The Luck of the Guinaleans

"It is the 'Luck' of the Guinaleans that we must fight and die for the betterment of foreign princes far from Guinalea's green fields and fens, from family and friends,  from hearth and home"
-Wolfe Toon-

"If I had the Luck of the Guinaleans,

I'd have been born Albioniic instead"

- John Lennorc-

The Frontier of the Karoona Junta

Fall

With the turning of the leaves so too did the thoughts of the Karoona Junta turn to winter quarters for their troops.

To that end a series of small forts were constructed to cover the various passes that led into the province.

One such fort was garrisoned by the guerrilla troops of Don Julio Sinpantalones. As it happened this was a poor choice.

The Western Approaches to Fort Sinpantalones

Dawn

Wolfe Toon snarled. He had formed the Guinalean Legion with the hope that the Ferach Elves would use it to liberate his beloved Guinalea. 

Now here he was in the cold, barren, wastes of Catalucia, doing the "emperor" Mordred's dirty work.

The famous guerrilla leader Julio Sinpantalones was secretly in the pay of the Empire, and at General Sashay's command had abandoned his post. It was now Toon's task to take a patrol and secure the fort. This done the rest of the Legion would come up, and supported by additional Ferach troops, prepare for a winter campaign that the Junta would be ill prepared for.

The fort did indeed appear to have been abandoned.  Toon told his Sergeant "Wee Willy" McClusky to detail two bog orcs to reconnoiter ahead and make certain of it.

The Eastern Approaches to Fort Sinpantalones

Dawn

"Damn!" 

Major O'Toole, one of Wheeling-Turn's so called "exploring officers" said in a low voice. "It would appear our information was correct. Sinpantalones has deserted his post."

The Major had been sent by Wheeling-Turn to advise the Junta of certain information regarding Don Sinpantalones. Sensing the reluctance of the Junta to accept information disparaging one of their own, received from Orcs at that, O'Toole had offered to personally lead a patrol to determine Sinpantalone's intentions.

Now at the head of nine bog orcs of the Guardia Real. the Major could see that whatever Sinpanatlones' intentions were, they certainly didn't include garrison of this fort. 

Shortly after he had dispatched a pair of burly bog orc guardsmen to reconnoiter the fort, shots rang out.

Bog Orc versus Bog Orc

Solo System versus Solo System

This game has been long in the offing. I have always been a great fan of solo play AI's (so called "Artificial Intelligence") in wargames.  Indeed a design goal of mine is to one day write a game that is so written that the player (or indeed players; there is no reason a solo game need be played alone!) can run just a single character while the game rules take care of the actions of every other figure in play, both enemy and friendly, superior and subordinate. As such I am always on the look out for others' attempts at modelling the autonomous behavior of wargame forces.

My good friend Gavin Syme of Alternative Armies has authored two solo engines for Flintloque, one for the second or Reloaded edition of the game and one for the current, third edition. I thought I'd see what happened if I pit one against the other.

For this reason I wanted a fairly simple scenario, but one more involved than a simple "line them up and have at it" sort of game. I also sought to have two fairly even forces in play.

Finally I wanted to use one of my all time favorite miniatures: Wolfe Toon.

The Ferach side would be composed mainly of bog orcs and so too would their opposition. Now Albion's bog orc troops could have been used but I love the uniform of the Guardia Real and rarely use them so that was that. Only I had no Catalucian bog orc officers so Major O'Toole was brought in to lead them.

The forces were thus:

Ferach: Wolfe Toon (werewolf), Sergeant "Wee Willy" McClusky (weefolk aka halfling), and eight private bog orcs of the Guinalean Legion.

Catalucia: Major Seamus O'Toole, Sergeant Patrick Cakes, and eight private bog orcs of the Guardia Real.

All were rated average and all those toting firearms carried standard muskets.

Rules used were Flintloque, mostly Reloaded. That is to say the alternate activation of third edition has been modified for use with second edition rules.

The scenario was as outlined above. An abandoned fort guarding a key mountain pass. Winner  must hold the fort at the end of play.

The terrain was pretty plain. Given that the fort would have had its environs cleared to give good fields of fire, and that each figure was a single combatant. the table was four foot square with the fort centre. Each side set up 15cm from the fort entrance, or about 30cm apart.

The Solo Engines: The Ferach, being the more advanced Nation were controlled by the third edition solo rules. They were rated Aggressive. The Catalucians were controlled by the second edition rules and rated Aware.

What are the Differences Between the Solo Systems?

A fair question! The second edition rules cross reference a figure's circumstances with a die roll. For example if a figure has no enemy in sight he might use one column of the table, however if an enemy were in melee charge distance he would use a different table.

