Project Alma - the Battle

 Yesterday I had some friends over for a game. In the warm sun (and blustery breeze) we played the Alma game I've been painting up figures and getting scenery for. 

The breeze played havoc initially with the gazebo we played under and a few times blew in and knocked down trees on the table but it died down and we spent a very enjoyable afternoon playing the scenario, based on Neil Thomas's from his 19th Century Wargames book but using the mechanisms from Rebels and Patriots to play the game. While we played our wives chatted in the other corner of the garden and we got together for a nice Turkish inspired meal cooked by my wife. It was a cracking day.

 But back to the game, John and Eric took the British and  Bill and Graham the Russians. Things did not go well for the Brits to start with, kicking off an artillery duel against the more numerous Russians meant the Royal artillery were soon in disarray - one gun knocked out and two forced to retreat. The Russians then began to open up on the infantry and John and Eric's dice throwing for activations was so bad that I had to intervene as umpire and inform them that Lord Raglan had moved his position so that they could get an additional CinC bonus and actually move things forward ! 

Starting Postitions

The high water mark

This did the trick and after dinner in particular the Brits were able to get moving and cause some real damage to the Russians.  Bill and Graham hadn't got things all their own way. A couple of blunders meant they accidentally fired in their own men, and once they got in range of the British on their left they were losing men quite quickly. Graham's guns in particular holding back the British around the village and the right of their line. 

Eric had by now managed to get his dice properly warmed up and was able to send his men up the slopes, but they were too few to cause enough damage to the Russians who began to advance towards him. Their large units soaked up 16 points of damage compared with 12 for each British. John was still stuck on the British right and although another Russian unit made its back to its box, it was clear that the British had no chance of taking the day and we wrapped up the game. 

Id painted up two old Tradition 30mm Crimean figures by Charles Stadden...one for Best General and one for unluckiest. Due to his activation rolls in the first half of the game Eric took the Unluckiest home, while Bill gained the Best General award. 

A great days gaming, good company, a few beverages and fine food with friends. 

Now....what do I need for Balaclava?.... 

GNW - 2 more games

Tuesday night is games night. After last weeks games at Oldmeldrum Wargames Club, we decided we'd have another game or two this week. As I'd finished painting and basing cavalry to go with my infantry I thought we'd have a cavalry only game - and so played the River Crossing Scenario from the Pikeman's Lament rulebooks. The Swedes had two units of Gallopers plus two units of Cossacks, which the Russians had Trotters and two Cossacks. The Russians should really have been dragoons but I wanted to see how the two different cavalry units would interact. 

The Russians sent their Cossacks galloping forward and across the central bridge whilst their horse aimed for either flank. The Swedes on the other hand sent the majority of their mounted men to the western side of the bridge, only to have to pull some back as the Russian Cossacks crossed swiftly. A swirling skirmish broke out with units circling and trying to wipe each other out, in the end the Swedes came off best and the surviving Russian Cossacks retreated off table.

However on the river itself things were interesting the caracoling Russian horse nibbled away at their Swedish opponents, wearing them down. Seeing no other option the Swedish leader challenged his Russian opponent to a duel which he won with a thrust of his sword. However poor activation dice on the Swedish part game the Russians a chance to retaliate and they overran the Swedish unit "capturing" said officer and leading him to the rear where his chances looked slim!

Leaderless and without the ability to drive away the Swedes the game was over for the Russians but we decided to play a second game. The Swedes would deploy their infantry up to the line of the river. The Russians would deploy theirs along the north edge of the table. The Swedes went first placing a field gun on the south east corner to fire along the Russian line and a veteran musketeer unit between the gun and the bridge, a unit on the bridge and a unit of horse and final musketeer unit on the north western length of the river. The Russians lined up along the table but stacked their forces on the right, they also deployed a gun, a lighter and mobile battalion piece. 

Driving forward the Russians were soon at the river and splashed across wearing down the Swedish units with good musketry and the supporting battalion gun. The swedes put in a cavalry charge but it was easily seen off and after several poor activation rolls and a blunder their flank was swept away. The Russians managed to lose a unit in trying to attach the bridge, but regained it when they score well following a double 6 allowing them to gain a 4pt reinforcement. As the Russians had now cleared the Swedish flank their position was untenable and the game was called. 

Two great games, very different, but fought over the same terrain. I think we'd do the same again, playing out different phases of scouting, approach and pitched battle. The all cavalry game was fun - first time I think I've had a game without any supporting foot. 

Next week we're going to take a look at using the Pax Baltica board game to give us a campaign and link it somehow with tabletop games.

GNW Game - Baggage Train

 Since I had finished my GNW Swedes and Cossacks it was time to put them on the table for a game. 

