“No Sailor but a Fool attacks a Fortress!….Again!

This rather splendid picture was taken by Mr Fox and shows the situation after the first turn from the Confederate side. Note the floating battery that is the CSS Louisiana in the centre foreground and the looming bulk of the USS Benton heading towards the Fort. 

Yesterday evening saw a largish ACW naval game taking place at the club, using the Portable Ironclads Wargame, a selection on my models and two sides each of two players. First of all a big thank you to Messrs Fox, Huband, Kightly and Slater for taking part - an enjoyable time was had by all and once again, there is no substitute for practical playing experience when designing a set of rules!

The action was a Union attack against a small Confederate fort, protected by minefields (torpedoes in the terminology of the time, as Mr Fox graciously reminded me) and supported by a number of naval vessels.

The Union force, commanded by Mr Huband with Mr Slater as his number two, consisted of the USS Benton (Flag), USS Essex, USS Carondelet, USS Louisville - these are all ironclad gunboats - along with the USS Iosco and USS Metacomet - these are two ‘double-ended’ gunboats. The Confederates, Mr Fox commanding ably assisted by Mr Kightly, fielded the CSS Manassas, CSS Louisiana, CSS Morgan and CSS Gaines. There was also the small fort that went by the name of Fort Unately.

Now I apologise in advance for the somewhat disjointed narrative that follows, I have come to realise that it is far easier to write one when fighting an action solo as there are far fewer distractions to deal with! The rules and QRS worked well although one issue did arise during the action. It was not a huge problem but will require a minor addition. As an aside several situations arose that have given me pause for thought but that will be for another day.

The number of pictures is few and the Union opted to change their initial deployment from that of the picture below - essentially the two central columns swapped sides - so the USS Benton (currently the large vessel at the top of the ‘diamond’ in the bottom left corner - with the USS Essex took over the places currently occupied by the USS Carondelet and the USS Louisville. I forgot to take a picture of the new deployment!

The Action Unfolds

The starting positions from the Union side

The view from the South. The black dots represent potential minefields. The CSS Manassas is at the top of the picture, the CSS Morgan and the CSS Gaines are in line ahead approaching the clear channel that separates the two headland minefields. The looming bulk of the CSS Louisiana sits at anchor to the right of Fort Unately.

The Union starboard column with the flagship, the USS Benton, flanked by the USS Metacomet, approach the Rebel fort. The Confederates immediately open fire, with the Metacomet taking damage.

Whilst the Union manoeuvre to engage the fort, the two Confederate gunboats nose cautiously into the channel - into the teeth of the enemy! 

This is where things get a little confusing. Fort Unately and the CSS Morgan - currently surrounded by all four Union ironclads - envelop the Union flagship is a hail of fire and so she settles by the bow (in game turns will sink in four turns as indicated by the markers). The USS Iosco, in a desperate bid to get into action, noses into a minefield.

A closer view of the action. The minefield was determined to contain three devices (Mr Fox rolled a 6) so things were looking pretty dire for the Union ship until he rolled for effect - two 1s and 2! - the Union relief was palpable!) In fairness to Mr Fox his shooting was phenomenal with a veritable deluge of 6s being rolled….

Several things happened at once. The CSS Louisiana pivoted in place to provide fire support but was effectively masked by the two gunboats in the channel. The CSS Manassas cautiously picked her way to the edge of the same channel so as to support her countrymen. Meanwhile the CSS Morgan paid dearly for her temerity as the Union fleet pulverised her into matchwood - she would not go easily though as her sinking roll was - you guessed it - yet another Mr Fox inspired 6!

With the two Confederate gunboats resolutely placed in the channel between the minefields - albeit with one sinking - and with the attack on the fort ignominiously failing, the decision was taken to halt the action. 

The two Confederate ironclads were undamaged, as was the fort, so the tactical victory went to the gentlemen of the South. From a strategic perspective this action, although costing the Union an ironclad, would represent little more than a speed bump as to their progress towards the main Rebel seaport of Static Bay. The ‘death ride’ of the two Confederate gunboats, whilst effective was costly as with the leading ship - the sinking CSS Morgan - and the following CSS Gaines in a decidedly unenviable position, best by avenging Union warships of assorted types. They would be back and in greater numbers meaning that the writing was on the wall for the Confederate fort and the small naval base. As soon as the mortar rafts could be towed into position they should be able to batter the Rebel fort into submission - unimpeded by any meaningful Confederate naval presence.

Or would it?

A Rule Writer’s Thoughts

Hmm. There are a few wrinkles that only practical playing experience can highlight and so it was a valuable exercise for me. There will need to be a minor tweak to the QRS - nothing major - and a couple of additional ideas to play around with to be included in the forthcoming Developing the Portable Ironclads Wargame: The American Civil War. 

I have also come to realise that just because I can do something it does not always mean that I should….

