Eutaw Springs 1781, with 'BloodyBacks'

An excellent return to Steve's Bunker with some AWI action.

In this instance we used BloodyBacks , care of Steve at 'Steve's Painting Shed' blog/fb place.

These again are a very nice set for AWI, with some key takeaways:

• 
  Initiative is rolled via successes vs quality on D12s - your battalion can degrade in terms of hits and then stamina, and dice rolled. It becomes harder to get it to perform well, if at all, as it slowly degrades via disruptions - which can be rallied to some extent.
• Modifiers for formation are there, dictating hits.
• Troop quality has an enormous effect on activation, and thereby troop capabilities.
• It's a growing/developing set, and has changed in terms of play a number of times (see online videos), so we had a lot of discussion on some of the aspects of shooting.
• Some excellent ideas in here, and very nice gameplay.

...not what happened here...

This was not your usual Eutaw Springs, and became quite bloody, as the Americans tried to 'hold 'em by the nose, and kick 'em in the ass'. It didn't quite work, but the British left at least felt a bit threatened in the end....

British lines of defence, in front of their encampment.

Americans close and engage.

American cavalry would make a decent show on the right flank

The British centre would prove a very tough nut to crack

Note the British line - which would remain fairly unflappable all day.

Washington's dragoons will move to the right

The American left would become hot with musketry throughout the affair

Always remember - what we're really fighting for. Chocolate! our drug of choice! Well, there must be Easter eggs right?

You'd think this many American units would walk over the British flank - but they're facing Grenadiers and elite lights. It won't be pretty.

Flank attack.

...and in the centre, militia and continentals engage, do some damage, but are mostly forced back.

Dragoons break through on the right, but British muskets remain deadly as the lights go from loose to formed...

Women at the pub, run away in abject terror, as their profits appear to have been taken as back taxes for the crown. Someone will start a bloody revolution here...

View from the British side - right flank...

...and the centre

...and the left - still under pressure from American cavalry...

Hot work on the American centre and right

Game end - when we called it. American horse on the right starting to make a difference - likely to turn a flank, but across the battlefield, American units are stalling - stalemate!

'Over the dice boys!!!'

A very nice set of rules - and worth having a closer look at, in what is rapidly becoming a quest for the 'Holy Grail' of American Revolution rules.

Thanks to the guys for setting it up.

** UPDATE **

I believe this is Steve Jones' (designer of the rules) own version of the battle from YouTube. His rules are here.

Postcards from the Ledge - Rapid Fire re-visit

 Busy...busy...busy.

But your roving reporter managed to call in and get some pics from a recent 'Rapid-Fire-Revisted' game, with the guys' superb 15mm models, laid on by the guys at Reserve Bunker #351 (or John's house).

This featured the advance of Carpiquet scenario from the new Canadians in Normandy book. 

In essence, there is a return to the 'old-school' simplicity that made 1st edition (yes, the green one) so appealing to me, whilst smoothing the rough edges of the moving parts. Really nice. I didn't get many pics of the full action, but enough to whet the appetite...

Canucks eh?

You still have to love RF for its distinct lack of BS, and its latest incarnation grants a level of refinement which removes much of the need for local hacking that always seemed present in earlier iterations (or conversely, got far too cumbersome in 2nd edition in my view). 

The empty battlefield. Canadian objective at top right of pic.

Box 'o' Allies

Box 'o' Jerries

Jerry moving into position

Early Canadian recce moves

Some excellent buildings

Germans at the Abbey

Canadians move up the road

Flanking armour responds early - somewhat effective

Canadian response

...the big guns will get a go soon

Yes - Stephen has painted the 'growth rings' in that 15mm scale tree stump - amazing work!

More to follow. I have an idea about doing 'The Relief of Vilnius' again with 4 or 5 players. A pity I didn't get more pics of this one - but it became a hard fought action from what I heard.