Battle of Clement 1708.

I'm back,bronzed and beautiful(well two out of three isn't bad!!) and last night we had a full turn out for a really interesting and colourful game involving Irish,Spanish,British,Dutch and Prussian troops.

The same old(boring?) format-top photo is scenario,bottom is table before any movement.
We drew sides and Graham and I were the Allied commanders,whilst Paul and Dave were the Irish/Spanish commanders,and Brian opted to referee(and what a splendid job he made of it too!!)

The game got off to a cracking start with my British column holding the flank,but only as a "feint" whilst Graham attacked along the whole front with his allied troops.

Graham's furious attack on the village was met with an equally furious defence by Dave!!
By now the whole table was alive with movement and firing-great stuff!

Toe-to -toe musketry in the centre as the Prussians take on the Spanish-both sides were evenly matched so,unfortunately, it would come down to the dreaded "DICE"-and it did,and we lost!!!!

On my flank,the "holding force" is holding(!!) whilst the other half of the column is marching towards the Prussian who are under considerable pressure-will I get there on time?

As Dave looks in "pensive mood" he is gradually pushing Graham back,but my British are now in a position to offer assistance,if only he would withdraw his Prussians from the front line!!!

My British cavalry are making a difference on Graham's flank,and,baring a disaster, we are stabilising the line(have I spoken too soon??)

Look at that!!!-The Prussians have vanished and Dave and Paul are throwing tremendously lucky dice,felling our officer corps,and driving us back-THE END!!
This was a good game,and a welcome return to wargaming in Westerhope!
If anyone can identify the new yellow flag with the double-headed Eagle on it in the background to the opening photo's,I will send them a shilling!!!
Roll on next Sunday.

Battle of the Woods 1708.

Last night we fought a most enjoyable and tense game,full of colour,tactical expertise(??) and movement.

This is the simple scenario,movement was restricted in the woods,to a normal move followed by a full move to re-dress lines etc.-this proved to be a real challenge for both sides.

Graham's Irish were the first to "expose" themselves(!!) and attacked Brian's Austrians,at the same time,Graham, has moved his Bavarians in an out-flanking move,putting Brian in all kinds of trouble(but he was up to it!!)

This shows Graham's attack-Brian was quietly confident because all of his Austrians had very good morale/fighting points.

On the other side of the table,Dave's cavalry are advancing against Paul's position,and his infantry have "burst forth" from the woods-looks like this could develop into a good game(?!)

Paul's Spanish are standing still on top of the hill,his gun is doing a bit of damage,and his cavalry are poised for a charge, but Dave is advancing very cautiously and slowly.

At last a cavalry clash!!-the tumbleweed was causing a bit of bother until now!!!-still no infantry action though.

Hurrah!! at last the infantry have made contact-but with the Bavarians not the Spanish!!
Meanwhile,on the other flank...........................

Brian and Graham are going at it "hammer and tongs"-both sides are taking heavy casualties,and morale is now coming in to play!!-in the background things  seem to have stopped!!!

"Just drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweed"-the next move will surely bring some action though????..................

Nope!!!

The attack on the town is reaching a crucial stage-the Irish are "wavering",and to stabilise the situation Graham put his Colonel in the front line(you know what's coming don't you?) and promptly got him shot!!!-the whole of the Irish brigade decided that Dublin is quite nice this time of year!!!!!!!!!

Relief is showing on Brian's face(or is it wind?) as the Irish take off back to the woods.
Graham now shifted his attention to the town,by taking a couple of infantry regiments from the centre,leaving Paul feeling "vulnerable" -can Dave capitalise on the situation??

Yes!!,brushing the cobwebs off his troops,he has mounted an all-out attack on Paul's position-to be fair to Paul,he held his own(no jokes please!) but it was just a matter of time before he would have to give in! However the town was still in Brian's hands,so a clear cut result was not forthcoming!!

One final shot,and the're still smiling.This was a good game and well fought by all,roll on next Sunday,probably an Ancient battle.

Marlburian battle.

Last night we fought a battle without a name!!-I've had a bit of a hectic week,so just "threw" some figures onto the table added a bit of terrain,and hoped for the best-and it worked a treat!!!-we had the most exciting game we've had for a while,involving good tactics and lots of manoeuvering-wonderful stuff.

This is how the table looked before any moves-I was in charge of the Franco/Bavarians,in the foreground,whilst Brian and Paul commanded the English/Prussians/Austrian/Dutch army!

Off we go!-the marsh would halve movement and disorder any troops trying to cross it,so it was,I suppose, a "no-go" for both sides,but with just a hint of "maybe!"-in the centre my French are advancing onto the central ridge-my Bavarians had orders not to advance against Brian's Dutch until the main French troops had made contact with the Austrians,commanded by Paul in the centre.

Action in the centre!-I have moved my cavalry in a "feint" towards the Prussians,hoping to lure Paul out of position-no chance!!-however I am tying down a sizable force by "demonstrating" against the marsh!!-but now my Bavarians can attack Brian's position-hurrah!!

A quick volley,followed by a charge against the walled enclosure,should discomfort the Dutch,and win the flank!!!!

Well,the quick volley was okay,but the charge just "bounced"-and after a couple of rounds of frantic melee,the brave Bavarians were sent packing!!!-woe is me.

