On Saturday September 29th the Jackson Gamers played a game at Fondren Presbyterian Church. This was the battle of Hobkirk's hill from the American Revolution.

The Battle lines

This is a battle report by the gamemaster Steve Haller who also wrote the rules that we used, and painted the lovely "true 25mm" figures that we used.

As happened during the historical battle, the American skirmish line of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia light infantry delayed and harassed the British advance. The American artillery unmasked on turn 2 on the hill and began inflicting additional casualties. William Washington's dragoons rode around the British left flank through a woods over a small ford, scattering their skirmishers and threatening that flank and their rear. Coffin's NY Dragoons rode hard over from the British right, and with support of the single 6-pounder now coming out from Log Town, defeated and routed Washington's dragoons. The large infantry battle raged as the Virginia and Maryland Continental brigades came down off the hill supported by their 2 guns and also the NC Riflemen and Militia on their left flank. Although outnumbered and suffering heavy losses, the mainly Loyalist regulars and the 63rd British Foot gave as good as they received, soon sending a Maryland and a Virginia regiment back.

The battle ended with the Americans still holding their original position on Hobkirk's Hill, but suffering over 53% casualties and missing. The losses were  heaviest among both Maryland regiments, the Delaware light infantry and Washington's dragoons; a Virginia regiment also routed. The British suffered heavier losses at 66% casualties and missing, especially among the infantry of 63rd Foot, King's American Regiment, SC Loyalist Regiment and Loyalist light infantry. The fortunes of war shifted a couple of times, but the final result was in a Marginal American Victory according tothe Whites of Their Eyesrules.

William Washington's dragoon (in white) make a doomed charge against the British Loyalist cavalry who are supported by a small gun and the fire of riflemen (at bottom of image).

I ran a game last Saturday for 6 gamers using my recently acquired Wings of War/Wings of Glory WW1 planes.  For a brief report and some pictures, please visit ColCampbell's Barracks.

Join us for more action later this year.  Games will be posted in the schedule.

The Russian Commanders

On April 21 of this year (2018) we played a Napoleonic game using the "Commands&Colors–Napoleonic" rules. We named this game "Back into the Cauldron".  The  French were whipped soundly by the Russian army.  The Russians had a few more infantry units and one more cavalry regiment.  The French had one more artillery battery.  As the gamemaster (who played on the French side) later conceded "This was not enough".

I finish this battle report shortly.

On December 16, 2017 we played our final game of that year.  This was a 15mm German vs. American battle set loosely during the Battle of the Bulge.

Looking across (long ways) the table. The Germans will enter from the left and try to exit off the right. The Americans will set up (hidden) on the table.

Alex and Ed were given time to secretly deploy their forces and decide where to put their mine fields These anti-tank mine fields played a big part in the American defence.  The Germans had given the possibility of mines no thought.  The Americans had not realized how effective they would be.

German Kampfgruppen on their left flank – Phil’s units. One group is mostly Tiger tanks with a little infantry. The other is an infantry company supported by Stug III’s.

Near the center of the table German artillery has hit a village and set part of it on fire hoping to drive any Americans out into the snow.

Steve's units were behind a hill and weren't taken under fire on the first turn, so he hit the village and some woods with artillery. Jay advanced right into a mine field losing his armor support. Part of the unit was destroyed by mines and the rest knocked out by Alex's M36 tank destroyers which were covering the mine field.

In the foreground Steve’s kampfgroup (infantry and Panther tanks) advance on the German right flank. Editor's note: Yes the photo is rotated 90 degrees. Click on the photo and it will display correctly.

In the center of the battle Jay’s units (infantry and Mark IV’s) have hit a mine field and stumbled upon some of Alex’s infantry in the woods. On the German left the infantry dismounted and were hit by mortar and machine gun fire. The Sturmgeshutzen are trying to push the infantry out of the woods. The Tigers are advancing slowly on the German left..

Steve’s Panthers advance but are hit in the flank when they come around the hill by Ed’s M10’s.

Alex's infantry is able to hold the woods in the center and the American right. Phil's Tigers advance slowly dueling with some Shermans in the woods.

