The Lamps Are Going Out - Again

In a break from the Crusades, Richard and I went back to an old favourite. I was the Central Powers.

Germany got off to a very good start, capturing Poland and

even capturing the Verdun area but was unable to hold it.

1915 saw Austria conquer Serbia,

but all was quiet on the Western and Eastern fronts

with both sides trying to build up their forces. 

Bulgaria and Italy joined the war.

Our session finished with 1916 with the Central Powers breaking into Russia.

Turkey is hanging on, but East Africa looks bleak for Germany.

The US has also just entered the war.

Casualty Markers

I've been using the Napoleon's Battles rules ever since they came out and they are my preferred set for Napoleonics.  Someone once said to me, and the original developer being Avalon Hill lends credence to this, that the tabletop gets too cluttered with counters (card chits).  As a result, and because I would want to improve the aesthetics anyway, in recent times I have been working on ways to reduce the use of counters.

Labels are essential and over time I have gone for larger to aid visibility.

The amount of info on the label could be reduced,

but would require players to be familiar with the troops,

something that can be challenging, particularly with 15mm.

Here we have a 16 figure brigade of French Light Infantry,

part of the 6th Division of the II Corps.

Their dispersal number is 8 - they are removed when they drop to this strength,

(effectively after two bases are removed due to casualties).

The same unit after taking a casualty and also being marked with disorder

(it actually takes 2 casualties to disorder this type of unit).

Note wear and tear on the markers🙂

Casualty marker adjusted to show two losses,

but disorder marker replaced with riderless horse with blue saddle cloth.

Casualty marker shows 3 casualties, 1 more and a base will be removed.

Accumulating three casualties in one phase might well cause rout,

and the flip side of the disorder markers shows this change in status.

Very handy as once rallied the unit reverts to disordered before attaining its formed state.

Now I have a new rout marker - riderless horse with red saddle cloth (even has red flowers on the base).

Also, there is an upgrade to the casualty marker.

As will be appreciated, there is a problem with the casualty markers.

Apart from a tendency to get left behind, they are also hard to read.

So, I came up with this idea.

a specific casualty base (for cavalry in this example)

using a chit for marking casualties.

I started to implement this using spare figures as well as dedicated casualty figures.

I then thought using a cube to show casualties rather than a chit would reduce fiddling around.

However...

I then started to think, wouldn't it be better if this casualty stand was actually part of the unit?

It would save handling and further reduce clutter,

clutter now being mainly the disorder and rout riderless horse bases,

and they looked good on the tabletop anyway.

So, I came up with this for cavalry.

It is hard to see but there is a peg/stick thing at the rear edge (near the label).

The black part is metal.

All my bases have magnetic bases.

Here it is in use.

The cube (which were a bugger to cut) are now bracelets beads that I found in a $2 dollar shop.

(Adjust for inflation - the bag of 50 cost $A5.50)

Same unit with two casualties and disordered.

The new casualty base is part of the unit and therefore stays with the unit.  The way it is separate from the figures means I just need to cut a few cavalry bases in pairs, something that I started doing anyway.  Alternatively, I can make up some pairs based on excess figures I have, particularly command.  Should work well for cavalry, infantry with the smaller base perhaps not.

One improvement I have since found is that using flat head nails - cleats - and just cutting them to size makes for an excellent pin on which to place the casualty bead.

A future improvement is to use the top of the bead to aid in identifying parent formation.  Currently just using a green tuft to cover the hole and match in with the base.

 

Napoleon's Battles - Testing Out New Casualty Markers Again

After last week's game I was inspired to make some more casualty markers.  These are designed to be part of the formal unit and have a counter that rotates to show casualties.

This time Stefan was the Allies, and I was the French.

Deployment using one of the club's fancy mats, special trees and a built up area.

The terrain pieces were just for show.

The Dutch-Belgian cavalry charged a French brigade,

but Pire's lancers came to their rescue.

Kellerman, who was to prove the hero of the battle,

launches a devastating attack with his heavy cavalry

on some poor Brunswick infantry.

Not to be out done the divisions of Picton and Cooke attack the French left held by their 5th Division.

The full battlefield as that attack goes in on the French left.

Picton's attack failed miserably,

but Cooke with the British Guard powered on.

Jerome gets in trouble in the French centre.

Cooke keeps on pushing, but with limited success.

