Okay Game night for Song of Drums and Shakos! Fun Napoleonic skirmishing here we come...or maybe not...
The forces
we selected were:
The French:
Officer 60pts
Dragoon NCO 42pts
4 Dragoons (on foot) 160pts
7 Line Infantry 182pts
Point Total 444
The British
NCO 46pts
Rifle NCO 84pts
4 riflemen 188pts
4 line infantry 104pts
Point Total 422
Battlefield and figures ready for action
Remember the object of this scenario is to locate the position of some vital top secret documents and get them from the table top while inflicting casualties on your opponent!
We began after a rudimentary run through of the
rules.
AAR
The French Dragoons on the right due to good activation
rolls quickly advanced though the walled field behind the farmhouse and checked
out the first of the four potential document sites without luck while the
regular French infantry and the British were slowly advancing!
French Dragoons chasing some ass!
Sorry all the pictures came out blurred very strange same camera as usual user issue I suspect?
The French Infantry plod forward the Dragoons are behind the house on their right ...
The British Infantry advanced to face the French Dragoons
while on the British right the Rifleman scurried forward.
The British Infantry and French Dragoons exchanged some
desultory and ineffective fire while the British inspected the second potential
document site also with no success.
British Infantry and French Dragoons exchange shots!
I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a bit of taunting going on too...
Oh the red poker chips indicate the figure's weapon is unloaded.
Overview of the Battle the mid game the French Dragoons are just out of picture to the left.
British Infantry are on the left, British Riflemen are on the right and the French Infantry near the top. This is before all forces concentrate on the last two possible document locations which are also to the right of the picture:
At this point the forces all converged toward the last
two potential document sites on the French left/British right.
A few more pretty ineffective shots rang out across the
battlefield there was a single British casualty thanks to a volley from the French Infantry. Deadly close combat then ensued as the forces engaged around the last two potential document sites. Initially the French Dragoons had
the better of their opponents but the British fought back with a vengeance and
soon four out of five Dragoons were out of action.
Meanwhile the French Officer had located the documents
and despite a last minute lunge by a British NCO he got into the open and was ready
to make for the board edge. The French weight of numbers then started to tell
and they tied up the British basically giving their Officer free passage to get the Documents back to the Imperial Headquarters.
The British Leader fell at this point and the ensuing morale rolls left all but
one of their men skedaddling!
The melee 'stage' begins a handful of Dragoons take on all the Brits while the French Infantry apparently enjoy Gauloises and Red Wine as they inch forward!
The 'BIG' melee! The French Infantry get into the action!
Positions at the games end The French Captain is heading for the Imperial Headquarters while the Brits flee tails twixt their legs!
At this point we pulled stumps and the game was over.
The result was clearly a French Victory!
French: 11 points – 5 for the documents and 6 for accrued from casualties
British: 6 points accrued from casualties all but
one of their surviving figures at the games end were fleeing after failing their
morale checks for Leader loss!
Well done Dave and Alan! Stu and I were given a damn good thrashing...
We were finished in under two hours about what I expected with players new to the system involved. I was
actually hoping it would be quicker and we could get a second game in boy was I
wrong. At some points the game dissolved into chaos as rules were pulled apart
and activation status and rolls were discussed over and over and over again. I lost it at one point as I was there to play a game and have an
enjoyable time not dissect a set of rules mid game and I openly apologise to those there but hey everyone get into the groove and play. Rules discussion is done once a games finished it’s
what the post game drinks and chat is all about. Anyway I doubt these rules will
surface again for one our TSOG nights I’ll happily use them one on one or for solitaire
games as I think they’re cool, a pity really.
Next fortnight we’re going to be play testing a new set of rules,
Mad Maximilian!
