Thursday, July 25, 2013

Historicon 2013 - The Convention


Historicon 2013

So we made it to Fredericksburg and the Con was as good as ever.  It looks like they addressed some of the concerns from last year.  Restroom signs were posted to alternate facilities within easy access.  They put up curtain walls between sections that helped muffle some of the noise that we complained about before.  Plenty of locations to get Drinks and Food, shuttle bus out front, etc.  Nicely done and looking for to coming back again next year. 

And of course the dealer room was fantastic.  I did notice that On Military Matters and Brookhurst Hobbies did not show up this year.  But the rest of the usual suspects were all in attendance.  

Next year I am going to put on some games! Whose with me?!

And of course we saw a lot of great looking battles and a few not so much.  I took a load of pictures and  here are a few for your enjoyment.

Dan

Tarawa - which we have seen in Mags before.  Very nice!
A nicely done WWII Skirmish battle going on.
John Mumby playing in Palo Alto battle with Matt watching the battle closely.
Well okay he had an eye on his beer more likely.
Beautiful picture of John's glorious Mexican Cavalry moving out, wait why are they moving in the wrong direction?
Oh that's why, getting chased by US Dragoons.  
And his US opponent, do we know this guy? 
Beautifully done Fort Derussy Battle.  
These models were incredible!
Muskets and Tomahawks - Pontiac's Rebellion
Very nice looking scenery
More Muskets and Tomahawks
The Alamo in 54mm.  
Viva la Raza! 
A Clever Wings of War Battle - King Kong and the Beauty!
Kong got 3 planes and one of the Pilots accidentally shot the Beauty dead...lol.
Bolt Action Demo Game - Tarawa
Aaron and I had a blast playing this game...
So much that we ended up buying a starter kit...damn...




Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Hail Caesar! (New Rules)


Matt and I decided to throw down a Hail Caesar Battle to get into the new rules.  In the past we have done this with Black Powder and Regimental Fire and Fury before we ran them at the club.  So we will announce when these battles are coming up.  I really think you will enjoy Hail Caesar if you liked Black Powder.  

Telamon 225BC
The Telamon scenario was taken from Peter Sides, Ancient Battles booklet. For this first Hail Caesar battle we chose not to use much of the excellent chrome available to the units.  This battle was when two Roman Armies were heading off the Gauls who were taking their taking their loot back to their lines.  Matt took the Romans and I took the Gaul Warbands with plenty of Cavalry and Chariots.

The Roman Divisions consisted of:
5 units of Legionnaires (Heavy Foot with Pila)
1 unit of Triari (Brave)
2 units of Italian Allies (Medium Infantry)
1 unit of Roman Cavalry (Heavy)
1 unit of Italian Cavalry (Light)
6 small units of Skirmishers
3 Generals (Leadership of 8)

The Gauls consisted of:
5 units of Warband (Medium Foot/Wild Fighters)
1 unit of Gastati (Medium Foot/Fanatic)
4 units of Cavalry (Heavy)
4 units of Chariots (British light chariots)
3 generals (Leadership of 8)

The Sequence is basically; Command, Ranged Combat and then Hand to Hand.  The Romans who were on the attack moved first.

Turn 1
It started with the Roman Left failing on their first attempt so no move.  The Roman right division rolls for one move to the Roman skirmishers moved forward.  In the Roman center, the Commander failed but a Commander in Chief may re-roll once per turn.  He rolls again and scores one move.  The Triari and Legions advance. No one was in ranged combat so the turn went over to the Gauls.

The Gaul Commander started his turn.  On the Gaul left he scored two moves do the Cavalry started their advance.  In the center the Gauls scored 4 moves and advances and the right scores one move. 

That ended turn 1 with no combat.

Turn 2
The Roman left attack scored three moves.  The Roman Skirmishers moved forward to flank support positions.  The Roman right also makes three moves.  Their cavalry are setting up a flanking attack on the Gauls left flank cavalry. Let’s see what happens.  The Romans right skirmishers are in range to shoot at the Chariots.  The fire with 3 dice and the Chariots save on 4+.  The chariots took a couple of hits but now it's Gauls turn.

It is the Gauls turn and they will start charging on all fronts.  When you are within charge range you get a free initiative move.  There are some interesting rules when in proximity of the enemy and the way you are facing.  It’s not quote a Barker zone but a little less restrictive way of maneuvering when in close. 
On the left flank the Gaul cavalry and chariots cleaned up the Roman Skirmishers.  The Gaul center engaged and pushed back the Roman center.  The Gaul right flank is now heavily engaged in combat.  At one point in the Roman center it was as Matt and I say, “Triari Time!” and they made a bold flank charge against the Gastati who were stuck disordered so couldn’t respond. 
Hail Caesar

Telamon 225BC
The Telamon scenario was taken from Peter Sides, Ancient Battles booklet. For this first Hail Caesar battle we chose not to use much of the excellent chrome available to the units.  This battle was when two Roman Armies were heading off the Gauls who were taking their taking their loot back to their lines.  Matt took the Romans and I took the Gaul Warbands with plenty of Cavalry and Chariots.

