L’espion haï

Sargeant Gabe Marchand felt the warm spring sun on his face as he stood watching across the grassy fields of El Casa Blanca. Days earlier a careless English Spy was captured and the 4eme Dragoons were ordered to hold him until a detail could come to escort him to the authorities.

It figured that the company’s coward was first to spot the approaching roast beefs.  It appeared the British wanted their man back.

Lieutenant Fournier left the Sargent with Lafonte and Hardy and took the others into cover behind the wall by the large house.  Tou-tou, a small dog that had been following Gabe bounced after him as he took up his position along the fence.

The English slowly move forward, making good use of the cover. Trying to discover a weakness in the French defense.

 

Not satisfied with the honourable weapons of war, the British hid one of their cowardly Green jackets in the garden.  His long ranged fire began to wear upon the honest citizens of the Republic.

The eagle eye of the villainous Green jackets drops brave Joacham.  Blood has been spilled.

 

Gabe bellowed at his command to continue firing at the Redcoats through the olive orchard, one close shot left little Tou-tou silent at the sargeant’s feet.  Gabe knew he’d miss the little fellow, but still he continued to fire into the trees.

Suddenly to British soldiers came dashing along the wall at Lt Fournier’s position.  Bravely the officer closed into range and fired his pistol wounding the leading man.

The shot does not stop their onslaught however.  They both charge the poor Lieutenant, just reloading his pistol in time he get another shot off blowing one of the Roastbifs off the wall. Giant Jean Baptist charges into the fight as well.  The dastardly English jabs the suffering officer right in the patates before severally wounding him.  Jean avenges the fallen officer with a deep plunge of his bayonet.

Adrenaline raging through his veins after his success in the melee, Jean Baptiste runs to a position against the house and begins to return fire.  His well aimed shots nearly took the English commander, had not his rifle received the shot instead.    Apparently, with out the aid of his formidable weapon, the British Lieutenant lost his taste for battle.  His men began to fall back.  Now both sides had suffered and lost a few men.  Both sides became fragile.  Gabe figured the day was one but one last british musket ball found its way to cowardly Pierre Lafont.  It was too much.  The weary dragoons were forced back, taking their prisoner with them, they fell back, leaving the field to the British, but depriving them of their target.  We might have lost today, but the 4th did well and fought bravely.

Until next time Viv l’empereur!

Viva Espana!

In an attempt to reign in our natures as Gaming Butterflies, and to improve our knowledge of the rules for the games we play, the Williamsburg Legati know plays one set of rules for at least a month.  the rules for July are Forager, the Napoleonic Skirmish Wargame. This is a new game From Stand To Games.

Forager is an excellent set of small skirmish rules with plenty of narrative action.  Each player has about six characters with different statistics and traits.  Most things are determined by rolls of d10s and the game rules are straightforward and easily played.

We have elected to play a campaign, that is campaign with the little “c”. At present at least our games are not necessarily meant to follow one another but we are all tracking the careers of our little pewter men.

The fist two games were played on are usual game night (last Thursday) with Tim and Chris playing “A Chance Meeting” and Dave and Peter playing “Escort”.

The escort set Dave and his Voltiguers with the task of escorting a horse (it was supposed to be a wagon) across the board.  Peter’s 95th Rifles sought to stop the French progress.

Oddly the 95th rushed forward losing the advantage of their rifles and getting close enough to allow the French to charge them.  A very nasty fight occurred at the gate of the brick wall but eventually the Voltiguers were bleed dry and quit the field.  In the process one of their men were captured by the 95th.

I didn’t get to follow the Chance Meeting game very closely.  This is a scenario were two commands come into contact while foraging for supplies. Barrels, Donkeys, Pigs and sheep are scattered around and the different types give different victory points.

What I do know is that at the end of the night, the British how proved victorious in both games, having driven their enemies from the field by casualty.

Geoff and I were to play later.

 

Until then, Cheers.

 

Guns of August 2014

 

      Once again Williamsburg Legati did what it could to support our local Williamsburg conventions.

 

     Chris and family were present with their company The Phalanx Consortium, and were actively promoting Skirmish Sangin and the related Radio Dish Dash products.

The Phalanx Consortium Table

 

     Chris also ran two Demo games on his beautiful Afghanistan board, one in the evening both on Friday and Saturday.

Coalition Troops patrolling the irrigation canal

 

 

Afghans

    On Saturday afternoon Peter offered his Mons game.  This was a Trench Wars game based upon one of the actions at Mons in 1914 and his the first official game of our clubs commemoration of the centennial of World War I. The scenario has German lancers pursuing a column of retreating British tommies while the rest of the German forces try to take the town.  I did get some pictures to share with you but for some reason the  were completely black when I loaded them onto the computer.  I will try to get some pics from peter to share with you all here.

    I ran two games.  The first was Friday night. this was a Sharp Practice game set in Spain.  Members of the 60th American were being chased by the French 4th Dragoons.

Peter moving his forces

       Peter and three others played in this game.  The British were so successful that they managed to make their objective (driving away the enemy and the get off the board) before the larger threat of French men even arrived! 

Dragoons enter on the first game

      All players agreed to a second game however with a few alterations one of which was to allow the reinforcements to arrive earlier!

  

Rifles defending the farm

 

    This alteration made the world of difference.  the game unfolded much like the first, though with more British casualties than the first.  However just as they left their cover and made their run for the board edge, the Dragoon reinforcements arrived!

Surprise!!

 

     The Dragoons ended up dismounting and chasing the rifles off into the hills and away from their objective. for a French victory!

    My second game was Friday evening, and was a Fall of France World War Two scenario using Chain of Command as the rules.  Again with four players, the Germans were of the advance with orders to drive the french away from their positions on the outskirts of Etalle in Belgium. 

The board before the battle

    The Germans held the initiative through most of this game though the French very valiantly repelled an assault for the farmhouse on their left.

Germans moving through the trout stream

      Perhaps cocky from their victory on the left, the French squad on the right tried to assault the other farm house.  Here it was the Germans who proved victorious.  The French realized that they had suffered to many causalities and they chose to fall back leaving the Germans victorious.

French men supporting the assault

 

    Now we are back to are usual Wednesday night schedule until the next convention in February.  See you all at Williamsburg Muster!

Cheers,

Ron