M&R: the Battle of Spickern-Speckern

On the border between the Principality Borogravia and the Arch Duchy of Volborg sit the twin towns of Spickern and Speckern. Seperated by some rolling hills, both towns are almost identical. Indeed, many a traveler has ended up in one town while trying to reach the other.
When Spickern declared it's gates open to Borogravia, Speckern called for help from their patron Volborg, fearing an invasion.
And rightly so. While on the march to Spickern, Borogravian troops became lost in the rain and ended up mid morning staring at two twin towns. But which one was Spickern? Both town flags were similar. Simultaneously, Volborg's troops arrived with the same problem...

We used my favorite rules for large Lace War era battles, Might & Reason. They give a pretty accurate feel for the period with it's limitations in command and control and rigid formations, and manage to keep the tension up with the unique turn system.
Both sides started with equal forces but had leave half their troops off table until they arrived. Both sides elected to keep the cavalry off table because they would be faster getting into position if they arrived too late.

The Borogravian side was handicapped by poor leader rolls. Two of their generals had reduced command ranges, forcing them keep in tight formations and having their overall commander have to spend a lot of time "grabbing his officers by the lapels".
Both towns were occupied early.

The Volborgian right was held by some late arriving cavalry. Outnumbered by heavy horse, they made a valiant effort, but were quickly overrun. Meanwhile, on the left, a stalemate formed.
The center held most of both sides cannon and infantry. Amidst clouds of gunpowder the two sides came to grips. Both sides traded casualties. Just as the fighting hit a peak, the sun went down.
Both sides had taken equal loses. But, in the end Borogravia had captured Spickern. They were later forced to withdraw.
We made do with paper armies this time. A good time. And I needed it.

10mm Troops

Hey, actually got some painting done. These boys are for Maurice/Might & Reason. They represent the Grand Duchy of Volborg's 2nd Regiment (Zweck's Own) and will hopefully see battle in our long stalled Second War of Unkerlant Succession campaign.
Since Wednesday night has proven to be lighter in the participant section, we played a game of Maurice. It's really a 1 v 1 game, but we used teams of two.
It started as a smashing success on one flank. We should have just sat tight and burned cards. But, our blood was up to drive the attack home and we paid for it. Barely squeaked out a victory.

A slight diversion

I've been hankering to play some Maurice again, but nobody has any troops. I threw it out there to the gang, that maybe I just do some more paper stock troops in the mean time, so more people could get involved. Not something I like to game with, but they do in a pinch and are easy for me to make up and customise. Maybe even a Maurice campaign?
With that in mind I came up with the probably insane idea that each player nation should base their Duchy's colors/standard/flag heraldry off a barnyard animal. I chose the cock, of course. Pullusia? Latin for chicken is pullus. Nah.
Then, all sorts of things flooded in. I could base units and their uniforms off the hundred's of chicken breeds. This was born:

The flag is work in progress, but its a start. As each noble can raise troops and clothe them, you get regiments like Lord Baldwin, Count of Rhode Island's regiment. Called the "Reds"
I know. But these things keep me up at night.
UPDATE: flags

Heavy Metal

The Arch Duchy of Volborg gets some artillery. Four stands of 10mm to be exact. These fine lads will be doing double duty for both Might & Reason and Maurice. Does that mean I decided on a scale? No, not really.

Borogravia, knocked out of the War?

As our readers may recall, Prince Ruprect of Borogravia (boo, hiss), was stopped from invading the Arch Duchy of Volborg several weeks ago. In a final attempt to enter the duchy again, he swung his forces wide, thru the capital of Unkerlant, Koenigstadt, and entered the Marches. Tired from the forced march and abandoned both by his allies and foreign advisors, Ruprect made camp in the holiest of places, the Rock of Saint Osbert.

The flag of St Osbert

Though never a particularly pious nation, Unkerlant does have a soft spot for their patron saint. Osbert was a wayward monk sent to preach to the unholy barbarians located in the secluded valley that would become Unkerlant. Osbert approached the local chieftain, Unkar, and began describing the wonders of Christianity. Unkar promptly had Osbert's head detached from his body. Still, legend says, Osbert kept preaching the gospel. He was set on fire. Still he kept singing the gospels praises.
The chieftain was impressed. He would not convert, but from that point on, his descendants would. St. Osbert would come to embody the fighting spirit of the people of Unkerlant. Battling on despite the odds.

