Bavarians at it Again! - 2nd FPW Test Game

After my first playtest of my FPW rules for hexes (see here), I made a few changes. The main ones being:

1. Changing the range of opposed chance dice results to +1 to -1 based on the attacker and defender winning the roll.
2. The comparison of opposing unit grades will also give a +1 to -1 spread.
3. I've added a little more flesh to the results ladders.

Basically, the first two are to keep a consistency of climbing or descending the results ladder in single steps.

Things I'll be looking for are:

• Plausible result.
• The above changes make it smoother.
• What changes I need to make on the ladders in light of the above tweaks.

I decided on replaying the same scenario as a direct comparison.  However, this is less of a game report than my thoughts on what happened.

French infantry await the assault.  The marker is to show that they are prone.

This is the position after the Bavarians (bottom) have left the woods.

They're keen but perhaps not as keen as their Prussian allies.

I took a number of this type of picture throughout the game.  Here you can see the opposed "chance" rolls.  In this case the Bavarians, coming under heavy, fire won.  Thus inducing a step down on the ladder for the French.  All in all, no effect!

As I said, I took a number of these types of photos.  I then calculated and recorded the effect based on:

1. The rules as I played them last time.
2. The amended rules but with only the attacker grade being included, and
3. The amended rules with the attacker and defender grades compared, with the winner getting the step up or down... or nothing if a draw.  This is the one I will be applying throughout the game.

This took some time but led to interesting results that I'll comment on later.

As you will see I did this a number of times... and a few more that I won't bore you with.

Both sides exchanging fire.

The Bavarians are drifting to the right, just as in the last game.

Two charges against batteries are attempted...

... but heavy and massed volleys from the French infantry on the heights force the attackers to go prone before they can contact.

Plenty of lead being directed at the Bavarians, with surprisingly limited effect!

Three charges are attempted.  This time two are stopped but the bottom one on the French left flank goes in.

It goes in because previous shooting from the Bavarians forced the French unit prone.  Because it was now being charged it had to stand up.  This meant that it could not now fire and possibly stall the assault.

You can see that the luck was on the side of the Bavarians.  They also had two units supporting the assault - giving two advantages or steps up the ladder.  The French had one unit that could support but it couldn't as it was in an enemy zone of control.

With the defenders swept aside, the lead attacking unit was able to occupy the position, make a face change and initiate another melee.  Which of course it did!

At this point, where the Bavarians were turning the French left flank, I called it a job done.

So, I declare this one a Bavarian victory.

Afterthoughts

This was less of a fun game than an exercise in comparing the results of the varying shooting and melee mechanisms.

I set out three things that I'd be looking for in the game:

• A plausible result.
• The changes making play smoother.
• What changes I need to make on the ladders in light of the above tweaks.

I actually found the result was not plausible considering the fire power that the Bavarians had to face.  This was in both the end result and during the general advance in the open.  Nor was it a case of the French suffering continual bad luck; they didn't.  From the table of results that I kept, the amended version I was applying to shooting gave results that always favoured the target.  However, the other versions tended towards something more plausible and would certainly have caused more issues for the Bavarians crossing the open.

With everything being converted to one step movements up or down, the use of the ladders was quicker.

So, what changes am I considering?

For shooting, I would remove the comparison of the firing and target unit's grades - they tended to do nothing but negate each other.  I would keep it for melee.  I would also add two levels of cover instead of having one - to allow for towns, trenches etc. on top of soft cover.

In melee, I would consider changing the supporting unit to just one step for support instead of one step for each supporting unit.

I am also considering changing the movement/shooting so that every unit has two actions per turn.

The turn sequence makes the Germans move first, French then shoot and then melee, the players are then reversed.  Moving to actions would mean that infantry could either move twice, shoot twice or move and shoot once.  This would give the French something to think about when they commit to shooting - fire twice and they won't be able to move.  For the Germans, move twice and they won't be able to shoot.  If shooting with two actions there would be a one step advantage.

Alternatively, it might be better to completely start from scratch again.  Whichever way I go, I will take a little break for some subconscious reflection.

Apologies for my navel gazing.

