Grognard Wargamer Thread!

That is true, you just gotta call Bill. Unfortunately that won’t fix print games released in beta. But he’ll call you back!😀

Turn Twelve, Late 1780

Force Adjustment Phase

  1. His Majesty’s Government sends 12 pounds to Viceroy Kane, resulting in a total of 15 for this turn.
  2. Washington continues to pretend to siege New York.
  3. The British 1-2-3 Lobster captured by the Rebels is reconstituted in England and returns to the force pool.

Smugglers Phase

  1. One smuggler deploys to Chesapeake Bay.

Naval Phase

  1. Grant Shadows the French Fleet. Howe goes to Chesapeake Bay and Parker goes to Cape Fear.
  2. Howe and Parker both succeed in eliminating Smugglers.

British Ground Phase

  1. Everyone except a 1-2-3 Continental is either amnestied or exchanged.
  2. Viceroy Kane spends six pounds to recruit all available units, sending the Loyalist Horse to Carolina, a Loyalist Foot to Virginia, a Hessian 2-2-2 to Pennsylvania (Quaker Country to avoid the Militia penalty), and the remaining units to New England.
  3. Battle occurs in Virginia, where the Brits attack at 2-1 after Militia, and 3-1 after the Jefferson column shift. In a bloody battle, the Continentals and a Loyalist are eliminated. +1 loyalty, to 7.

Place Rebels Phase

  1. A Rebel COS deploys in the Fortress of Hampton Roads, where it is at a 1-6 disadvantage.
  2. A 2-2-2 Deploys in Rhode Island, and Light Horse Harry Lee, 2-3-1, deploys in Maine/Nova Scotia. Both are at a 2-3 disadvantage.
  3. 2-2-2s Deploy in the New York Frontier and the Hudson Highlands.
  4. A 1-2-3 and a 2-2-2 deploy in Schuykill Valley in PA.
  5. A 2-2-2 Deploys in the Southside in Virginia.

Second Battle Phase

  1. Battle of Rhode Island: The Rebels roll a 1 on the 65% table and are eliminated. No French Intervention. Battle of Nova Scotia: An exchange occurs, but British militia allow the Guards Regiment (a 3-3-4) to survive.
  2. Battle of the Frontier: A tightly fought battle (a 6 on the 50% table) results in a retreat of the Hessians and Mohawks to the River Forts. Battle of the Hudson Highlands: The Rebels falter and allow for a Hessian counterattack, but the Hessians walk into a trap and are eliminated (1 on the 100% table for the Counterattack). New York is likely lost to Viceroy Kane this year. Loyalty -2, to 6.
  3. Battle of Hampton Roads: No French Intervention. The COS manages to cause some harm by creating a bloody battle, but the Militia absorbs the losses. LoyaltLy +1, to 8.

Rebel Campaigns Phase

  1. The Rebels launch a major campaign in New England, deploying a COS and 2-2-2 Continental to the Connecticut Coast, where 5SPs of British await. The Rebels Force a retreat from the Connecticut Coast to Rhode Island. Hoping for the French to intervene, the Rebels attack again. Unfortunately, the French are distracted by Grant’s actions in Boston harbor, and do not make it in time to save the Rebels. The Rebels fight to the last man, eliminating a loyalist and a lobster in the process. The net effect on Loyalty is neutral.

Logistics Phase

  1. Kane spends two pounds in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia to improve loyalty (to 8 and 9, respectively).

Liberty Phase

  1. Liberty advances by one, to 5 because the British only control Carolina and Massachusetts.
  2. Loyalty in New York goes down by 2, to 4 (Hessians, Washington).
  3. Loyalty in Pennsylvania goes down by 2, to 6 (Hessians, Congress).
  4. Loyalty in Virginia goes down by 2 to 7 (Hessians, Jefferson).

Random Events Phase

  1. Tory Atrocities!: Tories in Virginia get overzealous, and drive otherwise neutral locals into the arms of the Rebels. Loyalty -2, to 5.
  2. Frigates and Ships of the Line Diverted: Arbuthnot and Parker are both sent to the Caribbean to protect British interests there, and will be unavailable next turn.

The image for this turn got corrupted somehow, and is lost to the ether. Let’s just say that things do not look so good for the British.

Viceroy Kane’s position in the Colonies seems to be collapsing. Talks are beginning in Parliament of a negotiated settlement with the Rebels, in hopes that a rich trading relationship can be established. The Colonial Secretary is able to Convince the Prime Minister to make one more push, again planning to send twelve pounds to Viceroy Kane, in hopes that the situation can be salvaged. Meanwhile, American colonists are beginning to refuse to take the Continental dollar, which they perceive as worthless.

