Jonathan from the excellent Palouse Wargaming Journal organised a virtual Zoom AWI game for Steve at the excellent Sound Officers' Call and myself, knowing that we were both AWI 'nuts'. Steve and I have faced each other across the virtual battle field before (at Norm's Germantown game last year at which Jon played Washington), but on this occasion, we could see the whites of each other's eyes (well, as much as 'Zoom' will permit).
The format, setup and great camera work and refereeing from Jon made this game seamless and highly enjoyable. This really works, and we must do it again. (Oh, and my dice were excellent - have I mentioned this?)
Electing to play the British (I have a tricorne and lots of tea and a dodgy accent), Steve would take on the defence of the ridge/farm and the area to the east, in an attempt to prevent the British taking their positions and exiting the board to flank a large force.
Rules would be Jon's variant of 'Fields of Honor' - which are superb, both for this type of application and a real AWI/Horse & Musket feel. A few hacks, and the rules could be used (hex-based) across a variety of theatres and periods.
This all proved very tense. Watching myself on camera, I actually looked quite nervous during American attacks from the ridge. Ahhh, the pressures of command.
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| This was one of the screens. I didn't get any shots of the river crossing, though you can see a frontal attack on the American left, with a hook around the hill on the right. 15mm miniatures on single bases, and this worked well - even with troops in column. |
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| The British plan ...well, when I say 'plan'... I believe 'hastily fashioned series of actions created via necessity' might be more akin to what actually happened. The circled American artillery battery gains the Medal of Honor in the AAR. It simply would not die. Three successive British assaults it took... |
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| Some of Jon's pre game information. This was well presented and well prepared. We had very few questions pre-game. |
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| The British flank action. Major Gen Piggot had been killed in action by this stage ...only his Tricorne survived...Lord Percy was forced to take over 'I will deal with these rebels..personally...' |
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| You'd think such a remote game, with only the screen tool to communicate, there would have been an issue. Jon was able to understand our requirements and point to the requisite units seamlessly. Nothing was lost in translation. This all worked very well |
What a specatcle, and many thanks to Jon for the prep and virtual hospitality ...I'm told the Americans are looking for a rematch soon :)
Now the rules. There was so much to like here. Some highlights:
- There is no restriction on moving by brigade/battalion in terms of activation - but that's enough to get you into trouble anyway.
- Firing/Melee is based on D10 availability - in turn based on 1-3 strength points. You want to beat 5 with a number of mods. There is a -2 smoothbore modifier for instance, with cover and/or national characteristic mods. I guess if you wanted to change this for a different period (say matchlocks) you could work off D8s and reduce max range to 1 hex instead of 2, but these are minor hacks.
- Other mods include melee/firing 'ratings' , so this is where the British scored in terms of firing accuracy/methodology and cold steel. This helped them immensely, and gave a very nice flavour - forcing the Americans to use cover and defensive tactics to their advantage.
- Movement of 1 or 2 hexes seems slow, but remember the small battlefield means that action happens quickly, and flanking can happen when you least expect it.
- Units can also be brittle, but only if you push them too hard. There are some real command decisions to be made for a straightforward rule set. Like most good designs, hard to master, but easy to understand.
- This seemed like a real battle, and we commanded on the same basis. There were no strange rules or tables to look up, no cards to sort through. I can see this working for larger affairs very easily.
- The systems are fluid and can be easily hacked for specific battles/periods.
A great set, and based on an earlier C19th set. There is a ww2 variant which I saw, though the rules there are very different.
A great game, and can't wait to do more of this. Thanks again for all the hard work Jon. And thanks to Steve for a sterling defence against my fumbling attacks.