While camping outside this holiest of places, Borogravian scouts brought Ruprect bad news. Franistover was coming. Flush from his resounding victories over Zlobenia, Prince Adalbert had moved swiftly across the north and caught Borogravia unawares. Stuck quite literally, between a rock and a hard place, Prince Ruprect decided to make a stand.

At noon, on a brilliantly beautiful day, the cannonade began. Franistover took a gamble and stacked all of its cavalry on one flank. In a giant cloud of dust that threatened to block out the sun, the horse rumble forward.

Borogravian Horse awaits their foe

From the start, Prince Ruprect had trouble moving his forces forward. The Guard units, under his son Ruprect the Younger, simply would not budge. Had the long march worn them down too much? Were the notoriously stalwart Borogravian troops, now too filled with raw recruits to fill the ranks?

Meanwhile, the Franistoveran horse plowed forward. Borogravian horse was forced to fall back, rather than be overwhelmed. But, this pushed the line back on itself, until Ruprect's battle line resembled a fish hook.

In the center, the Borogarvian artillery was pounding the Franistover lines. Prince Adalbert's Loyal Mountaineers, took the brunt, stoically holding the line despite horrific casualties.

As the bell of St. Osbert's temple struck 3pm, Franistover's gamble paid off. In a matter of minutes the sheer mass of their horse crushed Ruprect's left flank. The Prince himself barely escaped capture as a tide of broken men streamed south.

Adalbert Victorious

The victorious Franistoveran horse pursued long into the night, rooting out Borogravian troops from barns and haystacks.

It looks as though Prince Ruprect, that foreign invader from the south, is well and truly out of the war.

The Battle of Blech

"Herein lies one eyewitness's account of the Battle of Blech, fought this day, the 14th of July 1703 in the kingdom of Unkerlant.
Twas a rainy night in Blech. Borogravian troops had bee spotted late in the evening entering the valley from the east. The army of the Arch Duchy of Volborg, commanded by General Wulfe, had spent the night in formation, lined south to north from Blech. Their far right flank, rested on the town itself.
When the rain ceased in the early morning, Borogravia was still arriving. It wasn't until late afternoon that the hostilities finally began. As a foreigner, in a very xenophobic kingdom, I was not allowed in either commander's tent. Instead, I watched, like many, from the walls of Blech. There, I was witness to a very bizarre ceremony. A party rode out from each side. There, a very animated discussion ensued. Something was tossed in the air, then both sides rode away. I was later to find out that they were discussing who would get the honor of the opening cannonade. As invader, Borogravia brought a ceremonial burnt sausage. This was then thrown in the air. Whichever side the sausage rolled toward, would get the honor.
A few moments later the canons of Volborg opened up.
From my perspective, the left flank of volborg was the farthest away. General Wulfe had massed his Dragoons. These sad louts were barely horsemen. Merely mounted infantry really, astride on poor nags. So it was to no one's surprise when the Borogravian Kuirassiers charged them, destroyed half the Dragoons and carried the position. They were not to stay though. The dragoons had merely been a screen to protect the deploying infantry. The dragoons fell back, revealing the Volborgan regulars, who delivered an almost point blank volley into the Borogravian heavy horse. The Kuirassiers fell back, never to play a part in the battle the rest of the day.
Closest to me the Volborgan Guards had deployed and awaited their equals on the other side. The Borogravian Guard led by the grenadiers and the vaunted Dutch Guards seemed to have trouble moving forward. Was it nerves or terrain? Regardless they spent most of the fight trying to get in position, under a constant rain of cannon balls.
Indeed, Volborgan artillery was proving to be particularly brutal and accurate. In the center, contingents from those counties and duchies conquered by Borogravia, called Traitor Legions by most in Unkerlant, were taking the brunt of it. Some regiments, like those from Graveholm managed to survive the onslaught only to be wiped out by infantry fire.
As the last of the day was waning, the infantry finally closed. General Wulfe could be seen under a hastily erected pavillion having an evening meal with his staff as his infantry collided with the Borogravians.
Both sides delivered brutal volleys at close range, but int eh end, the softening up by the cannons early had made the infantry clash a foregone conclusion.
Despite rallying attempts by Prince Ruprect himself, his troops left the field for the shelter of the forest beyond. By then, night had fell, and darkness quashed an attempts at pursuit.
Volborg had twarted another Borogravian invasion."
From: My Travels and Travales in Unkerlant by Dolpheus Thewd

The opening moves. As you can see, I have lots of minis to paint.