Bavarian Attack on the French Left at Froeschwiller - FPW Hex Game, 1st Test

My preferred set of rules for the Franco-Prussian Wars is They Died for Glory.  However, the mechanisms do not translate well to playing remote games via Zoom.  So, I bent some thought towards producing a serviceable set of rules for use on hexes.  See my last post, Thinking about FPW Hex Rules, for my musings on this subject.

I'll make some comments on the mechanisms as part of the game narrative. For those not interested in the mechanisms just read the comments with the photos.

Scenario
This game is based on the Bavarian attack on the French left flank at Froeschwiller, 6 August 1870.  Despite the French being in a perfectly defendable position on the heights around Froeschwiller, the Germans surprised the French first thing in the morning as they fetch water from the river.  The first attacks were developed by the Bavarian 2nd Corps, 4th Division on the French left.  

In the battle. the action started at 10.30am when the Bavarians advanced out into the open.  They were repelled by the well positioned defenders and after two hours were ordered to break off the attack.

So, this game should prove a very tough job for the Germans.

The scenario was lifted from the rulebook, They Died for Glory.  The attacking Bavarians consisted of 12 infantry units; the French were defending with 11 line infantry, two guns and a mitrailleuse - one unit less for each than in the published scenario.

The Deployment

The French line occupying the wooded heights.

The Bavarians about to advance from the opposite woods.

The French in a battle line whilst the Bavarians have deployed into open order and open order attack columns.

The Battle

If the rules work in a half way decent and historical fashion, the Bavarians should find it very hard to close with the French who enjoy cover, height and small arms range advantages.

As the Bavarians step out of the woods, French gunners open up at long range.  Forcing a battalion to take a disruption point (I'm still trying to think of a better name) and go prone.

Once an infantry unit takes a third disruption point (DP) it is destroyed.  The second DP can be rallied off but never the first.  So, once some disruption has occurred it sticks.  A DP is considered a disadvantage for the owning unit when shooting and assaulting.

The Bavarians advancing towards the French enter artillery and mitrailleuse range.

Bavarians make their approach in open order.

Inevitably the Germans enter the range of the French chassepot rifles.

Two French units fired.  Luck does play a part.  Both the attacker (shooter) and defender (target) roll 1d3.  The attacker's result moves up the results ladder, the defender's moves down.  In short, there is a potential net advantage to the attacker of between +2 and -2.  In the above situation the French had a minus 1 on their luck.  This disadvantage, along with the other disadvantages of long range and a target in open order, meant that the Bavarian unit suffered no harm.

The Bavarian advance is becoming disjointed as troops are forced to go prone; slowing their progress.

However, the French were now in range of the German rifles.  Concentrating their fire on the mitrailleuse forced the crew to abandon their guns.

Some sharpshooting by a battalion of jagers produced the same result on one of the artillery batteries.

With the Bavarian advance slowing on their left, they had yet to move into effective range of the chassepot.   Seeking to concentrate their attack, the Germans drifted their line towards the French left.

The French line opening up from the cover of the wooded heights.

Now that the Bavarian line had drifted to the left, two French units on the right flank reformed into attack column in preparation to harass the exposed German flank.

Continuing the advance towards the French left, all sides exchanged fire.  With the air thick with lead, the Bavarians in the open were taking the more significant damage.

A French battery hits with devastating effect.
Now you see it...

... now you don't!

Belatedly, artillery arrives to support the Bavarian attack.

Moving to engage, several charges begin to develop.

However, the defending infantry let loose with withering volleys.  The Bavarian troops, reeling from the rifle fire are forced to recoil and many go prone.  One unit disperses under the lead storm.

On the French right, the commander launches a counter attack against the Bavarian left.

Units in melee fight.  However, certain units may also provide support to those fighting.  Units supporting an attack act as advantages which climb the result up the results ladder.  Units supporting the defenders act as disadvantages which bring result down the ladder.  In the above, the attacker on the flank had two supporting units.  The defender had one supporting unit.  So, a net climb of plus 1.  The flank attack added another advantage.

With the attackers' advantages mounting, the Bavarian unit disintegrated.  The supporting unit was spooked sufficiently to retire out of harms way.

The risk of giving support in a melee is that the supporters may suffer a consequence.

Whilst the French are seeking to turn the Bavarian left flank, the Germans were massing on the French left.

