Vimeiro - Take One - Preliminaries

It has long been my dream to do this battle with Napoleon's Battles.  The scenario first appeared in the Blue Book, but I created an OOB using the Osprey book and a map which I took from Vassal of MMP's Vimeiro and Talavera boardgame.

The map is a good match for this from
 http://www.napoleon-series.org/images/military/maps/peninsula/vimeiro.jpg



The hex grid has been kept as I also want to use the map for some hex based air games.  As it turned out the terrain, even at 2 inches to the hex or 200 yards in Napoleon's Battles game scale, is far too detailed.  It is possible that a battle the size of Vimeiro is not ideal for a game system like Napoleon's Battles and this was one of the things I wanted to test out.

Terrain Effects

Creeks are impassable to both cavalry and artillery except if they are in march column and moving via a road crossing.  My reasoning is that while they may or may not have much water in them they have steep banks covered in boulders and thorny bushes.

Creeks count as rough terrain for infantry while any part of the unit is in such terrain.  The infantry unit also counts as fording

Any hex that has rock, orchard or vineyard etc symbols is considered rough terrain as does any hex that has three or more different contours.

Rough terrain disorders artillery and  cavalry.  Infantry in line moving in rough terrain or changing formation in rough terrain is disordered (this does not apply to BrLT which is classified as skirmish infantry).  Remember if you are disordered you can not move to close combat.  My reasoning here, again is that there is a lot of rock and scrub.   

Impassable terrain includes any hex with the large stone cluster symbol which also tend to have multiple contour lines.  These are very steep with dense scrub and boulders etc.

Infantry in column or march column can move along a road through impassable terrain.  Artillery and cavalry can only do so if in march column.

Villages are just +1 as they are small and unprepared.  They provide cover.

Most other terrain doesn't provide cover as it is not large enough to hold a unit.  I realise some of the villages have that problem as well and so might need to add some terrain pieces to better delineate the village area.

Allied Deployment

For the Allied deployment I used the Blue Book scenario (mostly), but kept the Cauford's brigade in reserve with the Portuguese.

The Allied deployment which is basically on the western ridge from which direction the French have been seen approaching.  Two brigades are covering the village of Vimeiro.  Even though the terrain is rough going and would disorder troops in line (or in "deployed posture" as I like to think of it) I have assumed they have had time to recover their order.  The bulk of the troops are in column (or "manoeuvre posture") while two brigades are in march column as a reserve as Wellesley has been informed that some French troops are attempting a flank march.

Allied Order of Battle

Wellesley
Cavalry                         8BrLC
Royal Artillery
1st Brigade Hill                 20BrLN
2nd Brigade Ferguson         20BrLN
3rd Brigade Nightingall 12BrLN
4th Brigade Bowes         16BrLN
5th Brigade Craufurd         16BrLN
6th Brigade Fane                 16BrLT
7th Brigade Anstruther 20BrLN
8th Brigade Acland         12BrLN
Portuguese Trant         16PtLN

Allocating some cavalry is probably the most controversial thing in this OOB

Having Wellesley with a response number could reflect him being distracted by the imminent arrival of Burrard or Dalrymple.  I didn't use the Wellington special ability (were he can be on react and be moved to join combats to lend his defence bonus - that would certainly help the allies, but I think they are already ahead on points - although that is something I need to check)

French Deployment

Again this came from the Blue Book Scenario.  The positioning of the outflank force was a bit of guess work and they possibly should have been kept back with the main body to start with.  However that would have given the French too much temptation not to split their force as Junot has been criticised for doing.

Loison's division on the left with the Thomiere's brigade of Delaborde's division on the right followed by Kellerman with the Grenadier reserve and the remainder of the cavalry.

Brenier's outflanking force including one of the provisional cavalry regiments.

