Wyvern Wargamers - Sunday night is Sharp Practice Night

A little behind on postings....
Club Night and all things Sharp Practice are on offer over at the Wyverns.

First up a cracking outing in the woodlands of North America, a French raiding party is about to have the tables turned on them as they attempt to raid an Indian village.

With the gods of War on their sides the Indian Big man comes out of the bag first he pushes the movable deployment forward deep into French flanking the French.

Meanwhile to the front the British and their Indian allies push forward.

On the far left the French charge forward pushing the Indian's back, but in turn are countered charged by yet more Indians. In a bloody affair the French commander is killed and their force morale slips down into single figures.

With their leader taken from the field the French morale creeps ever more towards the danger zone. The final blow comes as the Indian bolstered by their victory in melee drive into the exposed flank.

Meanwhile across the hall. The first outing for 10mm Indian Mutiny coming to a wargames show near you....

Looking forward to see how this develops in the weeks ahead.

Messing about on the river - A french Indian war outing.

Things seem to be picking up at the club of late, a number of new members and some new games on offer. I wonder did everyone deide if 2019 was a time to devote to more hobby time?

The latest offering was a follow up to the last French Indian Wars encounter.

Having been defeated in the last game the British were in retreat and the French and their Indian allies were on the warpath. Next in their sights a small settlement on the river.

Things have been tough for the settlers, but finally a small supply boat arrives with extra tools, black powder and a trinkets, the kind of things that make a house a home.

All that was needed was to go fetch and take back to town.

However the unwanted shoppers arrived in the shape of a Huron war party looking to torch the town and run off with the supplies.

Keen to prevent this the Highlanders march out of town to meet the threat and get their revenge from the last encounter.

The war party breaks right looking to see off the settlers and destroy the supplies before the regulars can get into the fight. The settlers have the option to stand their ground or flee leaving the supplies to the savages. They stand.

The settlers whilst under pressure pour shock on the warparty, but are losing men fast, whilst the British line get into a protracted fire fight with the Indians in the wood thinking a long range volley would see them off.

Time and again the Indians are pinned in the cornfield only to clear their shock (Clever use of the flags, I shall remember that.) and move forward again, but they could not get enough movement to cross the ford, the settlers are beaten and shot down in the road, but the light company rush forward to plug the gap.

Just as the English think they have stopped the savages crossing the open ground towards the town, the French Marines appear and unlease a volley forcing the English morale to crumble as the Light Company officer took a musket ball to the chest that and the loss of the settlers and their big men was enough to push them over the edge.

A great nights gaming and a perfect dry rule for the opening rounds in the Haiti Campaign.

Once again troops were drawn into a protracted fire fight which acheived very little, Aimed volley's was the key but to late in the day to follow up on the War Party and drive them off. Isolated commands ruined the British morale from what was a strong position.

So plenty to learn from as players gear up for campaign games.

Best laid plans.... An FIW Encounter.

A little behind on postings of late, however last Sunday saw the Wyverns venture into the northern reaches of Canada as the French with the aid of the Indian tribes attempted to attack the British homesteads.

The mission was a simple one secure the bridge and drive off the defenders, the river ran the length of the table and aside from the bridge was only crossable at the ford.

I think is was Moltke who said “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” and so it proved on Sunday. I had it all planned rush the bridge drive off the French regulars and turn on the Indians before they could get organised.

It was all going to plan, the counters were first out of the bag and forming a closed column the Brits with supporting skirmishers and the light company pushed ahead and secured the bridge before the French could react.

The French Indian allies were forced to reveal themselves early and ran for the ford.
 

The British flying column reach the dead ground in the valley before the French were able to cross the first picket fence. So far so good.

 

Meanwhile the Indians were pushing hard and I was only able to get a scratch unit of colonial skirmishers upto the fence, they were freshly painted, so I should have known how they would fare.

The British creast the rise and are greated by a french volley and fire from the flank by an Indian unit hidden in the wood, shock was becoming a problem, compounded by 4 Blue flags, curses.

The French prime their muskets and let loose a second round of fire.

The skirmishers are wiped out as shock mounts and force morale falls.

Meanwhile on the western flank the colonials fall back with only the scots saving them from having been routed from the table as the scots ragged fire slowed down the natives advance.

The British column still yet to fire fell back across the bridge and formed into a firing line, but casualties were mounting, including the commanding officer who took a wound whilst trying to steady the line. Force morale fell again.

Under constant fire and unable to remove enough shock points to become effective, the broken formation now separate groups fell back turn after turn, leaving the French and their Indian allies firmly in control of the northern bank and poised to cross the river.

With the British force morale nearing the zero they were forced to leave the table.

Victory to the French.

A great nights gaming even if the result turned out to be nothing like my original plan.