I can only afford one more liberty loss before the game becomes a wash. I will do as least as well as the historical Brits, so it could have been worse. For the rest of the story, tune in to the Founding Fathers game taking place on this very forum!

Very interesting AAR @CF_Kane . Thanks for taking the time to write it.

great stuff

Thanks Guys!

Turn Thirteen, Early 1781

Force Adjustment

  1. His Majesty’s Government sends Viceroy Kane twelve pounds, leaving reserves at fourteen.
  2. The Continental Dollar collapses. The paper money is seen by the American colonists as worthless. As a result, British trade with the Americans increases loyalty by 3 this turn.
  3. Washington is still in New York.

Smugglers Phase

  1. The Smugglers attempt to enter an already full Delaware Bay and Long Island Sound, giving the British some relief.

Naval Phase

  1. Graves shadows the French Fleet in the Caribbean while Howe moves to eliminate the Smuggler in Chesapeake Bay. Howe succeeds, clearing Chesapeake Bay of Rebels.

British Ground Phase

  1. During Winter attrition a couple of Continentals melt away–one of the two in Pennsylvania, and the only one in Virginia.
  2. After Amnesty and Parole, there is one 3-2-1 Continental in the prisoners of war box. The 3-1-2 Hessians, the 1-2-3 Lobsters, and 2-3-1 and 1-2-3 Loyalists.
  3. British deploy the 3-1-2 Hessian and move a 3-3-4 Brit into Schuykill Valley to engage the final Continental there (at 6-1). British deploy the Lobster and 1-2-3 loyalists to Philadelphia. The 2-3-1 Loyalists deploy to Southside in Virginia. The strategy this turn it to hold the South, and maybe get lucky in New England.

Combat Phase

  1. Battle of Schuykill Valley: The Hessians and British march on the Continental Army, which is reinforced by Militia. Continental leadership, emboldened by the presence of Congress, elects to mount a counterattack. This was a disastrous mistake, as the British and Hessians are able to surround and eliminate the attacking Rebels. Loyalty +1, to 7.

Place Rebels Phase

  1. The Rebels deploy Francis Moulton in Over the Mountain in Carolina–possibly the worst possible outcome. It will be an even odds attack on the Loyalist Horse.
  2. The Rebels deploy a 1-3-2 Continental in Philadelphia and a 2-2-2 Continental in New Jersey.
  3. The Rebels deploy 2-2-2s in the Connecticut Coast.
  4. The Rebels deploy a 3-2-1 in the New York Frontier and a 2-2-2 in Hudson Valley.

Second Combat

  1. Battle of Hudson Valley. Rebels attack at even odds after a good militia roll and a column shift. They do not do any damage, but manage to retreat to the Hudson Highlands in good order. Loyalty +1, to 5.
  2. Battle of Philadelphia: The Rebels are able to ambush and eliminate a loyalist, but are eliminated in turn by disciplined British Regulars (Ex.) Loyalty +1, to 8.
  3. Battle of New Jersey: After a favorable turn out in Militia, the rebels attack at 65%, with a column shift due to Congress. A bloody battle commences, but the British regulars are able to hold on and barely survive (Ex result). Loyalty +1, to 9.
  4. Battle Over the Mountain: The Loyalist Horse are able to rally militia in their favor. The Rebels roll an exchange, but, because the British have more total SP, the lowest non-militia unit survives–in this case, the loyalist horse.
    If I can hold on through the Rebel Campaigns phase, I’ll live to fight another day!.

Rebel Campaigns Phase

  1. The Rebels launch a major campaign in New York, consolidating forces in the New York Frontier. They move to attack the British that are holed up in the river forts, with an 11-5 strength advantage. Militia comes out even, so the Rebels attack at 200% with a column shift to 300% due to Vermont. The Rebels are overconfident in assaulting the fort, and do not account for the discipline of the defending Hessians, who know that they will be killed rather than captured. The Hessians manage to counterattack a tired Rebel force and force it to retreat back to the Frontier, ending the Campaign.

Logistics Phase

  1. Trading with the Enemy: Viceroy Kane intends to take full advantage of the collapse of the colonial dollar. Kane spends one pound in Virginia and two in Pennsylvania, to increase loyalty to 8 and 13, respectively.
  2. Naval Transport: The British transport the Loyalist 2-2-2 from Rhode Island to Southside in Virginia, hoping to shore up defenses in what will prove to be a key state for the remaining turns.