As always, many thanks once again to Messrs Fox, Huband, Kightly and Slater for their time and invaluable input.

 

DTPIW: Once More Unto the Breach....And all that!

Not exactly the forces that will be action soon but there are similarities. The Mobile Bay Confederate ships the CSS Tennessee leading followed by the CSS Selma flanked by the CSS Morgan and Gaines.

This coming Wednesday evening will see another run out of The Portable Ironclads Wargame at the club - and it promises to be a doozy! There will some ships in action that have never graced the table top but more importantly, some new players will be taking part for the first time.

It will also be a relatively large action - around a dozen models all told - with a fort and minefields to contend with, at least for the Union that is.

I have also finalised a QRS for use with The Portable Ironclads Wargame which will be road tested as part of the game. I cannot claim that it has been a wholly individual exercise - a number of significant contributions have come from various quarters - as many suggestions have been made in getting it to where it is now. They know who they are and have my grateful thanks.

There will be an after action report but for now it is sufficient to relate that the game is the final act of the trilogy of battles that started with Gridded Naval Wargames by Bob Cordery, set along the 'great father of waters' the mighty Missenhitti river.

Command and Colours: Medieval(?)

The modest selection of titles I own covering much of the material from the base game - note the hardback version of the venerable Armies of the Dark Ages.

It Is fairly safe to say that the majority of readers of this blog will be familiar with the Command and Colours series of games designed by Richard Borg. The Medieval version takes as its starting point the end of the Roman Empire in the West and finished up at the end of the 6th century. I do not consider myself to be well read in the period at all but in my mind calling this period Medieval feels a little off but I am sure that wiser heads than mine can explain the whys and wherefores!

Anyways, before moving on the Crusades expansion (which I why I purchased the base game in the first place and then waited ages for the expansion to be published!) I figures that it would be a good idea to acquaint myself with the wars of the early Byzantines centred on Belisarius of Robert Graves’s Count Belisarius fame - despite the artistic licence!

Starting with the WRG book - and what gamer of the period hasn’t? - I added a few other titles over time to round out my knowledge of the period. With the exception of the Belisarius title all have featured on the blog at some point in the past. The Belisarius title is the latest addition and I am really enjoying reading it.

It is one of those books that is very self contained in that it starts with setting the scene of the period, traces the life of Belisarius and his campaigns, looks at the armies of the period and how they were equipped and fought as well as including maps and brief biographies of the key personalities. It is not a perfect title in that here are a few irritating typos but make no mistake - if you only had one book on the period I would absolutely recommend this one!

At the time of writing I am just getting to the war in Africa against the Vandals after his earlier campaign against the Persians. This is one of the irritating typos - Sasanid rather than Sassanid….

Despite my earlier reservations - mainly because of a lack of knowledge of the period - I am looking forward to enjoying some games set in the 6th century before moving on to the main course of the Crusades - which in my world is firmly in the Medieval timeframe!

For the record I have absolutely no intention of painting armies for this period nor for the Crusades - although the idea of using 3mm has a certain appeal….

Just saying….

DTPIW: A Big Chunk of Progress

Oh no - not another firing arc diagram!

It has been a busy but rewarding day working on Developing the Portable Ironclads Wargame. The final chapters (with the exception of the battle report - which has yet to be organised, let alone fought!) have been sent over to the Editor-in-Chief and for the first time in a while I can sense the finishing line being in sight!

Pictures are being added and once the new text has been incorporated and sent back to me for review - there are a few minor changes here and there - we can think about publishing which, all being well, will be during this half of the year.

The picture you see is a taster of what you can expect - no context though, that will spoil the surprise!

More on Fighters of the Pacific

Looking forward to giving this a spin - there is a solo system included - and am thinking about how best to ‘elevate’ the aircraft counters.

Following on from my earlier post about Fighters of the Pacific, today saw the arrival of the Midway expansion set, all the way from the US of A! I now have both expansions for the game - Coral Sea being the other - which means that some South Pacific carrier air action may well be imminent! There are some kickstarter bits and pieces that would be nice to have but are not really essential and besides, I have to keep myself in check for when the European version is launched later this year.

The Midway set, aside from the usual Wildcat, Dauntless, Devastator and Zero, Kate and Val types, also includes Buffaloes, B26s and Avengers. Both the expansions include a five scenario mini-campaign that features key points of the respective operations.

Nice and compact - it all lives in the base game box - and ready to roll so I reckon I should do something about it over the weekend.

A Mixed Bag of Goodies

Ancient galleys of all shapes and sizes at war over some five centuries. 

The back of the box

With the last flurry of activity in relation to the ongoing ‘churn and burn’ of my collection, I scored three items that have been on the acquisition list for a while. I can honestly say (said no wargamer ever!) that I am now at a convenient break point from all the ‘ducking and diving’ of recent months!

There are a couple of other items I have my eye on that have yet to be released but for now that is it.

