1503, When Serenissima goes bat shit crazy

It was a weekend game and we decided shortly it would be Early French-Italian Wars, Renaissance in 28mm using amended Pike&Shotte rules. Bart played with Alaistair (CinC) the Imperials and Peter and I were the French. The Imperials had  3 pike blocks (one large) and the French/Venetian had 4 (one large, the Swiss) while on the guns we were even, the French outnumbered the Imperial Horse and the Imperials had more Doppelsoeldner and Rodeleros (4 in total!!!). Bart played with the German Gendarmes d‘Ordonnance vs the French and Archers and Men-at-arms played by Peter, while Alasdair held out against me with (Angus's) Venetians.

While I did was Angus never dared, I actually advanced with the whole lot of the Venetians, Peter and Bart were getting caught up in a nasty cavalry fight. I must say Alaistair did fight well against my Stradioti, but rolled very badly with some command roll and some defence rolls that obliterated his flank Light Horse units, and from there I rolled it up until I blew away his hedgehog of a pike block with two light guns and two arquebusiers (7 hits he just saved 1) and the flank was no more.

In the meantime Bart (after I told him, the double faced bastard that I am) lured Peter into the what I would call the gendarmes d‘Ordonnance trap. He attacked some nearly shaken gendarmes, failed and therefore had to retreated. But the as they are galloper (in my rules) they HAVE to charge into the pike block behind. Unfortunately Bart retreated with his doppelsoeldner through the block and disordered them as well, so the fight was then even again. I don't know how, but at some point I heard Peter calling me that his flank was about to disintegrate...

We called it a day at that point. A clear French win, unit wise, I killed 6 units from Alaistair and I don‘t know I guess Peter/Barts  had some 4 units besides the table so, after a little bit of Bart moaning that the French had too much Cavalry we finished and mopped it up.

Renaissance keeps to be a weekend games as, yes its slower, but it needs more time as we have a lot more troops. AND theVenetian actually can punch their line IF they actually move and change their crossbowmen against arquebusiers, which I did.

Please enjoy our little Renaissance bash ... :)

1781 on two hills near Catawba, 28mm Black Powder

It was time for some AWI action again, after a long dry spell, so Angus and me spilled some painted lead (me the Rebels and him the Lobster backs). The Scenario was a "Heavy Metal" version of Cowpens, as the Americans had better quality troops and some artillery. And the British had real guns (not just some grass hoppers) and amplified numbers and qualities as well.

The British were played by Angus (who commanded the Highlander brigade) and the CinC Bart who played Tarlton and the rest.

The American General in Command was Dougie (playing the 3rd line brigade), Alisdair played the second and me the first, the Militia‘s who should hold the line for two volleys. And thats just what I did, Sir!

The Brits didn‘t missed a beat and came crawling up the hill faster than I could sip at my lager ... The Militia served them more than two volleys and hold them up for 6 turns and then broke. A bit different from Cowpens as you can't rally in BP when you break with low dice numbers!!! And I did that more than once.

Then It came to the second line and the British attack somewhat stalled ... the fire duels had taken their tolls and most units  even the Brits lost their fancy "useful" markers, like First Fire, Steady etc. ... but our troops were suffering as well.

Then the Highlanders advanced on the second line ... and broke as they were shot at from all sides and even attacked by Dragoons in a textbook attack courtesy of Dougie.

After that the Brits stopped and just continued to "amuse" our lines with volleys. We had to break up at that point and thanks to the victory conditions, only the units on the table in the second half (that with the two hills) counted ... and the rebels lost by one.

It was avery good game and the tactic of the Americans showed that Brits just cannot advance ad infinitum. But I can see now the reason why they kept reserves in these days. An intact reserve (on both sides) would just have made the difference and decided the battle for good. But being the ruthless tin soldier butcher we are, we like to commit all our lead right at the start.

For more read Angus blog:
http://www.edinburghwargames.com/the-battle-of-catawba-1781/

Or Barts blog:
http://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2018/06/catawba-1781.html

The initial set up with the "American" CinC looking up for some sort of strategy

The 3rd  American line

The Second American line (the NY 3rd)

The  1st line already under attack by the Crown forces

Redcoats everywhere!

Barts Brits were the first to breach the 1st line! 

Then the Hill became almost untenable

Retreat! Don‘t fall into their bayonets!

The last Militia shortly before they broke 

The rifle men were the only survivors from the 1st Brigade

Washington‘s 3rd Dragoons 

The guns on the last hill firing more or less uselessly over our troops

The 71st Highlanders shortly before they break (vs Horse artillery, 3rd Dragoons AND Haslets Chickens)

The british Advance came to an halt

Both sides were  showings signs of attrition

The initial map

- Eilmeldung - 1916 the battle at Horns Rev - Eilmeldung -

Berliner Morgenpost, 21st June of 1916 - Eilmeldung -

Und wieder einmal haben unsere tapferen Jungs von der Kaiserlichen Hochseeflotte einen Sieg nach hause fahren können und eine Invasion des Feindes abwehren können. In den grauen Morgenstunden des nebelig kalten Juni Tages vor der norwegischen Küste, 1916 trafen acht unserer Schiffe, der sogenannten "Nassauer Klasse" aus die Feindlichen "Dreadnaughts der Englischen Marine.

Nach einem heftigen Schlagabtausch und unter heftigem Kannonen Donner gelang es uns die acht feindlichen Schiffe zum Rückzug zu zwingen. Leider war Eines Ihrer Majestät's Schiffer die "Koenig" zu sehr angeschlagen um die Rueckfahrt aufnehmen zu können und musste somit versenkt werden, um nicht in die Hände des Feindes zu gelangen. Der rest der Flotte des hoch angesehenen Herrn von Behncke und seiner Männer trafen heute in Hamburg wohlversehrt ein und haben sich redlich eine Stipvisite auf der Reeperbahn ehrlich verdient.

Ihr Kriegsberichterstatter Ihro Kaiserlichen Majestät 22. Juni 1916

For the enemies point of view/propaganda, please read:
Angus' blog:
http://www.edinburghwargames.com/the-clash-off-horns-reef-1916/

And for a more balanced view please read:
Bart‘s blog:
http://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-great-blog-update-wielki-update.html