Barsoomian HOTT

Geoff requested some Barsoomian HOTT the other week, and yesterday we finally got around to it last night.

In the first game he took the Green Martians and I took the city of Gathol. I defended.

I sent my thoat riders around to the left, supported by a flier.

I also advanced my blades, as Geoff had his warriors on a nice hilltop position.

The opening clash was between the cavalry and honours were about even, with one element lost each.

The Martians charged in the centre ...

... and broke through.

The Gatholian navy came to the rescue.

The battle broke up a fair bit at this stage as I tried to reorganise my left flank and Geoff tried to push enough warriors through to challenge my stronghold.

Geoff's hero general finally dealt with some Gatholian blades that had been holding him up, and took on a Gatholian warship, pushing it back.

Both sides had now reformed at ninety degrees to their original lines.

The Green Martian hero destroyed the Gatholian airboat but some lesser warriors fell to give Gathol a very close 12-11 victory.

In the second game defended with the city of Jahar, whilst I attacked with the mostly aerial Black Pirates.

The Pirates have an impressive line of four airboats. I hurled them at Jahar's line of blades.

The outnumbered Jaharian navy skulked behind its ground troops.

They were only engaged when the Pirates smashed through the ground troops and attacked them directly. And at that point they were destroyed.

Even Phor Tak's disintegrator ray was unable to stop the Black Pirate fleet, and his loss spelled the end of Jaharian resistance.

The Black Pirates won this one 13-0. It was not a good day to be a Jaharian.

The English Civil War - 1644

After a strong start in 1642, things went badly for the Royalists in 1643 and they are close to defeat. In 1644 they needed to take the offensive and try and gain more control of the country. If Parliament attacked and win in any region then the war would be over.

1644 -1

The year started badly for the Royalists. East Anglia was the active area, with their options being the North Midlands or Yorkshire. Either area would so so I diced for it and Parliament marched into the North Midlands.

Game 5 - The Battle of  Normanton

Royalists - 1 x Horse, 1 x Defended Horse*, 1 x Melee Foot in Defences, 1 x Missile Foot, 1 x Shot

Parliament - 1 x Horse, 1 x Elite Horse, 1 x Elite Missile Foot, 1 x Missile Foot, 1 x Dragoons

*Representing a large unit.

The Parliamentarians under William Waller encountered a Royalist army under Lord Standing near the village of Normanton. The Royalist centre was based around a sunken lane, whilst their right wing was covered by a large force of locally raised horse. Parliament's horse on the left wing was commanded by an enthusiastic colonel called Oliver Cromwell, who had trained his men to a high degree of efficiency.

The initial artillery bombardment had no effect.

Turn 1 - With the Royalist cause looking close to collapse Parliament's army was highly enthusiastic, and Waller exploited this by sending in his foot in the centre to clear the sunken lane. Fierce fighting saw them thrown back in disarray.

As more Parliamentarian foot was fed into the fight the Royalists held firm. Parliament's attack stalled. And Waller moved up his dragoons to cover the centre.

Parliament rallied the best of their foot and prepared for another attack.

Turn 2 - Waller changed tack and ordered Cromwell's horse forward on his left. They easily defeated the local horse, driving them from the field. The Royalist foot now faced the enemy horse.

The Royalists countered by committing their horse on the right flank, and an inconclusive fight developed. The foot of both sides moved up to support that flank.

Turn 3 - The newly rallied Parliamentarian foot now attempted to outflank the sunken road, but ran into Royalist shot who stalled their attack. The two sides settled into a shooting match.

The Royalists responded by attacking along the lane, scattering Parliament's dragoons.

Turn 4 - The Parliamentarian foot continued its exchange with the Royalist shot, but with their flanks now compromised they withdrew from the field, covered by Cromwell's horse.

This Royalist win prevented their defeat once more.

1644 - 2

The fickle finger of fate saw East Anglia as the active area again and, once more, Parliament attacked the North Midlands. Driving west they captured Leicester, but a Royalist army under Prince Maurice shadowed them. The Parliamentarian army formed up at Bosworth to meet the Royalist attack.

Game 6 - The Battle of Bosworth

Royalists - 2 x Horse, 2 x Missile Foot, 1 x Shot, 1 x Dragoons

Parliament - 2 x Horse, 1 x Armoured Horse, 1 x Missile Foot in Defences, 1 x Missile Foot

Parliament's position was centred around some rising ground, whilst their hope was to rely on their superiority in horse on the wings.

The Royalists went for a bold assault, sending in a massed cavalry attack supported by dragoons.

Once again the initial artillery bombardment had no effect on either side.

