Black Powder: Radzymin 1809.

Today, I’m sharing a report on the game we played last Thursday. Michael and I both have collections from the Napoleonic Wars: Michael has the Austrian forces, while I represent the Duchy of Warsaw. A while back, Roger Grafton prepared a set of scenarios for the Polish-Austrian War of 1809, which he shared on the General D'Armee fan page on Facebook. I decided to adapt these scenarios for our favourite set, Black Powder, and we played our first game. The scenarios start with the Battle of Raszyn; however, we had already recreated that battle when Michael's collection made its debut on the table. Therefore, I chose to proceed with the skirmish at Radzymin next. 

SCENARIO: Roger Grafton, Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

Historically speaking, the original skirmish featured one infantry battalion on the Polish side, supported by a squadron of lancers and four cannons. In contrast, the Austrian forces consisted of two infantry battalions, a squadron of hussars, and fourteen cannons. Roger includes additional forces in his scenarios to enhance gameplay and make the combat more engaging.

DUCHY OF WARSAW

CinC General Dąbrowski (9) (Bartek)

1st Infantry Brigade (Jimmy)

Brigade General (8)

4 x Infantry Battalion

2nd Infantry Brigade (Alasdair)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Infantry Battalion

1 x Voltiguer Detachment

1 x Gun Halfbattery

Cavalry Brigade (David)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Ułan Regiment

1 x Horse Gun Halfbattery

AUSTRIA

CinC General Mohr (8) (Tim)

1st Infantry Brigade (Tim)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Infantry Battalion

1 x Jaeger Detachment

1 x Gun Battery

2nd Infantry Regiment (Andy)

Brigade General (8)

1 x Infantry Regiment

1 x Grenadier Regiment

1 x Grenadier Detachment

1 x Jaeger Detachment

1 x Gun Battery

Cavalry Brigade (Michael)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Hussar Detachment

1 x Horse Gun Battery

2. The Game.

The Austrians were the first to deploy, positioning most of their infantry in Radzymin, ready to cross the bridge and evacuate from the battlefield, which would secure their victory. The Austrian cavalry stationed itself at a distance to cover the retreat from the south. Meanwhile, the Poles divided their forces into two columns. Alasdair aimed to approach Radzymin from the south, while Jimmy and David were tasked with cutting off Radzymin from the north.

Alasdair's attack from the south was swiftly thwarted by Tim and Andy's units, especially the artillery, the Jägers, and a small contingent of Grenadiers. Furthermore, Alasdair exposed himself to a flanking attack by the Austrian cavalry. The cavalry charged the Voltigeurs, who retreated, revealing a half-battery of cannons that the Hussars later destroyed. Dąbrowski was called upon to intervene; he rallied the Voltigeurs and, alongside them, supported Alasdair's assault. They faced another charge from the Hussars, but this time they formed a square, successfully repelling the attack. Meanwhile, Alasdair's remaining units were bombarded by the cannons of Michael and Tim, resulting in the destruction of one of his battalions. The second battalion was attacked by the Grenadiers, but that assault was repelled, destroying the Grenadier unit.

The game, however, was ultimately decided on the opposite bank of the Rządza River, where the attack was led by the brigades of Jimmy and David. Michael warned Tim and Andy about the impending attack, which likely instilled fear in them, much like the Allies feared the German Tigers during World War II. In this instance, however, their object of fear was the Uhlans. In the first round, Tim moved the first of his battalions off the table. However, David's strategic move, which positioned the Uhlans very close to the bridge, forced Tim to recall his unit back on the table. He then arranged it in a square formation and did the same with the second unit. This tactic effectively blocked the cavalry's path, theoretically allowing other units to exit the village safely.

Jimmy led a charge with his infantry against both formations of the Austrian soldiers. After an intense battle, he successfully broke through both squares and blocked the enemy's escape route. Following this, Tim attempted to break through the blockade, but his attack also failed. At this point, the Austrian forces surrendered, and the battle concluded with a victory for the Poles!

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720327375364

Wings of Glory: British Agent and German absent.

Another aerial game, this time set during World War I: Wings of Glory, requested by Alasdair.

SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Alasdair Watson, Tim Chant

1. Forces.

ENTENTE

SPAD XIII - Tim

SPAD XIII - Alasdair

DE HAVILLAND DH4 - Tim

SOPWITH SNIPE - Andy

SOPWITH CAMEL - Ben

GERMANS

FOKKER D.VII - Michael

FOKKER D.VII - Bartek

ALBATROS D.V.A - Jimmy

2. The Game.

Our game was divided into two stages: the first involved extracting the British agent on the ground, and the second focused on engaging in air combat to drive the enemy away.

Jimmy fired the first shot at Ben, and that was his only action in the game for quite some time. More on that later. The first significant duel occurred on the other side, where Alasdair faced off against Michael. Both players scored hits, but Alasdair was hit particularly hard, resulting in his plane exploding. This marked the loss of the first unit plane in the game.

Meanwhile, Tim was on a mission in his two-seater plane to pick up the British spy. He was assisted by security provided by Andy and Ben's fighter planes, as well as his own. Initially, I was alone against them, but Michael soon joined me. Unfortunately, Jimmy decided to take a reconnaissance flight around the table.

Tim successfully landed, picked up the agent, and took off. Meanwhile, Michael found himself in the back of a two-seater plane but was hit by the rear gunner, causing the vehicle to catch fire and explode. I was left in pursuit of Tim, now surrounded by four planes, while Alasdair returned with his second plane and Jimmy continued his tour around the battlefield.

