Wargaming over the phone! - Portable Wargames

Having read various posts on TMP and on blogs about wargaming using Skype; Zoom; What's App etc., Bob and I decided to give it a go.  We decided to try out Bob Cordery's Portable Colonial Wargames rules as they were on offer on Kindle and meant that the outlay was limited in case we didn't like the concept. Sorry but rules of any sort these days are pricey and you take a bit of leap of faith that you are going to like them!

The next thing was a 'table' I had packed mine away.  I had some old blue 12 inch blue floor tiles which I thought I would paint green - but hold on, for our first try all the DIY shops were shut and I couldn't buy green matt paint for 'love nor money'.  So, for our first game my boys were all at sea playing on a blue surface.  The aim of the game was to hold the gain control of and hold the cross road. 

I set the table up with 15mm Napoleonics.  Rather than have a 'passive player' just looking at the table through a computer screen we thought we would mirror one another's tables.  In effect Bob could use whatever scale he wanted and period provided the troop types were the same (infantry/cavalry/artillery) and everyone had the same factors and grid in effect you could have 28mm 18thC Austrians and Russians on one table and Napoleonic ones on another table. We used an 8 x 8 grid my squares were 4"x4" and Bob's were 6" x 6".

Come the day, the video technology failed us due to the famous 'Poor Connection, Reconnecting. Video will be resumed shortly'  making playing visually impossible,  So we just decided to talk over the phone and roll dice each telling one another on our turns what unit was moving from which grid to the next.

We used the Colonial Rules but with Napoleonic figures as I didn't have any colonials - apart from the British and 400 odd Zulus which I had forgotten about that is.

My initial reaction to the rules was 'ohh' as I lost initiative roll and Strength Points SPs to Bob's dice rolls.  Indeed I did ask him at one point whether he was using that old Salute die which had 2 6s on it!  But I couldn't get away from the fact that my dice rolls were rubbish anyway.  But as the game progressed I really warmed to these rules and playing chess like move 'E3 to E5' short of thing over the phone worked.  Bob told me his moves and I moved the figures on my table accordingly and vice versa. 

After and hour and a half or so, I lost on the basis of Exhaustion points but it turned out to be a very close run game and thoroughly enjoyable.  

So I bought the actual Portable Napoleonic War Game set of rules, the DIY store at the bottom of the road was open so I sent my daughter with a colour swatch and my blue tiles became green!  This time it was Russians against Ottomans.  I had them in 15mm and Bob has them in 28mm.  We increased the table size to 8 x 10 squares.  There are instructionetc for written rules but we choose to leave these out for the purposes of this 'test' game.

The yellow squares at top and side of board are post-it-notes with letters and numbers

The two 'green fields' were deemed impassable.  This was a mistake as it limited cavalry movement  resulting in some very static slogs to try to break through the gaps.

My Guard Cuirassiers didn't prove as effective as I thought and were pushed back until eventually one of the Ottoman heavy cavalry regiments broke as its SP shrunk to nothing..

On the other side of the 'building' Bob's irregular cavalry held up my advance I eventually broke one unit but forgot to move forwards only to find my path blocked by another unit.

Peter Laing Inn Keeper and two barmaids handing out wine to the occupying Russians with Sherbert ready in case the Ottomans strike!

My 15mm version of the action around the 'building

Bob's 28mm version of the action around the 'building'

Bob's version of the attack on the Russian gun

 

I did destroy 6 of Bob's units but these were basically poor quality infantry he used to shield his Janissaries on the left flank from my infantry and some units of light cavalry and poor infantry on the right.  We got this wrong in terms of the type of troops we choose for the terrain.  Too much cavalry on the Russian side.  The Russian Field gun did sterling work deriving back units of Ottoman heavy cavalry but the horse artillery couldn't get into the game.  Bob had similar problems with his guns which after some initial salvos couldn't find any targets.  The rules on Close Combat seem counter-intuitive and slowed us down as we had to forget some of the ways of thinking we were used to in terms of the effects of Commanders etc. and reverse the way you calculate hits from firing in these rules.  Once we got our heads around it it made sense but it took a long time and slowed down the game which took a little enjoyment from it.  Now we have got it we are determined to try again.

No substitute for a game in the same place but a very good next best thing and we both had an excuse to get figures on the table even if in different scales and 'grid' table size and to move them about always a pleasure in itself.   So all in all a plus in the circumstances.  Thanks to Bob Cordery.

Bob's 28mm Ottoman Army

Whenever we have a game using Bob’s Ottoman and Renaissance armies, the number of hits on the blog are high and there is clearly a real interest in both the figures and the period.

On wet days I like to get my armies out of their boxes and see what I have and take pictures and post them.