Turn 1 - Royalist horse surged forward in the centre, straight up the hill and shattered Parliament's foot. Parliament covered the infantry with their reserve horse.

Parliament's cuirassiers charged on the left flank, and a length melee saw both sides exhausted.

Turn 2 - The left flank settled into an exchange of musketry, but the Royalist shot pushed forward with surprising aggression and quickly broke Parliament's regiments.

A cavalry duel in the centre saw both sides shattered. This epic encounter saw the loss of the official war artists on both sides, so no illustration survives. This final engraving is based on a sketch by Prince Maurice himself and shows the victorious Royalist army.

Parliament had begun 1644 confident of a quick win, but two campaigns in the Midlands had both been defeated by an energetic Royalist defence. The situation was still dire for the Royalist cause, but they had held on for another year. 

The English Civil War - 1643

At the end of 1642 the Royalists were looking strong, with a good proportion of England rallying to their cause. What would 1643 bring?

From 1643 onward I would be dicing for an active area and then choosing where it would decide to attack. If it attacked a area that was uncontrolled then that side simply took possession. If it was controlled then a battle would take place. Two such battles end the year.

1643 - 1

I diced for the areas and the highest scoring was the South. So Parliament was finally taking the initiative!

They had the option of attacking the South or the South Midlands. Note that unlike the previous campaign I am deciding where the attack is made; in the previous campaign the attack would be on the South as that has the lowest score.

Anyway, the obvious choice was the South Midlands, as it contains the Royalist capital of Oxford. Victory before the end of 1646 comes if you control 4 more areas than the other side and control their capital.

So in the spring of 1643 Parliamentarian forces marched out of London along the Thames Valley and laid siege to Oxford. 

Game 3 - The Relief of Oxford

Royalists - 3 x Horse, 1 x Pike, 1 x Missile Foot, 1 x Dragoons

Parliament - 1 x Horse, 1 x Armoured Horse, 1 x Artillery in Defences, 2 x Missile Foot

The Royalists were attacking once more.

Prince Rupert led a force in a rapid march though Berkshire and attacked the Parliamentarian outer-works. The attack was centred on a large artillery bastion.

Parliament placed horse on their wings, with the cuirassiers on the right. The artillery bastion was their centre.

The Royalists had horse on their wings and hurled their finest pikemen at the bastion.

The initial artillery bombardment saw the Royalists coax the Parliamentarian horse on the left into a charge, but the fighting was inconclusive.

Turn 1 - The Royalist pike attacked the bastion but were unable to make any headway against it.

On the right the cuirassiers charged, sweeping the Royalist horse there before them. Royalist dragoons moved up from the reserve.

Turn 2 - In the centre the Royalists continued their attack on the bastion, but failed to take it once more.

Parliament's cavalry attack on the right continued, and the Royalist dragoons were no match for their armoured opponents. The Royalists were forced to commit the last of their horse to cover the dragoons' retreat.

At the end of the turn the Royalists successfully rallied some horse.

Turn 3 - Fighting continued on the right flank as the Royalists committed more horse. Neither side gained any advantage.

The Parliamentarians countered and drove off the Royalist horse. The newly rallied horse was now all they had left.

Turn 4 - The disaster continued for the Royalists as they attacked on the other flank, but were routed. This saw the Royalists forced commit their foot.

But the Parliamentarian cavalry was unstoppable, and cut through the unprepared infantry. The Royalist army was critically exposed.

Turn 5 - The Royalists tried once more to take the bastion, but failed.

With their flanks exposed the Royalist army was forced to flee.

With the defeat of the relief force Oxford fell, the king fleeing north to Nottingham. Parliament now controlled South Midlands.

1643 - 2

South Midlands became the active area. I could have chosen to attack the South, but with the Royalist capital under their control it made sense for Parliament to try and grab as many uncontrolled areas as possible and get that majority of 4 needed for a win. So they exerted control over Wales.

1643 - 3

Wales actually became the active area next turn, so the North West declared for Parliament.

Parliament now controlled 5 areas to the Royalist's 3.

1643 - 4

Amazingly the newly committed North West became the next active area, and Parliament seized the North.

(With hindsight this was the least sensible of the two options. A move into Yorkshire would have stopped the Royalists in North Midlands from grabbing it, and given Parliament a chance to take the North on another turn.)

The campaign was now at a critical juncture. If Parliament could take Yorkshire, or if they could take another Royalist area, then they would have the majority needed for victory.

And for some reason I didn't take a photo of what happened next ...