Liberty Phase

  1. The Brits manage to hold on to Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Carolina, which is enough to prevent a Rebel liberty gain.
  2. Loyalty Phase: Pennsylvania goes down 1 to 12. Virginia goes down 1 to 7. New York goes down 2 to 3.

Random Events Phase

  1. The Cherokee attack in Carolina, giving me a 2-1-1 unit in Over the Mountains, but reducing loyalty by 1, to 11.
  2. The Dutch again slip smugglers through Britain’s naval cordon, placing one smuggler in Cape Fear.

Turn Thirteen went as well as possible. Parliament is praising Kane for defending what could have been a losing position. The victory against Rebel guerrillas in Carolina was a lucky break, as was the successful defense of the New York River Forts. Kane was also able to save seven pounds, which will provide him with full coffers once Parliament sends its share for next year. Meanwhile, in Virginia, a cadre of British officers plot a daring raid to kidnap Governor Jefferson.

Turn Fourteen, Late 1781

Force Adjustment Phase

  1. His Majesty government sends Viceroy Kane nine pounds, holding one back because his treasury was too full from early 1781. Viceroy Kane is charged with holding Virginia.
  2. A daring British Raid successfully captures Thomas Jefferson! Loyalty increases by 3 in Virginia (to 10), and 1 in every other colony.

Smugglers Phase

  1. Smugglers attempt to crowd into Long Island Sound, but are stopped by the British cordon.

Naval Phase

  1. The French Navy, fearing hurricanes in the Caribbean, relocates to Boston Harbor.
  2. Arbuthnot shadows the French Fleet. Admiral Parker deploys to Cape Fear, and Admiral Howe and Vice Admiral Graves deploy to Delaware Bay.
  3. Masterful sailing by the Royal Navy eliminates 3 smugglers, clearing both Cape Fear and Delaware Bay.

British Ground Phase

  1. A prisoner exchange results in the return of 2-2-2 Continentals to the Rebels in exchange for 1-2-3 Loyalists to the British.
  2. The British deploy the 1-2-3 Loyalist to Philadelphia.
  3. The British retreat two Hessians and the Mohawk unit from New York to Pennsylvania. New York loyalists are furious, and loyalty is reduced to 1. One of the Hessian units is lost on the march, and returned to the force pool. Another Hessian moves to the Tidewater, reducing New York loyalty to zero.
  4. No Battles this turn.

Place Rebels Phase

  1. The Rebels deploy two Committees of Safety in Virginia, one in Southside and one in Hampton Roads.
  2. Rebels deploy Light Horse Harry Lee (2-3-1) in the Connecticut Coast and a 2-2-2 in Nova Scotia.
  3. The Rebels deploy 2 2-2-2s in Hudson Valley in New York.

Second Battles Phase

  1. Battle of Nova Scotia: The militia comes out in support of the British (3-5), and the Rebels manage to walk into a trap. The Continentals are eliminated.
  2. Battle of Southside: The Committee of Safety in Southside is badly outnumbered (2-7) and eliminated by loyalist militia.
  3. Battle of Hampton Roads: A Committee of Safety attempts to assault the Fort in Hampton Roads. They are also outnumbered (3-8), and are easily eliminated.

Rebel Campaigns Phase

  1. The Rebels launch a major Campaign in Virginia. Unfortunately, Washington is busy leading Rebel troops in New York, who are not yet ready to assault the final Hessian unit holed up in the River Forts. The Rebels deploy a 2-2-2 and a COS in the Piedmont, starting at 3-3. The loyalists have the militia advantage, and the Rebels attack at 4-5. They roll on the 65% table, which results in a counterattack by Hessian troops. The Hessians take no prisoners, sacrificing the lives of loyalist militia to root out the rebels (Ex result). The Rebel Campaign is over.

Logistics Phase

  1. The British use naval transport to move the Cherokee forces to New England and the 3-3-4 Redcoats from New England to Carolina.

Liberty Phase

  1. The British control Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, which is enough to keep Liberty at 5.
  2. Loyalty goes down one in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania (to 8, 0, and 12, respectively). New York would go down by 2, but it is stuck at zero.

Random Events Phase

  1. Loyalists in Carolina massacre Rebel sympathizers, resulting in outrage. Loyalty -2, to 10.
  2. Arbuthnot and Parker are diverted to the Caribbean, leaving only Graves and Howe to contest the sea lanes.