French Order of Battle

French

Junot

Cavalry Division Margaron

3rd Provisional Dragoons 8FrLC

4th Provisional Dragoons 8FrLC

5th Provisional Dragoons 8FrLC

Artillery

Fr4#

Fr4#

Fr4#

Fr4#

Infantry Division Delaborde

1st Brigade Brenier                16FrLT

                70th Ligne        20FrLN

2nd Brigade Thomiere                16FrLN

Infantry Division Loison

1st Brigade Solignac                20FrLT

                58th Ligne        12FrLN

2nd Brigade Charlot                16FrLN

Reserve Kellerman

                                       16FrGN

As it turned out I didn't allocate any artillery to the French.  This was probably something of a blessing as it would have been hard to keep in command and terrain would have created movement problems as well as targeting challenges.  It might have also caused the French to spend time trying to maximise their artillery advantage and run out of time to make the actual attack.

As per Wellesley's challenge with the arrival of senior officers, Junot was challenged by the bottle and perhaps having the French roll for command could be a way to reflect that.  Without the command bonus he would be a 7 (i.e. 70% chance of keeping his army in full command each turn, assuming units and his divisional generals are in his 9" command range.  For comparison Wellesley would be an 8 and has a 10" command range).

Optional Rules and Rule Variations

 I use Napoleon's Battles 4th Edition with some throwbacks to 2nd Edition (principally I retain the 2nd Edition's way of doing interpenetration).

 Turn to flank is a formation change within the unit's footprint with line going to column formation.  A unit can always try and wheel to the right or left and then move sideways if it can to achieve the same thing (which would mostly work for units in column).  Some units can also effectively perform two or more formation changes in a turn.

A unit halved for disorder or with a half move does have its movement affected by terrain.  (But, remember a unit moving sideways or backwards in rough terrain uses the worst effect, not a combination).

If a unit that is able to move, doesn't have enough movement to change formation it may use all its available movement to change formation, but is then disordered (my reasoning being that the order can still be given, it will just take a while before it is completed).

A unit in march column on a road is in command and may change formation (I'm in two minds about this.  I did use the unit being able to roll its response number to be in command which could be used to achieve the same effect. Alternatively you could think of the original command being to go to such and such a place and change.  However my preference is now just to force the unit to use its initiative to come out of march column, although this can be rather deadly.  Still in two minds.)

Unit coming out of march column can pick any of its bases to form up around and also angle that base in any desired facing.  This is more from my experience with the Prussians in the Waterloo game and also from playing Fire and Fury.

A unit that forms or is in march column with its head on a road gets to be considered to be on that road provided the head stays on the road (still thinking about this).

A unit that wins a combat against an enemy in a village gets to advance fully into the village (i.e. occupy it).  It is disordered.  It then needs a turn to recover its order and the following turn, subject to command, can deploy into the village.  Occupying a village in this way puts a unit into column formation.

A unit in line formation (i.e "deployed posture") gets a plus one firing at enemy in column.  This does not include units deployed in a village who continue to suffer the existing minus one reflecting their strength is dispersed around the village which of course is providing the ability to fire from all sides.

Units in column firing at enemy in line get a minus one.  Again this does not apply to firing at enemy in a village who get to count as in cover (assuming they have moved to fit within the village's foot print.  A unit deployed in a village - I should be using the term Built Up Area - gets the additional benefit of +1 to its disorder and requiring a double to score one hit as per 4th Edition).

Enemy contacted but then routed or dispersed in the fire combat phase does not cause a winner's loss but do allow occupation.

Using small units does create a problem depicting formation.  I'm yet to work out a solution.

Goblins and Friend

Some people have fairies at the bottom of their gardens, we have goblins.

Goblins (or goblin like creatures - I've had these so long I cannot remember where I got them, Possibly at a CanCon second hand stall.  But I'm guessing.)

Their friend (in the same unknown parentage category)

Sledge

Tufox

Axmagurgle

Wich

Sinu

And friend.  

This figure was purchased as a possible Green Martian for my slow burning Barsoom project.  When it came to it, I didn't have the heart to remove its abdomen.

So now I have a group for Songs of Blades and Heroes.

Better still I've finally finished painting these figures.

I tried a different basing style going for a swamp or forest feel.  

The first scatter was oregano but I found the base needed lifting with the brighter green of the static grass

Happy now, although the grasshopper could have done with some more grass.  Maybe he ate it?

