LION RAMPANT: Michael's Birthday Game.

We were celebrating Michael's birthday, and for the occasion, he organised a game using his own boats, miniatures, and scenario. As is typical with his games, there was a catch, which I quickly figured out.

SCENARIO: Michael Schneider
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider

1. Forces.

In our game, two Viking commanders, David and Alasdair, led the Vikings. Each commander had two ships and roughly equal forces. On the shore, they faced the Norman forces, which were led by Tim and me. Initially, Michael served only as the game master. The game board featured an abbey and three villages, all abbey properties, each containing a treasure. Players aimed to collect as many treasures as possible by the end of the game.

2. The game.

First, I must acknowledge that I had a significant advantage over the other players. Remembering Michael's previous "special" games and his purchases during the last Claymore, I realised that this would not be a typical game of "reach the building, find the treasure, and escape." I expected supernatural elements, hordes of zombies, or something similar; I was wrong about the zombies. However, I was correct about everything else.

Tim and I divided our forces; I took two units of foot soldiers to defend the abbey, while Tim headed to the shore to fend off an incoming Viking landing. However, this was a ruse: my real plan was to retrieve treasures from two nearby villages, bring them back to the abbey, and hold that position until the end of the game. That's exactly what I did: I sent one unit to the village at the tip of the right-hand headland and the other to the village near the abbey.

My initial assumptions were correct. As soon as I entered the village, the first ghost—an abbey guardian—leapt at me. Instead of fighting it, I grabbed the treasure and ducked into the abbey, only to be attacked by another ghost shortly after. The situation quickly grew dire, as both ghosts were formidable foes. I decided to evacuate the abbey with the treasure. This proved difficult because of my poor activation rolls, while the two ghosts effectively decimated my unit. My numbers were eventually halved, but I finally broke free from the abbey and escaped off the table with the treasure. It wasn't exactly a heroic escape, but that wasn't the main objective.

My second unit's story didn't unfold as successfully as the first. It reached a village on a headland, but on the outskirts, Alasdair's berserkers attacked after he landed his ships on the beach. While some of his forces engaged Tim, others focused their attention on my second unit. I defeated Alasdair's men and entered the village to seize the treasure, only to be confronted by spirits. They wiped out half my unit, but I escaped. At that point, I discovered that the treasure—a golden crucifix—shielded me from the spirits, though it offered no protection against arrows. A second group of Alasdair's men gave chase, raining arrows down on the remnants of my unit and reclaiming the crucifix.

Tim chose a more heroic approach by engaging in a series of battles against David, who had just landed his ships. Instead of focusing on the treasure, Tim concentrated on combat, and before long, his forces were decimated. This left the path to the final village wide open for David, even though he was still quite far away. In the end, I won the game by securing the most treasure. The key to any victory is effective reconnaissance and, at times, sacrificing other players to distract opponents. As the saying goes: LET OTHERS FIGHT — I'LL LOOT IT ALL!

3. Links.

SESWC:

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

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720336220118/

SONG ABOUT THE GAME:

https://suno.com/s/JbnonzHdF4RCZZal

BY FIRE AND SWORD: Wojnicz, 3.10.1655.

This year, I have focused my painting efforts on miniatures for the By Fire and Sword game, although we haven't actually played it for quite a while. To change that, I proposed a scenario set during the Swedish Deluge, specifically the Battle of Wojnicz on October 3, 1655. I relied heavily on Michał Paradowski's Against the Deluge, published by Helion, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this phase of the Polish-Swedish wars.

