I finally got a chance to try out my river rafts and try out the Great River Chase scenario in the Rebels and Patriots book! The scenario is straight from the book, but with my random events generator added, as usual. Since my buddy MJ was nice enough to write up a synopsis for the gaming group, I figured I would be lazy and let his story tell the tail!
- Manteuffel
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Manteuffel ran a roller coaster of a game today that lasted just under two hours using Osprey’s Rebels and Patriots rules which has become a staple of our Tuesday’s. It was just I and one other player. The rules are modified by an extensive random events list which is called upon anytime that someone rolls any doubles in an activation attempt for the unit that they want to do something. Typically, move or change formation or shoot, etc…. The events run the spectrum from the sublime to the ridiculous. While often aggravating, they generally set up a fair amount of cursing and/or laughing depending on the result. But about half of the time they are nonsequetor.
French–two small units of Courier du Bois (CDB) , harkening back to my French-Canadian roots–and four large units of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) were to ambush a British Colonial supply column of rafts coming down a river that was fordable at the base of the game–towards the British start line–and into one-third of the river on either side allowing my forces to potentially kill the crews and seize the supplies.
I deployed first and moved into the cover of woods on both sides of the river but only sent one IPs unit on the British right bank. The IPs –who are great in melee if they don’t get shot to pieces before making contact–on the British left bank of the river came on near the British baseline with my CDB coming on in the center. My plan was to come to contact with as many British units as possible and take their scalps as trophies and getting the IPs into the river to block the rafts while the CDBs provided harassing fire against the boats or British Provincials and Militia. I set on close to their baseline to limit their initial deployment options.
Good news, bad news, my strategy worked against their being able to deploy broadly and they were able to concentrate units which in this game can offer a good firepower advantage.
On turn one, my independent IPs failed to move. (Really, I rolled a “4” on an activation of “5” + on two d six. I was beginning to feel that I sucked at the game.) But my other flank, encouraged by my French officer all moved forward.
By turn 3, the boats were moving swiftly down the river; my CDBs at the bank to take pot shots, and my IPs seemingly in position to sweep the banks of the river with bloodied tomahawks. Ahem!
The British Territorials had formed two lines on either side of the ford in the river at their base. The Militia had come in on the British right bank screening the territorial unit. My IPs charged but with less speed than was needed and came up short of their intended targets who shot and fled deeper into the river. The Militia gave good fire before they skedaddled causing a casualty. But the IPs were now in the river targeted on three sides.
On the British left bank one group of IPs failed to charge but one did resulting in a desultory exchange in which the IPs were thrown back. Some CDB fire killed some of the ferrymen on their rafts; one of which started a drift to shore.
On the British turn; the semi-circle of fire decimated the IPs on the British right bank having a deleterious psychologic effect on the French commander to the elation of my British counterpart. I need to expand my list of French expletives for future participation in this game.
But fortune began to smile on the Canadians … as it should. In subsequent turns, the CDBs and IPs were able to denude two boats of their crews and the IPs were able to slosh through the ford slaughtering Territorials and Militia alike as their initial attacks were followed up with devastating close assaults hacking the British into pieces as their assaults and follow-through attacks connected and destroyed multiple units. Moreover, not even the British General escaped as he was cut down among his men in the river. The British were wiped out at the cost of one IPs unit, a boat was captured with a second one following as the French Colonel and his entourage had to swim after the unmanned raft and bring it under control.
- Milwaukee Jay