On Tuesday evening I ran the King's Warchest scenario from the Pikeman's Lament rules by Osprey at Oldmeldrum. 

In the scenario a group of wagons has been left somewhat unattended while their guards are at the edge of a lake or river. The attacker, the Russians in this instance, see an opportunity and pounce, hoping to snatch the wagons. 

In our game the Russians couldn't quite press their attack and get men close enough to steal a wagon and suffered the loss of both of their flanks as supporting Swedish troops arrived to thwart their efforts. 

As it was only 9 o'clock we decided to play a straight across table fight. This time the Russians came out on top, destroying the Swedish left although the Swedes achieved some honour by forcing the Russian Cossacks to rout. 

Two good games. The ebb and flow of battle is really well represented by the flip of initiative from side to side when an activation test or rally test is failed. It can be frustrating to lose at the beginning of your turn, but in these small games there's no long wait til it's back to you and an option for multi player games would be for each player to have an officer and a separate turn. 

It's was good to see the figures on the table too - nice bright colours, soon to be augmented by regular cavalry for both sides when I get round to finishing the bases for them too. 

The Sons of Taras Bulba!

 I have restored some of the classic Foundry Cossack Characters which I fell heir to last year. Originally in  my late friend Mike's collection these had been bumped around a bit and had some bashes and scrapes as well as a few missing lances. They were also based for a winter campaign. 

I gave the snowy bases a good dabbing in green poster paint and drybrushed that up a little then tidied up the figures and hoses where I could see bare metal poking through. Lastly I gave them a good coat of varnish since it's a fine sunny day up here. 

These will join my GNW Russians and Swedes as allies or enemies for either. 

But now I have no excuse to get some winged hussars! 🤦🏻‍♂️

Harlaw 1411 Refight

 In 2011 Aberdeen Wargames Club refought the battle of Harlaw on the 600th anniversary of the battle. The battle was researched in incredible detail by Andy Douglas who made a museum quality model of the battlefield and several member of the club, myself included, contributed printed miniatures from the Scheltrum miniatures Highland and Isles range. The game was held in the Cowdry Hall in Aberdeen and was visited by the Provost of Aberdeen and the heads of some of the families of both sides who fought in the battle. 

The model and figures were packed away by Aberdeen Art Gallery, with the hope that they would see the light of day again. The Garioch Heritage Centre in Inverurie, just a few miles from the actual battlefield was hoped to be the location of a permanent home for the full display. But that has sadly not been realised as yet. 

Last Saturday Andy gathered those who had helped him with the display and arranged to put on another refight at the Heritage Centre. The terrain was taken out of storage and delivered and set up and the figures placed in position ready for what we hoped would be a busy day of gaming and chatting with members of the public who could watch. 

It was the hottest day of the year locally, with temperatures in the 20's - very unusual for NE Scotland and made somewhat more difficult by the AC being switched off. However it was grand to see some old friends again as I'm no longer a member of the Aberdeen club and the disruption to the show scene since covid meant it's been years since I've had to catch up. 

As I had figures in the highland army, I stuck with that side in the battle and we rolled down off the high ground towards the better armoured but fewer in number lowlanders. Two units of cavalry headed towards our men, on the right galloping towards the McLean men, while on the left a smaller group headed for an advance guard which I had command of. Lowering their lances, contact was made, but whilse successful on the right the cavalry attacking my advance guard made little impact and instead became stuck in melee as further units of highlanders surrounded them and dove them back in rout. 

By this time the highlanders were 3/4 of the way down the hill on the left and the lowlanders and Aberdeen men had managed to maintain a line of battle, despite their cavalry fleeing through them. The clash between the two sides was preceded by some challenges, and lumps were duly hacked out of each sides champions to no great affect. 

The clash between the two sides was more of a dull thump as the two sides drew together in melee and began a shoving scrummage of a fight, not very exciting to play or to watch, but probably a fair representation of the press of a medieval fight. The far left flank of the lowland army broke, and we were able to lap around to a degree but on the right the highlanders were worse off with McLean dead and gaps appearing in their ranks. However it was now fast approaching closing time and, like the historical battle, the game was declared a bloody draw.

Sadly we didn't have very many visitors. I think the heat and poor advertising which the heritage centre had done (no mention on their website or news section and we were in a back room) meant few were aware. However we did get some youngsters to throw some dice and take part in the game and maybe just maybe planted a seed that there was more to gaming than Games Workshop. 

Thanks to Andy Douglas for putting together a huge amount of research and for being inspired to start the project in the first place. Andy also has a display of the 1745 Battle of Inverurie researched and built to the same levels of depth and detail. This too needs to see the light of day and both displays should be on permanent display marking important aspects of local history.