Each player piloting a fighter had the option to return to our game in their original plane or choose a new one. Alasdair opted to return in the same plane, while Michael decided to stick with the Fokker D VII model but flew with a different pilot. Meanwhile, I continued to chase Tim on my own. However, surrounded and alone, I made a mistake that ultimately cost me the plane. Tim shot me down, although Andy and Ben also contributed to my defeat.

That was when Jimmy joined the game, only to be shot down by Andy. At that moment, Tim's two-seater plane left the battlefield. The Entente had won the first part of the game. Now we were entering the second part, which focused on dominating the skies. The Entente still held the upper hand in the air.

The fight erupted once more as Jimmy returned with his plane, but Michael was quickly shot down. Eager for revenge, I first shot down Andy and then Ben. Meanwhile, Jimmy lost his second plane, leaving me all alone again. Realising I had to retreat, I turned back. The victory of the Entente was complete.

Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720327179552/

Conquest of the Empire.

We took a little break from our miniature games to play a board game. Mike brought back his copy of Conquest of the Empire, which simulates the civil war in the Roman Empire. This time, we had six players: I represented Italy, Mike played as Spain, Tim took on Macedonia, Jimmy was in Asia, Alasdair controlled Egypt, and Andy managed West Africa. Meanwhile, David kept watch over the bank.

As always, during the first few turns, players expanded their territories. Some reached their maximum peaceful expansion sooner than others. Most players focused on strengthening their forces, but two players deviated from this pattern. Mike concentrated on expanding his fleet, while Tim focused on building cities and developing infrastructure.

The first wars soon broke out. The initial conflict was between Alasdair and Jimm over control of Palestine and Syria, while another battle occurred between Andy and Alasdair for Libya. In the case of Libya, Alasdair successfully repelled Andy's attack. However, in the Middle East, the war continued until the game's conclusion.

Peace reigned in the European part of the empire until Andi launched an attack on Sicily and then southern Italy. I was able to retake the provinces, but concentrating my forces in the south left my northern borders vulnerable. I thought I had an agreement with Tim, but it turned out I had only imagined it. Tim attacked my territories and defeated my forces in several battles, ultimately eliminating me from the game. After that, he emerged as the leader, but he also became a target for other players, particularly Mike, who began his attack.

Mike launched attacks against Tim both on land and at sea. The advantage lay with Mike, as he had the resources to sustain his efforts. In the south, Andy was weakened from fighting, while Alasdair and Jimmy were preoccupied with each other. Soon, Alasdair and Jimmy realised that they could also become targets for Mike's attacks, prompting them to gather their forces in their respective capitals. Ultimately, we didn't complete the game, but it was evident that only a significant upheaval could prevent Mike from securing victory. It was another interesting game, and we will revisit it at a later time.

Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720327151139

Blood Red Skies: Bombing attack on Churchill's Secret Cigar House.

After the British nearly succeeded in bombing Goering's headquarters, it was time for revenge. The Germans decided to bomb the secret location where Churchill kept his finest cigars. The entire game was played using the Blood Red Skies rules.

SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant, Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

RAF

(Bartek, Ben, Tim)

1st Squadron (British)

3 x Mosquito (1 x 4, 2 x 3)

2nd Squadron (British)

4 x Spitfire (1 x 5 Johnson, 1 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 2)

3rd Squadron (Polish)

3 x Hurricane (1 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 2)

LUFTWAFFE

(Jimmy, Michael)

1st Squadron

3 x Focke-Wulf FE-190 (1 x 5 Marsellitte, 2 x 3)

2nd Squadron

3 x Focke-Wulf FE-190 (2 x 4, 1 x 3)

3rd Squadron

3 x Messerschmitt Bf 109 E (1 x 4, 2 x 3)

Bombing Squadron

3 x Ju 88A (3 x 3)

2. The Game.

In our game, the Germans were assigned the mission to bomb a secret location: Churchill's best cigar warehouse. We utilised beta cards from the Blood Red Skies Facebook group, which provided modifications to the planes' capabilities. As a result, the Hurricanes became a formidable weapon.

In the RAF, we had three pilots: Ben in Spitfires, Tim in Mosquitoes, and I in Hurricanes. On the opposing side, Jimmy commanded both squadrons of Focke-Wulfs, while Michael led the rest.

The first to clash were the Spitfires and the Focke-Wulfs. Despite their numerical superiority, the Germans were unable to gain an advantage. The Spitfires engaged the more advanced German aircraft, but one of the German pilots, their ace, managed to break through the British lines and reach the Mosquitoes that were attacking the German bombers. There, however, he was met with a surprise when one of the Spitfires turned around and shot him down.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Polish Hurricanes were engaging with Messerschmitts. Initially, the Poles pressed their attack vigorously, but soon their momentum slowed. Both sides began to approach one another at a minimal speed. Eventually, the Poles accelerated, managed to position themselves on the tails of the Germans, shot down one of the planes, and forced the others to retreat.

The German bombers were left without cover. The Focke-Wulfs were too far away, and the Messerschmitts were driven off. As a result, the Mosquitoes were able to strafe the German bombers with little resistance, and soon, one bomber was shot down. Following this, Spitfires and Hurricanes joined the assault. It was evident that the Germans, being outmatched, would fail in bombing the secret cigar stash of the British Prime Minister.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720326958441