Very recently I realised that despite having a very important role to play in our Napoleonic battles very little mention has been given to Ciaran's Russian army. An army that he got months before I got my Prussians. The kit is the Italeri Russian Grenadiers, the Pavlov Grenadies in fact.
With their distinctive mitre hats, the(partially complete)infantry have fought in many battles against the French, Austerlitz being the biggest one.
Recently I offered to paint these infantry for Ciaran and I am glad to say they are now almost complete.
Pictures of the finished infantry will be posted on this blog.
Sunday, 23 September 2018
Austerlitz - The untold story
Previously there have been several references to "our Austerlitz" and I would like to explain this battle to you and explain why it was a landmark in our wargaming careers. Some of the details here may be a little patchy but that is due to how long ago the battle was fought.
The French had 45 infantrymen, 3 Generals, 4 artillerymen and one cannon. Facing them were 16 Russians and 30 Prussians (we had no Austrians) with one cavalryman. Though these numbers may sound meagre, at the time this was the largest battle we had fought in our wargaming careers. In fact, it is still our largest infantry battle to date.
Now for the battle:
The battle started when the Russian drums started and the troops marched blindly towards the French. Now Thomas didn't want to waste valuable men holding off the Russians, so he simply moved his cannon and crew onto a nearby hill. This cannon originally had a 30cm firing range, but after putting it on a hill Thomas suddenly had a super-powerful cannon with a 50cm firing range.
I on the other hand prioritised crossing the bridges by the town to secure a hill and farmhouse. I loaded that hill up with 18 of my best troops to be a forward defence post.
The Russians also captured a farmhouse until seconds later when it was destroyed by the French cannon. Seeing no alternative, the Russians marched at the gun supported by a single cavalryman while it spat cannon balls into the helpless men. The entire army was killed off so rapidly there was no time for them to even get in range. A single man did survive the slaughter and reached the gun only to be shot by the infantry.
With no army left to command, the Russian General committed suicide.
On the Prussian front however a total of 24 French troops were massing just out of range of my infantry. Then the first wave attacked.
12 French infantry charged at my hill losing all of their men and killing 8-10 of mine. Then came the second wave. 12 more infantry chatged my line, losing 10 of their own but successfully killing all Prussians on the hill to gain... nothing! In that single engagement the French lost 22 out of 24 men to kill 18 Prussian infantry on a hill with no strategic value. Half of the French casualties from the entire battle came from that fight.
However this battle crippled the Prussian army and the Field-Marshal evacuated when he heard the hill was lost. The rest of my infantry were spread out in small pockets throughout the battlefield and the new Prussian commander decided that defence was the best option.
He ordered his men to withdraw from the bridges and take up defensive positions in the town for a guerrilla-style defence. It didn't work.
The French army marched swiftly past the defences and massacred the Prussian general staff behind the town.
The French may have won this battle but the allied armies didn't retreat like real life, but instead held their ground until death.
The French had 45 infantrymen, 3 Generals, 4 artillerymen and one cannon. Facing them were 16 Russians and 30 Prussians (we had no Austrians) with one cavalryman. Though these numbers may sound meagre, at the time this was the largest battle we had fought in our wargaming careers. In fact, it is still our largest infantry battle to date.
Now for the battle:
The battle started when the Russian drums started and the troops marched blindly towards the French. Now Thomas didn't want to waste valuable men holding off the Russians, so he simply moved his cannon and crew onto a nearby hill. This cannon originally had a 30cm firing range, but after putting it on a hill Thomas suddenly had a super-powerful cannon with a 50cm firing range.
I on the other hand prioritised crossing the bridges by the town to secure a hill and farmhouse. I loaded that hill up with 18 of my best troops to be a forward defence post.
The Russians also captured a farmhouse until seconds later when it was destroyed by the French cannon. Seeing no alternative, the Russians marched at the gun supported by a single cavalryman while it spat cannon balls into the helpless men. The entire army was killed off so rapidly there was no time for them to even get in range. A single man did survive the slaughter and reached the gun only to be shot by the infantry.
