The Lost BatRep

Today was supposed to be the day I finally umpired a wargame for the Rejects, a task I set for myself as a New Years Resolution back in January. I've been working towards this all year, and in the last few months I have been painting and scheming like a man possessed to get a large scale FOW scenario ready, using my 6mm North Africa figures. But getting the fellas together for a game seems to be more difficult than I thought and the game scheduled for today has had to be postponed because that renegade budgie smuggler Ray let me down! To be fair it wasn't his fault and I totally understand, but it has sorta kiboshed achieving my resolution. 

On the plus side though I still decided to take the day as a holiday (I needed to use it up) and have had a very pleasant day prepping figures for the Challenge and going to see my youngest daughter's school Nativity play. I'm now feeling very prepared for the challenge and very Christmassy. So while I don't have a BatRep to post this evening I don't mind too much because I've had such a nice relaxing day. OK that's it, toodle pip! 

Challenge Prep & Christmas Mayhem

Its been another very busy weekend of Christmas related mayhem and exhaustion. I'm actually glad to be back at work for the rest! Needless to say very little is happening on the hobby front, at least not while I'm at home. In fact I doubt if I'll get much done while I'm at home from here until after the New Year...the wife has me fully booked for household chores! I guess that's what we get for inviting lots of family round for Christmas Day and Boxing Day and hosting a joint New Years Eve slash 18th Birthday Party. We don't do stuff by halves in this house.

Despite the near frantic preparations I have managed to put together my 'challenge box' consisting of all the stuff I want to paint during the Analogue Hobbies Winter Painting Challenge. Like many other participants I'm currently busy trying to prep figures, build multi-part vehicles and prime models during my lunch breaks at work so that I have stuff ready to paint from day one of the Challenge. 

A couple of weeks ago I listed my initial to-do list for the Challenge but now that I have started gathering together the figures my list has changed a little. This is partly in response to models I have 'rediscovered' along the way and partly strategy (i.e. my attempt to accommodate the Bonus Rounds).

• 6mm Italian Bersaglieri Light Infantry Company - This consists of three platoons of Rifle/MG teams accompanied by HMGs and Anti Tank guns. I'm also adding a support platoon of Mortars and some P40 heavy tanks. I'm still waiting for some models to arrive but I should have everything by Mid January which gives me plenty of time to get them painted during the Challenge. 
• I have also dug out a project that never got beyond the primer stage last year. I put together a 15mm Panzergrenadier Platoon and got as far as undercoating the models just as I started putting together my 6mm stuff. In the end I put the Panzergrenadiers in a box and tucked them away untouched, but its high time I got these out and painted them. As already mentioned they are based and primed (my preferred method for working on 15mm stuff) but have not seen a lick of colour yet, so they are ideal candidates for completion during the Challenge. 
• I was planing on painting up a platoon of 15mm British Cromwell Tanks but as they are not part of a new company it seemed a bit of a waste of effort. However when I opened the box I found I had four Cromwell's and a Firefly inside and this game me a new idea. I'm going to paint several individual tanks for display only and I have a range of iconic vehicles just waiting in the wings including a Churchill Tank, a Tiger and a Sherman. I wouldn't normally base these for gaming with but as these are for display rather than gaming I'll make up some suitable bases for them. 
• As previously mentioned when I was at Blog-Con I was so inspired by the Blazing Dice game that I picked up a couple of blister packs (12 figures) of Wild West gunmen. These are 28mm foundry figures from their Wild West range and should make an interesting diversion from my normal fare.
• I also bought a couple of 2000AD character figures (Judge Dredd and Rouge Trooper) just to paint for fun. This was my Comic of choice as a kid and so I'm more familiar with these characters than I am the superheros of DC or marvel and as such they have a special place in my memory. 
• Working through my Lead Mountain I found several special models that I have bought on a whim and really ought to try and get painted at some point. These include a wonderful figure of Tom Bombadil from the Games Workshop and Bromhead by Black Scorpion. 

I've no idea if this is enough to reach the 600pt target I have set myself but hopefully I can pick up a few bonus points as we go along to bolster my tally. 

Regiment de La Sarre Infantrie for BFC

I have finished painting my contribution to the Bloggers for Charity game. I received the models last month and was eager to get them done and returned in good time. The group are recreating the Battle of La Belle-Famille which took place on July 24, 1759, during the French and Indian War (the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War). My figures are 28mm Regiment de La Sarre kindly donated by AW Miniatures.