But, as it was St Pat's day, the fridge was well stocked.....

The Battle of Altenbruk...

...Or a "bad night of dice rolling".

With his back against the wall, Duke Sigmund of Zlobenia, made at stand at the hilltop town of Altenbruk. It's command of the only two crossings of the River Blut made it ideal for defense. With this in mind, the Duke Sigmund arrayed what was left of the Zlobenian army on the slopes of the town, waiting to find out which crossing Prince Adelbert and the Franistover army would take.
It was a particularly cold Spring morning, and fog covered the lowlands around the river for miles. Sigmund had placed his Horse, led by the remnants of the Ducal Horse Grenadiers, forward in hopes he could catch the Frannies at the bridges, holding them long enough for the Infantry to arrive.
Luck, and the weather was against the Duke. When the sun fiannly burned away the fog, it was to reveal the entire Franistover army crossing at one point, the northern bridge, the farthest from his Horse.
Zlobenia seized the initiative, and the Duke raced his Horse in a giant arc, north towards the bridge. His Foot, however either were tardy, or didn't budge. The brunt of the attack, would rely on his cavalry, which had preformed abyssmally at the last engagement.

Frainstover Horse range across the countryside, while the foot battle it out.

Meanwhile, Franistover had managed to get a few troops across the bridge. The Horse move quickly to swing wide and ride hard for a spot between two forests. Prince Adelbert was having a hard time getting his Guard units to move. They had stopped dead in their tracks on the road. Maybe they had seen the Zlob horse thundering down from the hilltop town, straight for them.
Indeed, the Duke's horse slammed into the still forming Franistover foot. They horse caught them in marching formation and cut them to pieces.
The Franistover Horse that had crossed the Blut, bypassed the fight and rode headlong towards the only road from Altenbruk to the capital. If they succeeded in holding it, Altenbruk would be cut off from the rest of Zlobenia.
The battle over the bridge was getting heavier. Rain started to fall. More troops were committed. Prince Adelbert left his carriage and trudged through the mud to his General of the Guard, the Count Zuffel. Prince Adelbert literal put his boot to the Count's backside. Finally, the Guard would move across the river.

The steady drizzle was turning a firefight into a slow grinding of bayonet and sword. A battle of attrition was something Duke Sigmund could not afford. Weakened by earlier battles, the Zlobenia army was giving way. Troops sent to drive off the enemy horse from the road to capital were slow to respond, and were proving ineffective at budging the horse.
As night fell, Duke Sigmund pulled his troops back, as Prince Adelbert encircled Altenbruk.
It would be a siege.
Horrible dice rolls ruled the night. Both sides had trouble moving troops, and command points were hard to come by. But, as always, Might and Reason proved a fun and period game.

the Battle of Derlopp

I am but  mere chronicler of these sad times. As Unkerlant stretches into its second year of war for Succession, our focus shifts to the northeast, where duchy of Zlobenia has invaded the Principality of Franistover.
The first year of the war, Franistover and Zlobenia, centuries old rivals, marched back and forth across each other territories, even capturing each other's capitals, but to little effect, other than the starvation of their subjects.
Hoping to finish Franistover in one fell swoop, Duke Sigmund massed the forces of Zlobenia on the border, largely undetected due to the Spring torrential rains. Meanwhile, Prince Adalbert, despite his well earned nickname "Addle-brained", had the same idea. When the weather let up, both sides found themselves facing each other outside the border town of Derlopp, ancestral home of Otto Von Derlopp, colonel of Zlobenia's own Derlopp Grenadiers.

After much posturing and redressing of lines, the battle didn't start until well into the afternoon. Prince Adalbert, found of food and drink spent too much time arguing with his head chef over the menu for dinner, while Duke Sigmund was discussing strategy with his many foreign advisors. A task which required more than half a dozen translators.

