The turn sequence, as we were reminded, is everything here. Care when shooting, and extreme care now when attacking stationary brigades (post Napoleonic units with Rifle Muskets get 7 dice in stationary melee with '6' to hit - an attacking unit gets 4 dice in the revised 2nd edition for ACW).
Turn Sequence is :
Command - check those radii Move - BIG moves, but you can get too enthusiastic VERY easily. Rally - critically important, and always forgotten for Corps Commanders. Morale - one bad dice role can end a division's entire day. Combat - firing and melee - careful who you fire at - they fire back!
Exhaustion - critical for the victory conditions in this one.
The scenario was based on the entire battle, with reinforcement schedule based on card draw - the scenario being from Jessee A. Scarborough's 'A Storm in the Valley 1862' scenario book. Two entire Confederate divisions did not make it to the battlefield...
We actually did part of the centre effort for this battle a few years back - with Fire & Fury - though with V&B, a base is a brigade, so considerations are a little different.
Victory Conditions were crucial here, with Victory Points awarded on how many divisions had been exhausted and/or collapsed, and who held Seven Pines - this, to me, is the core of V&B and gives you great mechanics for how armies fall apart. An option for a second day of battle could be taken, if both players agreed.
Looking west as Hill's Division makes its way through the woods
a goldurn railroad trek
Union forces are in defences, but can not activate precious 'stationary' status right away. The Union would take an absolute mauling early on their right - but at great cost to Whiting's Division
Union reinforcements on the Williamsburg Road - the cards would not be so kind to the Rebs
One of the Minifigs 1970s figures kindly donated to me by Steve many years ago - I have promised to use them, some require basing and will indeed see the light of day soon
Rebs are itchin' fer a fight
On the Confederate left, the Rebs do not let up, forcing poorly rolling Union troops from their positions with close assaults, and pinning across the creek with accurate musketry fire (but...at a creeping cost)
The Union divisions learn the value of the Rally phase early on
'Charge them guns boys!"
The Union right in disarray
...outflanked and outfought...
The flank holds for now, even though the centre 'appears' to be collapsing
Re4b reinforcements, seriously? And they still have two divisions to bring on...
...but it is the Union troops that are about to gain the upper hand, with the expectation of two divisions...and...the Rebs have bled themselves white on their left...about to hit...divisional exhaustion and then...
...Divisional collapse
The entire Confederate left is in deep trouble...
The centre holds...
...and here comes Longstreet
All the Union has to do is hold ...unless of course, the Rebs get 'them thar two divisions'
The Confederate line is forced to bend, but yet another division is close to collapse
Longstreet plugs the gap, and with only 4 or 5 game turns to go, attacks the Union centre, now heavily reinforced, at Seven Pines
Pickett's 'other' Charge
Gathering for another attack...
The deck a Union one today...despite its 17th century livery
In the woods, a Union division is exhausted...but in the same turn, another Reb division falters
...and the Union have power in numbers on the collapsing flank
Seven Pines is contested! No clear holder of the objective, as a single Confederate brigade surges on.
"Get off my land boys!"
In the end though, a close run thing - two Union divisions are exhausted, but for the Rebs - one Exhausted, and one collapsed. Union wins on victory points - and elects NOT to fight a second day. Great game as usual.
Oh - change of period, but if you can catch these recent two movies - latest versions of Dumas' 'Three Musketeers', they are absolutely stunning. 'D'Artagnan' and 'Milady'. Eva Green is in it, what's not to like!