Its been a long while since I have painted anything larger than 6mm but I soon got into the swing of this project and have made swift progress (well, swift by my standards!). I painted these almost exclusively during my lunch breaks in work, doing a little less than an hour or so every day for the last four weeks. I was strict with myself, not starting a particular area unless I had time to finish it during the hour available. This broke the project down into a long series of relatively simple steps and made progress quite easy despite my initial trepidation.

As you can see I haven't based these figures they will now be sent back to BFC HQ (in the shape of fellow blogger Loki) where they will be based to a common 'formula' along with all the other submissions from other contributors. This well help bring the wide range of styles together and make this feel like an army, rather than a set of different regiments thrown together. I'm really looking forward to seeing how these look when completely finished.

One of the positives of painting in work has been the generally positive reaction I have had from my colleges. Some have seen me painting before, but over the last three weeks the whole team have passed through the office at one time or another and most have stopped for a quick look at my progress and a chat. The most common reaction has been surprise at my "patience" and the level of detail that has gone into these figures. I doubt if I have converted anyone to our cause, but maybe they all understand 'Wargamers' just a little bit better now.

 With these now complete I can concentrate on finishing my preparations for the Analogue Challenge.

The Battle of Turners Farm - 7th June 1643

The Rejects gathered on Saturday for a game of By God or By Might We Will Prevail Posties very own English Civil War rule set. This is the first time I have played this game and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a very 'bloody' set of rules making Melee and close quarter shooting viciously effective. By the end of this game half a dozen units had ceased to exist and a similar number leaders had been captured or killed. 

Setting the Scene

Prince Rupert's Army has been trying to bring the Earl of Essex to battle, thus forcing Essex to retire from the Midlands and giving the Royalist forces in the area some breathing space to fortify and re-supply various garrisons cut off by the Parliamentarian forces. A win over the Parliamentarians would give Rupert more fame and glory if he were to beat Essex. Essex as you can imagine will want to hang onto his stranglehold of the Midlands and its Royalist Garrisons, which are near to collapse. Both sides have come to the conclusion that it is now inevitable that a pitched battle is going to take place and both sides have built up their forces, confident of victory. They have now arrived at Turners Farm near the village of Stow ready to do battle. 

Order of Battle
Royalists c/o Prince Rupert
  Prince Ruperts Lifeguard (Elite)

Foot c/o Sir Jacob Astley

    1st Brigade c/o Sir Gilbert Gerrard
      Sir Edward Strastling - Foot (Trained)
      Sir Charles Vavosour - Foot (Trained)
      Sir Lewis Dyke - Foot (Raw)
    2nd Brigade c/o John Belasyse
      Sir Allan Apsley - Foot (Trained)
      Sir Charles Gerrard - Foot (Veteran)

Horse c/o Lord Henry Wilmot
   1st Brigade c/o Sir JohnByron
     Prince Rupert - Horse (Veteran)
     Prince of Wales - Horse (Veteran)
     Queens - Horse (Veteran)
   2nd Brigade c/o Lord Digby
     Sir Arthur Aston - Horse (Veteran)
     Nicolas Crisp - Horse (Trained)
     Sir Thomas Tyldesley - Horse (Trained)
   3rd Brigade c/o Robert Dormer, Earl of Carnarvern
     Colonel Thomas Howard - Horse (Trained)
     Lord Brougham - Horse (Raw)

Parliamentarian c/o Earl of Essex
  Earl of Essex Lifeguard (Elite)
Foot c/o Sir John Merrick
  1st Brigade c/o James Holborne
     Lord Roboules - Foot (Trained)
     Lord Sayeand Sele - Foot (Trained)
     Sir William Sprongale - Foot (Raw)
  2nd Brigade c/o Harry Birclay LTB
    Southward Auxilliary London Trained Band - Foot (Trained)
    Blue Auxilliary London Trained Band - Foot (Trained)
    Red Auxilliary London Trained Band - Foot (Trained)
Horse c/o Sir Philip Stapleton
  1st Brigade c/o Sir James Ramsey
    Earl of Essex - Horse (Veteran)
    James Mavlerners - Horse (Trained)
    Sir William Constable - Horse (Trained)
  2nd Brigade c/o Sir Arthur Haselrigg
    Sir Arthur Haselrigge (Lobsters) - Horse (Veterans)
    Colonel Richard Norton - Horse (Raw)
    Sir John Maldrum - Horse (Trained)
  John Lilburne - Dragoons (Raw)

The Action

Initial Setup - Parliamentarians on the left with the Royalists on the right. Both wings consisted of large formations of cavalry with infantry and guns in the centre.

