424 BC - Delium PLUS - the Spartans should have stayed home

A totally fictional refight of the Battle of Delium, but just with the Spartans and a nice wall to protect the temple of Apollo - because we had them. 28mm, Hail Caesar, my miniatures (Warlord Games or Victrix).

Bart, John and Alisdair fought for the Peloponnesian League, While me, Tim and Gordon fought for the Delian Empire ... errm Athenians. The Spartans had the first move, divided their units the king to block the left and the rest to stop us from flanking them. I had a division just made out of skirmishers and I would harass them just after I would have destroyed their pesky few helots and men on horses...

BUT Bart killed my skirmishers with charging my peltats ... and basically swiped them all away in one or two turns. Yes, this was the first game ever, where I could leave the field not doing anything (I switched to umpire).

So then the Spartans turned the tide and swept around our flank and Alisdairs  phalanges attacked us but came too short ... so we attacked and destroyed them, now that was a piece of luck as that was actually what was winning the battle (we would count the units costs points). So Congratulation, Gordon! Your division broke the Peloponnesian neck!

In the meantime Tim did the best taktic and kept his best, but still inferior Athenian elites out of trouble and pestered and harassed the two Spartan units - successfully with peltasts to the point where only one was not shaken!

And in the end our 5 units charged the 2 of the Spartans for the endfight. We didn't break them, but we got them shaken and or nearly so, they would not survived another round. BUT we didn't killed them.

John ( the king of Sparta and CinC of the line) was  so gallant to accept the defeat - a truly new era was ushered in. So again Congratulations Gordon and Tim, Especially for the absolute right taktic that was the only successful one vs the Spartans. A Delian victory!

The initial set up ...

Barts light flank ...

Our Athenian centre ...

A posh overprotected Apollo temple ...

The Spartans split and came down hill ...

Gordons centre forms up to meet them ...

It could get ugly quite quickly ...

The left the hills like in history ...

And charged my skimishers ...

While the Spartan King waited ...

Unfortunately thats were my light division was deleted ...

Our centre was with an open flank ...

But Tim just continued to harassing the Spartans ...

Meanwhile Gordon destroyed Alisdairs division ...

Gordon formed up again to meet the threat ...

And then retreated to the rest ...

The Plan was to concentrate and to attack ...

Before the Spartan King would be coming with the rest of his army ...

And coming our way he was ...

But the other unit was getting shaken ...

And the Athenians all clogged up ...

Until they formed line ...

While being in phalanx ... (scenario rule)

Time to strike ...

But Time didn't made the order successfully ...

Valuable time for the king ...

Athenians dither ...

But then finally clash ...

Two units got thoroughly thrashed ... end of game.

1940 - The hunt on the Scharnhorst ...

 ... or how the Royal Navy lost by points.

Well, after my death ride of my Tirpitz last game seem to have made a veritable impression of the fans of the RN - it wasn't allowed back on the table again, what a bummer! 

So the scenario was that, I don't know ...  go get the British (Tim, Peter, Alisdair and Gordon) again, even though they were already concentrated on the centre of the table and we (da Germans - Bart, me, Andy and Mike) came in from all four corners of the winds ...

What could possibly go wrong.

The Brits tried to concentrate on Mikes Scharnorst and tried the whole time to sink it - while we Bart and me shot some smaller vessels at the periphery and f*** off while we had the chance. Mike wanted to fight with his Scharnhorst, but really couldn't because his, well, everything was blown away from board... BUT

... they didn't get him in the end. He made it to the table edge. 

Remember, guys to concentrate fire! And to throw better! The rest of the Kriegsmarine left the table mildly amused.

Point wise a German victory. Strategy wise a German victory. Gunnery wise a German victory. But the British catering was a exquisit.

The Royal Navy huddled together ...

The Kriegsmarine coming in for the kill ...

Scharnhorst under attack ...

The RN in line to catch and destroy it ...

But the Scharnhorst is still capable ...

They did not hit well today ...

So we left with a point victory the field ...

1777 - The Battle at McDonalds Farm - AWI

A fictional Big Sunday Game, AWI, 28mm, Black Powder2, my collection (predominantly Perrys and Foundry, one of my oldest that kick started my historical wargaming) - Bart was the Crown forces and Hessian mercenaries while I worked for the 13 colonies.

We had three 6x4 tables together some farms (Old McDonald, Old McDuff and McDumb) and 3 Brigades (later I conceded another for Bart as the British really had a hard time) were just randomly coming onto the table.

We didn't set an objective as we just want to enjoy the carnage, but well, there were three farms on the table!!! And bloody it would soon be the British suffered multiple blunders which made their attacks more piecemeal, which made the whole thing a certain win for the patriots - so we decided to let them have another brigade of the same (after the first one was eliminated) to come again on the table.

This time it was a co-ordinated attack and unlocked the Americans of the old farm, as they were running out of ammo for the guns. Soon the table turned and two of the three farms were in British hands. The Americans started to withdraw to keep the unit tally at least in their favour.

I would say it had the flavour as the British losses were more than the Americans, but eventually the Rebels had to leave the field. A draw that cost them a lot.

Initially the rebels were quick to arrive at McDonalds farm ...

The brigades arrive in piece meal ...

The LI brigade comes at last ...

The grenadiers are the first to be in line ...

The Hessians ... so slooow ...

The first shots at the bridge ...

The American manage to hold ...

The LI brigade attacks alone ...

The Grenadiers wait for the Hessians ...

The farm, the castle ...

The LI brigade presses on ...

BUT the Delawares push them back ...

The LI brigade somehow cannot break the American lines ...

... and suffers more and more casualties ...

Meanwhile the dragoons clash ...

The PoV of the Militia ...

The American dragoons get destroyed ...

The American right flank advances ...

But a new LI brigade arrives ...

And the centre finally forms to something as a line ...

The Rebels defend ...

But slowly the ammo runs out ...

The British attack on the whole line ...

The American flank shoots back ...

Fire fighting on the flank ...

Finally the whole lines advances ...

The Rebels shoot their last shot ...

The patriot give all ...

But the enemy comes nearer ...

The Hessians storm the Old McDonalds Farm ...

The last Continental regiment on the left of the American flank ...

Old McDonalds farm is in British hands ...

And the rest of the rebels retreat ...