Unfortunately, I failed to take any more photos.  Cooke, hit in the flank by Pire's lancers, failed to form square and was routed.  Meanwhile, the French heavy cavalry, led by Kellerman, wiped out the Brunswick corps in some deadly pursuit and controlled recalls.

Kingdom of Heaven - Audita Tremendu Duo

This time I was the Muslims and Richard the Christians in the excellent but frustrating game.

1187 AD

The Christians strengthen their castles in the knowledge of what's to come.

Saladin goes to Damascus and promptly falls ill.  Al-Afdal takes over but doesn't have the command power to move the army that Saladin had assembled. 

Cyprus declares for the Muslims.

Al-Afdal feels he must do something and takes what force he can to besiege Tripoli (RF4).

Raymond moves to Acre.

The wells at Tripoli run dry (RF-3).

Raymond moves to Tripoli. Al-Afdal fails to avoid battle, and his force is wiped out, but he escapes to Damascus.

However, even with the lost battle and breaking the siege, Diplomatic Advantage has gone to the Muslims.

1188 AD

The Christians try to influence Cyprus to leave the Muslim embrace but fail.

The Muslim forces gather in Damascus, where Saladin joins them.  He then marches on Tiberia and demands it surrender. But al-Afdal, who should have accompanied him, is aggrieved that he's no longer in command and stays put, keeping three units with him, units Saladin needs.  Tiberia does not surrender as it has a friendly army nearby that matches the reduced force Saladin now has.  

Saladin starts a siege, but his supplies run low, so he gives up and goes back to Damascus to collect more troops before heading to Acre, the Christian garrison of which has been weakened by a raid by corsairs.

The siege of Acre.  RF starts at 6.  Sappers and miners reduce it by 3.  Then catapults reduce it by a further 1.  Saladin tries fortunes of war, but to no avail.  He assaults.  He has 29 factors with a +1.  He rolls a 1 and inflicts 1 casualty.  The 5 defending factors have a +2.  They roll a 5 and inflict 2 casualties.  The assault fails.  The RF increases by 1.  Saladin decides to maintain the siege over winter.

1189 AD

Acre's RF stands at 3.  Saladin's message for more sappers and miners is intercepted.  Annoyed he flings severed heads over the battlements, but this only stiffens the defender's resolve.  RF is now 4.  

Saladin's supplies run low and the RF of Acre increases to 5.  Acre must be captured to avoid a sudden Crusader victory at the end of this turn.

Siege towers are built reducing the RF to 3.  The place is blockaded, RF now 2.  More siege towers are built, and the RF is reduced to 0.  Acre falls to an assault.

Saladin uses a vassal move to gather reinforcements before moving to Jerusalem and asking it to surrender (a 5 or 6 needed), but it says no.  He blockades it and settles in for a siege.

Raymond moves to besiege Acre and attempts to undo all Saladin's hard work by implementing a siege.

Saladin sits down to starve the Christians out of Jerusalem.

A unit of Muslim cavalry go to Acre to try and break siege, but it comes to nothing (battle fought, but no casualties).  The garrison of Acre gets hungry.  The Muslim cavalry try again, but fail, giving the Christian a major Victory (although the forces involved were miniscule - need to check rules?). 

With winter the sieges of Jerusalem and Acre are called off and diplomatic advantage goes to the Christians. Having avoided an early Christian victory, the game continues...

1190 AD

... with the arrival of Richard I and Phillip II and Barbarossa and 18 Crusader units.

The Crusaders are in the off-map boxes.

The Muslims concentrate their forces in Damascus.

Richard lands at Acre (RF=6).

Philip lands in Tyre.

Saladin goes to Damascus ready to strike before the Christians can combine their forces.

The Christians call a truce.

The Muslims try diplomacy with Antioch (fail) and Armenia (success).

Richard builds a fortified camp.

Saladin goes to Tyre and attacks Philip.  Richard goes to his rescue.  The Christians are impetuous giving the Saladin an advantage.  His force numbers 24 factors to Richard's 30.  He has a +1 and they have a +2.  He throws a 4 and they throw a 6.  The Muslims suffer 13 losses and inflict 6.  A major victory to the Christians and Saladin is gravely wounded and his army wiped out.   

Richard follows up his victory by going to Damascus.

1191 AD

Damascus is blockaded and under siege, but an epidemic breaks out in the Christian camps and Richard falls ill.