With no army left to command, the Russian General committed suicide.
On the Prussian front however a total of 24 French troops were massing just out of range of my infantry. Then the first wave attacked.
12 French infantry charged at my hill losing all of their men and killing 8-10 of mine. Then came the second wave. 12 more infantry chatged my line, losing 10 of their own but successfully killing all Prussians on the hill to gain... nothing! In that single engagement the French lost 22 out of 24 men to kill 18 Prussian infantry on a hill with no strategic value. Half of the French casualties from the entire battle came from that fight.
However this battle crippled the Prussian army and the Field-Marshal evacuated when he heard the hill was lost. The rest of my infantry were spread out in small pockets throughout the battlefield and the new Prussian commander decided that defence was the best option.
He ordered his men to withdraw from the bridges and take up defensive positions in the town for a guerrilla-style defence. It didn't work.
The French army marched swiftly past the defences and massacred the Prussian general staff behind the town.
The French may have won this battle but the allied armies didn't retreat like real life, but instead held their ground until death.
Monday, 17 September 2018
Tank rules for the first world war
These rules cover the tanks of 1917-1918. Not including the Russian Mendeleev heavy tank or German K-Wagen.
MOVEMENT:
MK I-IV - 10cm
MK A Whippet - 15cm
Char Schneider - 10cm
Saint Chamond - 10cm
Renault FT-17 - 10cm
A7V Sturmpanzerwagen - 15cm
Going over hills and rough terrain movement is reduced to 5cm.
A moving tank may make a maximum of 2 90 degree turns during its turn. At the start of each game a dice must be rolled for each tank to see if it starts up succesfully. If it rolls a 1 or 2 the tank doesn't start. Roll the dice the next turn every time it starts up.
FIRING:
Once the tank has selected a target (an enemy tank in this case) and is within firing range a dice is rolled for that tank's main gun/s. The shot will miss if a 1 or 2. If a hit then another dice must be rolled to see how much damage the shot caused:
1 or 2 - No damage
3 - Nearest track is broken
4 - Gun, turret or gunner knocked out
5 - Engine fire
6 - Destroyed
3 4s will destroy the tank
2 5s will destroy the tank
1 6 will destroy the tank
Tanks armed with machine guns have a firing range of 25cm. To fire a machine gun is different to firing a cannon. When firing MGs you continue to roll dice until you get a 1, at which point the gun jams or is out of ammo. MGs can only penetrate tank armour if they roll a 5 or 6. The damage system is the same as the cannon rules above.
Any tanks with armour thicker than 25mm cannot be penetrated by MG fire.
MOVEMENT:
MK I-IV - 10cm
MK A Whippet - 15cm
Char Schneider - 10cm
Saint Chamond - 10cm
Renault FT-17 - 10cm
A7V Sturmpanzerwagen - 15cm
Going over hills and rough terrain movement is reduced to 5cm.
A moving tank may make a maximum of 2 90 degree turns during its turn. At the start of each game a dice must be rolled for each tank to see if it starts up succesfully. If it rolls a 1 or 2 the tank doesn't start. Roll the dice the next turn every time it starts up.
FIRING:
Once the tank has selected a target (an enemy tank in this case) and is within firing range a dice is rolled for that tank's main gun/s. The shot will miss if a 1 or 2. If a hit then another dice must be rolled to see how much damage the shot caused:
1 or 2 - No damage
3 - Nearest track is broken
4 - Gun, turret or gunner knocked out
5 - Engine fire
6 - Destroyed
3 4s will destroy the tank
2 5s will destroy the tank
1 6 will destroy the tank
Tanks armed with machine guns have a firing range of 25cm. To fire a machine gun is different to firing a cannon. When firing MGs you continue to roll dice until you get a 1, at which point the gun jams or is out of ammo. MGs can only penetrate tank armour if they roll a 5 or 6. The damage system is the same as the cannon rules above.
Any tanks with armour thicker than 25mm cannot be penetrated by MG fire.
