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Saturday 28 January 2023

No Taxation without Representation!

 Today, I reaped the benefit of about 2 years on and off painting figures for the American War of Independence/American Revolution, as we tried my new 7 Years war rules variant with about half the total figures I had painted!

For our first trial playtest game, I worked out 2 armies, and let the other players choose what they wanted. Phil got Lord Howe, Lawrence the Hessians, and I was George Washington!

As per the 7 years war, I lost initiative so had to deploy first...

I put my North Carolina Continentals on the right - with State troops and others.

I tried putting my 6 Militia Battalions in the centre, behind an earthwork, they had Virginia Continentals on their left.
My left had some riflemen, supported by New Jersey Continentals.
Lawrence's Hessian wing was on the right of the British line.
Phil massed the British on the left, he had 2 regiment of Guards and 2 Grenadier Battalions along with the 17th Light Dragoons and 2 Battalions of Light Infantry.
The Hessians stepped off, the Jagers outpacing the ponderous massed infantry!
The British first line got moving too, the Lights moved on the flanks of the regulars.
The Guards moved through the woods, unfortunately I could not contest their move!
My NJ troops moved to outflank the Hessian line, while the Riflemen filtered through the wood.
On the right, I only got some Riflemen advancing, while only 2/3 of my NC Continentals deployed out to the flank to counter the British move. My hidden 2 NC regiments stayed in the wood!
My Riflemen in the farmstead fields were supported by The German regiment and the 2nd Canadians.
Gotta love those Rag-Tag Rebels!
Lawrence sent a brigade to extend his frontage to the flank, he wanted to head off my NJ troops!
The neat Red Tide reached the fence of the Farmstead.
The 17th LD moved round looking for easy pickings!
On my left the Continentals failed to advance!
I really should have advanced the Virginia Continentals here, but hindsight is an exact art, isn't it!
My NC troops had similar problems, refusing to advance!
The clash at the farm beckoned!
My Riflemen disordered the 33rd foot!
The British crossed the fence and fired a crashing volley into my Continentals, the Riflemen had fallen back as the Lobsters advanced!
My line steadied and their return volley was equally galling!
A further volley from the Brits forced the Germans and Canadians back though.
The British shrugged off their losses!
My artillery had a minor success, destroying the battery supporting the Hessian Grenadiers!
I rallied the Canadians and Germans and pushed them back into the fray, but they received another crashing volley and broke!
They fled through their supporting State regiments, disordering them too!
The NC regiments had not stopped the Guards turning on my flank...

...so with my line about to be rolled up, I thought Washington would probably retreat at this point!

I had suffered with the dice again whereas Phil especially had a good die day, especially with his musketry!

Never mind, we will do it again next week, and I have learned some lessons! 

Saturday 21 January 2023

The Cold Sea!

 Today, we couldn't decide what to do so opted for a Coastal Forces game!

For ease, we just did the usual attack by Scnellbooten against a East Coast convoy. As it was Philip's first game of this, it was a good idea.

The Convoy was run by my rules' solo system, and the number and type of escorts and merchantmen were randomised.

The convoy, escorts on the French side and 2 lines of merchantmen on the English side!

We, (Phil, Phillip, \lawrence and myself) had 2 E-Boats each, shown is the ship chart, torpedo markers, and the red spotting markers.
All our boats headed for the convoy at 4cms, IE on electric motors, which made it hard for the gunners on the British ships to see us.
I started at the back of the convoy, which could be good or bad!
Phil, in the centre, got lucky and spotted an Armed Trawler covering our prized target, a Tanker!
We were all having trouble spotting, thanks to rubbish die rolls!
Phillip found a Tug towing some lighters, a hard and unrewarding target!
However, he soon found a 2,000 tonner, a better target!
Lawrence was keeping in reserve, allowing Phillip and Phil to attack first.
We soon had spotted a line of merchant ships, but only the one escort.
Phillip and Lawrence soon had target locks on them. I thought it would have been better to check the unspotted ships beyond as most of the nearest line were Light Freighters and Colliers.
The convoy was getting past me! I had spotted lot of counters at the rear of it and they were all dummies! - apart from 1 Collier!!!
I turned to parallel the convoy, still at slow speed so as not to warn the convoy of our presence.
Phil had his boats shoot a torpedo each at the Tanker, and increased speed by starting his diesel engines.
Lawrence stayed slow, but Phillip at the front also increased speed, with torpedoes shot the convoy would be alerted very soon anyway!
I, too sped up to attack, but had a long way to go.
Amazingly, the Tanker lookouts must have been asleep, as they didn't spot the incoming 'fish'. But the Trawler did, and alerted the convoy!
Phillip shot a torpedo at the lead 3,000 tonner.
The torpedo hit, but only caused heavy damage, it was still navigable.
Phil's torpedoes hit the Tanker...the one on the bow didn't explode!, the one amidships did!
My boats fired a single torpedo at the Collier at the convoy rear.
The Tanker didn't explode! - but it started sinking - and the crew began to abandon ship into the oily sea.
My Torpedo got a clean hit on the Collier's stern, but again I got a torpedo malfunction!
Phil shot another torpedo at the damaged 3,000 tonner...
...an easy hit, but again only causing damage by exploding in the ship's wake, but this was enough to bring the Freighter to a shuddering halt.
Phil started his favourite pursuit, using the Schnellboots heavy gun armament to harry the Trawler crew.
My boats moved behind the collier, too close to hit it with torpedoes.

Phillip used his last torpedoes trying to get the 2,000 tonner and a light freighter - which was all there was in the second line!!!
The Torpedo hit the big freighter, but only damaged it. Something wrong with our torpedoes today!
The last torpedo hit the light freighter, but again it was a dud!

Lawrence and I still had 3 torpedoes left each, but these were worth 2 points, so with no targets better than 2000 tonners also worth 2 points, we went home!

FYI we pointed the ships as 1 pt per 1,000 tons, and the Tanker or an Ammo ship twice that. We had to choose targets carefully as - as has been mentioned, our torpedoes cost 2 points each, as they were expensive, and often in short supply to the Schnellbootwaffe!