Almanza 1707, with ‘Field of Battle’

 

Subsequent to my nephew’s glorious introduction to wargaming via the 'Piquet: Field of Battle WW2' rules, and the ease of pick-up whilst being the proverbial ‘hard to master’, we moved onto the horse and musket variant of same.

Almanza - according to the official regimental histories, though local maps may differ

 

Almanza is one I have wanted to fight for a long time, and the recent publication of Marlburian scenarios for Volley and Bayonet (V&B version of this battle to follow) by Adrian Powell and John Harding (see Lulu) has had me salivating over the period once more. An earlier 9-years-war variant is promised, I understand.

Definitely need this one for the bathroom wall - all of it!

 

Won by our wily chum the Duke of Berwick (who when 19, cavorted around Ireland acting the ‘big lad’), the illegitimate son of the future James II of England by his mistress Arabella Churchill, elder sister of Marlborough (the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries are incestuously complicated, …never mind the insane jaw-lines), where he manages to persuade his opponent to attack his greater numbers - just for the LOLs.

 Almanza of course is notorious for having a naturalised Englishman as French marshal (Berwick), facing a naturalised Frenchman as Allied General (Galway). You could not make this stuff up!

'Did you pick up my dry cleaning?'

 As usual a great game to teach, and continually learn, with results which make sense, unconventional game turns that create drama, and historical results with great stories.

On the French right, a rickety bridge and a gorge which hampers progress, and is deadly to be forced into

The French centre-left, where the first attacks go in

 

that's a lot of French in the centre, and more Spanish on the left

Early Allied cavalry actions, shot off by French musketry

As first short range duels begin in the centre...melee cards, where shock troops are mostly not used, become like gold dust in some of the fights

The French in the centre close with Allied artillery

On the French left, Portugese infantry buttress the opposing flank while the horse look at each other with intent

Spanish cavalry is stymied on the right, as the French make good use of their move cards, and the Allies pour fire upon them

Cavalry takes the bridge in decisive action

Spanish guards and British redcoats in the centre

A few routs, but both sides manage to hold their lines

The French at the last minute, shift to the right, sensing an opening - not easy with the relatively cumbersome period maneuvering of the time - well replicated in the rules (works beautifully - with odd and even variations and thereby effects, on move card rolls)

The French begin to get the best of the centre and right - breaking the Allied lines.

French infantry and Spanish cavalry make a mess !

The Allied centre breaks - morale cards are being handed to the French with each hit now...

The 'tilt' in morale is unstoppable now - as, with a run of five cards, the French make holes which the allies do not have the troops to 'plug'. Another great game.

The Great Jeffers CheapAss Wargaming MDF Base Post

 To quote Jeffers in comments related to the previous post:

 "It would be really useful if you did a ‘wargaming on the cheap’ post showing your unit sizes and what you found worked/failed from a practical and aesthetic perspective."

Now this question referred to the troops in the previous Aughrim 1691 game. These pretty much form the backbone of my 25mm troops (not 28mm, most were purchased in the 90s and early 2000s) for the period 1670-1715 - the single most maligned, misunderstood (and that's just by the rules-writers) and badly mis-interpreted period that exists in wargaming...possibly. So controversial it still gets people angry; so badly understood it still confounds researchers; and so maligned by history that many secrets still remain hidden in forgotten annals of folklore, more than stuffy academic history.

Danes kicking ass, with four figures to a base in the traditional manner

 I won't mention fraising battalions with pikes, platoon firing and firing by ranks, cavalry charge methodologies (see Brent Nosworthy for all associated refs); instead I will focus on the important thing - 3mm MDF bases for the model troops, and 'how i got away with having more bases than I should have', otherwise known as the 'very capitalist MDF base economy' !

Cavalry used to be based on 2" x 2" - then the V&B Marlburian supplement came out...

 I use two main sets of rules for these so far: 'Field of Battle' and 'Volley & Bayonet'. Much lyrical waxing has taken place on these, in terms of why they work for the period - and are eminently more suited than some other rules, and there is an option to also look at a Blucher variant soon. 

INFANTRY : based on 1.5" x 1.5" bases - this allows massive amounts of flexibility. ALSO - the little secret of using 3 figures (staggered) instead of 4 figures, saves an absolute multitude of cost and fannying about. In essence a four stand battalion with 16 figures, becomes 12 figures. Pics above show that this can be effective, with less figure bang for your buck.

Standard Marlburian types - Minifigs and Old Glory - 3 on a base, but with enough units they look fine

Now these guys offer lots of options (old Dixon Grand Alliance - still the best figures for this period in my view)

 

3 to a base and 3 bases - offering lots of battalion, with the en masse effect clearing up any issues with the fact that is 12 blokes taking a flag for a walk

 

Add another base, and they seem a little more dense - though remember, these boys did not operate shoulder to shoulder anyway - there was too much loose powder in the '12 apostles' even at this stage , and nutty matchlocks just make things even more dangerous

  

This also allows for the pike 'block' the late 17th century remnant of it with 11 foot pikes...

