.

Phil started to move up towards the gate. The two figures standing on the red dice are the sappers, and the dice represent their explosives supply.

Phil also had artillery that could hit the defenders, and he fired at the gatehouse to suppress their musketry, causing them some upset. Meanwhile under covering fire from his infantry the sappers stacked explosives against the gates.

Most of the defenders of the bastion had fled under the artillery bombardment, so Chis was in fairly quickly. I rushed up some Tartar spears to hold off the second wave coming up the other ladders.

Phil was busy commandeering local boats to cross the canal.

Phil chose to use four of his dice, and blew the gate in. He needed 12+ to succeed and rolled 5,3,2,2. Phew! That was close.

We had a discussion about the inner gate, and for game purposes I let that be blown in at the same time. That won't be the case at COW.

Chris has driven all the defenders out of the bastion. I've introduced a new attrition rule for close combat, and the British are being steadily worn down. Alas for me, the Chinese are falling apart more quickly.

I had to clear the smoke to see what was going on. Phil is in the city in force, and has cleared out the defenders round the gatehouse. He has driven the defenders back from the West Gate bastion and is into the city proper.

Chris is pressing hard at the other end of the table. The Chinese are holding on, backed up by their Mandarin screaming incoherently at them. General Schoedde is in the thick of it, inspiring his troops to greater heights of endeavour. Unlike previous games all the Commanders survived this one.

Phil's forces are surprised by a counter attack that takes him in the flank. He is pushed back into the bastion.

Chris is struggling to break the defenders by the East Gate, who are putting up strong resistance.

However, the Chinese are on a knife edge. Phil will counter attack from the West Gate bastion, and drive the defenders before him, as more troops pour in through the main gate. Chris has cleared space to advance into the centre of the city. It is all over, bar the looting and the setting fire to the palace building.