The wells run dry in Damascus and the RF drops to 2.

Philip moves to Damascus.

Muslim cavalry attempting to block off the Christians are overrun after they fail to avoid Reynald who also heads to Damascus.

The Christians fill in the moat at Damascus and launch an assault capturing the city.  The local commander, al-Afdal dies.

Just to make things worse, Cyprus abandons the Muslims and goes neutral.

1192 AD

An Italian engineer arrives at Acre which is still besieged.

Corsairs raid the Crusaders at Acre again.

Richard returns from his sick bed and goes to Acre, unfortunately bringing the plague with him.  He deploys catapults (RF drops to 4), but his supplies run low (RF raises to 5).  Siege towers are constructed (fancy Italian ones) and RF plummets to 2).

Saldin returns and moves to Baalbek.

Richard calls on the Fortunes of War, but there is nothing.

Saladin moves to Acre.  It is an even fight, but Saladin forgets about Richards fortified camp.  Still, he inflicts 5 casualties but receives 6 and retreats.

Richard calls on Philip for help and gets much need reinforcements.

Next, he calls on Fortunes of War and his Italian engineer builds him some really good catapults.  RF drops to 1.  He assaults the city and captures it.

The Muslims try some diplomacy on Cyprus, but without effect.

The Third Crusade ends in a Christain victory, 22 VPs to 12.

Barbarossa never came out of his box.

.

Napoleon's Battles - Testing Out New Casualty Markers

Time for my new Brunswick troops to take to the table.  It is also a chance to see how my new casualty markers go.  Unfortunately or fortunately they didn't get much use.  Stefan had command of Ney's forces from Quatre Bras and had rotten luck.  I had the Anglo-Allied troops from the same battle.

The Anglo-Allied army out numbers the French, 

although the latter have cavalry and artillery superiority.

First action forces Dutch-Belgian jaegers to form square to beat off the French lancers.

(Austrian Grenz standing in for the Dutch-Belgians)

French Dragoons charged the Brunswick infantry,

but the Brunswick cavalry come to their rescue.

Casualty markers on full display, ready to be used in a twist.

The Anglo-Allies have been advancing and getting the better of the long-distance shooting.

The French decide to commit their cavalry to break the centre of the Allied line,

in reaction to the Allies surging forward.

The last hurrah when the Dutch Belgian light cavalry vanquishes the French Cuirassiers.

Note the riderless horse with blue saddle cloth representing disorder,

and my previous attempt at casualty markers.

Stefan has graciously accepted a rematch, and I am busy making a few more of my new model casualty markers.  In next week's game I will be the French commander.

Kingdom of Heaven - Audita Tremendu

The Third Crusade, the fourth scenario in the Kingdom of Heaven. Richard took the role of the Muslim, while I went Christian.  Six turns with the Crusaders arriving at turn 4 if the Muslims have achieved a certain level of VPs (otherwise Christian victory).

1187 AD

Raymond II goes to Acre, boosting its garrison and more Crusaders arrive under the command of Sigurd, heading to reinforce Antioch and Tripoli.

Saladin advances to Damascus and then to besiege Jerusalem after his call for it to surrender was ignored. The Resistance Factor (RF) is 6.

The Crusaders call a truce. This halts aggressive activities, but the Muslims are still able to use diplomacy to persuade Antioch to go neutral.  However, the Christians quickly get them to change their minds. (the joys of diplomacy, but there are 5 VPs resting with them and, as we shall see, the fate of the game).

Saladin is delayed by a poor harvest, but he is determined to carry on his siege, successfully intercepting a Jerusalem foraging party (RF-1).  He calls on Fortunes of War to no effect, but he is able to maintain the siege over winter.

1188 AD

Saladin deploys sappers and miners to drastically weaken Jerusalem's defences (RF-3).  They counter with a brief sortie (RF+1).  Saladin builds a siege tower (RF-2) and then deploys further sappers and miners reducing the RF to 0.  He is about to order an assault when heavy rains call an end to activities.

But it was only a temporary reprieve.  The Muslims assault the holy city but fail with a 3:2 result (needs to be double or to wipe out the garrison).  RF increases by 1.

They launch a second assault and succeeded 2:0. Guy dies and Raymond is taken prisoner.  Jerusalem falls.  The Pope is not impressed.

The Muslims try some diplomacy on the Assassins, but it fails.  However, Saladin gets Kerak and Krak de Montreal to surrender.

