Saturday 9 August 2014

Battle of Falkirk replay

AndrewM called a few days ago and asked "Want a game this evening? Something 15mm."  Ah, OK I agreed.  So I brought out my 15mm Highland Jacobite storage box which says "complete" on it.  It was right as I had given myself all the scenario information for all three of the major battles of the '45 including for the Battle of Falkirk.  So I could quickly lay out the terrain and get all the markers in order. When we sat down, we reviewed the rules which are, as usual with me a home-brew, and got to it.

There is much 'practicality' to the look of my collection and thus the effect tot he game.  The bases are designed to be contained within the slots of my plastic boxes. And while the 'ravine' and 'bog' are simple cloth they do the trick. The Highlanders, The Irish and French Scots are all two stands to a unit, the British regulars three as that is how many units I could create and which I which need for each of the historical scenarios based on the limited numbers I had.

 The figures were painted when I was having back problems and while I was in such pain I decided I might as well do the tartans anyway.  So when lying on my stomach with elbows propped up to hold the brush and figure in my hands and one leg at a weird angle, I completed both 15mm armies.

The game produced a historic result. While we forgot to decrease the British shooting due to the rain of that day in 1745, it did not affect the game as the highlanders came up, gave an effective volley and then charged into the weakened British regulars.  Andrew was rolling a lot of sixes mind you, so the British were more torn up by firepower than would be expected.
Overview of the battle from behind the British lines. The ravine is on the right, the impassable bog on the left of the photo. The advanced British dragoons (historic deployments, remember) are already disordered - as indicated by the round markers - as are most of the regulars.  The highland gun fire was proving to be a bit more effective than it should be with the many sixes rolled by Andrew and, as the red dice of my English shows, I rolled yet another one.  I do that a lot.
Contact.  The British militia, as represented here by the 8th Foot of Culloden battle, was the last hope of the British victory, or at least a draw but had little hope against the enthusiastic Scots.  Yes, the Highlanders rolled right over the redcoats including charging the poor dragoons.  

Andrew enjoys the 15mm smaller affairs and any of the smaller historical battles as they have 'narrative' and can be done to a conclusion in a short evenings.  Can't disagree with that.