The third edition rules  cross reference a figure's distance from the enemy with a chit pull. The chits are weighted to make certain results more likely than others. There are three different results in all with 10 chits for the most common, 5 for the second, and 3 for the third. Once a chit has been drawn it is not replaced until the next turn so the actions of each figure have an impact on the likelihood of following figures taking a given action.

At once one can see that in the first case the actions of each figure are fairly random in regards to what other figures on its side have already done. While the table gives a range of actions with the dice weighted to favor some over others, there is nothing preventing every figure from taking the same action in one turn.

Conversely the latter system, while providing fewer possible actions, ensures that most figures will take the most common action while a few will likely act differently.

The Game.

It was mad! The Ferach boys rushed to the attack. The scouts fired and missed and then went in with the bayonet.

The Catalucians on the other hand, advanced in dribs and drabs, firing as they came. Some went off in random directions but the constant fire began to tell and soon one Legion soldier was down, and a couple more wounded.

While O'Toole wisely, if randomly took up station behind his impromptu firing line,

 Toon and McClusky rashly charged into the fray.

McClusky was shot down before he could say "They're after me lucky charms!"!  

Toon engaged a Guardsbogorc, forcing him back.

Which turned out to be rather unfortunate for the poor werewolf who was promptly looking rather sieve like as at least three balls found their marks.

With the loss of their section leader, the Ferach force unraveled. Only three proved willing to fight on after the loss and as the Catalucians still numbered a full ten strong (with two of those wounded mind), I ruled that that three Ferach bog orcs that were still game simply covered the withdrawal of the rest. Also one bog orc that had suffered two wounds and was closer to his foes than his friends was ruled to have surrendered rather than attempt flight.

Conclusions

Not really sure yet. I thought the Ferach would easily carry the day, acting in concert as they were. Yet the far more random antics of the Catalucians prevailed.

One theme I will definitely explore is the role of commanders. When it comes to the solo engine, officers and some sergeants are just considered melee troops rather than leaders, and perhaps that's not far wrong given the close in nature of the game. Still had Toon and McClusky been more interested in directing their troops than engaging in derring do perhaps the outcome would have been different.

Another aspect to look at is how troops can act in concert. For example in Flintloque 3rd figures are activated two at a time which mirrors Light Infantry practice by the end of the Napoleonic Wars. With that in mind perhaps solo figures should be activated in teams of two. In this way both figures would carry out the same action with the exception that only one would fire if the team were so instructed. The other would load if it needed two or just move with the first ready to cover him while he reloaded.

Fun game although as expected given the nature of the thing I was merely a spectator.

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by!

The 98: High Noon at Naughty Rhyme

We left off after the first three turns of Battle of Naughty Rhyme. 

Turn four started with an event that has had repercussions down even to the present day.

With a thump the Pub caught fire! After the event the Artists and Poets Yeomanry steadfastly maintain the fire was the result of treachery. The Guinaleans maintain this was merely another act of Orc barbarism.  

I happen to know it was a random event from Charles Grant's book, but neither side is much interested in the truth it seems.

Needless to say the sight of the burning pub sent the Wee Folk into a frenzy (It really didn't but considering the events of the next few turns it seems like it did).

With a mighty howl, Wolfe Toon personally led the charge on the hated 21st. With a mighty squeal the Wee Folk of 3rd Guinalea followed.

The green tide was unstoppable.

In a matter of minutes, the 21st "Eyes N' Gourds" were in retreat. Not even the GOC, Sir Morcambe N. Wise could stop them.

Seeking to capitalize on this success Hochemont sent couriers to the Legion du Rospo on the left flank and the Burrovian heavies in reserve.

To his  right, the 2nd and 23rd rallied and resumed their advance.

Orders seen to, Hochemont galloped into the fray!

The 2nd and 23rd found the town now deserted. The Artists and Poets had fled.

(The Yeomanry fled because of the retreat of the 21st on their flank. However for the Guinaleans this was a sure sign of Yeomanry guilt in the pub fire.)

The courier reached Col. Ranacavallo on turn five only to find out the toad would not start moving until turn 7! Worse yet the courier sent to General Vanderhoof  commanding the cavalry reserve  received the same news. No cavalry support for two more turns.

There was now a real risk that the 12th Light Dragoons would counterattack the victorious Wee Folk with all that might entail.

Fortunately the Banshee Boyz emerged from the wood just in the nick of time.

Having to choose between coming to the aid of the 21st by charging into the town, or covering the now endangered battery as it withdrew, Col, Jones of the 12th chose the latter.