Undeterred by the first faltering assault, the Bavarians launched themselves up the slopes again.

From top to bottom:  French volley fire failed to stop the charge into contact; however, the dual attack suffered from a volume of fire that forced them prone and did much to significantly disrupt them; on the French flank, the charges went in without defending fire.

The bottom attackers suffered no defending fire as the French had been forced prone by previous Bavarian shooting.  Because they were prone they had to stand up when charged.  This meant that they could not shoot.

The supported flank attack went in...

The fighting was savage but the Bavarian advantages were too much and the French unit routed.

The other melee was closer.  However, luck and courage deserted the French...

... taking two disruption points the French were forced to retreat, allowing more Bavarians onto the hill.

However, the French quickly responded by a swift charge.

The attack against the German unit's rear led to the troops dispersing in panic.

The French now sought to move fresh units from the right to the left to try and stall any further Bavarian advances.

The Bavarians with a foothold on the heights may now be in a position to turn the French left at Froeschwiller.  However, the hidden truth was that most of the attackers were now carrying disruption points while many of the French line units were still fresh.

I was running out of playing time.  So, I called it a draw.  The Bavarians had done better than their historical counterparts.  However, it had come at a cost.

Afterthoughts

That was an enjoyable solo game. 

The Bavarians did a little better than history but they did require luck being on their side at crucial moments.

I was generally happy with the way the rules worked.  Not perfect but something to build on.  Nonetheless, the result of the game was plausible and therefore pleasing in itself.

The idea of variable results based climbing up and down a results table depending on the number of advantages and disadvantages seemed to work well and is now open to further reflection.  What I expected was the Bavarians to have a hard time closing against the chassepot armed French in a defendable position, and they did.  A couple of things that immediately arose was that I may revise the luck to an opposed dice roll so if the attacker wins they gain one advantage (step up), if the target wins then one disadvantage (step down) and a draw is no movement on the ladder.  Likewise, with unit grades I may move to a comparison - similar equals no movement on the ladder; attacker with better grade is one step up; defender with better grade is one step down.  I'll need to play around with this and may need to tweak the ladders.

Regardless of the rules, it was nice getting the FPW collection out again.

Thinking about FPW Hex Rules

The Franco-Prussian War is the last of my collections that require rules for remote games.  So, time to get on with it!

In putting these ideas together I had the following principles I wanted the rules to reflect.

1. Ranged fire, whether small arms or artillery, was very significant on soldier behaviour, formation and impact.

2. I wanted units to degrade but not have to do any paperwork.

3. Units supporting others matter.

4. The morale impact of situations is baked in rather than on dice rolls.

At first, I was looking to adapt mechanisms from a board game where different units were reflected on a table.  Then according to the situation there was a column shift left or right which led to changing dice roll requirements.  What I have currently moved on to is a little different.  I have "Results Ladders" for shooting, melee and rallying based on advantages and disadvantages to the active unit.

For example, with the shooting results ladder below, all units firing start at zero then work up when applying relevant advantages and down with the disadvantages.  A "DP" is a disruption point. Units are removed on receipt of a third DP.

With a lot of lead flying around at greater volume, one impact is infantry being forced to go prone.  Or, in their movement, they can choose to go prone to shoot with their breech loading rifles.

An example using the shooting results ladder above:  A single French unit targets a Prussian skirmish unit at long range.  Neither unit have suffered any disruption.  The French are grade 2 and roll 3 on 1d3 and rise to five on the ladder. There are no additional advantages.  The target now rolls a 1 on 1d3 which puts it at four on the ladder. Further disadvantages are the target being skirmishers and at long range bringing the result down to two.  So, the Prussian infantry takes a disruption point and is forced to go prone.

The same process is used for melee but with different outcomes on the ladder... obviously.

The opposed 1d3 rolls represents the element of luck/chance. In the above example, the firing unit enjoyed a lot of luck. Whereas, the target did not enjoy equal fortune.  This gives a range of +2 to -2.

Hopefully, it will be apparent that other units supporting the shooter would have made the result more devastating.

This is very much a work in progress, done in the full knowledge that I bring nothing new to the discussion.

Next, a first solo test game.