1643 - 5

The Royalists finally got a break and North Midlands became the active area. They swung Yorkshire to the Royalist cause. The Royalists had held off the prospect of an immediate defeat.

1643 - 6

Every area was now controlled, so any action would automatically result in a battle. The rolls saw Wales as the active area. The only option from there was an advance into the North Midlands. If Parliament won then they would win the campaign 7-3 because they hold Oxford as well.

Under the command of Sir Thomas Barnaby, Parliament combined forces from Wales and Cheshire and advanced into Shropshire, quickly taking the town of Shrewsbury. However as they headed South they were attacked by a Royalist army under the ever energetic Prince Rupert near Wenlock Edge.

Game 4 - The Battle of Wenlock Edge

Royalists - 2 x Defended Horse, 2 x Defended Missile Foot

Parliament - 2 x Missile Foot in Defences, 3 x Horse

For a fourth time the Royalists were attacking.

There were lots of units in defences in this game! I classed the Royalist defence as being their attacking from a position of advantage down a hill. Parliament were assumed to be in defensible terrain.

So, advancing south from Shrewsbury the Royalists attacked in the mist, sweeping down the slopes of a large hill. The Parliamentarian army formed up in a series of enclosures.

Parliament placed their defended foot on the left and centre, horse on their right and more horse in reserve. The Royalists had horse on the wings and foot in the centre. Prince Rupert is nothing if not a traditionalist.

Turn 1 - After an ineffective artillery bombardment phase (this is a surprise attack after all) the Royalists opened the battle with an attack on the right with their horse. This saw the horse of both sides go haring off into the mist, out of the battle.

The Royalists brought up the foot that was their reserve, whilst more Parliamentarian horse moved up the ridge to oppose them. I didn't get a picture of the attack the Parliamentarian horse made there, but neither side bothered the other, so it's not important.

Turn 2 - The Royalists attacked on the left, but couldn't shift the enemy pike and shot from the enclosures.

Parliament committed in the centre, but the Royalists counter-attacked and drove the troops there from the enclosures. Parliament moved up horse from their reserve.

Both sides rolled to rally troops. Some Royalist horse returned to the fray, whilst the Parliamentarian foot rallied behind their horse.

Turn 3 - The Royalists attacked on the left but things were inconclusive.

Parliament's attack on the right was also inconclusive.

Turn 4 - Pushing through the enclosures the Royalist foot in the centre tried to drive off the Parliamentarian horse there. But it failed to make any headway.

The horse formed up for a charge and drove back the Royalists. Their horse moved to cover the retreat. Both sides now had horse in the centre.

Turn 5 - The Royalists continued to make heavy weather of their advance on the right, but neither could Parliament's horse drive them off.

Parliament's horse continued their advance in the centre and drove off the Royalists, exposing their centre. It looked like Prince Rupert's plans were to be thwarted by Parliament's horse once more.

Turn 6 - The Royalist foot on the right finally saw off Parliament's horse, but now came up against the rallied foot in the enclosures.

Parliament's horse attacked the Royalist left, but failed to defeat them.

Turn 7 - The Royalists couldn't shift their Parliamentarian counterparts from the enclosures.

Parliament's horse failed in their flank attack again. The artist didn't do an engraving.

Turn 8 - The Royalist launched an attack on the left, but Parliament's foot held them off.

The Parliamentarian flank attack failed again. 

(If you're keeping score that's five combats in a row that proved to be inconclusive. The Parliamentarian horse needed a 5+ to destroy the Royalists and win the battle. Not getting the +1 for outflanking was critical to this; horse don't get it if they're attacking from the centre.)

Turn 9 - This is probably the longest Dominion game I've ever played! The Royalists kept up their cavalry attack on the left and the opposing foot fled.

And for the fourth time Parliament's outflanking horse failed to destroy the Royalists.

Turn 10 - I mean TEN TURNS! Who'd have thought it?

Anyway, the Royalists now had nothing facing them on the left so also got to do an outflanking attack. In this case there are opposed rolls, although the two units stay in their own zones. However the Royalists get a +1 because they are attacking from a flank sector. 

They won.

So the Royalists picked up a narrow win, but prevented Parliament from taking North Midlands and winning the war.

(And, in case you weren't keeping score, 12 out of the 19 combats had no result)

That saw the end of 1643. Parliament controls 6 areas to the Royalists' 4, and also control Oxford. So the war is very much going their way at the moment.

(Just a reminder that the black marker in Wales shows that the area launched an attack last turn hat failed, so they get a -1 on initiative on the next turn.)

If Parliament get to attack and win, then they also win the campaign. The Royalists need to take the initiative. But will they? Find out ... soon.