Catawba Gamers September 2010

Here is a battle report from the September Catawba Gamers event held 18 September10 at Parker,Banner Kent and Wayne in Huntersville. I rode down with John Bays and as it would end up I played on the Parliamentarian side and he chose the Royalists. The game was a play test for Kim Allmans Warhammer Ancients English Civil war game he planned to run at the Southern front gaming convention.

Here is a shot of the beginning battle line. Royalists on the left and the Parliamentarians on the right. The scenario was to seize several objectives on in various buildings, including a character who was writing pamphlets and destroy his printing press.

The stars of the game John's Royalist Galloper cavalry.

My unit of Parliamentarian Pike and Shotte. They were an elite unit and it would show later.

The right flank of the Parliamentarian line.

I detached one unit of shotte to use as skirmishers and deployed them in the building were the printing press was located.

The Royals took first turn and advanced toward the center and the powder store.

The Gallopers head for the ford and the printing press building.

I maneuver my shotte section to get an angle on the advancing Royals.

I manage a couple casualties on the The Gallopers but not enough. The Skirmishers have spent a turn knocking loopholes in the back of the building but their fire is ineffective too.

The combined fire of the Parliament right flank causes some Royal pike to withdraw.

The Gallopers call for the Charge.

The unit of shotte flee. I had planned on this and had moved the pike so if they were charged by the gallopers or the Royal pike in front it would be a frontal charge. I did a couple more casualties after the movement and that left the majority of the galloper models in my flank arc. I I took the charge in the flank and the battle turned south.

I took a bunch of casualties and did few back. I failed the break test but because of the Elite rule I used my reroll and succeeded. The gallopers lapped the pike and it looked even worse.

The Parliamentarian Reinforcements arrive! A ray of hope that ended up to not be so bright.

The Royals march back into the Parliamentarian guns.

And fall back again.

The Gallopers finish off the Pike.

Then they overrun into the Shotte in front of the powder store.

Who Flee, while the gallopers continue into the cannon.

The Gallopers destroy the cannon and charge the pike in the flank,

Who also flee, so the Gallopers catch the General,

Who disengages, so the Gallopers end up charging the remaining shotte unit.

My Shotte unit that fled finally regroups. They reform, load their last round and prepare to make the Royalists pay.

The Gallopers fight the shotte and,

The shotte break and flee.

The end game. This is when we called it. The Royalists advancing and the Parliamentarians in disarray. The Gallopers received the most valuable unit award. The was a repeat play test game and it was commented that this was the best the Gallopers had ever done. Usually they charged into the enemy and ended up isolated and ultimately destroyed but not this game. I enjoyed the game and look forward to the next event I can attend.

The October event is going on today but maybe I can make the next one.