Colonial Barracks, 2012 (Nov 2-4)

It has been over a week since the Colonial Barracks convention in New Orleans, so I suppose I should post my pictures from the convention.  Not all the games were photographed as I was involved in playing or running games from Friday evening through Saturday evening.

So here they are, grouped by the game:

The Battle of Jalapa - 1846 -- a fictitious action based on a "what if" Santa Ana had not taken his army north to its destruction in the Buena Vista campaign, but kept them to face General Winfield Scott's army advancing from Veracruz.  My friend, Electric Ed, ran this game using Larry Brom's The Sound of the Guns rules and his own 15mm American and Mexican armies.

The American left wing, commanded by yours truly, with the right wing visible in the distance beyond the woods.

Part of the Mexican right wing and center.

Mexican defenders of Jalapa.

The American left wing is threatened by Mexican cavalry from across the stream.

While one American infantry regiment lines the bank of the stream, other regiments are attacked by the second Mexican cavalry regiment.  But a battery of American artillery suddenly finds an straight shot down the Mexican cavalry line.  BOOM! 
Lead regiments of the second American division enter, led by the Regiment of U.S. Marines (red flag on left).

As the Mexican cavalry advanced across the stream,  the 1st Mississippi Rifles (red shirts in foreground) deploy across the stream to outflank the Mexican cavalry.

What happened to the Mexican cavalry?  What is left of them can be seen in the distance as they have fallen back a considerable distance.  The Americans continue their advance against the Mexican infantry who have deployed in lines across the road to Mexico City.

A closer view of the Mexican right wing infantry deployed to contest the American advance after their cavalry attack was defeated.  The American battery in the right foreground has already routed a Mexican unit by fire, receiving a marker (the yellow ring) which signifies that when they test their initial morale, they will automatically be upgraded one morale grade.

In the center, the Americans steadily advance.  Their artillery and musket fire forces the defenders of Jalapa to retreat.

On the American right flank, the 2nd U.S. Dragoons attack a Mexican artillery battery on a small hill.  The Mexican cavalry in the foreground have just defeated the Tennessee Militia Cavalry, forcing them to withdraw.

 The Defense of Beaune-La-Rolande, 28 Nov 1870.  A small force of Prussians defends this French village needed by the French Army of the Loire on its advance to Paris.  Can the Prussians hold out until their reinforcements can "march to the sound of the guns?"  I ran this game using Larry Brom's Chassepot and Needlegun rules and figures from Doc Ord's, Lord Sterling's, and my Franco-German War armies.

Beaune-La-Rolande with its Prussian garrison moving into position.

Two of the French commanders advance their forces against the Prussian defenders.  The Prussian heavy battery on the hill in the foreground lost one of 6 gunners to French Mitrailleuse fire and fled in abject rout.  Luckily they were rallied and eventually returned to their guns.

At this time my rechargeable batteries finally gave up the ghost.  Not having any replacements, I was unable to finish photographing my game.  However John from the Nomadic Old School Gamer blog did get a bunch of pictures.  During the lunch break, I ran out and bought some regular batteries for my camera so I could get additional pictures.

The Great European War of 1892.  Paul Arceneaux ran this battle using his vintage 54mm figures, some of which were, as Paul said, "old enough to be your grandfather."

An overview of the battle after its conclusion.

A close-up of the British army as it resists the attacks from its opposing European Consortium forces.

Scottish Highlanders and Indian Army sepoys flanked by British battalions.

The Hive and the Flame demonstration.  Rules developer Terry Sofian flew down from St. Louis with his rules, some British forces, and his bugs.  Combining elements of The Sword and the Flame and 800 Fighting Englishmen, The Hive and the Flame pits the British Empire at the end of the 19th Century against its most formidable enemies - alien arthropods controlled by "the Hive."  I commanded a "brigade" of the bugs in this battle.

This was also probably a first for a TSATF game - we had more female players (3, 2 British and 1 bug commanders) than male players (both bug commanders).  One of the British commanders was no other than Lori Brom herself, the "great man's" daughter!

The mighty British, supported by four steam tanks, advances across the plains.

