HMGS – Page 8

Napoleonic Naval AAR

On Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a Napoleonic naval game using Ship ‘o the Line rules (by Battleline) and 1/1200 scale miniatures.

Nine French and Spanish ships defended the grounded French 1st rate Orient from an approaching British squadron of six ships.

The grounded Orient, with French and Spanish in the background.

The allied ships split up to double the head of the British line.

The Temeraire, leading the British line, comes about.

As the Temeraire engages several allied ships, the two following British 74s weave through the Spanish ships. Red dots have been added to indicate British ships.

The Temeraire is surrounded by six allied ships.

HMS Conqueror is captured by the crew from the badly damaged French 74 Pluton, but is recaptured. TheTemeraire is lost.

SAGA Dark Age AAR Vikings, Normans, Saxons

On Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a dark age skirmish game using SAGA rules at the Dogs of War shop. This four-way game pitted the Normans defending a village against two Viking and one Saxon warbands intent on loot. There were also individual objectives (or grudges) for the warbands and a few strange characters in the village who could influence play.

The Norman warlord rushes into the village to rescue his lady. The two Viking bands, wary of each other, approach the village. The Saxons hide in the trees.

The Normans are forced to waste time by the lady they ‘rescued’. The Saxons form up and advance on the village.

The Vikings go at each other, with one side losing two units.

A Viking warlord is killed and his sister captured by the other Viking (a secret objective).

The surviving Viking warlord retreats off the table with his captive, avoiding the oncoming Normans. We called the game at this point due to time constraints. The intact Saxon and almost intact Norman bands could still dispute the village.

Medieval Hail Caesar AAR

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a game of Hail Caesar at the Dogs of War shop.

The fictitious Battle of Schwetz, June 1309, takes place in what is now northern Poland and is between the Teutonic Order and the forces of the Polish King Władysław I. Following the ‘takeover’ of Danzig, the Teutonic Order is on the march to take the nearby city of Schwetz. The Teutonic Order is intercepted by Polish forces outside the city.

The Order is on the right, the Poles on the left.

The Order have one mounted division and two foot.

The Poles have two mounted divisions and one foot.

Polish light horse and Order light foot each move to their right.

View from the opposite side. Polish foot and the Order knights are reluctant to advance. Polish light horse blunders around in the woods.

Ignoring the threat to their left flank, the Order advances in the center.

Order charges push back several Polish units, but the Polish archers repel two charges by knights.

Three Polish foot units break in one turn, breaking their division. The mounted Poles wisely decide to call it a day.

Mechanicsville – ACW Black Powder

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a game of Black Powder at the Dogs of War shop.

This scenario is also known as The Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, 26 June, 1862. Three brigades of confederate infantry with two attached batteries and three off-table artillery batteries attack two Union infantry brigades and 5 artillery batteries in breastworks.

Confederate off-table artillery is behind the Confederate left.

The left and center Confederate brigades advance while a blunder send the right brigade to the rear.

A blunder sends a Union unit charging across the creek. Confederate infantry deploys into skirmish order.

Confederate skirmishers surround the Union unit but fail to destroy it. With no attack in sight, the Union left flank units move to support the center.

Union units move up to support the unintentional advance. The Confederate right starts to move.

Union artillery has been concentrating on the Confederate batteries. Both are routed. The Union right withdraws but is broken in the process. The Confederate right wing takes advantage of poor Union command rolls and pushes in the Union left.

A well ordered Star Wars game on an adjacent table.

Fox Gap – ACW Black Powder

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a game of Black Powder at the Dogs of War shop. The ACW scenario was based loosely on the action at Fox Gap, South Mountain on September 14, 1862. The scenario was adjusted to accommodate the available 15mm units and the variable number of players expected to show up.

Two Union brigades look across the fields at the defending Confederate brigade

The Union objectives are the confederate position (upper right) and the road junction (lower right).

The left Union brigade moves out rapidly.

The Union advance on the left has stalled just inside the range of Confederate guns. The center brigade moves slowly through the standing corn.

A third Union brigade rushes down the turnpike to block an arriving Confederate brigade.

The center Union brigade advances rapidly to catch up with the left.

Marauding Confederate cavalry threaten the Union guns.

Union infantry charges into the Confederate position.

The left Union brigade losses three regiments and is broken. The center brigade tears a hole in the Confederate lines.

On the turnpike, troops of both sides extend the firing line as they come up.

After four hours of play we had to adjourn. The Union had managed to break into the Confederate position in the center, but with one Union brigade broken and the Confederates strongly holding the turnpike objective, we called this a Confederate win.