Parliament marvels at Viceroy Kane’s defense in Pennsylvania and parts south. While New York and New England seem like they may ultimately be lost causes, Virginia and Carolina—with their valuable cotton and tobacco crops—appear to be secure. Parliament will send eight pounds to Kane, enabling him to sortie his naval forces and build his units. Britain may yet be able to hold on to a chunk of the Americas.

Fleet Command is 80% off at Steam ($1.99).

Looks like Armored Brigade is getting new DLC with a new faction and a map, along with a patch that includes a campaign generator!

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4616331

DO want! Cheers. Cant wait for this. Campaign generator is perfect!

I might break down and buy it at that point.

It is a very good wargame. I have gushed about it a lot I know, but I do love it :)

When they leave Europa, I may give it a try.

Yeah, thats more than fair. You can fake it now but for sure some non Euro action is really going to add legs to the game!

One reason, I’m pretty sure, for the Euro-centric (and particularly Cold War Nato/WP) focus of these sorts of games is source material and ease of creating OOBs and scenarios/campaigns. There is a wealth of relatively easily available stuff on the classic “WW III in Germany” setting. Anything else means a big hill to climb in terms of historical research, at the level of granularity you need for most of these simulations. That, and if your game engine is designed to simulate large-scale mechanized warfare, there just isn’t much out there historically in the post-WWII era, and what there is tends to require more research effort and more language skills than most teams or individuals want to or can muster.

I mean, a hypothetical India/Pakistan or Russia/China would be nifty, as would historical Iran/Iraq stuff; I’m sort of burned out on Arab/Israeli stuff which also I’m not sure really fits this scale that well. But in terms of large-scale armored warfare, the pickings are limited unless you stray into real fantasy land.

If by “big hill” you mean “ reading more than one or two secondary sources” then I agree wholeheartedly. :)

I think it’s more than that, given the paucity of English-language sources that give orders of battle and operational details of military forces and engagements at the level you need for a good wargame. I mean, how many game designers are fluent in Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, or any type of Chinese?

Don’t Make me start looking up resources, Wombat. :). Most of it is laziness. If board game designers from Missouri who speak only ‘Murican can design repeatedly on those genres and theatres, than a Viddya game designer can.

Raises his hand on Arabic and Farsi

EDIT: Dang it! You made me do it! I have projects to do, @TheWombat! ;)

THE EVOLUTION OF IRANIAN WARFIGHTING
DURING THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR

TACTICAL EVOLUTION IN THE IRAQI ARMY: THE ABADAN ISLAND AND FISH LAKE CAMPAIGNS

Well, damn it, now I have to go get those books; they look really cool.

Perhaps you are right, the sources aren’t the issue. Maybe it’s just that no one gives a shit about those wars, in a commercial sense? :) For board game design, the costs are less than for computer games I am guessing, and the chance of making any money selling oddball wars is probably low. But really, I’d also like to see more variety, as long as the game situations ended up being interesting.

I know, right? I have 'Namming to do! Curse you and your sidetracking me…

Now this I’d agree with re: The Iran-Iraq War, but I specifically was just picking the most obscure of your earlier menu of conflicts to prove the point that source availability isn’t the issue (and then got rabbit-holed…thanks again…).

But, I wasn’t advocating that particular conflict, back to my original point: I just want to see non-Euro stuff. And a lot of that would be commercially viable. And I, think a lotta designers (Viddya and Board) really just aren’t diving deep. And may, just may, be rehashing old OOBs and scenarios that either they or someone else (gasp! cribbing a Boardgame OOB/Sccenario/Map/Whatnot onto a Viddya Game! N-E-V-E-R!) did previously. Or that require maybe reading one secondary source rather than, you know, doing the real deep research and work. That kind of work that always shines through in any endeavor, and makes a game fresh and engaging.

Personally, I like Iran/Iraq, as it is a strategically interesting situation, with both sides getting a shot at the offensive, and with a fairly large playing field as it were. Also, it involved both sides’ use of most everything in their arsenals, and a lot of improv.

I’m curious, though, as to what other non-European large-scale modern landwars might make a good game situation? Other than Russia/China and India/Pakistan, both of which would be interesting sims, I kind of draw a blank. Who else even has a mechanized military of a size to do more than skirmish? I’m not terribly interested in small-scale infantry battles, as gaming situations myself.

Now, take it to air/sea/amphib stuff, the smaller scale is doable and fascinating I think, and it opens up a lot of possibilities…