The Confederation try to slow the Union advance, but can they hold on?

    This weeks game ticked most of the boxes for our club members, we ran an American Civil War game using "Black Powder" with a few little tweaks. It also allowed us to blow the dust off our 10mm Pendraken figures which is always nice. It was one of those projects that everyone got behind and really ran with and within a couple of months we had 5 or 6 players with complete armies. Admittedly most of the members choose to collect Union forces.....when I say most, I mean everyone barring myself. No one said enthusiasm had to be coupled with any form of planning!?

   The game was scenario driven with the Union forces having to drive the Confederates from their entrenchments and seizing the road junction that would cut off any chance of a confederate retreat. Each player was also given an individual objective to achieve to add a little more spice.

   Our Union commanders were Rupert and Adrian, Rupert was hell bent on impressing his soon to be father-in-law who was the Union Commander-in-Chief. His task was to remove the Confederates from their entrenchments, thereby earnings the respect of his future father-in-law.

   Adrian was to protect the amassed journalists that had been brought along to capture this crucial Union victory. The war was coming to an end and the Union C-in-C had dreams of government positions once the war was over, coverage in the national media of a "Glorious Union Victory" would go a long way in helping this dream become reality.

   On the Confederate side Martin had been given control of the local militia regiments, Martin's forces had been out on campaign for some time now and fatigue was setting in. as we all know the best remedy for fatigue is the capturing of a Union supply wagon (regardless if it was full of journalists)

Adrian's Brigade deployed to the left with his 4 regiments and journalists in tow, Rupe set his 4 regiments off from the right hand side of the road with all the union forces in march column

   The union forces were quick out of the gate and covered the distance to the confederate line remarkably quickly.

   After Adrian's forces had deployed in to line a fire fight broke out, casualties were amassed by both sides before the Union forces charged and cleared the Confederates from the woods.

   The arrival of the Union artillery battery added a lot of firepower to the assault.

   The aftermath of the assault was telling for both sides, Adrian reformed his remaining regiments in defensive positions on the edge of the wood ready to repel Guy's Confederate Cavalry if they choose to attack. Martin's forces were hampered by some bad dice rolling for commands at crucial times as they struggled to move in to attacking positions.

   Whilst the Union left flank had been pressing home its charge, Rupert had moved his forces straight down the road and avoided the entrenchments in an attempt to bait the entrenched Confederates.........

    ........which they duly did!

    The Union forces pressed on, contacting the Confederates at the junction in the road. The initial assault was repulsed, but with more Union regiments moving forward the Confederates broke after four more rounds of combat. 

    The Confederates had attempted to assault the Union battery behind the rear lines, but the ferocious closing fire of the artillery broke the regiment and with it the Confederate generals called a halt to the game. 

   All in all it was another entertaining game of "Black Powder" which gave a conclusive ending within 3 hours. As the creator of the scenario I may of been asking slightly too much of the Confederate forces, which although losing put a very good defense with the Union forces only making the breakthrough as it neared 10.00 pm. The Union generals decision to avoid a frontal assault on the entrenchment was very clever and something I hadn't predicted when planning the game.

   Thanks for looking, these games are just a selection of club night games we run on Monday evenings. Please get in contact if you would like any information on where and when we play or if you'd like to pop in and see what's going on.