The view from the Parliamentarian side. 

The obligatory shot of Postie, our lord, master and in this instance author of the rules

Looking down the Parliamentarian lines. The windmill looked good but it didn't really play any part in the game other than to mark the edge of the battlefield. 

Raw troops and militia exit the town. However they were of such poor quality that they spent most of the game within the town or on the bridge. 

The opening move of the battle. Royalist and Roundhead cavalry square up and charge each other. 

Farmer Turner realises him and his sheep are standing between two belligerent armies. Turner wisely decides to get the flock out of there (sorry, had to be done)

With a mighty crash and thunder of hooves the first cavalry melee commences on the Royalist right wing.  Unfortunately for Prince Rupert's cavalry things go badly and soon the royalist cavalry are streaming back in disorder (one unit is destroyed, and another is Routed)

Meanwhile at the other end of the battlefield the opposing cavalry position themselves for their own clash.  

Parliamentarian cavalry capitalise on their earlier success and pursue the fleeing Royalists. However in so doing they are weakened and a later counter attack by the royalists stabilises the flank, but the cost to both sides is high. 

Parliamentarian Dragoons move slowly onto the battlefield. They finally got to fire in the very last turn of the game, scoring crucial casualties on Prince Rupert's Lifeguards.

The aforementioned lifeguards looked spectacular but never had a chance to play a crucial role in the battle. They moved to 'counter' the positioning of the parliamentarian Dragoons and then shifted to the flank to support my cavalry. 

The Royalist 2nd Brigade of Horse face off against the Royalist 1st brigade. The results were bloody for both sides. 

Royalist and Parliamentarian Cavalry clash and the carnage begins

The Earl of Essex looks on and provides crucial support...from the safety of a position with a clear line of escape!

Prince Rupert meanwhile remained with his Foot troops in the centre of the battlefield

Fran gloats after capturing one of my leaders. Most unsportsmanlike I thought! 

The Dragoons dismount and 'interfere' with Farmer turners sheep!

With both cavalry battles indecisive the infantry now push forward to do battle....although the parliamentarians move forward with more reluctance than the Royalists.

Royalist Artillery thunders away at the Parliamentarian forces. The artillery in this game had very little effect on the outturn of the game.

Royalist infantry advances with élan!

The Veterans of the Royalist 1st Brigade, held in reserve, now launch a charge against the damaged and weakened Parliamentarian cavalry. 

A view across the battlefield near the end of the game. The Foot had a couple of turns exchanging musketry fire.

Almost the last dice roll of the game. The Royalist Veteran Cavalry of Sir Arthur Aston crashing into two Roundhead units, sending one fleeing and destroying another. Up yours dice gods, I have my mojo back!

Analysis
This was definitely one of the Bloodiest battles I have played with the Rejects. The casualty count of destroyed or removed units included seven regiments of Horse, and even amongst those that remained on the table casualty rates of 25-50% were not uncommon. I actually liked this feature of the rules because it actually feels like something is happening. With some rule sets we have played (like Fire and Fury) mauled units seem to go on and on and on. Cavalry vs Cavalry Melee was especially bloody with lots of dice and lots of casualties and no saving throws! 

The way the game played seemed to fit my basic understanding of how battles of this period went, with cavalry on the wings having all the 'fun' and the infantry not moving much. In the end both sides agreed to move their infantry forwards to give their players 'a bit of a game'. It has to be said that at that stage neither side had had a cavalry breakthrough so the infantry probably advanced at the right time to bring the battle to a conclusion. 

The big story of the game (for me at least) is that for a change I didn't roll to badly. I lost two Cavalry melee but only by the narrowest of margins and in the third melee I managed to hit on seven dice out of a hand of 14 (hitting on a 5 or six). My unit survived the melee - much to my surprise - and wiped out the opposing unit and its commander. This last flourish gained the Royalists the points needed to claim a draw and I think all sides were satisfied with that. It was a very hard fought battle, with highs and lows for both sides, and ultimately neither side could claim to have the upper hand. 

Full marks must go to Postie on running and excellent game with a great set of rules and as always some stunning miniatures. I look forward to playing this period and these rules again in the future.