Wednesday, 12 September 2018
Today's Battle
Today a Napoleonic tabletop battle was fought at school.
The armies were French and Prussian and each side had 15 troops and one commander. We tossed a dice to start, Thomas rolling a 3 and I rolling a 5, so I made the first move of the battle.
As I didn't have enough troops to form a square and didn't want to form a bayonet hedge I instead made what looked like a bayonet edge with a rounded back to keep Mr M safe from flanking attacks.
Thomas sent forwards his Voltguers to pick of my men. In order to counter this I moved my entire formation forward to intercept them, making sure his main force was out of range.
The Voltiguers were eliminated on the first volley with no losses to the Prussians.
He then proceded to attack my main force, killing Prussians before suffering 2 losses of his own.
The battle continued like this for a while. He had taken 8 losses compared to my 4 when he decided it was a good time to retreat, leaving behind a rear guard of 3 men to slow me down.
It didn't work. My Prussians immediately killed 2 out of the 3 and the remaining man surrendered.
The French took 10 casualties compared to my 4.
All in all this was a very succesful battle for me!
The armies were French and Prussian and each side had 15 troops and one commander. We tossed a dice to start, Thomas rolling a 3 and I rolling a 5, so I made the first move of the battle.
As I didn't have enough troops to form a square and didn't want to form a bayonet hedge I instead made what looked like a bayonet edge with a rounded back to keep Mr M safe from flanking attacks.
Thomas sent forwards his Voltguers to pick of my men. In order to counter this I moved my entire formation forward to intercept them, making sure his main force was out of range.
The Voltiguers were eliminated on the first volley with no losses to the Prussians.
He then proceded to attack my main force, killing Prussians before suffering 2 losses of his own.
The battle continued like this for a while. He had taken 8 losses compared to my 4 when he decided it was a good time to retreat, leaving behind a rear guard of 3 men to slow me down.
It didn't work. My Prussians immediately killed 2 out of the 3 and the remaining man surrendered.
The French took 10 casualties compared to my 4.
All in all this was a very succesful battle for me!
Monday, 3 September 2018
Infantry units and their rules
In the games that I play, a single infantry unit is made up of 5-10 men.
MOVEMENT:
The speeds at which a unit of infantrymen can move are listed blow:
Infantry in formation - 10cm
Infantry skirmishing - 15cm
Infantry charging/running - 20cm
If a unit has charged on it's previous turn it may only move at 10cm for this turn. A unit may not move 20cm twice or 20cm then 15cm.
A unit may come out of formation into skirmishing order by moving at 15cm but be mindful that this can make them vulnerable to cavalry attacks.
The unit may split up or transfer men to another unit but this will affect the strength of the unit as a whole.
ATTACKING:
The unit has the ability to attack when it comes in attacking range of another unit. Firing ranges are listed below:
Musket - 20cm
Rifle - 25cm
Pistol - 15cm
Bow - 15cm
Spear/javelin - 2-10cm
Slingshot - 10cm
Pike - 5cm
Hand - Bases must be touching.
Dice are used for attacking and inflicting casualties. The highest roll is compared to the highest roll of the opponent.
Example: The French troops are attacking a British unit. The French roll a 6 and a 2 while the Brits roll a 5 and a 4. The 6 is compared to the 5 and wins so a casualty is inflicted on the Brits. The 2 is then compared with the 4 to which it loses, resulting in a casualty for the French and equal losses for both sides.
If the soldiers are armed with muzzle-loading muskets a maximum of 2 volleys are fired (2 rolls of the dice), bolt-action rifles 3 and bows and slingshots 2.
If the unit has just fired apon an enemy unit during its turn, and are attacked by an enemy unit the next turn, it is unable to fire back in the final volley. Meaning it can only roll to defend on the final volley.
If the dice are compared and the result is a tie there are no casualties inflicted on either side.
MELEE COMBAT:
Melee combat is initiated when either bases or weapons are touching. It uses the same volley system as above, however the dice will be rolled until a side is either destroyed or retreated. Troops equipped with shields or armour will get an extra dice to roll that is for defence only.