The Wee Folk finished chasing the orcs out of Naughty Rhyme and then began celebrating as only the Wee Folk can...

Final losses:

Ferach/Guinalean

General de Brigade Fefalas, 1st Brigade Wounded.

Colonel Orkean, 1st Guinalea Wounded.

2nd Ligne, 1st Brigade, 5 figures

1st Guinalea, 3rd Brigade, 7 figures

Greate Britorcn

Colonel Mon, 21st Foot, Wounded and Captured

21st Foot, 3 figures lost, 3 figures captured

Artists and Poets Yeomanry 5 figures lost, 5 figures captured

The Ferach also captures one gun abandoned in the pursuit.

So Naughty Rhyme has been liberated. Hochemont will spend the rest of the day recovering and reorganizing. 

With parity in light cavalry the pursuit will not be terribly dangerous for the retreating orcs and hobgoblins.

The Nerve Center : )

Just in case you were dying to see...I'll close with a shot of the Big Board. That's where it all happens really. It's all very antiquated with map pins and scribbles. It then gets recreated digitally for inclusion in the blog posts.

That's it for now. Will leave the strategic turn for later.

The 98: Morning at Naughty Rhyme, Campaign Day 5

As noted here day four ended with General Hochemont concentrating his forces for an assault on the Britorcn position at Naughty Rhyme. That evening a rebel sympathizer came into the Ferach camp and revealed the enemy strength and dispositions.

General Hochemont suggested the rebels might assist his assault by firing one or more of the buildings the Artists and Poets Yeomanry were occupying. This the rebels refused to do. You see one building was the Church and the other the Pub!

The tale of the battle thus far is perhaps best told in captioned photos with a bit of text only here and there for continuity's sake.

Deployment:

Colonel Cyril Mon and the 21st Eyes N' Gourds in the center

Sir Morcambe N. Wise takes station between the 21st
 and the Artists and Poets Yeomanry

Baron D'Orcsy confers with with a chaplain while the Artists and Poets Yeomanry
take station on the Britorcn left.

The 21st Eyes N' Gourds

Orc artillery covers their right while the 12th "Prince of Taffsea's Own"
 Light Dragoons provide support

The Artists and Poets Yeomanry 

Legion du Rospo Hippos on my left. 

I posted the Legion du Rospo Hippos on my extreme left. In the unlikely event the enemy counter attacks, the Hippos will counter charge.

The Banshee Boyz

 The Banshee Boyz provided a welcome surprise. I had thought (and so weighted the dice) that the Boyz would be low quality troops. As it happened they turned out to be veterans!

First Guinalea  with Wolfe Toon on the left and General Hochemont on the right

Companie A Field Artillery and 23 Ligne

2nd Ligne and General de Brigade Fefalas

View from the orc left

View from the Ferach left

 First Turn

I opted to forego any pre-assault bombardment. Having only two batteries I decided to keep one in reserve and use the other to support the assault. Any pregame exchange of fire would have eroded my capability and, given the works the orcs had constructed, losses were likely to work out in their favor.

The Advance

 The opening salvo of Companie A Field Artillery felled Colonel Mann of the 21st! However with the Guinaleans so far away the 21st were able to rally with minimal fuss.

The orc artillery opened a withering fire on 1st Guinalea.

Turn Two

My second line entered to support the first. 

My intention is to have the wee folk of 2nd Guinalea pass through the first line to assault the 21st.

55th Ligne would support 2nd and/or 23rd as needed.

Getting to Grips

Received by Rolling Volleys

1st Guinalea suffers mounting casualties

Firefight

  2nd Ligne attempted to charge the Artists and Poets only to pull up short and exchange fire instead. An exchange that did not work out in their favor.

The 23rd advances

The wee folk of 2 Guinalea advance

First brigade engaged

 Turn Three 

Start of Turn Three

The fighting for pub and church took a shocking turn when a stray bullet felled General de Brigade Fefalas. Dismayed at his fall, the 2nd and 23rd retreated.

Retreat from Naughty Rhyme

Piling on the bad news, Colonel Orkean of 1st Gunalea also fell.

The plucky bog orcs of 1st Guinalea were able to carry on regardless of loss.

Wee folk, bog orc, and free!

As you can just barely see on the left of the above photo the Banshee Boyz  have just broken down into skirmish order and entered the wooded gully.

Coupled with the steady advance of the wee folk, I hope to break through the Orc line presently.

On my right 1st brigade has certainly suffered a bloody nose at the hands of the Artists and Poets Yeomanry. Didn't see that coming.