Franistover's cavalry, never good due to their homeland's mountainous terrain, operating on the wings charged forth with elan. The infantry, however, especially the guards charged with taking the town, dallied behind.
Across the field, Zlobenian troops, drilled by the latest European officers, marched steadily forward in parade ground percision.
Neither side made the attempt to cross the river to the north and try an end around flanking move. Such a bold move is perhaps beyond the scope of most Unkerlantan generals.
One the Franistover right, the hard charging Cuirassiers collided with their Zlobenian counterparts, including the much vaunted Ducal Horse Grenadiers. Still smarting from their beating by the Franistover 1st Dragoons in a previous outting, the Horse Grenadiers were itching to prove their standing as the elite of Unkerlantan cavalry. Little did they know, their rivals were among the fight.
The fight was terrible. Franistover's horse was driven back, but managed to give out worse than they got. It was when the Zlobenians counter attacked, that the fight became truly bloody.
Meanwhile, in the center, Zlobenian troops captured the town, just moments before the Franistover guard units.Troops in the town began peppering the Frannies to little effect.
The regu;ar Franistover regiments, however, came under increasingly accurate Zlob artillery fire. The 1st regiment, the Bakers Legion (literally made up of the Royal Baking Corps) took an especially brutal beating.
To the north a similar cavalry battle was playing out. Both sides see sawed.
The battle raged. On the slopes outside Derlopp, Prince Adalbert's Loyal Mountaineers poured volley after volley into the Derlopp Grenadiers. They died outside their own walls in droves.

On the southern flanks, Frainstover cavalry was getting the worst of it, but not before routing the Ducal Horse in shame once more. Soon, only the 1st Franistover Dragoons held the flank.
On the opposite side, Prince Adalbert's forces were faring better. Not only had the effectively smashed the Zlobenian Horse, but his infantry was making gains. Night was falling.
There was a pause in the fighting. Neither side could seem to get the their troops motivated for one last push. The infantry battles in the middle were evolving into slow grinds, troops falling in bits and pieces.
Finally, Frainstover was able to get the upper hand in the north. As the sun went down, more Zlobenian troops were falling than Frannies. Duke Sigmund watched in horror as his regiments disssolved, even given up Derlopp.
Devoid of cavalry, Zlobenian troops were hunted into the night by victorious Franistover dragoons. The Duke himself barely avoiding capture.
Prince Adalbert would have his grand dinner, albeit a little late, in the Zlobenian town of Derlopp.
I was good. Once again, Might & Reason provided a period feel in a short time withe fun results. I apologize for the distinct lack of miniatures.

Gaming Weekend Pt II

"I, Dolpheus Thewd, do hereby take pen in hand, to give a right and true account of the battle of Volgen, Unkerlant. Open war has been upon this tiny kingdom for more than a year after the death of their beloved monarch Karl Franz III. Borogravia has gained the upper hand in this conflict and has, over the winter, through shrewd negotiation and  calculated threats amassed a large army from its conquered lands.
After learning of Unkerlant through my contacts at the Geographical Society, I travelled to Greater Germania to find this illusive and barely known kingdom. I was able to "tag along" as they say, with expedition from Cavendaria, sent as allies to Zloebnia, one of Unkerlant many fractious provinces.

Cavendarian troops cross the Blut

A harrowing crossing through the mountains, and terrifying crossing of the river Blut we entered Zlobenia. My Cavendarian compatriots were surprised to find Zlobenia's Duke Sigmund was already on the road with his famed Ducal Horse Grenadiers, sprinting to a battle in the east. Though exhausted, we quickly followed.
I must say, Unkerlantian roads are ay best, awful. There were holes that could have swallowed a man, but we were able to reach the town of Volgen along with two regiments from Franistover, also sent to aid the Duchy of Volborg in it's last stand against Borogravia.