First up is a board game I have been casting covetous eyes on for some time. War Galley is a tactical board game representing ancient naval warfare so lots of biremes, triremes and larger types feature with all the usual ‘ancient galley style shenanigans’ one would expect - oar rakes, the ‘Diekplus’, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Egyptians, Carthaginians and a whole pile of scenarios. This copy is unpunched and comes complete with the Salamis expansion set, several scenarios from magazines as well as the counters required to refight the naval battle from the film Ben Hur - “Row well and live!”

I still have all the material for my planned Salamis project - including a whole pile of MDF triremes. I have a feeling that using this board game may make the refight happen sooner rather than later - even if it does not it will still be a whole lot easier to set up.

Sagittarius Rising on the left (a Folio edition) and the outstanding work by Prof. Philip Sabin on ancient battles and how to game them.

The other two acquisitions are of the book variety. Sagittarius Rising covers the life of Cecil Lewis from 1915 to 1921 as a flyer and trainer of flyers. I read this in paperback a number of years ago so getting a cheap hardback Folio edition was a no brainer. Perfect inspiration for my ‘cardboard aircraft’ WW1 aerial project!

Lost Battles I have owned but but copy went missing some time ago and whilst a paperback edition was published this hardback edition came up at a very good price so again, it was too tempting to turn down. The book is essentially a toolkit to recreate ancient battles using a grid.

What’s not to like?

Very happy with all three of the above and at the time of writing I have one further acquisition that is currently en route from the US of A which will finish a particular project off. 

In the meantime though, back to DTPIW and also the flying bases and cardboard aircraft!

The Second Day of Hampton Roads

Yesterday evening saw Messrs Fox and Huband once again taking command of a selection of ships for a ‘based upon’ Hampton Roads - the second day thereof - game using the Portable Ironclad Wargame. Once again that ‘Will ‘o the wisp of the bounding main!” Aka Mr Fox, assumed command of the Confederates, represented solely by the CSS Virginia. Mr Huband took command of the USS Monitor and the grounded USS Minnesota.

Historically the CSS Virginia sallied forth to finish off the USS Minnesota but was prevented from doing so by the appearance of the USS Monitor.

So much for the history….

In the action that followed - and apologies for the brevity of this report - the CSS Virginia initially largely ignored the USS Monitor and headed straight for the USS Minnesota, firing as she went. Despite the size of the Union vessel she was ‘sunk’ in fairly short order due in part to some ferocious Confederate gunnery (never again will I listen to Mr Fox bemoaning his dice luck!). The USS Monitor eventually got to grips with the Confederate ironclad by the simple expedient of parking herself across the bows of the CSS Virginia and exchanging fire at point blank range to telling effect. It was all the invitation that the CSS Virginia needed though, and so she duly rammed the Union ship - to no effect! However, following the post ram attack optional free turn, the Confederate ship was now facing the right way headed towards home and so with little likelihood of being overhauled by the USS Monitor, we called the action.

The Union ship could have pursued the CSS Virginia but as they both had the same speed (2) the best that they could have done would have been to maintain station. A tactical Confederate victory for sure but the Union blockading squadron would soon be reinforced and the likelihood of a repeat performance would be slim.

The pictures are 

Starting positions. The brown hexes are where the USS Minnesota has run aground

The ironclads approach cautiously 

USS Monitor closes on the CSS Virginia who maintains a damaging fire against the helpless USS Minnesota - however, in her eagerness to tackle the grounded Union vessel she has strayed into range and arc of her broadside.

By this time the damage to the Union frigate was terminal and so the Confederate reversed her course for home - straight into the USS Monitor!

Sadly no picture of the ram attack but the positions above are after it was resolved. Sadly the Confederate gunnery dice did not take to ramming and so no damage was inflicted on the USS Monitor. Once she was underway the CSS Virginia was heading directly back to base. The USS Monitor wisely broke off the action.

Afterthoughts and Observations

From a historical perspective the action felt accurately paced and ‘right’. The USS Minnesota was made short work of, reflecting a similar impact the CSS Virginia had the previous day. USS Monitor was able to ‘run interference’ but by the time she did it was already too late. The two ironclads banged away at each other with limited effect - the USS Monitor definitely came second overall during the exchange - and the ram attack was a disappointing failure. 

The vulnerability of wooden ships when facing ironclads was ably demonstrated, as was the somewhat laborious exchange of fire between the two ironclads. As mentioned, both felt right for the period.

The rules ran well enough although I need to make some markers for various things - fires, floods, sinking etc - and also to further refine the QRS.

Mr Huband came up with a rather nifty flow diagram for firing which I am seriously thinking about incorporating within the QRS at some point.

As a spur of the moment idea I have suggested running the first day of Hampton Roads - pre the USS Monitor - which should be fun (maybe not for the Union though!). Something to think about though.

Once again my thanks to both Mr Fox and Mr Huband for their continued interest and support - it is very much appreciated.