This shows the state of play at about move number 6-I am winning the fire-fight in the centre(although Paul is moving reinforcements to assist the Austrians) but my attack against the Dutch has stalled,and an impasse still exists on my left flank!-send in the cavalry????

My Provincial French infantry gaze across the marsh!!!-nothing to do,unlike the centre,which is now ablaze with action!!!

Paul has moved troops on to my flank,but my French are still holding on,and officers are dropping like flies-where are the cavalry?-someone must make a move soon!!!

We both did!-braving volley and cannister fire,my cavalry charged into Paul's-wonderful stuff!
The ensuing melee was a draw,but Paul's centre was in danger of collapse,Brian's flank was holding on,and the impasse on my left was always going to be there,so we decided,after 13 moves,that draw was a reasonable result!
Great game,played in a great spirit,using correct tactics-what more could you ask for from a wargame??(well a win would have been nice!)
Roll on next Sunday,we will be re-fighting the battle of Mohi 1241-Hungarians against Mongols-I have asked the lads to do a bit of research on the battle,so they know what to expect.

Battle of "Krankie's Croft" 1719.

Lord Farquar,of Westerhope,has marched a Brigade of infantry,a battery of guns and two squadrons of Dragoons into the highlands of Scotland,in an attempt to end the 1719 Jacobite rebellion all by himself!!
After a cosy night spent in Krankie's Croft,he is sitting down to a breakfast of mango and prune porridge,and a freshly caught Haggis (because these creatures are so fast,the only way to catch them is to bait the trap with Whiskey,and while they are sleeping it off,grab them quickly and cook them slowly!) when a rebel army is spotted moving at a fast rate towards his position.

Top photo is the table before any movement,and bottom photo is Lord Farquar eating his porridge and haggis!!

The Scots begin their attack! both the English and Scots guns did considerable damage in the opening shots,so much so that the Dragoons on the left flank could take no more and charged the Scots gun opposite them-fools!!!!

The Scots are pressing home their attack on the Croft,but the Dragoon charge against the gun on the Scot's right,has failed and they have turned tail and fled!

The Dragoons are being hotly chased by a clan-this rash move by the Dragoons has opened up the whole flank,and Farquar had to use his reserve regiment to face the threat!!

Bitter fighting at the Croft wall! and casualties mounting on both sides,but who can prevail?

The English gun battery is being attacked by a clan that had moved over the hills,and wiped it out!!-however the battery is guarded by a squadron of Dragoons,and they charged into the fray,driving the clan back!!!-thus saving the flank-for a while!

A good view of the table,showing the clans in the Croft ,the reserve regiment of English about to be charged,and in the background the Dragoons fighting for their lives!!

The reserve regiment is in all kinds of trouble now,attacked frontally and in the flank-the result was inevitable!!!

One final shot showing the state of the table at he end of the game-English fleeing back to the Border!!
I have enjoyed playing these solo games,although nothing can beat the multi-player games we have on Sundays.
I have a siege planned for tomorrow(medieval).

Battle of the Dyke-Marlburian.

Before I start the report on the game we had today,you are all,no doubt aware that the news on everyone's lips today is that the "Chippendales" have reformed.........................

And here they are!!-bloody hell,more like the "Chipmunks"!!!! I don't know how some of them get let out by themselves!!-Alan is wearing a nice hat!!

The scenario and map-Brian was in charge of the Scots,Alan in charge of the Irish,Paul in charge of the Bavarians,Dave in charge of the Anglo/Prussians,whilst Graham and I looked at each other from opposite sides of the table,on horse back!!

Brian's impressive attack on The Dyke is met by a fierce volley from the Irish-Alan was outnumbered so asked Paul for reinforcements,and was duly sent them!!

On the Allied right flank,I was tasked with holding the flank against Graham's French cavalry-we were evenly matched,so I would have to rely on my "superior" dice throwing(big groan!!)

In the centre Dave is advancing on the Bavarians,who,curiously,backed away-moral victory to us-hurrah!!

Dave's Prussians are holding the line,whilst the "English" are trying to out-flank the Bavarian line-in the background Brian is still fighting the Irish.................

Brian is beginning to get the upper hand in this shot,and the Irish are being pushed back,but Paul is looking tense!! as Alan points to a very important bush!!!

The cavalry battle is in full swing now-in the background to the right,I have captured Graham's battery,however it looks like I will lose my squadron,as the French cavalry are pounding down on me!

Paul is till looking tense!,the centre of the field is looking calm,but not so on both flanks!!-come on commanders,get stuck in!!

My "superior" dice throwing is obviously telling in this shot,that's why I am going backwards!!!

One of Dave's "English" regiments is involved in a fire-fight,which,it must be said, did not go well!!-but on the far left,Brian is still making headway against the Irish-a very small hurrah!!

Oh no,that small hurrah has just been turned into a large "BOO"-the Scots have been bounced!!-this is now looking desperate-can Dave turn this game around by beating the Bavarians??

Both centres open fire!(not before bloody time!),but Paul was throwing the dice that I should have been throwing!!-My cavalry battle is almost over,and Brian's Scots are suffering from a very bad case of "Sporran Mange",causing them to turn tail and head for home!!-is this is the end?

"YES"!!-with denuded flanks,the Allies accepted defeat with total gentlemany grace,and blamed the Scots!!!!

This was a good game,certainly different,with the Scots involved,and enjoyed by us all.

Roll on Thursday-probably 4 of us,but as yet I don't know what period.