In the center the attack is bogged down. The American infantry hold the village and 2 pieces of woods. They are able to direct a lot of machine gun and mortar fire on the deployed German infantry. American tanks and tank destroyers are taking a toll on the German armor.

Ed's M10s are taken out by Steve's Panthers but cause enough damage that the Panthers are killed by some Shermans. Steve's infantry find more mine fields.

Ed’s M10’s did not duck out of sight after hitting the Panthers and retaliation was swift.

Steve’s Panthers firing up Ed’s M10’s. Some of Steve’s infantry has also stumbled into a minefield.

Ed’s remaining armor (some short 75mm Shermans) take out another Panther and damage the last one.

The German attack never really got going. The Americans hid in the woods and were able to stay hidden until they could get the first shots at close range. The mine fields in the center also took their toll.

At the end the Germans had their Tigers and very little supporting infantry. The Americans still had some Shermans and about 3 companies of infantry.

Atribution:All photos and commentary by Ed Sansing.  Such editing as was done (yes this included the photo on its side) by Jay Stribling.

On May 11, the "Old Geezers" lunch meeting was in full flower, with Eds Sansing, Jim Pitts, Russ Schneider, and Jay Stribling when two of our favorite "extended range" club members joined us.  These were Marc Fluitt from Mandeville Louisiana and Mark Stevens from Columbia Mississippi.  After the lunch, we adjourned to Jay Stribling's home where we played a previously prepared 15mm Crimean War game.

Marc Fluitt took a number of photographs with his massive camera (with that lens it could probably take images of Pluto) and I will post them here.

Russian Infantry battalions advancing across the game table.

I (Jay Stribling) had probably set up too large a game.  Certainly the Russians were too numerous.  Three divisions of infantry, three brigades of cavalry and four(?)  batteries of artillery were too many for the British and French to halt.

Above, a French battalion fires furiously.  The British and French battalions received five fire dice (at full strength) while the Russian columns were allowed only one fire die.  There were several Russian Rifle units that shot with four dice.  The allied generated far more casualties than they took (at least three to one) but there were always more Russian battalions.

In close combat the Russians did as well as the allies… I blame the one-sided game (Imperial Russia's finest day) on the game-master and his inability to balance the thing.  Who was this scoundrel of a game-master?  It was Jay Stribling (ME)!

A British battalion in line.  All the troops are mostly Minifigs.

At one point many MANY years ago, Mark Stevens and I began painting this army using 15mm Peter Laing figures.  Does anyone remember Peter Laing?  We still have a few of those (Small 15m) guys, but all of the figures painted in the last 25 years have been Minifigs.

More Russians with the tiniest portion of the British shown on the right.

This is almost a repeat of an earlier shot.  The figures shown make up perhaps half of one Russian division–they had three divisions.   These were a lot of figures on a 5′x 8′game table.

Jim Pitts, one of the Allied players.

Jim Pitts, Mark Stevens (Brits) and Russ Schneider (French) were the allies.  While Jim and Mark suffered heavily, Russ was just blown (or bayonetted) to nothingness.  Ed Sansing, Marc Fluitt, and Jay Stribling were the Russians.  We had so many troops that traffic control was our major problem.  Not a balanced game.

Russian columns and British line are involved in melee

There are almost no reserves for the allies, but there are many more Russians.  This is the center of the line on about turn four.  In defense of the game-master, he thought that the allied battalions' fire would stop many of the Russian units.

Mark Stevens in a joyful mood (probably just gave the Russians a good volley)

Mark obviously has pulled off a tactical coup here, but still the Russians march on.  The Russian objectives were very near the rear edge of the allied line.  This meant that the allies had very little room to fall back.  They were on higher ground than the enemy so never thought about moving forward to meet the Russians earlier.

Jay Stribling, the fiend of a game-master

We used a variant of the Brom Standard rules which were an ancestor of Larry Broms Chassepot and Needlegun rules for the Franco-Prussian war.  C&N would have worked just a well.  It was a good game however there was muttering about "Jay fixed the game and played on the winning side." In a way that was true, but the assignments to the sides (Russian or Allies) were made randomly long after the game was set up.

I enjoyed it anyway!