The Crusaders try some diplomacy on Armenia and the Muslims try to charm Cyprus.  Both fail.

1189 AD

Al-Adil moves reinforcements from Mosul to Damascus while Saladin tries to get Acre (RF 6 or 7) to surrender.  It doesn't.  The Egyptian fleet helps to blockade Acre (RF-1), but the blockade is broken by the garrison.  Saladin deploys ladders (RF -1) but is running low on supplies (RF+1).  An epidemic then breaks out in the besiegers camp and Saladin falls ill.  The plague doesn't spread, but the besiegers are much denuded, and Al-Adil has to come and pick them up and take them to Jerusalem. Siege broken.

Sigurd swaps with Raymond II (who belongs in Tripoli) to take command of Acre.

1190 AD

Richard, Philip and Barbarossa arrive.  The Genoese fleet lands Richard and Philip and their Crusaders (9 units) in Acre.

However, trouble in Europe sees Philip immediately head for home with 2 units.

Barbarossa advances to the coast at Attaleia carefully avoiding attrition.  But being careful doesn't suit him at all and he promptly dies and 5 of his 7 units return home.  Duke Leopold takes over the remains of Barbarossa's army (2 units) and they are ferried to Rosetta by the Venetians. (Very handy having both fleets available, very unlucky that Barbarossa died so soon, and that Philip went home as well).

Duke Leopold moves to Cairo and tries to storm the city but fails and is unable to maintain the siege.

Saladin moves to besiege Tripoli.  He fills in the moat and calls on Fortunes of Watr and is royally rewarded with trebuchets which smash the place up (RF-3).  The subsequent assault fails 3:2.    He maintains the siege over winter.

1191 AD

Richard and the Crusaders march to Tripoli and attack Saladin (who had failed to intercept them).  There are 35 factors to 19 with Richard having a +2 to the dice, while Saladin has a -1.  The battle produces a Major Victory for the Christians (8:4) and the following pursuit inflicts a further 10 step losses (a unit has two steps).  Saladin flees and the siege of Tripoli is broken.

Richard returns to Acre to adjust his forces before heading to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is blockaded (RF 6) and Richard constructs siege towers (RF-2).  His supplies are running low (RF+1), but more siege towers are built (RF-2).  There is a raid on Crusader foragers (RF+1) but Richard hires an Italian engineer.  Battering rams are used (RF-3 thanks to the engineer) and the assault is 8:4, a major victory.  Jerusalem is back in Christian hands and the Pope holds a special mass and Crusader fervour sees Richard receive some much-needed reinforcements.

Richard calls on Kerak to surrender.

1192 AD

More Crusaders are scheduled to arrive, but in a blow to the cause, they are delayed.

Saladin moves to Gaston and attempts to siege it.

Richard moves to Acre and Saladin breaks off his siege.  Heavy rains slow his movement, but he makes it to Hama.

It looks like a sound Christian victory, but last-minute Muslim diplomacy has Antioch go neutral producing a draw.

The situation at the end.

Crusader force displayed at Acre.

Kingdom of Heaven - The Fall of the Caliphate

This third scenario was a challenge, or to use Richard's words it "was just weird if you ask me. We
spent most of the game trying to work out what we could do, (usually nothing) and then just passing."  He was the Muslim play while I was the Crusader.

The aim was to get to Egypt to influence the Fatimid civil war.  Very hard for the Muslim player to get there, hard enough for the Christian.  It would take at least three cards to get there which, with only seven cards in total, left precious little to conduct a siege given the forces were roughly equal.

That said we did have two exciting battles and two or three lengthy sieges,

1163 AD 

After receiving Turcopole reinforcements, Amalric I marches to Cairo to support Dirgham's Fatimid faction. 

Shirkuh moves to besiege Tripoli and suffers an epidemic, but it doesn't stop him from constructing a siege tower.

Amalric advances on the Fatimid rebels at Minya, but without Dirgham who has decided to stay in Cairo.  Half of the rebels are routed but the rest take refuge in the castle.  Amalric doesn't have enough strength to conduct a siege and so returns to Cario before going home to Jerusalem.

At Tripoli Shirkuh fills in the moat and conducts two assaults, but Raymond III defeats them both and the siege is broken.

1164 AD

The defences of Tripoli and Kerak are improved.  