The Roman Divisions consisted of:
5 units of Legionnaires (Heavy Foot with Pila)
1 unit of Triari (Brave)
2 units of Italian Allies (Medium Infantry)
1 unit of Roman Cavalry (Heavy)
1 unit of Italian Cavalry (Light)
6 small units of Skirmishers
3 Generals (Leadership of 8)

The Gauls consisted of:
5 units of Warband (Medium Foot/Wild Fighters)
1 unit of Gastati (Medium Foot/Fanatic)
4 units of Cavalry (Heavy)
4 units of Chariots (British light chariots)
3 generals (Leadership of 8)

The Sequence is basically; Command, Ranged Combat and then Hand to Hand.  The Romans who were on the attack moved first.

Turn 1
It started with the Roman Left failing on their first attempt so no move.  The Roman right division rolls for one move to the Roman skirmishers moved forward.  In the Roman center, the Commander failed but a Commander in Chief may re-roll once per turn.  He rolls again and scores one move.  The Triari and Legions advance. No one was in ranged combat so the turn went over to the Gauls.

The Gaul Commander started his turn.  On the Gaul left he scored two moves do the Cavalry started their advance.  In the center the Gauls scored 4 moves and advances and the right scores one move. 

That ended turn 1 with no combat.

Turn 2
The Roman left attack scored three moves.  The Roman Skirmishers moved forward to flank support positions.  The Roman right also makes three moves.  Their cavalry are setting up a flanking attack on the Gauls left flank cavalry. Let’s see what happens.  The Romans right skirmishers are in range to shoot at the Chariots.  The fire with 3 dice and the Chariots save on 4+.  The chariots took a couple of hits but now it's Gauls turn.

It is the Gauls turn and they will start charging on all fronts.  When you are within charge range you get a free initiative move.  There are some interesting rules when in proximity of the enemy and the way you are facing.  It’s not quote a Barker zone but a little less restrictive way of maneuvering when in close. 
On the left flank the Gaul cavalry and chariots cleaned up the Roman Skirmishers.  The Gaul center engaged and pushed back the Roman center.  The Gaul right flank is now heavily engaged in combat.  At one point in the Roman center it was as Matt and I say, “Triari Time!” and they made a bold flank charge against the Gastati who were stuck disordered so couldn’t respond. 

Turn 3
The Romans start with their initiative moves as the Gauls did last turn.  The Romans advance into combat. You can see in the pictures the Gauls are getting pushed back.  We had a situation where the Gaul cavalry were forced to retreat through the Gastati and disordering them both. The cavalry had lost the melee and were to retreat in disorder.  As the passed through the friendly unit you roll to see if they are disordered and sure enough they were also disordered. 

The Gauls were getting worn down by the Roman lines.  In Hail Caesar it’s pretty cool because the warband come on hard the first turn but if they don’t break the Romans then those blade will start taking their toll in the ongoing turns of combat.  Romans always fight with 7 dice. The Warband initially hit with 9 dice but after they remain engaged they reduce to 6.  Pila come into play when the Warband roll their saves (-1). 
Fate was with the Gauls this time.  After many push backs they were still holding.  The Gaul left pretty much cleared their flank of Romans and the Chariots were making the flanking moves on the Roman center.  The center ended up in a swirling melee.  The highlight was on the last turn when the Triari failed to rout the Gastati and were also hit on the flank by heavy Gaul Cavalry.  That was the end of them when they took so many casualties that the Break Test was pretty much a non issue and they broke. 
Matt's After Battle Interview

What did you like about playing Hail Caesar?
“It was the ease and flow of the rules.  The mechanics are very simple. The rules are also written to be very flexible.”

What didn't you like or thought something needed tweaking or just better explained in the book?
“It's the rule of charging with the center of the formation having line of sight.  I think we figured it out but as we play more it should be easier to work out”.

Would you suggest these rules to other players and why?
“Definitely, you have to give them a try.  It is available through 'On Military Matters.'  Dennis provides excellent service.”

Are these similar to Black Powder or are there some differences?
“I really like them both and there are some differences.  Units stand longer in combat, rolling for hits and saves keeps everyone involved, cnc gets a re-roll, the break test are computed a little differently, supports are critical and they actually have a function on the battlefield, i.e., flank support, the break test results take your unit status into the calculation, Roman legions are steady and the pila actually comes into play, etc.  I had a great time.”

Turn 3
The Romans start with their initiative moves as the Gauls did last turn.  The Romans advance into combat. You can see in the pictures the Gauls are getting pushed back.  We had a situation where the Gaul cavalry were forced to retreat through the Gastati and disordering them both. The cavalry had lost the melee and were to retreat in disorder.  As the passed through the friendly unit you roll to see if they are disordered and sure enough they were also disordered. 

