Princeton 1777, with 'Live Free or Die'

I've been itching to try these rules since they arrived from the US; developed by the guys at Little Wars TV, they are a 4 page approach at AWI, with a basis in Andy Callan's 'Loose File & American Scramble' and lots of pertinent scenarios covering most of the events of the war.

 

Aimed at 1"x1" bases (with 10 or 15mm - see the Little Wars TV Brandywine episode for excellent coverage), I upped the scale (and thereby table size) to suit my 25mm stuff (on 1.5" square bases). It worked beautifully, although I did end up using every single American AWI base that I own for this scenario - I must paint more figures.

 

 

Highlights:

• The rules come in a magazine format book, though you can of course buy the pdf. Proceeds help the American Battlefield Trust. This war has always been a fascination of mine - there are many ironies at work...with subsequent influences felt across the C18th and C19th.
  
• The format follows Andy C's LFaAS in the main, but clears up much of the issues where those rules did not focus on the detail. Granted, with 4 or 5 pages of rules, there will be queries, but solutions seemed to be relatively straightforward, and problems were solved intuitively.
• Turn sequence covers : Command, Initiative, Leaders, Charges, Firing, Moving, Melee and Redress Lines. A more traditional sequence you might think, but you have to be careful how (1) you spend your command (resource), (2) where you place your leaders (who are great when attached but obviously at risk) and (3) how fragile militia or class 3 or 4 troops can be - especially so in the face of 1st or 2nd class troops.
• Units take 'Demoralisations' (DMZs) which ultimately takes bases away after 5, but more pertinently, create morale rolls and potentially force units back, in turn potentially demoralising forces in their retreat path. This is not as complex as it sounds and works pretty seamlessly. This is the real meat of the resource management aspect. You quickly get a sense of units that can take more DMZs and those who are under threat of capitulation ...and you can't do everything you want to...
  
• Firing is d6 based, and there is a distinct difference between 'hasty fire' and moving and 'volley fire' (twice the dice) and thereby not moving - great period flavour here done seamlessly, without lists of modifers. This can make 1st class British units fairly powerful, and by no means a glass hammer, unless confronted/outnumbered by continentals.
• British charges can be pretty devastating in the right circumstances.
• There is no arbitrary 2D6 roll for unit activation...
  

Everything works! Key to this however, is that the guys have really kept the spirit and flavour of the AWI in these rules.  

 The scenario was from the main rulebook: Princeton 1777. Scale is 50 men to a base.

  The British could win if they could retain control of one of the road exits. This would not be easy as American pressure would become increasingly heavy as the turns wore on.

Early American moves in the centre

'Here we go again Zeke'

Some of the British infantry are 1st Class - with devastating vollies, especially so if combined with a leader

An early charge from British cavalry against skirmishers is indecisive

Here they come...in the British centre

The British left remains tantalizingly open...

British 17th foot remains stoic throughout the day

Early signs of Hitchcock's Brigade - reinforcements on turn 3, and keen to do something on the British left flank

The centre bears the brunt of the early American attack

American flanking action starts to develop

On the American left, reinforcements are starting to pour onto the field in column, but it's getting closer to turn 10. Can the British hold?

Washington takes centre stage, in an attempt to hold the British centre in place, with militia ,,,he is wounded twice.

Mercer's skirmishers close again. Actually, we forgot about their extra range at one point, from rifles...

American columns closing to one road exit. They'll undoubtedly take it. If Washington can do something in the centre, the Americans could win the game.

Americans also now seriously threatening the British left.

The British hold and force the Americans back in the centre. It's late in the game, and they still hold the road to Princeton ...

The flank will ultimately cave to American pressure, but perhaps not before game turn end

Washington and Mawhood both wounded with fighting in the centre

American columns will take one objective...

American militia forced back in the centre. British firepower is devastating

The flank action hotly contested ...with the last British unit entering the field

A charge on the British right - simply to deter any riflemen and oncoming Americans...

