After the last Great Bridge battle there were a number of options to give the British a slightly higher chance. With the table still set up I ran through one of these solo to see what happened. In this version the the British artillery rather than being restricted to targeting the earthworks, they were allowed to target infantry themselves and to balance the ‘cover’ effect of the earthworks this was reduced to normal cover.
The battle started as the first encounter with the exception that the artillery immediate targeted the Pickets/skirmishers reducing their effectiveness.
Rather than being wiped out they were forced to evade being assaulted by the advancing grenadiers. The British don’t get it all their own way as the light infantry again fail an early test and are forced back.
The random deployment of the Americans in this battle was harder as both units came on behind the Culpeper Minutemen
Still taking heavy casualties the grenadiers make it to the earthworks and the leading Tories are also able to advance far enough to engage in shooting
The cannon is able to target the Culpeper Minutemen who fail several test and are broken but then rally. They prove much less effective this game
The Grenadiers are again wiped out with their Captain but have been able to clear the first unit of defenders away from the earthworks
As the American reinforcements deploy the British light infantry have been able to get to the earthworks with the advantage of cover and now the support of the Tories a fierce firefight breaks out.
After several turns of these units plugging away at each other it was clear that the battle could go either way, although the advantage is still slightly with the defenders. So rather than drag it out I stopped there having convinced myself that with the minor change to the rules the British (still up against it) definitely had a chance in this version of breaking through the defences. One of the other options was to give the British a second unit of grenadiers I may get to try this this weekend ?
A week off next week so hopefully some hobby time although the weather is looking good for walking and cycling 😀
An enjoyable battle report
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil 👍
DeleteNice to tinker with the rules and get a different result
ReplyDeleteAt least with the change the Brits had a change at getting over the causeway
DeleteDid the change happen because the Minutemen failed repeat tests (chance?) as much as the artillery targeting was tweaked? And could those Minutemen checks have failed anyway without the targeting tweaks?
ReplyDeleteI have the rules, but not read or used them, so I simply don’t know, but based on the overall replays, I wonder whether the rules are both fun and a problem in creating the right effect between British trained and militia.
With the ability to score six hits per shot (on average) at long range, the minutemen are a real threat. Any turn they don’t shoot is a big relief to the British. Hitting the minutemen with artillery doubles their chance to fail; once during activation and then again during a casualty morale check.
DeleteVery hard to tell the exact variations Norm. In the first game the Minutemen really weren’t in range very much so we’re forced to take many morale checks. They were designated green so the advantage was targeting them with the cannon even if it only caused one casualty caused a test and they failed at least two of these causing them to pull back, which meant they couldn’t shoot for at least two turns while they rallied, and then pulled back up to the earthworks. I know the British have struggled but I don’t think this is the rules. The challenge is just getting the balance with veteran vs green troops , I think the key may be not to worry too much about numbers as the green troops when they flee will cause others to panic as well.
DeleteLovely images of fine AWI gaming again, Matt!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean
DeleteGood to see this interesting scenario replayed. Targeting troops rather than barricades seems to have helped. Artillery is powerful in this game so adding its weight into the attack should pay dividends. Enjoy your week off!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon , yes the artillery gave a little more balance.
DeleteNice to see a replay having a different set of outcomes. Looking forward to next week's updates, especially the landscape photos
ReplyDeleteThanks David 👍
DeleteNice to see you giving the Brits a chance and of course it looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Many thanks giving both sides a challenge and some balance is the hard thing 🤔
DeleteInteresting replay the result could easily be the same despite your tweaks so a good thumbs up for the rules themselves perhaps?
ReplyDeleteGood tweaks to the scenario that certainly give the British a chance, compared to the first one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve yes the tweek gave the British just a little extra cover and pushed the Culpeper Minutemen back which was key to getting at least upto the barricade if not over it
DeletePretty pics as usual. It can be fun to tinker with things. The scenario will be the better for it. 😀
ReplyDeleteThanks Stew it has helped with planning the next scenarios and ensuring we get some balance
DeleteLooks like the adjustments balanced things up a bit, which makes for a more enjoyable game in my mind.
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith 😀
DeleteVery nice Matt, always good to run through rule tweaks on the table.
ReplyDeleteA nice scenario.
Cheers
Stu
Thanks Stu it proved a fun alternative game and hopefully will help future scenario development
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