MORALE:
When a unit has entered combat and suffered a minimum of two casualties, and wants to fall back or retreat, it must roll a dice to see if the unit remains intact and disciplined. If it rolls a 1 during this process it routs and leaves the battlefield. If the unit commander has been lost then a 1, 2 or 3 will send them sprinting off the battlefield. A broken unit will not stop moving away and will try to kill anything in it's path, including fellow soldiers and allies.
If an overall commander of an army is killed then player must roll for the whole army and if a 1, 2, or 3 is rolled the army collapses and routs.
If a unit is charged by cavalry, a dice must be rolled and a 1 will see the men fleeing the battlefield.
UNIT STANDARDS:
If the unit possesses a regimental standard (e.g. French Eagle, Roman Aquila or regimental flag) it will try to defend this to the death as each standard is worth 10 points. If a standard is lost or captured the unit must roll for morale, if rolling a 1 they rout. Though standards may sound somewhat expensive and useless if the standard survives to the end of the battle and is held by the victorious side they each give 10 extra points to the army's total score. However they must be part of a fighting unit for this to happen.
EFFECT TERRAIN MAY HAVE ON UNITS:
Any movement uphill is halved. Rivers and lakes cannot be crossed unless there is a boat or bridge.
Units positioned on a hill or rise get an extra 5cm added onto their firing range.
Example: Prussian troops are scaling a rise to knock out the French Troops poised on top. The French firing range is slightly longer than the Prussians so the French are able to inflict losses on the Prussians before the Prussians are in range with their firearms.
Units moving through woods must be in skirmishing order and movement is halved along with firing range. Rivers and water can be fired across. Buildings and houses can be entered but if the building is destroyed all troops inside are killed.
MOVEMENT:
The speeds at which a unit of infantrymen can move are listed blow:
Infantry in formation - 10cm
Infantry skirmishing - 15cm
Infantry charging/running - 20cm
If a unit has charged on it's previous turn it may only move at 10cm for this turn. A unit may not move 20cm twice or 20cm then 15cm.
A unit may come out of formation into skirmishing order by moving at 15cm but be mindful that this can make them vulnerable to cavalry attacks.
The unit may split up or transfer men to another unit but this will affect the strength of the unit as a whole.
ATTACKING:
The unit has the ability to attack when it comes in attacking range of another unit. Firing ranges are listed below:
Musket - 20cm
Rifle - 25cm
Pistol - 15cm
Bow - 15cm
Spear/javelin - 2-10cm
Slingshot - 10cm
Pike - 5cm
Hand - Bases must be touching.
Dice are used for attacking and inflicting casualties. The highest roll is compared to the highest roll of the opponent.
Example: The French troops are attacking a British unit. The French roll a 6 and a 2 while the Brits roll a 5 and a 4. The 6 is compared to the 5 and wins so a casualty is inflicted on the Brits. The 2 is then compared with the 4 to which it loses, resulting in a casualty for the French and equal losses for both sides.
If the soldiers are armed with muzzle-loading muskets a maximum of 2 volleys are fired (2 rolls of the dice), bolt-action rifles 3 and bows and slingshots 2.
If the unit has just fired apon an enemy unit during its turn, and are attacked by an enemy unit the next turn, it is unable to fire back in the final volley. Meaning it can only roll to defend on the final volley.
If the dice are compared and the result is a tie there are no casualties inflicted on either side.
MELEE COMBAT:
Melee combat is initiated when either bases or weapons are touching. It uses the same volley system as above, however the dice will be rolled until a side is either destroyed or retreated. Troops equipped with shields or armour will get an extra dice to roll that is for defence only.
MORALE:
When a unit has entered combat and suffered a minimum of two casualties, and wants to fall back or retreat, it must roll a dice to see if the unit remains intact and disciplined. If it rolls a 1 during this process it routs and leaves the battlefield. If the unit commander has been lost then a 1, 2 or 3 will send them sprinting off the battlefield. A broken unit will not stop moving away and will try to kill anything in it's path, including fellow soldiers and allies.