One of the many bug units consisting of 20 warriors and 4 "brains"

Bugs advance towards the British

Initial contact between the bugs and the British.

After being swarmed by bugs, one of the British tanks has blown up!

Although threatened by a tank, my bugs ignore it to surround and later annihilate a British machinegun unit and the remnants of an infantry unit.  But the bug line on the right are leaderless and have turned "amok."  They will attack the closest unit, which unfortunately turned out to be mine.  OOPS!

After beating off the "amok" bugs, I turn the remnants of my lead command against a British square.  The British finally got smart and began to fight from squares.  Lori Brom commanded this square and her dice rolling was phenominal.  She thoroughly defeated my bug attack.  She has evidently not inherited her dad's abysmal dice rolling gene.

As the battle drew to a close, the bugs swarmed another British tank and, I believe, caused it to blow up as well, to the detriment of the bugs on and around it.

In Nicaragua, 1926.  Using With Ol' Gimlet Eye, Ken Hafer ran a battle between the Sandinista rebels and a column of U.S. Marines and sailors.  For the second year in a row, the Marines and sailors were clobbered.

My friend, Electric Ed, looks over the battlefield.

The Battle of Cowpens.  Doc Ord used Disperse, Ye Damned Rebels! to run this battle using his finely painted 28mm American Revolutionary forces.

Doc Ord overseeing the battle from his position behind the American lines.  A Tory cavalry unit is advancing in the foreground.

American infantry face off against an advancing line of British infantry.

American Civil War Skirmish.  My friend, Lord Sterling, unveiled a new rule set, The Sword and Secession, a variant of The Sword and the Flame, at this convention.  His game pitted small sized Union and Confederate units in the wilds of somewhere in the South.

Lord Sterling, seated in the center with the beard and balding head, oversees the game using his new rules.

Along the Sweetwater Canal, Egypt, 1882.  Using Larry Brom's old 30mm Anglo-Indian and Egyptian army, Lord Sterling ran a mega-game of the Anglo-Indian attack against Colonel Arabi's Egyptian army in 1882.  This was the piece-de-resistance game of the convention.  We had six Egyptian commanders and five British commanders, each with a brigade of infantry or cavalry.  I was so busy as the Anglo-Indian commander that this is the only picture I took.  John's Nomadic Old School Gamer blog (link above) has more pictures.

My brigade on the Anglo-Indian left flank consisted of two Highland battalions, the Grenadier Guards, and an artillery battery.  We held off and then defeated a brigade of two Egyptian cavalry regiments and a brigade of three Egyptian infantry battalions.  I will have to be honest and tell that one of my Highland battalions did get routed and I could not rally them before they scampered away.

After the Gaming Was Over.  We all sat around and told stories of old gamers, conventions long ago, and games in which we had played.  It was a grand old time.

The "after gaming" session.

And finally, the grand old man himself, with whose rules we have all had such fun in gaming over the decades:

Photo by Tim Chadwick

Larry Brom (Sergeant, USMC, Korean War veteran)

Author of The Sword and the Flame and all the other rules we have enjoyed

Larry's sweatshirt reads:

To err is human

To forgive divine

Neither is

Marine Corps policy

Brandenburg Dragoons Join Prussian 6th Division

Finally, after what seemed to be weeks of on and off painting, I completed the 1st Brandenburg Dragooner Regiment Nr. 2 for my 1870s Prussian forces.  This regiment will be part of the multi-owner German and French forces that will slug it out in the battle of Beaune-La-Rolande on Saturday morning at the Colonial Barracks convention in New Orleans.

Composed of sixteen Castaway Arts Prussian dragoons, the 1st Brandenburg Dragoons were part of the 6th Infantry Division during the invasion of France in 1870.

Salt Works Fight

Today our wargaming group gathered at Lord Sterling's house for another play test of his The Sword and Secession rules variant to The Sword and the Flame.  As the overall Confederate commander, I had to defend the Cedar Key salt works against a group of Union raiders from some of the East Gulf blockading squadron.

My single unit of regular Confederate infantry advances to drive the Union raiders from the salt works.  Earlier one of my militia units was routed away from the works by Union musket fire.  My advance is being supported by a unit of dismounted Confederate militia cavalry (left rear).  You may recognize MiniFig British Victorian naval landing party figures - they were playing the role of Union sailors.