Old Glory Prussian Landwher

Finished these in record time, however they were meant for last year's Waterloo game.  I'd ended up borrowing troops from my late friend Myron Shipp which took the pressure off.  When I was tidying up my paint desk, or rather trying to tidy it up, I found these figures and with a reference from  centjours.mont-saint-jean.com I thought "easy".  I was mostly right.  Took three goes to get the shade of blue right.  It's a base of Jo Sonja's Prussian Blue Hue with VJ Prussian Blue mixed with the Prussian Blue Hue for the highlight.  In between there was a coat of VJ Dark Prussian Blue but it just didn't look any good.  Pants are JS Nimrod Grey with a highlight of JS Titanium White.

Twenty four figures, here deployed as two 12PrLW for Napoleon's Battles.  

Good pose and mix of foot wear.

Flags are from "the Internet".

The Flight of the Straaken

Last night we took some of Stephen's Wings of Glory planes for a flight and fight.  He commanded the Zeppelin Straaken and I tried to intercept with a Camel and two Snipes.

First up my Camel crashes into the monster.

And then one of the Snipes is shot down.  Note Camel now diving underneath the German bomber.

The second Snipe is taking a while to get into action.

I get on the monster's tail, in the sweet spot and my guns jam...

The Straaken weaves and we're back in shooting angle...

Another pass.  I seem to have my act together.

Nope.

The other Snipe is shot down and with the Germans now heading for home the Camel, with a wounded pilot, decides to break-off.  The Straaken had suffered about two thirds damage.

Taking Lead Mountain, a pikeman at a time.

At least some of these figures have only been on the to do list for a few years and more strikingly I got them all done in ten days which would be a record for me.  I attribute this speed to my first use of a wet palette.

The figures are 15mm Tin Soldier  HB14a - SELEUCID/BACTRIAN PIKEMAN, a one piece casting full of character and will do for any of my Hellenistic pike armies.

For my future reference the paints I used were:

Undercoat - Tamiya Red Brown XF64 (and this also served for the foot wear)
Linen Cuirass - VJ Stone Grey 70884
Uniform base - Jo Sonya Brown Madder
Uniform highlight - JS Napthol Crimson
Flesh - VJ Medium Flesh 70860
Base Pike fixtures - JS Carbon Black (I missed this step but the VJ Oily Steel metal colour didn't look good with a brown base, so I redid them to make a black base)
Beards - JS Carbon Black
Pike fixtures - VJ Oily Steel 70865
Flesh wash - Citadel Shade Reikland Fleshshade
Pike shaft - VJ Dark Sand 70847
Helmet - JS Rich Gold
Leather - JS Indian Red Oxide
Shield base - mix JS Rich Gold and JS Burnt Umber
Shield design - JS Burnt Umber
Shield highlight - JS Rich Gold
Pants - various Jo Sonya colours that dulled down using the brown base miraculously giving the effect I was looking for

DBA Late Visigoths tackle the Sassanids

The Visigoths just didn't realise how late they were.

Easter Monday and I scratched up, using my rarely played generic Dark Ages figures, a Late Visigoth army to take on Mark B's Sassanids.  In this picture and the last one I've doctored them to remove the edge of the board.  

Despite appalling PIP rolls (1,2,1,1) I felt confident as my army was together as one group while the Sassanids appeared a bit spread out.

Fourth turn and my poor rolling continued and with four elements lost that was it.

What I like about DBA is that it is quick, mercifully in this case. 

The only die roll I won was on my right were my PS pushed back his CV.  Everything else was ties or outright defeats.  And things started so well when I won the aggression roll...

Clash of Vikings and Pagan Rus

Tonight had a friendly game of Saga.

The scenario was Clash of Warlords.

My warriors took possession of the terrain, but movement was slowed due to endless winter.

Shooting range was also reduced so my levy did precious little.

Finally my warriors got into action.

But the enemy counter attacked.

Not only were the warriors wiped out but the unit of hearth guard I then sent in got annihilated as well.  It just so happened that everyone was close enough to be fatigue by this.  Luckily  the scenario only goes for six turns.

I am still finding Saga a challenge, but in a good way.  One thing I am not sure of is whether a unit fights with all its figures if in a melee it is just attacked at one end.