...though they have now captured the road to Trenton ...and are turning to the other British flank...

...but by game turn 10, the British have held on, and inflicted more losses than they have sustained.

A great set of rules, and well supported with scenarios which take on all the major engagements. More from these rules soon. (and yes...must paint more figures - especially if I want to do Germantown)

Lasalle 2nd ed. with Sgt. Steiner

1st post plague game with Sgt Steiner last night, and what a game!

I've been a big fan of Sam Mustafa's Maurice, and really should give more attention to Blucher and Rommel than I have. Sam's elegant and solid game design principles always seem to move from strength to strength as he progresses with the 'Honour' series of rules/games.

Lasalle is no exception. Now, I'm no Napoleonics expert, so there will be some national characteristics, or dynamics of square formation etc., that might annoy some purists - but we can always rely on Sam's rules to present us with a good, exciting, dynamic and thought provoking 'wargame'. For me, that beats a complex, unfinished, over complicated 'simulation' any day.

 I'm also less than convinced that more complex games are rarely played 'purely', that is 'properly'. Added complexity means that things get dropped, missed or hacked. You don't see this with Sam's games, where any mistakes are usually made by the player/commander, as opposed to something in the rules which is adversely designed, too subtle, or just plain difficult.

Highlights include:

• Sam has designed various 'Momentum' management methods in his games: from cards in Maurice, to hidden dice resource in Blucher. There's a nice to and fro activation in Lasalle, with points dependent on the army/commander, with some additional momentum from the commander, if he isn't using his trait(s) to influence the battle that is.
• There are many choices to make, and with any good design, you can't do everything, nothing is purely arbitrary, and the only thing left to chance is what would naturally have some randomness (firing / melee etc.) ...but even this is affected through certain re-rolls dependent on specialty - as with Sam's other rules.
• I haven't played 1st ed. but heard some bad reports. It's great to see a refinement here, and the words slick and fluid really apply to game-play. Having knowledge of Sam's other rules helped, so I picked up the rules fairly quickly - and made terrible (horribly terrible) mistakes, but will obviously learn from them.
• One aspect of battlefield management for instance, is reflected in some of the subtle changes to rallying. In Maurice, this will cost you card resource, but it's safe to do. In Lasalle - failed rally attempts/dice rolls become permanent hits - be careful what you wish for...
• Light infantry is deployed in an abstract style, and by the player who achieves best roll based on availability - and they are used to stymie and dilute effectiveness. It's perfect, and means that I don't have to manage 'lights' as a separate resource. Right away, there's a rule which lets you be concerned about lights only by virtue of where you want to harass the other player - easy, effective, and as accurate (if not more so) than any other set.
  
• It could be called 'Napoleonic Lite', but for me at least, it's simply Napoleonics. It works ...and there's no completely random activation issues for me to scream about ;).  You manage your own endeavor, as best you can, with limited resource,being wary of the opponent. That's a wargame.
  

The game was a 'capture the flag ...I mean ...town and objective' scenario. The Sgt's excellent 15mm troops - Prussians and French, would be used. Great stuff.

Prussian brigades, ready for attack.

Prussian advance on their left - the objective - a town on the crestline.

Delicate maneuvering around a French battalion - which I really should have blasted away early with some musket discipline...

The Prussian right, which would become a meat-grinder where, despite the advantage of numbers and pressure, the Prussians would be stymied by terrain and French square!

Early mass cavalry action on the Prussian left - they would not fare well, and ultimately, this would open their flank.

Early work on the right - I thought it would be oh so easy to turn that damned flank and reach the 2nd objective ...hmmm... A French battalion holds in square for most of the day ...Pour La Gloire!!!

Oh look - they still haven't broken through ...

Prussians begin to fall apart on left and centre.

...while on the right... (low whistling of obscure Prussian drill song...)

Fast acting cavalry reserve attempts to staunch the flow, but not well...

A breakthrough - but all too late, falling short of 1st objective, never mind the 2nd ...Great rules though - excellent design.