Although the Union forces gained control of the salt works, they didn't have enough time to destroy the large wrought iron evaporation vats before the second half of the Confederate reinforcements arrived and drove them away.

Soon a battle report will be posted on the Jackson Gamers new web site -- link.

Lord Sterling will be running this game at the Colonial Barracks convention, the first weekend in November.  This rule variant will eventually be published by Sergeants3, probably sometime in 2013.

More Franco-German War Artillery

I've added to my artillery complements for the French and Prussian forces that I have for the 1870-1871 Franco-German (AKA Franco-Prussian) War.  They consist of two batteries of French light artillery and one battery of Prussian heavy artillery.

The first French battery is composed of six 85mm rifled, breech-loaded guns (link), even thought he gunners have swabs and ramrods!  In the Chassepot and Needlegun rules that we use, each battery has three guns and six gunners which represent the six guns normally used in European artillery batteries of this time period.  The guns are actually American Civil War 12-lb Napoleons from Sash & Saber, but are being used as French 85mm here.  The gunners are from Castaway Arts in Australia.

The second French battery is similarly composed.  These two batteries, plus an 8-gun Mitralleuse battery will be the artillery arm of my French "division" from the Armee de la Loire, a post-Sedan organization.

The Prussian heavy battery is composed of six 6-lb rifled breechloading guns.  I've had these guns for quite a while, but cannot recall who manufactured them.  They will provide part of the artillery support for my German forces along with the two 4-lb batteries shown in a previous post.  As with the French, the gunners are from Castaway Arts.

This artillery will be used in a Franco-German War game I will be running at the Colonial Barracks convention the first weekend in November down in New Orleans.

Play Test of New TSATF Variant

The Jackson Gamers gathered at Jay's house today, Labor Day, to test a new variant of The Sword and the Flame rules.  This Civil War variant is called The Sword and Secession.

Please visit the new Jackson Gamers web site (link) for a battle report.

Prussian Artillery - Completed

Last week I posted a picture of the two Prussian light batteries that I was preparing for my Chassepot and Needlegun Franco-German War game at the Colonial Barracks convention in November.  Over the weekend I completed the two batteries.

One of the two Prussian light batteries, armed with six 4-lbr Krupp breechloading, rifled guns.  The gunners are mounted on small steel bases with pieces of "business card" magnetic material attached to the gun stands so that the gunners can be removed as casualties occur.

These two batteries will be in support of the 11th Brandenburg Infantry Brigade, 6th Brandenburg Division in the upcoming game.  The Prussians are hoping that with their superior range and more effective shell fuses these guns will bring victory the the nascent Reich.

Prussian Artillery - WIP

The Brom's Colonial Barracks convention is the first weekend in November.  This year they have expanded it from just The Sword and the Flame rules and variants to any rules written by Larry Brom.

I am gathering troops to run a Franco-German War (AKA Franco-Prussian War) battle using Larry's Chassepot and Needlegun rules.  It will feature troops owned and painted by my buddies Lord Sterling and Doc Ord as well as mine.  But the Germans are a little short on artillery so I've been painting two batteries of Prussian light artillery (4-lbrs).

These six guns are really Ral Partha Colonial Egyptian Krupp guns.  But they are Krupps!  Each battery is represented by three guns and six gunners.  I've just glued the guns to the bases and will add the already painted gunners (Castaway Arts) once the glue dries.  The gunners are coming from some "heavier" Prussian guns that will be re-purposed as Prussian heavy 6-lbr guns, with new gunners also from Castaway Arts.

I've also got two batteries of French 8-lbr breech-loaders in progress.  Since my French force is loosely based on the Army of the Loire which fought the Germans south of Paris after the main French armies were defeated, I've taken the liberty of arming them with the newly developed 8-lbr breech-loader designed by de Reffye (link).  Unfortunately no one makes such a model so I'm using American Civil War 12-lb Napoleon gun-howitzers.  The carriage and barrel are close-enough for my purposes as I'm not too much of a stickler.  I'll post some pictures later.