The Gauls were getting worn down by the Roman lines.  In Hail Caesar it’s pretty cool because the warband come on hard the first turn but if they don’t break the Romans then those blade will start taking their toll in the ongoing turns of combat.  Romans always fight with 7 dice. The Warband initially hit with 9 dice but after they remain engaged they reduce to 6.  Pila come into play when the Warband roll their saves (-1). 
Fate was with the Gauls this time.  After many push backs they were still holding.  The Gaul left pretty much cleared their flank of Romans and the Chariots were making the flanking moves on the Roman center.  The center ended up in a swirling melee.  The highlight was on the last turn when the Triari failed to rout the Gastati and were also hit on the flank by heavy Gaul Cavalry.  That was the end of them when they took so many casualties that the Break Test was pretty much a non issue and they broke. 
Matt's After Battle Interview

What did you like about playing Hail Caesar?
“It was the ease and flow of the rules.  The mechanics are very simple. The rules are also written to be very flexible.”

What didn't you like or thought something needed tweaking or just better explained in the book?
“It's the rule of charging with the center of the formation having line of sight.  I think we figured it out but as we play more it should be easier to work out”.

Would you suggest these rules to other players and why?
“Definitely, you have to give them a try.  It is available through 'On Military Matters.'  Dennis provides excellent service.”

Are these similar to Black Powder or are there some differences?
“I really like them both and there are some differences.  Units stand longer in combat, rolling for hits and saves keeps everyone involved, cnc gets a re-roll, the break test are computed a little differently, supports are critical and they actually have a function on the battlefield, i.e., flank support, the break test results take your unit status into the calculation, Roman legions are steady and the pila actually comes into play, etc.  I had a great time.”




Colonial Barracks - New Orleans Nov 4 - 6

Colonial Barracks - New Orleans Nov 4 - 6

I had the great opportunity to travel to New Orleans to attend Larry and Lori Brom's 1st Colonial Barracks convention.  It was and will be held next year at the Sheraton - Metarie, Louisiana.  It's a great location, only about 20 to 25 minutes drive to the French Quarter.  Besides the great Colonial gaming there is so much to do if you take your family with you.  I took my girlfriend Julie and her Son Aaron with me and we all had a great time.

Anyway, I want to start by saying it was so nice to see Larry and Lori.  I haven't seen them since Historicon 2004.  Larry is still looking good and I had a couple of chances to sit next to him and have a little chat.  I really owe a lot to Larry, his

Historicon 2013 - Museum of the Confederacy

Virginia Regimental Flag Room
At the very end of our Historicon trip we were able to fit in the Museum of the Confederacy before our flight that afternoon our of Richmond.  This is a must see.  It is not very large but the articles within these walls were awe inspiring.  Seeing the Virginia Regimental Flags that flew at Picketts Charge, Jeb Stuart's Feathered Hat and Saber and list goes on of what you will find here.  Again, a small museum packed full of history.

Entrance
The Confederate White House is right beside the museum and you can tour it too.
Front of the White House
Outstanding Displays!
Stuart's Hat, Pistol and Saber!
Took this picture for a color reference when we paint Rebs.



Matt Vigil
Dan Gurule (Me)

Interesting Display of Jackson's Adjutant's Jacket 
Interesting because it has Jackson's Blood on it (zoom in)
Famous Painting we have all seen before
So here is this piece of iron sitting outside.  What is it?  Well, it happens to be the propeller shaft from the Merrimack/Virginia!  
Capitol Building around the corner


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Historicon 2013 - Manassas 152nd Anniversary (21 July)


We had some great timing getting to the Battlefield in time to see the Gun and Musket demonstrations for the 152nd anniversary of the Battle.  During our walk of the Field we met and older Gentleman who told us a story of his Great Grandfather who fought and died here during the opening battle of the Civil War.

The artillery demonstration began with a very good narrative about the battle and the big guns that were used there.  They used a half charge for the demo and man no matter if you have seen or heard this before it tends to startle you a little.  They fired the weapon twice and on the second shot the wind had shifted into our face and the smoke and smell was pretty cool.

As they mentioned, pictures 11 more guns firing at the same time all day long.  The noise, the smoke, the repeated echo of the muskets with all the yelling going on.  It had to be pretty intense.  

The same for the 6 man musket demonstration.  Pretty cool to watch them load and reload and starting to feel the pressure they must have been under loading rounds with Rebs or Yanks closing in on you.

Outstanding day we had!  Of course the humidity was stifling, but well worth being there.

Union Parrott Rifles (Henry House)

Battery Crew?
Wife Julie and Aaron
Rebel Infantry providing firing demonstration
Matt engages the actors. (Henry House).
The Jackson Statue
Matt standing near the Robinson House on the Rebel right.
The Rebel Gun Line facing Henry House.

Julie and Aaron near a Rebel Smoothbore pointed at the Henry house about 220 yards away.
View of Stone House with Matthew's Hill right behind.
Henry House
Aaron checking out the Reb's equipment
View of the reverse slope behind Rickett's Battery and Henry house.  
Yankee view from Griffin's Battery on far right of Union Line.