ACW Playtest #2

This is an AAR of a playtest using Rodge's rules. Rodge made all of the terrain pieces as well as painting the 15mm figures. In the next post I will explain how the rules hang together but in the meantime I've []'ed rule mechanisms.

The Battle of Brimscombe Church, June 1

[There is pre-battle terrain game which places objectives, terrain and road exits.]

In a daring manoeuver Union Major General ‘Old Blood ‘n Guts’ Shawn Mutton ably assisted by Major General ‘The Grey Fox’ Al Millicheap surprised the Army of Major General ‘Maryland' Mike Shepard and Major General ‘Stoneclad’ Rodger Williams at Brimscombe Church, PA.

The Union HQ

The Confederate force was caught unawares with a number of it’s brigades and artillery batteries still heading towards the battlefield as the Union rolled forward on the CSA right through the early morning heat haze.

[The pre-game rolls had removed several CSA units from the board which became reserves appearing at the  road exits on a 5 or 6]

The Confederates held the vital Slad Road on the left faced by a weak Union Division that demonstrated to its front whist in the centre the massed Union artillery attempted to lever the CSA cavalry that, dismounted, held the Tunley Woods. Behind them, on Thrupp Heights, ‘Maryland Mike’ held his division in support.

On the Confederate right a much weakened CSA Division under ‘Stoneclad’ Williams impetuously rushed forward to secure the Church against a strong and well handled division of crack and veteran Unionists led mercilessly by ‘Old Blood ‘n Guts’. 

[In the picture red counters represent hits, yellow counters represent fatigue and the boomerang in the bottom left is for wheeling. The church is one of the 3 objectives]

The fight around the church and the surrounding woods saw the CSA initially hold the lines of blue and Stoneclad's famous cry of ‘get there with the fisrtest with the leastest’ seemed to be paying off but pressure told even as Stoneclad rushed from Brigade to Brigade to lead them personally in the assault.

It looked as if, with the CSA reinforcements pouring in from the Bath Road on the right, that the CSA may prevail; especially when Old Blood ‘n Guts personally leading an assault in the church grounds, was felled by a sharpshooter’s Minnie round.

Carried to the rear Old Blood and Guts was heard to holler to his men ‘Forward Boys! If God aint with us Old Nick sure is!’.

Oddly, as he was carried from the field, a strange figure smelling strongly of brimstone was seen running alongside the ambulance carrying Old Blood ‘n Guts waving what looked like a contract and muttering that ‘a contract is a contract and I am here to collect’. He was ushered away at rifle butt by Old Blood ‘n Guts’ Irish Brigade and was last seen heading towards Stroud Courthouse grumbling ‘I will have what’s mine. A deal is a deal and I delivered more than the agreed 666’.

With immaculate timing, as the CSA were being shredded at the church, a grand assault was launched in the centre by the The Grey Fox.

[The 2nd of the 3 objectives - the farm house- a 3rd, the railhead, is not shown as 2 very weak divisions faced each other off]

It smashed through the Tunley woods and forced Maryland Mike to pull back off Thrupp Heights.

As darkness fell the CSA were forced to limp from the field.

Back at the field hospital Old Blood ‘n Guts' recovery was aided by the news that he had achieved a famous victory.

His triumphant cry of ‘I’ll see those Rebels in Hell’ received an unexpected reply from the rear of the dark hospital tent: ‘You damn well will’

As his aides searched the gloomy darkness they found nothing but the lingering smell of brimstone....

More photos can be found here

ACW Playtest #1

ACW has always been a favourite period of mine.

However before I start rambling on about it here is some 15mm eye-candy painted by Rodge

A well stocked sutler frequented by the boys in blue

Is someone making a delivery or stocking up?

Something isn't right here

I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's just some good ol' boys making a few dollars US or re-supplying for Lee's next offensive

My camera work doesn't do justice to these lovely vignettes

Anyway after that treat I expect you to sit still and listen to what I have to say

I started collecting the Airfix ACW range back in the 1970s before I knew what wargaming was. I bought Donald Featherstone's Battles with Model Soldiers for my twelfth birthday and used the rules and my Airfix ACW figures to fight my first "proper" wargame.

Since then I've played a lot of ACW replacing my Airfix figures with 15mm figures from virtually every manufacturer under the Sun - Minifigs, Old Glory, Essex, Peter Pig and Peter Laing to name a few.

Finding figures for the ACW has never been a problem for me. However finding rules is a different matter. I've tried a fair selection  - Johnny Reb, Circa 1863, On To Richmond, Newbury, RFCMs Civil War Battles and Fire and Fury. Only the last two, CWB and FnF, came close to giving me the sort of game I was looking for - simple but still full of ACW flavour. They both have some lovely game mechanisms but some annoying bits as well.

Rodge has been recently working on a home-grown ACW rule set and he invited me along to playtest  them.  He was looking for a brigade level game that was simple but required good generalship and incorporated a initial terrain setup game.

I'll describe a playtest in the next post