Amalric wins a major victory over Shaizar who is attempting to conduct another siege of Tripoli.  His army is obliterated, and he is killed.

After that Amalric goes to Jaffa but nothing else happens.

1165 AD

Amalric decides to go to Egypt again, but the Barons advise against it.

The Muslims try diplomacy with Antioch.  It fails.  They later try with Tripoli and that fails as well.

Ignoring the Barons Amalric goes to Egypt.  It is a long way and he has been delayed so he is not very hopeful.

Nur ad-Din besieges Kerak and an epidemic breaks out in his camp.  With the use of battering rams he conducts an assault, but it fails.

Amalric gets to Minya, but some of his vassals desert on the way. Undaunted he conducts a siege.  He fills in the moat and deploys catapults.  An assault does just enough to get the castle to surrender and the Fatimid civil war is over.  It's not totally clear, but this gives the Christians control of the Fatimids (for the time being - there are events that can change their allegiance).

1166 AD

More Crusaders arrive and the Christians call a truce.

1167 AD

Papal supports increases the forces at Jerusalem.  

Nur ad-Din advances on the holy city and Amalric decides to do battle.  Christian fanatics hold the battle to a 6:4 win in the Muslim's favour, but not Major Victory.  BUT a feigned flight sees the losses shift to 7:3 which gives the Muslims a Major Victory and a devastating pursuit.  Only Amalric escapes to defend Jerusalem.

Card play during the Battle of Jerusalem.

A siege commences, but the besiegers supplies run low.  Nur ad-Din appeals to the fortunes of war and builds siege towers.  He assaults, any result will do, but he rolls a 1.  His supplies continue to run low and then an epidemic breaks out.

1168 AD

After the disappointment of the previous year, the Muslims stay in their camps.

Further commentary by Richard:

This game would have to take the cake in terms of you have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. Today's play was yet another example. I suppose there might have been a lucky die roll to make Antioch neutral and play out for a draw in the last turn if we'd played on. It just doesn't seem to be very satisfying though.

I find the game exasperating. The elements seem well worked out, it is thematically excellent, the siege rules are great, the map, cards and counters are nice ,but somehow it just manages to come down far too much in favour of lucky card draws and/or.... die rolls. Strangely, I don't mind it, just find it very frustrating. At least it's over quickly.

The Battle of Jerusalem

With the accursed Fatimids making treaty with the infidels and handing them control of Cairo and Egypt, only a bold move would alter the outcome of the campaign for the Seljuks.

Sultan Nur Ad Din and his unfortunately named subordinate, Shirkah, sizing up the substantial forces of the Amalric in Jerusalem, hatched a plan to bait the Christians to fight them in a field battle. Guessing
that with a substantial force at Jerusalem and the city available to them as a refuge in the event that things did not go to plan, the Christians would indeed risk coming out to put up a fight. The Sultan's
forces left Damascus and swept across the desert and sure enough, out came the Christians!

...and what a battle it was! Evenly matched, it was all down to the die rolls. Both sides had +2 DRMs thanks to Qadis Motivates Troops in the case of the Muslims and Religious Fanaticism in the case of the
Christians. The Seljuks roll higher and inflicted a serious blow on the Christians with 6 losses to four, not enough for a major victory. The Christians thought they had done enough to stave off the Seljuk horde, but play of Feigned Flight (one less loss to the Muslims and one more loss to the Christians) tipped the battle in favour of  the Sultan Nur Ad Din. The Christians were slaughtered to a man as the Seljuk horsemen pursued the fleeing Christians, cutting them down. Only Amalric managed to escape, in a shameful decampment, leaving his men to their fate. (he is rumoured to have dressed as a slave woman and made his escape on the back of a donkey to Acre).

Without a garrison, it would take but a single hit for Jerusalem to fall to the Seljuks. With cards running low, only a roll of 1 on a D6 would deny the Sultan the crowning glory to this already famous victory. Alas, his men, wearied from severing the heads of the infidels, had lost their heart, stumbling forlornly amongst the parapets of the seemingly doomed city, they failed it inflict a single loss (they couldn't find anyone left to kill, not even the cooks and stable boys were left behind by the Christians). So with that, the campaigning season over the Seljuks melted away into the desert from whence they had come. 

So ended the Battle of Jerusalem - The Seljuks honour as sweet as the cursed name of the fickle Fatimids is bitter.