...which can also be placed frontally to indicate 'fraising', or hedgehog, depending on year and rules

 

These Dutch guards, are densely packed on bases - and despite flop hat could be used right through the period

 

...again add pikes to taste

 

...or drop them to three stand unit, and use battalions en masse

a dense battalion and thinner battalion operating together. Honestly, with enough of these, it looks great

 

 

 

CAVALRY & ARTILLERY: I used to have them based x2 on a 2" x 2" base (see first couple of pics), though the recent release of the V&B Marlburian book convinced me to shift to 3" x 3". In similar fashion to infantry, this allows 3 or 4 cavalry per base, which can be really useful again to save in figures per base, without looking daft. 

For guns, I just go with the flow, and keep figures loose - so that they can vary from economical to comedic! 

 

A standard 3 cav on a 3x3 base - recently changed due to release of Marlburian V&B book

 

 

Using older Irregular miniatures on 4 to a base, looking a little more Marlburian, though still staggered for effect, and due to space.

 

 

Some of the Jacobite lads wout with the Oxford Blues, looking for trouble...large figures look well in 'attack poses' on the 3" x 3" s

 

 

A few random generals - always useful in FoB and V&B

Random artillery, with crew varying from professional amateur, through dragoon, to interested ladies

'He can't even hold the bloody map straight!'

I have tried so many variations with these bases, even at one stage putting everything on 2" x 2", which frankly was a disaster. I can get a lot of figures / bases on the table with the current variant, and it all seems to work.
 

Ramillies 1706 - 'actual'

 Having spent a week setting the thing up, finally got to play it...

This was a test of the new Field of Battle 3 rules, more than anything else, which are certainly  streamlined ( a few subtle changes - which speed up game-play - designer notes in rules refer to changes, with reasoning, which is great), but not so much that any revision detracts from the intent, the narrative and the game.

 I had mentioned to Steve in last post, that were a wargamer without experience to play FoB, before trying any other rules for horse & musket, I'd say they'd be hard pressed to wonder why more staid and 'modifer heavy' systems aren't more like FoB.  The system works, a great game is generated, and the rules are relatively straightforward, with each result making sense rather than becoming 'gamey' like other sets (BP...I'm lookin' at you).

At scale, Ramillies is a pretty big undertaking with 30+ units a side (roughly brigades in the game presented here - but battalions are easily handled too) - though that is the kind of thing which FoB does well, no matter how many players are involved.

There were some historical 'liberties' taken (as usual).  I also reduced units to 2 cavalry stands or 3 infantry stands, due to table width being 7 feet - though it still worked well - as period rules in FoB have 'linear units' for this setting, and units were roughly equivalent widths.

Looking from Taviers, toward Ramillies. A heavy cavalry presence on this flank.

The French centre, which will see considerable action during the day.

Allied cavalry moving up on French left.

Early allied cavalry attacks are easily seen off by French musketry, though movement behind the main attack takes advantage of the French first fire having been used.

The Allied right, which sees forces develop for a later attack, holding the French in check through their expectation of having to secure the flank.

The centre - Allied attacks go in, with Danish troops facing the brunt of French musketry.

Villeroi co-ordinates movements in the centre - French defence in depth here.

Rapid attacks on the French left. Marlborough is d12+1 with Villeroi at d8 - which means that initiative invariably goes to the allies, but it does not all go their way.

The Allied centre is, at times, left dangerously open as they focus on flank actions.

British assault on the French guns in the centre, which, incredibly...actually works, despite horrific casualties.

'I'm outta here mate!!!'

'Huzzah!!!'

There are still plenty of French units in the centre however. It is clear that the Allies will find it a tough nut to crack. Have the French put too much emphasis on defending here however?

French cavalry start to make moves on the Allied right.

...as a foil to a massive (3 move) assault across the river and onto the far French left - attacking the guns and guard units there.

...accompanied by a massive cavalry attack on the Allied left.

Most of the battlefield - showing cavalry duels on Allied left, held centre, and dynamic right.

French cavalry pour toward the perceived threat at left.

...though a greater issue is developing on their right flank.

'Hello Padre...you look a bit Protestant to be on this side of the line??? ...could I show you a map perhaps?'

...fierce fighting in the centre.

On the French left, two commanders, Caramon and Bedmar, are shot from the saddle, placing their units 'out of command' and the French left into disarray.

...as if it could not get any worse - it never goes well, when the attacker rolls a 12 and the defender a 1 during melee - despite the advantages that line has against attacking cavalry...

...a gap on the French right - now exploited by waves of Allied infantry.

As morale is worn down, and a potential break point is reached...the first French roll against the Army Morale card results in failure. Villeroi withdraws from the field, and the day is Marlborough's.

Another great game with these superb rules. Must get another game in soon, as I was rusty with a few things, and some fine tuning on the new rules required.