If an overall commander of an army is killed then player must roll for the whole army and if a 1, 2, or 3 is rolled the army collapses and routs.
If a unit is charged by cavalry, a dice must be rolled and a 1 will see the men fleeing the battlefield.
UNIT STANDARDS:
If the unit possesses a regimental standard (e.g. French Eagle, Roman Aquila or regimental flag) it will try to defend this to the death as each standard is worth 10 points. If a standard is lost or captured the unit must roll for morale, if rolling a 1 they rout. Though standards may sound somewhat expensive and useless if the standard survives to the end of the battle and is held by the victorious side they each give 10 extra points to the army's total score. However they must be part of a fighting unit for this to happen.
EFFECT TERRAIN MAY HAVE ON UNITS:
Any movement uphill is halved. Rivers and lakes cannot be crossed unless there is a boat or bridge.
Units positioned on a hill or rise get an extra 5cm added onto their firing range.
Example: Prussian troops are scaling a rise to knock out the French Troops poised on top. The French firing range is slightly longer than the Prussians so the French are able to inflict losses on the Prussians before the Prussians are in range with their firearms.
Units moving through woods must be in skirmishing order and movement is halved along with firing range. Rivers and water can be fired across. Buildings and houses can be entered but if the building is destroyed all troops inside are killed.
Sunday, 2 September 2018
Work on a "Napoleon's Little Wars" rulebook
Jakob and I have recently been talking and we have decided that it would be a good idea, given how much we modified the rules recently (to make them more realistic), to keep track of them with a rulebook. This new rulebook will cover all of the rules that we have so far, as well as painting guides for several different kinds of troop, and will also have example games using these rules. I will put up another post when it is available.
Progress on La Haye Sainte
I have finally started work on the Italeri La Haye Sainte farmhouse. It is an excellent kit, made of MDF, and seems to be well sized to suit the 1/72 soldiers that it was designed for. My French infantry, with their large hats, are unable to fit through the door, but without the hats would be able to. The detail of this kit is quite good, with there being a seperate sheet of wood for these details. I look forward to finishing the build, and to sharing this with you.
My troops of the third crusade
Maybe a month or two ago, I purchased a $5 bag of second-hand plastic soldiers in 1:72 scale. Inside I saw Airfix WWII US marines, and several half painted Muslim and Crusader knights.
There were about 14 Muslims and 8 Crusaders inside under varying stages of completion. I decided to be a good older brother and gift my younger brother, Connor, the Crusaders to paint.
Initially I had had trouble finding an image to show uniform of the Muslim Knight, but fortunately I found an image in a book of mine and successfully based them off that.
Connor finished his Crusaders first and cut them off the sprue ready for action. I finished about 9 Muslims and cut them off the sprue to have our first Crusader-era wargame.
It was simple and rather uneventful - the Knights charged each other before meeting in the middle in a brutal melee that the Muslims came out on top of.
That was our first, and latest, Crusader-era wargame.
Today I cut the last of the Muslims off the sprue and I'm ready to give Crusader-era wargaming another go, possibly with Warlord Games' "Hail Caesar" rules.
Pictures of the finished knights will be posted here as soon as I have some.
There were about 14 Muslims and 8 Crusaders inside under varying stages of completion. I decided to be a good older brother and gift my younger brother, Connor, the Crusaders to paint.
Initially I had had trouble finding an image to show uniform of the Muslim Knight, but fortunately I found an image in a book of mine and successfully based them off that.
Connor finished his Crusaders first and cut them off the sprue ready for action. I finished about 9 Muslims and cut them off the sprue to have our first Crusader-era wargame.
It was simple and rather uneventful - the Knights charged each other before meeting in the middle in a brutal melee that the Muslims came out on top of.
That was our first, and latest, Crusader-era wargame.
Today I cut the last of the Muslims off the sprue and I'm ready to give Crusader-era wargaming another go, possibly with Warlord Games' "Hail Caesar" rules.
Pictures of the finished knights will be posted here as soon as I have some.
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