Monday 18 March 2024

Valour & Fortitude: Sambre Skirmish


For this week's Sunday Solo game I wanted to get what few Epic scale units I have painted on the table.


Finally a crack at Valour & Fortitude in Epic scale with Napoleonic's!


Designed for big games with at least several brigades, its not really a fair test for the rules, but would improve my knowledge of them. All I have painted so far for the allies is a British infantry brigade, helped out by a lone Prussian Infantry Bn. and the 'Chainy' 10th Hussars.


The French are slightly better off: two infantry brigades...


Also with a single light cavalry regiment, backed up by an as yet incomplete regiment of Dragoons whose paint was still wet!


Given it would be a very quick game, the scenario was sketchy to say the least. Mid June 1815, somewhere on the Franco Belgian border, between the Sambre and the Meuse...


The French Army is finally on the March, crashing across the frontier!


The tiny Allied force has to buy time for the allies to muster and concentrate, so has adopted a reverse slope position on a convenient ridge of high ground where two high roads merge.


The French division divides its forces between the two roads. On the right flank the divisional artillery and both cavalry units screen the infantry as it works its way through and around the town.



Whereas on the left flank the infantry have to contemplate an attack without support:



With the French guns clearly committed on their right, the British brigade commander sends his right two battalions forward of the reverse slope, the better to start the musketry early on...Posterity does not record what the lone Prussian Battalion's commander felt about being left safely tucked out of sight behind the ridge...


The left flanking French Brigade comes on in the same old way...



Whilst on the French right the commander makes more judicious use of all his assets, including using his Light Infantry detachment to snipe away at long range...


Whilst his guns deliver a not so hard pounding, the reverse slope providing hard cover to the Allies.



However its over on the French left flank that the decisive assault occurred! The British 'disciplined musketry' was not quite effective enough...


And the French were able to send in two battalions against one, for a total of 6 attack dice against 4. Both sides would be hitting on 4s, but the Brits would be rerolling any 1s. The other British battalion only had one opponent, but completely fresh and in receipt of 'Brigade Support', and so rolling only 5 dice against the Allied 4, but this time hitting on 3s. 


As the British were slightly behind the crest of the hill, the French, coming up and over, would win any ties...


The French rolled more hits than they received in both cases, but the Brits passed their Valour tests...the combat continues...

However for the next round in the British turn one of the British battalions is also fighting shaken and both battalions lose the fight and rout after failing their Valour tests. With their flank wide open the remainder of the Brigade has to retreat to the next fall back position...

This game proved to my satisfaction not only that Epic Naps look good on the table, but also that Valour & Fortitude work well when played solo. I'll now return to my brushes...

Friday 15 March 2024

Valour & Fortitude: Cedar Mountain

 

This was our first ACW game of V&F with the new ACW army sheets, so it was a learning game.


Cedar Mountain strikes me as something of an encounter battle: General Banks is quite aggressive and has a few hours before dark  to exploit the window of opportunity before the Confederate forces arrive in strength. The Union had four Brigades to the Confederacy's three - at least until turn 3!


We defined all the woods as light, so as to not impede movement; they were classed as light cover and obscuring terrain.


The Union team had a choice of where to place their objective: 'The Gate', or Crittenden.


 They chose the latter: 


But then seemed to be pushing hard for 'The Gate' anyhow? What knavish tricks are these?


They realised they had something of a gap in their centre but it was covered by 3 artillery batteries, which kept us Rebs honest - for a while...


Below, a view from the north looking south towards the eponymous mountain. The Union team know that Ewell won't stir from Cedar Mountain until A.P. Hill's reinforcements arrive after turn 3, but having those troops on their left flank seemed to prey on their minds, so we got a bit cheeky and pressed forward to link up with Ewell.


However there were no such constraints on the Union right flank and they came on hard! Had we left the objective too weakly held?


But then, turn three - the situation changed!


Ewell arrives leading off with the Stonewall Brigade - an extra large brigade of five regiments of Veteran infantry!


Nothing daunted, the Union team determined to press on regardless and let their Redlegs hold the centre with shot and shell!


On the Union right flank firefights and assaults gave the defence a hard pounding with shaken rebel regiments attempting to rally in the rear - but the line holds...


The Union grand battery concentrates its fire on the Stonewall Brigade all lined up in March Column on the road - casualties are high but this is the Stonewall Brigade!


And they coolly brave the fire to form up on the Union flank...


As the dusk deepens the Union high tide recedes and the objective remains in Confederate hands.

Good to see Caesar and Daniel dressing the part!

We were all impressed with how Valour & Fortitude handles the ACW - despite inexperienced players and a fairly large game we got through five turns in 2.5 hours to get a historical result.