SCENARIO: Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

SWEDES

(Bartek)

King Charles Gustav (4 orders)

2 x Lt. Colonel (3 orders)

1 x Major (2 orders)

1 x Armoured Mercenary Reiters (S, Veterans)

2 x Armoured Mercenary Reiters (S)

4 x Mercenary Reiters (M, Veterans)

2 x Mercenary Reiters (M)

1 x Dragoons (S)

1 x Dragooned Musketeers (M)

POLISH-LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH

(Alasdair, David, Jimmy, Mike)

Field Hetman Lanckoroński (3 orders)

Colonel (3 orders)

2 x Rotamaster (2 orders)

1 x Husaria (M)

2 x Pancerni (S)

8 x Cossack Style Cavalry (M)

1 x Volunteers (S)

1 x Wallachian Cavalry (S)

1 x Polish Dragoons (S)

2. The Game.

Before we dive into the actual gameplay, let's take a moment to discuss the events leading up to this battle. Starting in 1648, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth became embroiled in a perpetual war after the Cossack uprising led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Neighbouring powers began to intervene in the civil conflict with the Cossacks. When Khmelnytsky sought support at Pereyaslav and placed himself under the protection of the Muscovite ruler, Russia entered the fray. Muscovite forces devastated Lithuania in 1654, and a Swedish invasion in 1655 soon followed, bringing the Commonwealth to the brink of collapse.

Swedish forces advanced through the territory, pushing Crown troops from north to south and engaging in several minor skirmishes along the way. By late September, the Swedish army had reached Kraków and laid siege to the city, defended by Stefan Czarniecki. Meanwhile, the disheartened Polish king retreated to his estates in Silesia. However, the Crown army—still intact—was gathering near Tarnów to march to Kraków's aid. Aware of this, Charles Gustav left part of his army at Kraków and set out with the rest, primarily cavalry, to confront the Polish forces. He engaged them northwest of Wojnicz, near the Dunajec River.

Jimmy commanded the Polish forces in this game, overseeing dragoons, Wallachians, and volunteers in the camp under his direct control. Alasdair led the right flank with one unit of Pancerni and three units of cossack-style cavalry. David held the centre with the Husaria and one unit of cossack-style cavalry, while Mike commanded the left flank with the remaining forces. I took command of the Swedes, influenced by the surprises the Swedes had in store for the Poles during this battle. I divided my forces into two groups, similar to the strategy used in the actual battle.

The situation started with mutual accusations and counter-accusations from both sides. As the overall commander, Jimmy issued guidelines to his subordinates, who then relayed orders to their respective units. I adopted a concept from the first edition: any order that didn't align with the guidelines required a supplemental order. The game was planned for six turns, with the primary objectives being the Polish camp and the ford across the Dunajec River.

Mike advanced on my left flank, where I had set up a Swedish-style ambush with dragoons and musketeers hidden in a small ravine. Interestingly, that ravine is now called "Swedish Ravine" and is home to a small housing development. I learned this while outlining the battlefield on Google Maps. Musket fire stopped the Polish units' charge, but it did not destroy them; subsequent Swedish charges did.

We found ourselves caught in an endless series of close-quarters battles between the two sides. Some of these encounters may have been resolved incorrectly—partly because we hadn't played with these rules in a long time, and also because I had prepared a game that was too large for a Thursday evening. Given its scale, I really should have scheduled it for a Sunday.

In the end, the Swedes inflicted greater losses on the Polish team and emerged victorious; however, we completed only three turns, and both sides still retained all their cards.

In reality, the Polish forces were defeated and fled the battlefield. In the days that followed, many commanders of the Crown army began defecting to the Swedish king in large numbers; before long, almost the entire Crown army had abandoned the Polish monarch. Kraków surrendered, and Stefan Czarniecki retreated to join the king in Silesia. Although the war seemed to be ending, it was only the beginning. Swedish plundering incited uprisings, and the following year the Crown army returned to support the Polish king. The war dragged on for several more years, devastating the Commonwealth and ultimately paving the way for its collapse in the late 18th century. This conflict continued until the Peace of Oliwa was concluded in 1660.

To conclude, I recommend a flyover of the battlefield:

3. Links.

SESWC:

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

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720335988674

SONG ABOUT THE GAME:

https://suno.com/s/KuKUmzGSygiz1en3

BLACK POWDER. Germantown, 4.10.1777 - Western part.

This time, Michael has prepared a mini-campaign centred around the Battle of Germantown, which took place on October 4, 1777. However, he presents it in a slightly different format. This campaign follows a "what-if" style and breaks down the battle into three smaller engagements that occur simultaneously, each influencing the final, fourth clash. We will be using the Black Powder rules for the game, along with a few house rules created by Michael.