We entered Volgen at dawn, a pious town full of churches beside a dark, deep river. General Wolfe, commander of Volborg's forces ordered our regiment to guard the northern most river crossing. After passing a few "witches" trussed up in their gibbets outside of town we made for our little part of the battlefield.
Across the wide river sat flat country. A large forest dominated the center of the battlefield. Behind it, rolling forward like some great storm front, the forces of Borogravia marched forward. Their great line split at the forest with the Borogravian regular army heading towards us on the left. Our right would see a mass of Borogravian cavalry and allied forces.
The plan, as I understand it, was to hold the river and slaughter the hated Borogravians as they attempted a crossing. But then, we watched in dismay as the entire Volborgian massed cavalry of the left, galloped across the bridge to meet the enemy.

The Borogravian cavalry rode out to meet them, leaving their own infantry behind. There was a great clash! Unkerlant is poor country for horses, and so breeds poor horsemen. What Unkerlantians lack in skill they make up for in sheer bloodthirstyness. It was an ugly affair, costly to both sides, but Volborg eventually got the upper hand, and forced the Borogravian horse back. Volborg attempted to follow up their gains, but the Borogravian infantry was able to deploy and slowly push our cavalry back towards the river.

The Borogravian infantry, including all their guard units, marched steadily toward us. Our forces stood stalwart, ready to defend the river. As the sky grew dark, the Borogravian cannon deployed directly opposite our position. Cannonballs began thumping into the wet ground around us.

I was to find out later, that hardly anything had occurred on our opposite flank. It seems the Borogravian commander on the that flank had trouble motivating the allied troops. A small cavalry skirmish had occurred, but little else.

As night drew near, the battle ended. Borogravian forces withdrew during the night, to find a better crossing point. The Duchy of Volborg was safe, for now".

As is our way, the battlefield was generated randomly. It turned out very benefitial for Volborg, being the home team got to choose which side to hold. Borogravia had a slim chance at victory, which became even slimmer as our deployment was stalled by a combination of bad rolls and a brilliant move by Lead Addict in sending his cav out to meet us. My vaunted Borogravian cavalry was slaughtered, as is norm for me.

Our evening game was Robofire! Scott Pyle had added Overwatch rules for us to try, but no one ended up using it. Sorry, Scott. Two of our generals dropped out during play (my daughter fell asleep, and Lead Addict's son was sick). When enough objectives were conquered we stopped with a tie.

Good time, but we were exhausted. A good exhausted, though.

Battle of Boscheberg

Franistover's Irish Guards

As every good Unkerlanter knows, the roads in Franistover are terrible. So it was no surprise when good Prince Adalbert raised taxes to help pay for said roads. It was, however, a surprise to the citizens of Boscheberg when their beloved  Schlossenslopp beer got the brunt of the taxation. The town mayor refused to pay, and in an act of near insanity appealed to Franistover's age old rival, Zlobenia for help. A fight was on.

Both forces arrived in late morning (probably because of the state of the aforementioned roads). The Zlobenian center was taking time deploy. Meanwhile, on the Zlob flanks, the cavalry took advantage of open terrain to fly foward. Zlobenia being hilly country, rarely affords a horseman such luxury as open terrain.
On the other side, Franistover forces were also taking their time. Indeed, it was early afternoon before ineffectual cannonade was exchanged. The citizens of Boscheberg lined the walls to watch.
As the Zlobenian cavalry on the right, thundered across the valley, led by the vaunted Ducal Horse Grenadiers in their shining gold breastplates, they spotted the Franistoveran horse still deploying. Now was the chance! But, the Zlobs miscalcualted, and the Franies counter-charged. The Ducal Horse were scattered
and beaten.

The Ducal Horse Grenadiers charge to their doom.

In the center, the Zlobenian cannon was taking a toll on the Franistoveran infantry, but the Guard were still lagging. The Scots Guard has stopped for lunch, it seems.
With the afternoon wearing on, the Zlobenian cavalry on the far left finally came to grips with the Franistoveran horse. They met the same fate as their broters on the opposite end of the field.
The people of Boscheberg, mesmerized by the battle at their doorstep, had forgotten to lock their gates. The Franistoveran grenaiders occupied the streets and houses and seized the brewery. They lined the walls troops and began reigning fire down on the approaching Zlob infantry.
Night, mercifully fell, and the Zlobenians quickly fell back across the border.
Prince Adalbert enjyoed a lovely dinner in the town square, accompanied by a tall mug of Schlossenslopp and the hanging body of the mayor.

