I have finally managed to set up and fight a small play-test battle using my Itchy and Scratchy rules ... for which I
MUST find a better name as soon as possible!
After some deliberation I decided to use a scenario based on that used in 'Game Number Three' in the 'Three Basic Battles' chapter of Donald Featherstone's BATTLES WITH MODEL SOLDIERS. I used a wooden chessboard (bought in John Lewis) for my gridded battlefield (as well as some masking tape, a Hovels wall, and a couple of individually-based trees) and figures from my copy of Eagle Games' THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR boxed wargame. Both sides had two Infantry units, a Cavalry unit, an Artillery unit, and a General.
The starting positions were as follows:
Turn 1
The Confederates won the dice throw and moved first. As none of their units were in firing range of the Union forces, no combat took place.
The Union troops then moved.
As the Union Artillery unit was in range of the Confederate Infantry unit that was behind the wall, it opened fire on the Confederate. The dice scores were 5 and 6, which meant that they did not hit the Confederate unit.
Turn 2
The Union side won the dice throw to see which side moved and fired first. Their units moved forward and opened fire on any Confederate units that were in range.
The right-hand union Infantry unit threw 5, 1, and 1 (and thus caused no casualties) and the artillery unit threw 6, 4, 3, and 2 (also causing no casualties).
In reply the Confederates moved their Cavalry unit forward and attacked the left-hand Union Infantry unit. It threw 5, 4, 3, and 1 and inflicted no casualties.
The Confederate Infantry unit that was not behind the wall fired with the Union Infantry unit directly in front of it, but its dices scores were only 6 and 1 and therefore caused no casualties.
Turn 3
The Union won the initiative dice throw again and moved first. the Union Cavalry unit moved onto the flank of the Confederate Infantry unit that was not behind the wall, and its dice scores of
6,
6, 5, and 1 destroyed one of the Infantry units Strength Points.
The same Confederate infantry unit was then attacked by the right-hand Union Infantry unit, whose dice scores of
6,
6, 3, 2, and 2 destroyed yet another Confederate Strength Point.
The Union Artillery unit then fired at the Confederate Cavalry unit ... and its dice scores of 6, 5, 4,
2,
2, and 1 destroyed one of the Cavalry unit's Strength Points.
The left-hand Union Infantry unit also engaged the Confederate Cavalry unit, and scored 4,
3,
3, and 2 ... thus destroyed yet another of the Cavalry Unit's Strength Points.
It was now the turn of the Confederates to fight back, and despite its 50% losses the Infantry unit that was not behind the wall attempted to drive off the Union Cavalry unit that was on its flank. Unfortunately its dices scores were 6, 5, 1, and 1, and it therefore caused no casualties.
The same was not true for the Confederate Infantry unit that was behind the wall. They fired at the nearby Union Infantry unit, and their dices scores (
5,
5, 2, 2, and 1) were enough to destroy one of the Union Infantry unit's Strength Points.
The Confederate Artillery unit engaged in some counter-battery fire against its opposite number ... and its dice scores (
1 and
1) were enough to ensure the destruction of one of the Union Artillery unit's Strength Points.
Confederate Cavalry then attacked the Union Infantry unit that they had been fighting since Turn 2. Despite its depleted strength, the Confederate Cavalry unit's dice scores of 6,
4, and
4 destroyed one of the Union Infantry unit's Strength Points.
Turn 4
This was likely to be the crucial turn of the battle. Both sides had lost Strength Points (the Union had lost 3 Strength Points, and the Confederates 4 Strength Points) and it was possible that one of them would reach their Exhaustion Level (the loss of 7 Strength Points) very soon.
The Confederates won the initiative ... and their General moved over to support the Confederate Infantry unit that was being attacked on two sides.
This Confederate Infantry unit then attacked the Union Infantry unit to its front, and its dice scores of
6,
6, 3, 3, and 1 destroyed one of the Union unit's Strength Points.
The Confederate Artillery unit fired again at its opposite number ... and its dice scores (2,
1,
1, and 1) ensured the Union Artillery unit's destruction!
The Confederate Infantry unit that was behind the wall fired at the nearby Union Infantry unit, but its dice scores were 6, 3, 2, and 1, and these failed to cause any casualties.
The same was not true for the Confederate cavalry unit, which threw dice scores of
4,
4, and 3. These inflicted the loss of a Strength Point on the Union Infantry unit it was fighting.
At this point the Union had lost 6 Strength Points, and only had to lose one more before reaching their Exhaustion Level.
It was the Union side's turn to move and fight, and they started with an attack by their Cavalry unit on the Confederate Infantry unit that was supported by the Confederate General. Their dice scores were 6, 5, and 1 ... and they failed to inflict any casualties on the Confederates.
The right-hand Union Infantry unit was somewhat more successful, and the support of their General obviously swung things in their favour. Their dice scores were 6,
5,
5, 3, and 2, thus inflicting the loss of a Strength Point on the Confederate unit they were fighting.
The left-hand Union Infantry unit was far less successful, and its dice scores of 6, 5, 4, and 1 failed to destroy the Confederate Cavalry unit.
Turn 5
Both sides were dangerously close to their Exhaustion Levels and it was likely that the winner of the initiative would win the overall battle.
The Union won the initiative and immediately went on the attack. Their Cavalry unit attacked the remains of the Confederate Infantry unit that was being supported by the Confederate General ... but their dice scores of 6, 4, and 2 meant that they caused the Confederate Infantry no loss of Strength Points.
The right-hand Union Infantry unit was much more successful, and its dice scores of
6,
6, 6,
4, and
4 would have destroyed two Confederate Infantry Strength Points ... had the Confederate Infantry unit had more than one to lose. As it was, the Confederate Infantry unit was destroyed, but the Confederate General escaped unscathed.
On the other side of the battlefield the Union Infantry unit continued its fight with the Confederate Cavalry unit ... and its dice scores of
3,
3, 3, and 4 were enough to ensure the destruction of the Cavalry unit's final Strength Point.
At this point in the battle the Confederates had reached their Exhaustion Level and were incapable of further
offensive movement ...
BUT they still had not fought this turn and now did so.
Firstly their unscathed General moved back to support the Confederate Infantry unit that was still behind the wall.
His support proved decisive as the Confederate Infantry unit's dice scores were devastating. They scored
6,
6, 3,
1, and
1 ... thus causing the Union Infantry unit to lose a Strength Point
AND destroying the Union General!
The Union side had now also reached their Exhaustion Level ... and the Confederate Artillery unit still had not fired. When it did it scored 5, 2, 2, and 1, and thus had no effect upon the remnants of the left-hand Union Infantry unit.
The battle was now over. Both sides were exhausted, but the Confederates must be adjudged to have won as the Union side had lost more Strength Points than the Confederates
AND lost their General.
Comments
The rules work ... and
Archduke Piccolo's D6 dice combat system was very easy to use ...
...
BUT one area of the rules jarred with me almost from the start of the play-test, and that was the inability of units that were being attacked by enemy units in adjacent grid areas to fight back until it was their turn. There was also no means by which an attacking or defending unit could 'drive off' an enemy unit that was in an adjacent grid area.
Rectifying this will require a bit of thought, but I do have one or two ideas that I want to think about before committing them to paper. Once I have done so I will write a blog entry that includes an updated draft of the rules.
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