SCENARIO: Michael Schneider
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider

1. Forces.

UNITED KINGDOM

(Alasdair, Jimmy)

CinC (8)

2 x Hessian Line

1 x Hessian Grenadiers

2 x Hessian Jaegers

1 x Medium Gun

POSSIBLE REINFORCEMENTS:

2 x Commander (8)

4 x British Line

UNITED STATES

(Bartek, David)

CinC (8)

1st Brigade

Brigade General (8)

3 x Militia

1 x Light Gun

2nd Brigade

Brigade General (8)

3 x Militia

POSSIBLE REINFORCEMENTS:

3 x Dragoons

2 x Light Guns

2. The game.

The main objective was for both sides to pin each other down, preventing reinforcements from reaching the forces engaged in the final major battle. I set an additional goal: draw in as many British reserve units as possible to weaken the opponent for that final clash. I could also deploy a dragoon unit from the reserves; however, since Michael had only one painted unit, I could field only that one. If it had broken through, it would have posed a significant problem for my opponent. 

I set up the table in the wrong orientation, aiding the British.

I was also concerned that the Hessians might retreat to their own table edge and wait for the militia to join them—a scenario that, combined with the Hessians' superior training, would have presented serious trouble for me. Fortunately, that did not happen.

The Hessians began the game marching in a column along the road, just as we did, but on the opposite side of a small stream. To prevent the enemy from retreating to the edge of the field, I ordered my troops (the 2nd Brigade) and David's troops (the 1st Brigade) to cross the stream and slowly advance against the Hessian units. My Brigade moved toward the woods where Jimmy's Jägers were concealed. At the same time, David faced a more challenging situation, as he had to confront two battalions of line infantry led by Alasdair. Meanwhile, the British divided their forces into two groups: the Grenadiers fell back to the edge of the field to cover the Jägers, while Alasdair advanced with the remaining troops toward David's Brigade.

After an initial exchange of fire, one of Alasdair's units charged at David's militia unit with fixed bayonets. What happened next was unbelievable: David's unit withstood the initial assault and, after a prolonged engagement, defeated the Hessian unit, completely routing it. Alasdair now found himself in a difficult situation; David advanced on the isolated commander with his remaining units, forcing him back toward the edge of the field. Dragoons also entered the fray but failed to engage. They first made a blunder that forced them to retreat, then botched a series of orders, which frustrated me.

At the same time, my Brigade charged the Jägers hidden in the woods. After a prolonged exchange of gunfire and a final charge by one of my militia units, I routed both enemy detachments. Now, two of my units moved toward the edge of the forest, threatening to cut the Hessian troops off from their own lines. Meanwhile, another unit advanced to support David in eliminating Alasdair. Alasdair.

Disrupted by our musket fire, Alasdair was slowly retreating toward the edge of his table and was forced to abandon his cannon. Eventually, a blunder exposed his flank to David's unit. What followed was a textbook example of battlefield chaos. First, David fired at point-blank range but inflicted no serious damage. Then he ordered his troops to charge the flank, but they did not understand. I issued the same order, and it failed just the same. Finally, I ordered the dragoons to cut Alasdair off from the edge, but again, the order was not carried out. I haven't seen a round like that in a long time.

Not everything went exactly as I had envisioned. My militia positioned at the edge of the woods prompted Jimmy to call for reinforcements, specifically a unit of British line infantry. While Alasdair's unit was lost and certainly cut off from the final game, the Hessian and British grenadiers could still participate. At that point, I decided to implement a "Death or Glory" style attack. My militia charged at the Hessians and engaged them in hand-to-hand combat. We didn't resolve the fight before the game ended, so all the units involved remained locked in that sector and couldn't participate in the final, decisive battle. The plan succeeded, and we achieved far more than we expected. We will play the next game in three weeks, this time north of Germantown. We shall see if Washington makes the same mistakes.

Here is an overview of the battlefield after we completed the game:

3. Links.

SESWC:

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

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720335831520

SONG ABOUT THE GAME:

https://suno.com/s/PRPDeIFTsEfVIMpq