Oh well.  1st brigade should be able to rally.

Now should I commit the second brigade in support of the Guinaleans  or hold them back, whole, for future engagements?

That's all for now!

Stay tuned for the next installment

Same monkey time.

Same monkey channel.

The 98: Setting the Stage

The forces have gathered, the map is prepared, the time is nigh.

Campaign Background

This campaign was kicked off back in December with the Battle of the Harrowed. This was followed in February with BGORA: Rebellion it Is!

Both of those games were one-offs setting the stage for the landing of a Ferach Elf expeditionary force with the aim of liberating the Bog Orcs and Wee Folk of Guinalea. Well "liberating" is the goal the Emperor uses in public. Privately he realizes that any force sent to Guinalea will merely be a sacrifice aimed at causing His Majesty King Gorge and the army of Great Britorcn a great deal of mischief at relatively little cost.

Ferach involvement began covertly with agent provocateur extraordinaire Danial de Kless fomenting dissent and training Rebels in Wexforc. Simultaneously Mordred gathered Guinalean emigres under Wolfe Toon and raised the Regiment Guinalea.  

This regiment is the centerpiece, or perhaps show piece is a better term of the Army of Liberation assembled under General Louis Hochemont that is currently en route to Bantam on the north east coast of Guinalea.

Meanwhile following the successes of the rebellion in Wexforc, the Benevolent Guinalean Organized Republican Army (BGORA) under the inspired leadership of General Molt had taken Wexforc, Bantam, and Killcurry. 

It is now rumored that the Britorcn forces are regrouping on the line Naughty Rhyme, Barney, and Ork.

Initial positions: Ferach Elves to land at Bantam, General Moult in position at Killcurry.

The Scenario

This game will be played using Charles Grant's "Programmed War Games Scenarios", mini campaign "The Expeditionary Force".  As written that game deals with a force invading a peninsula shaped a bit like a mirror image Ireland.

With some quick computer work this was modified, making the peninsula an island, adding a town and a lake, and adding place names for the towns.

Each square on the map represents six feet on the tabletop.

I will be taking on the role of the invader/liberator, while the scenario will control the defending Britorcn forces.

Any battles that result will be gamed out using Muskets & Shakos.

The Forces

Ferach Army of Liberation

The Ferach Army of Liberation

The Ferach Army of Liberation consists of three brigades of infantry and one weak brigade of cavalry under the command of General Louis Hochemont.

General Hochemont and Wolfe Toon hold an O group.

First Infantry Brigade

 First brigade consists of three battalions of Elf infantry supported by a battery of Elven guns.

Second Infantry Brigade

Second brigade consists of one Elf infantry battalion, one Todoroni Republic infantry battalion, one Burrovian Republic infantry battalion, and a Burrovian artillery battery.

 Third brigade is under strength and consists of the two battalions of the Regiment Guinalea. Colonel Toon is hopeful of raising a third battalion as rebels flock to his banner.

The Cavalry Brigade

Rounding out the Army of Liberation is a brigade of cavalry. Due to the difficulty in transporting horses by sea this brigade consists of one regiment of Burrovian heavy cavalry on donkeys and one of Todoroni light cavalry on hippos. Rounding out the brigade is a unit of Todoroni light infantry.

This fairly mixed force represents the Emperor's commitment to maximum mayhem at minimum cost (to the Emperor). Barring a great Ferach naval victory, it can only be a matter of time before fresh troops from Albion arrive to take back any gains made by the Army of Liberation. At that time it is expected that General Hochemont will seek terms granting his forces the Honors of War complete with a return to Amorica. 

As such any cavalry must be considered expendable and the Ferach Empire is not so rich in horse flesh that it can throw good cavalry away. Using the expedition as a means of weakening client states however has a utility all its own.

Benevolent Guinalean Organized Republican Army

General Moult's Command

 With Ferach aid, General Moult has raised a largely guerrilla force, well suited to traditional Guinalean fighting methods. Daniel de Kless has managed to supply BGORA forces with some muskets and even arranged for a Ferach cavalry officer to raise a unit of more or less conventional cavalry trained in the Uropean style.

General Moult and de Kless stand before the only Uropean trained unit in the BGORA

The BGORA consists of one unit of sword, axe, and spear armed heavy infantry, two units of light infantry with a mixture of bows and muskets, two units of light wolf riders with bow and spear, and one unit of light dragoons mounted on lizards and equipped with carbines.

Oh they also have an ancient cannon Lead Belcher.

BGORA assembled for inspection

That's it for now. I hope to start the campaign properly on Sunday March 17th.

Hope you enjoy it.