When we play with Bob’s figures, invariably we only use a part of his armies so I convinced him to open all the boxes and lay out all his Ottomans, probably for the first time to see what he had and I took some pictures.  The pictures don’t do real justice to the numbers of figures and the mass effect of such a large army.  Bob has added a bit here and there over time as we all do and it was stunning to see them all out in one go.

Having done this for the first time Bob has decided that we should record all his armies so look out for some more mass effect, heraldry and unusual figures!  

I make no apologies for the number of pictures.  Bob has also added a narrative about the different makes.

'I bought an Ottoman army from Essex. The bulk of the Janissaries (pics 1+2) came from this army, along with the Spahis. Rest of the Janissaries are from Irregular, who also supplied Spahis and light cavalry (pic 3). The light cavalry includes Balkan cavalry, Turks, as well as Huns and other steppe riders. '

 'The “mob” are six large bases of white coated infantry from Lancashire Games, with assorted hand weapons (pics 7+8 + 23). '

 'The six Sultan’s guard each with a different banner are castings from a Polish souvenir that Alan brought back from Poland in 1994.'

'Guns are from Old Glory, Irregular, and a mortar with crew and accessories from Eureka Miniatures. There’s also a unit of Turkish pirates from Eureka(18)'

'There are figures from Hinchcliffe, Parkfield, Redoubt, and Pechenegs from 1^st Corps, as well some old Minifigs.

28mm Pike and Shotte Ottomans V Poles - Part 2

As I mentioned in the earlier blog Bob set this game up and after a bit of a ‘test’ we decided that the Polish Winged Hussars, whilst looking spectacular in a mass, were just a bit too powerful all together.

Bob reset the table and we met to replay the game.  The scenario was the same.  In essence the Turks had to get the pillaged supplies back to their base.  The Poles aim was to free the captives, take back the supplies and see the end of Gothrin the mad who had led the raid of the Polish frontier and if possible his father Etrogul the Brutal.

Gothrin the Mad and his train and captives.

Bringing up the rear he has his main force led by his infantry

The revised Polish lines

Gothrin managed to get this train moving towards the safety of his father's ‘field army’  

We allowed the Turks a two move start but not everyone got the message!  The Poles begin their assault. On the right the Polish light cavalry spotted the horde of Ottoman irregular infantry and charge!

Some pathetic archery doesn't stop the Poles from ploughing in.  However the sheer size of the Ottoman unit holds the Polish cavalry – just.

In the centre a unit of Hussars senses the opportunity to attack the stationary Etrogul and his field army and charges  his elite bodyguard infantry

In support some of the Polish infantry move forwards slowly but many stay put.  Elsewhere the other Polish heavy cavalry advance slowly.

On the left the light cavalry move forward cautiously.

.

In the centre the Polish Winged Hussars don’t have it all their own way against Etrogul’s elite infantry bodyguard but eventually they break and run.  At the same time Etrogul seeks shelter behind his mounted bodyguard.  The Poles surge forward in a sweeping advance and crash into them.

Whilst they weaken the bodyguard it is a step too far and they are eventually broken and flee!

Gothrin decides to send his cavalry to ward of the advancing Poles whilst staying with the train to ‘guide it to safety’!  The cavalry charge an infantry unit whilst the horse archers fire at the supporting Hussars.

The cavalry are already carrying casualties and suffer at the hands of the ‘two handed’ axes wield by the poles.  The fail a ‘Break Test’ and are pushed back.

Meanwhile of the right the Polish light cavalry have seen one unit come from the fortress to support Etrogul and decided to act launching a charge on the Hungarian infantry defending the gates.

The Polish Winged Hussars who had been supporting the infantry take advantage of the push back of the Turk cavalry and charge.

Another unit of Hussars attacks the Horse archers

The Turk cavalry can’t stand the Charge and are beaten and flee the horse archers scatter to avoid the other unit of Hussars and suddenly Gothrin and his unguarded spoils and captives are in sight.  The Hussars push on to capture the supplies and Gothrin is taken in a battle with the ‘wagoneers’.  The captives are freed and flee towards the safety of the Polish lines.

More winged hussars push forward to support the light cavalry engaged with the Hungarians

 With Gothrin defeated and more Poles advancing Etrogul heads for the safety of the fortress supported by his bodyguard.

The Turks still didn't manage to field all their support forces before the Poles descended upon them.  But a good game nevertheless.  

Both army look superb with all their banners and pennants and you almost feel that this is one of those games were all the figures should go on the table for a 'slog it out game' just because it would look so effective.  The Hinchcliffe Polish Winged Hussars look brilliant with their huge wings and long lances.