We used Might and Reason again, as it is a flawless, fun system that let us play a fairly large game in a short time. As all my miniatures are not done, a careful observer will notice the use of foamcore stand in:

It is everything I can do, not to do switch from 10mm ( doable scale for this campaign) to 28mm which is soooo pretty.

Once everybody gets a firm grip on the rules, we will continue our Unkerlant campaign started a while back. Stay tuned.

Battle of Grenzburg, a M and R playtest

Last night, as is the Basement General’s custom on a Thursday, we had a battle. This one was to playtest “Might & Reason”. I’ve owned the rules for awhile, and am a big fan of “Grande Armee”, but never played M&R. So, with the Second War of Unkerlantian Succession looming, it seemed like a good time to try them out.
The Setting
With the beloved King Karl Franz III, deathly ill, the tiny kingdom of Unkerlant was already on edge when news arrived that Borogravian troops were massing at the southern border. The small village of Grenzburg was the obvious target. Grenzburg was no longer legally part of Unkerlant, being annexed in the last war a generation ago, but most Unkerlanters still considered it part of the realm.
With the monarch on his deathbed, the defense of the kingdom’s honor fell to his sister, the Arch-Duchess Bruhilde of Volborg. Orders to march to the defense of Grenzburg quickly went out, though not from the duchess herself, but from her consort Augustus (a man despised as much as Brunhilde is loved). Troops quickly moved south and in the early morning a few days later, the battle began.
Forces were remarkably equal. Both sides had 5 regiments of dragoons and 3 of cuirassiers, 6 regiments of regular infantry and 4 of grenadiers and guards, including on the Volborg side, the Duchess’s Own Elite Grenadier Guards. Four batteries of artillery.
The armies arrayed in a mirror of each other. Dragoons faced dragoons, the guard the guard and so on down the line. The commanders too were both men of equal ability, good by the standards of Unkerlant, poor by the rest of the world.
Commanding the forces of the Grand Duchy of Volborg would be the Duchess Consort himself, Augustus. The Borogravians were led by the exiled Prince Ruprect.
Volborg began the battle, marching forward boldly, full of love for their duchess and pride in their arms. Volborg would hold the initiative for most of the battle, but was plagued by indecisiveness. On the far left, General Baron Von Bombast sent his cuirassiers into a narrow pass between two woods, in hope of forcing his opposite into fighting him on a narrower front. On the right, the mad General Biblenburg sent his massed dragoons up the hill to his front. The center left and right marched steadily forward. General Reddentropp seemed unsure how to deploy the grenadiers in the center left, and spent a lot of the battle milling about.
Across the battlefield the whole Borogravian line trundled forth, except for General Mathias on the right. It seems his gout had acted up again, and he was having trouble mounting his horse. Thus, the Borogravian heavy cavalry sat.
When the cuirassiers finally moved, they were forced to meet their rivals in between the woods, just like Von Bombast planned. The two met, and grueling fight of attrition began. The same was true on the opposite end of the line. Volborgian dragoons charged and charged again. After three attacks and counter attacks, the Borogravians under General Moorstadt finally broke. One regiment managed to break through the other side, later to threaten the Volborgian rear and baggage.
Meanwhile, Borogravian infantry under General Reezburk captured Grenzburg.
This was an acceptable setback to the Volborgians as they thought they would soon be driving them out.
In the middle, General Reddentropp’s indecision was about to cost the Volborgian the left flank. The bloody cavalry battle between the woods was on and both sides were locked in combat. While the Volborgian grenadiers sat on the hill and watched, their opposite number moved in behind the pinned cuirassiers. Now stuck between the heavies in front and the grenadiers behind, they were destroyed. Their whole left flank was open.
The center had become a large infantry slugfest with no clear winner emerging.
This was the scene when night fell. Both sides were equally bloddied, but Borogravia held the town. Retaking it proved too much for Augustus. Grenzburg would remain a foreign possession.
Aftermath
I think everybody thought the rules worked great, except for one instance where a lone cav unit was holding up several infantry units, with them unable to engage the cav. All attempts at whittling them down with musketry failed.
The forces were completely balanced and so were the losses.
I created some printed blanks to playtest and this inspired me to get back to painting.