Laptop Wargaming

         Personal issues have stopped just about all my gaming in the last couple of months. I also started working on an indoor target range,  which I use BB and pellet guns. Also, although the current pandemic have many people losing their jobs, my job is still considered "essential", so I still have a job to go to.
         There have been several wargame projects I have several wargame project I have been trying to get off the ground. Unfortunately, by the time I have free time, I'm too tired to work on them.

         This week I really wanted to get a game in. My wife has been out of work since January with another work injury. Needless to say I am concerned with her health, and try to spend as much time as I can with her, even if it's just watching TV.  I decided that I could use a tray with a chessboard for a  wargame on my laptop desk, which I use when writing out bills at night.  I found some old Battle Cry figures (from the old Milton Bradley game from the 1960's) to use with Chris Salander's Horse & Musket 2.0 rules.  I did get a game in, and decided that for now I will use these "Laptop Wargames" until things go back to normal.

     Last night I brought up my Cigar Box Wargame, and used this in place of the chessboard. Hopefully I can get more games played this week.

The Battle Cry armies deployed. The figures were randomly placed. I bought these loose figures years ago to use with these rules.

One Union unit breaks through the center.

The end of the game. As I didn't set any goals for the battle, it ended a draw, a rather  disappointing result.

Cigar Box Wargame set up. The terrain was placed based on terrain cards drawn randomly. 

The game setup on my lap desk. I put the board on a tray, in case of some disruption,  hopefully the playing pieces won't end up on the floor. The dice box has a foam bottom, so the sound of the dice is muted, so as not to bother my wife.

For this game I used A Stronghold Rebuilt "See the Elephant" rules, except I used Battle Cry dice..

When I use these rules, victory goes to the first army to lose 2/3 of their army, unless  I concede the battle before then.

A Great Northern War Wargame

     The new Peter Laing Great Northern War armies finally met on the field of battle. The battlefield itself is gridded 9x9, with 2" squares. I decided to go with 9x9, as it would make using Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargame scenarios easier to set up, instead of a 8x8.
    The scenario is #4, "Take the High Ground", from OHW. It was a scenario not used before. The rules used were modified "See the Elephant" rules, from the great blog, "The Stronghold Rebuilt".

Two Russian units hold a hill; the Swedish army wants to take control of the hill.  The Swedish commander send two elite regiments of grenadiers to seize the hill, with an artillery battery to take up position on the road to support the attack, or fire down the road to slow any Russian reinforcements.

The Russian reinforcements are on their way.

The Russian artillery eliminates one Swedish stand. Meanwhile, Russian cavalry starts down the road with another battery in support.

The Swedish grenadiers hits the Russian infantry, costing the Russians one stand. The Swedish artillery pushes forward.

The Russian fire continues to do damage to the grenadiers; the cavalry tries to close with the artillery before they can get the gun into action.

The grenadiers fire drives the Russian infantry off of the hill. Meanwhile, the Swedish artillery fire starts causing casualties on the Russian cavalry.

The Russian infantry rallies and returns to the hill. Their fire continues to devastate the grenadiers. The Russian cavalry simply rides down the Swedish artillery! All three cavalry dice came up 6's!

One of the grenadier regiments gets up the hill and hits the Russian infantry in the flank.  Another Swedish infantry regiment tries to recapture the artillery.

The Russian infantry loses two bases, but drives the grenadiers off the hill. In StE rules, if a unit closes into "close combat" and doesn't eliminate or make the enemy retreat, the defenders get to roll one dice. The lone Russian stand got to roll, forcing the grenadiers to retreat. Meanwhile, the Swedish infantry takes out another cavalry stand.

The other Russian artillery battery comes forward to try to cover the road.

The Swedish army now sends forward all their infantry. The grenadiers once again storms the hill.

The grenadiers finally wipes out the Russian infantry on the hill, and the infantry on the road eliminates the last of the Russian cavalry and retakes the gun.

The Russian artillery fires point blank into the oncoming grenadiers...

....and wipes out 60% of them!

The grenadiers still press home the attack, and the Swedish regiment on the road attacks the deploying artillery.

The grenadiers overrun the battery. The other battery is forced to retreat.

While the Russians still have two fresh regiments on the road, the Swedish army have three regiments that have suffered no losses. To attempt to recapture the hill would prove too costly. The Russians withdraw.

New Books and an Austrian- Ottoman Wargame

     Yesterday I went to the used bookstore that at the last visit had received a good selection of British Army books. Below you will see the volumes I bought. The book on "Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859-1908" was a great find that I almost missed. The plates are filling my head with visions of Peter Laing and 40mm figures painted toy soldier style with the uniforms in this book.

    I made it a point to leave myself time for a wargame. I had decided to use my Peter Laing Ottomans and WSS Austrians. After buying these books, I almost brought out my Peter Laing Victorian Parade figures, but in the end went with the Ottomans. For rules I used The Stronghold Rebuilt GNW version of "See the Elephant". I tried to use the rules as written, even using regular 6d dice instead of Battle Cry dice. I proved an enjoyable game, with some of his rules that I normally don't use playing a big part in this game.

The best find of the day. A large collection of color plates to give plenty of inspiration. Below is three pages of the plates.

Add caption

Another great book with the regimental badges and history  through WW2.

I finally saw most of the movie "Lawrence of Arabia". That, and a Man of Tin  wargame  based on a train ambush in the desert made me want to find out more about this part of WW1 history.

The two armies deployed. The Turks have three cavalry and three infantry units.  The Austrians have two cavalry and four infantry units.  I used the same size forces as I used in the last game.

The deployed Ottomans.

The Austrians deployed.

The Turkish cavalry kills two infantry, and the janissaries kill another Austrian.

With these rules, you roll 1 dice for each unit on the board . If you roll 4-6, you can activate one unit.  If you roll  1-3, the unit isn't activated, but if it has suffered losses, you roll 1 dice for each lost piece. For each  5 or 6 you roll, the piece "rallies" and the unit gets that piece back. One of the Austrian units has one piece rally, and it rejoins its unit.

The Austrian cavalry has no success against the Turks, but infantry fire kills two  janissaries.

The janissaries rally. The Turkish cavalry hits the Austrian cavalry in it's front.

The Austrian cavalry retreats.

The Austrian infantry push forward to try to divide the Turks.

The blue janissaries lose 2 men, but hold fast. One Turk cavalryman is lost and the unit falls back.

The Turks push their forces forward. The blue janissaries don't move, but rallies. In the upper right of the picture a Turkish cavalry unit can be seen. This unit eliminated one of the Austrian cavalry units.

The Austrian general sends his cavalry reserve across the back of the army. to protect again the Turkish cavalry that is now behind his line.

The Turkish cavalry behind the Austrian line attacks the Austrian cavalry, while all the janissaries push forward.

The Turkish cavalry drives es off the Austrian horse.

What's worse, the janissaries force one infantry unit to retreat, eliminates another infantry unit, and kills  an Austrian in the other unit.

The situation facing the Austrian general after this move. The Turks have yet to lose a unit. The Austrians flee the field.

The victorious Ottomans.  An army that needs to see more action. I am thinking of making a GNW Russian army, that could also engage the Turks.