AWI Fun with British Grenadier! - Paul's 60th Birthday Bash.

It seems to me that the hobby of wargaming and the very sociable requirement of having friends of a like mind who enjoy pushing groups of model soldiers about on a large table, readily facilitates celebrating special days in ones life, such as the occasional 60th Birthday celebration, when it is just fun doing just that and last weekend saw such a day as I and a group of pals met over at Chez Paul for his birthday to enjoy a large casual game of British Grenadier and a large set-to in the former colonies.

Our 12' x 5' table setup for the day with the respective forces ready to go, Americans and French on the left, British on the right.

 

On arrival at Paul's we were led into the back garden towards Paul's 'Bunker' where we found a 12' x 5' table all set up together with various commands of British, French and American troops, courtesy of Ian and Lawrence who organised our day and the marshalling of the respective armies; and seeing Ian go the extra mile with gloriously printed orders of battles together with mission objectives for the army and its respective commanders all with a wax seal attached for the 'eyes only' of each commander involved, whilst Lawrence had been busy painting up extra Brits to complete our respective orders of battle just prior to our big day.

This set up to our game meant that although the respective army commanders would have specific goals with victory point objectives attached to them, their respective brigade commanders might have their own goals and VPs that might interfere with them carrying out their bosses commands to the letter as they attempted to give precedence to their own objectives - what fun.

1st Marquess Cornwallis on his 60th birthday

So the commands were randomly diced for and I had the pleasure of assuming the role of General George Washington C-in-C of an American army looking to end the war once and for all by marching south to intercept a British army under Cornwallis and combined with French allies bring him to a decisive battle, and it just so happened that birthday-boy was General Cornwallis, the most feared British commander in the American colonies.

Cornwallis' brigade head down the road to the American supply depot.

Our rules for the game were 'British Grenadier' by Eclaireur, a set I have together with some of the very handy scenario books, but a rule set I have never played for one reason or another and so it would prove to be of added interest to see them in action, particularly with a large game such as this with up to four brigades of four to six units each on the table.

American Continentals and rifleman search the supply depot for a missing military chest whilst preparing to defend the position from Cornwallis' advancing redcoats.

Washington's objectives were reasonably straight forward, beat the British army under Cornwallis, whilst getting a few other jobs ticked off the list such as capturing the nearby fortified town and port, top right of the table as seen above, to searching a supply depot, directly above, for a military chest stollen by miscreants in the army and needed to pay the troops this month or suffer a drop in morale during this current battle.

Two battalions of Continentals shake out into line, the one to the left carrying a disruption from some British ranging artillery fire.

Similarly Cornwallis was eager to see the destruction of the Americans and their French allies, with British brigade commanders busy fulfilling their objectives as well as dealing with the enemy, that saw the British brigade holding the fortified port take the time needed for the French and their accompany artillery train to approach the stockade to happily loot the down for valuables that would render the British brigade commander valuable VP.

Hessians and Indians prepare to advance on the American centre

The game structure sees opposing C-in-C's rolling opposed dice to see which side would have the initiative to move and fire first in each round of play, with moving preceding firing, and then followed by a rally phase that would see respective units and commanders attempting to remove disruptions from units seen marked with the red-yellow and green triangles indicting up to three (red) disrupts being carried. 

Any further disruptions after three would incur figures lost and of course disruptions carried when firing or engaging in combat would affect detrimentally the factors used to resolve such encounters.

The Americans in the centre start to form up in and around the town

More British including highlanders push forward through the woods near the British centre.

In the early phases of play as the opposing sides manoeuvred to get into effective range for shooting and charges, players took the opportunity to fulfil their other missions as mentioned, before potential combat distracted them from such activity, and enemy interference was generally restricted to long range artillery attacks.

The local port, to the brim with British troops, busy looting the houses and store rooms

One such mission saw General Washington ride into the local town on his base edge to talk with the mayor and persuade him of the merits of supporting the Patriot cause in the upcoming struggle outside his town.

This task however proved more problematic than was anticipated, especially as Washington was accompanied by a brigade of Continentals to assure the locals that their security was uppermost in the general's mind.

The French push forward with their artillery train.

The mayor proved very obstinate in the negotiations that followed, he pointing out that his position required the general to consult with him first before marching troops into his town, and after several turns of fruitless talk, the town declared for the King and locals started taking pot-shots at the troops, which required a robust return of musketry to drive the towns folk into their houses and desist from their attacks.

Cornwallis attacks the American depot, met by American riflemen

Meanwhile, as Washington was somewhat busy, Cornwallis closed in of the American supply depot as the Americans searched in vain for their missing military chest, but fortunately for them the riflemen and a nearby unit of continentals occupying a wood delivered the approaching redcoats a punishing volley of musketry and rifle fire inflicting three disrupts in the first exchanges, quickly followed in the next with five casualties and narrowly missing wounding or killing Cornwallis himself, attached as he was to the lead unit.

The British allied Indians charge across open ground towards the town beyond

The Americans around the town prepare to greet the Indians

All across the line elements of both forces were closing to musketry range as the British centre advanced skirmishers and Indians to harass the Americans in and around the town, themselves busy fending off irate townsfolk, whilst on the American left flank the French columns laboriously advanced on the port under British skirmish fire, dragging their guns forward in support, as the British garrison busied itself looting the port.

As the French close in, the British desist form their looting activities and prepare to defend the stockade.

Virginia Continentals and legionary cavalry support the French advance.

Both sides had an additional brigade marching in support to join the fun and the British were first to have their additional troops available choosing to hold them in reserve until their presence was determined by the current action resolving on the table.

The British in the woods push forward in support of the port garrison.

The opposing lines are now fully deployed, with the first combats breaking out across the front.

A couple of turns later the American reserves turned up, and Washington immediately moved them onto the table to support the troops holing the depot and coming under increasing pressure from Cornwallis as they had to commit their whole brigade to defending the position, forgoing further searches for the military chest.

Negotiations have broken down in the town and the mayor incites locals to attack the American garrison

All was not lost for the American cause though, as Washington's brigade in the town repelled the attacks of the townsfolk driving them to take cover in their homes with a few well directed volleys, and the arriving brigade coming up in support of the supply depot garrison managed to find the military chest after a couple of searches, which freed it up to lend a hand with the fight to repel the British.

Continentals come up in support of the riflemen pushed back from the picket fence at the depot.

Those Indians kept on coming!

The first serious exchanges of fire break out near the port

British volleys greet the French outside the stockade.

Sadly I had to leave early as we had a friend down for the weekend and I was cooking dinner, but it was all to fight for when I departed and I gather later that a few of the chaps were picking things up the next day.

Out team for the day - left to right
Vince, Ian, Bob, Paul, John, Lawrence, Steve M. and JJ

Needless to say it was much fun spending time with the chaps and celebrating Paul's birthday and thanks to Vince, Ian, Bob, Paul, John, Lawrence and Steve for all the chat and play during our game, with a picture of us all, including 'Yours Truly' as a reminder of the day.

More anon

JJ