David R. Moody  - Mar 13, 2006 2:01 pm (#12928 Total: 12932)  
"Life is that unfortunate time between wargames."--Larry Leadhead 
	 
At home, finished solitairing Cheriton, a module from the latest C3i for
This Accursed Civil War, the first of Ben Hull's excellent Musket and
Pike Series from GMT. It's a little battle, fought on March 29, 1644,
and historically it was a Parliamentarian victory, giving them control
of southwestern England. Despite it's size, I would not recommend it as
an intro to the series--the terrain is too difficult (lots of
hedge-lined roads which mess up formations, and Cheriton Wood right
smack in the middle). Edgehill is still the way to go. 

At any rate, the Royalist light infantry drove the Roundhead LI out of
Cheriton Wood after a sharp fight, sending most of them fleeing off map.
This left the Royalists in disarray in the wood, and they couldn't get
regrouped to come out of the woods themselves (in game terms, they
switched to a Rally order, got Rallied, but couldn't come out of the
Rally order to advance on the enemy). Meanwhile, the Royalist left wing
(mostly cavalry with two small heavy infantry units) went around
Cheriton Wood to the east, where they got charged by the Roundhead left
wing cavalry. The Royalists countercharged (successful Interceptions)
and promptly routed the Roundheads off the field (and mostly pursued
them off map, save for the wing commander and one unit, who then brought
up his two heavy infantry units and moved to threaten the
Parliamentarian center). 

The big fight was in a small vale west of the woods, where the Roundhead
right and Royalist left wing cavalry clashed in a savage, swirling
fight. Both army commanders were present, reforming units as they
advanced through the hedges (both sides start out rather tenative in
this game, and there is lots of move through the hedges/stop and dress
ranks, which is why having the army commanders around is useful) and
throwing them into the fight. The Royalists were shattered and driven
from the field; among their losses was their army commander, Sir Ralph
Hopton, falling in the last desperate charge that swept the wing away.
Alas, both the Roundhead wing commander and his replacement ended up
pursuing fugitives off map and the Roundhead army commander (Waller)
also fell in that last charge, at the head of the famous "Lobster"
regiment. Command now fell on the head of the center wing of the
Roundhead army, which had been watching the proceedings. 

With all the cavalry either gone (eliminated or merrily chasing down
fugitives offmap), scattered, or milling about in Formation Broken
status (four Formation Broken units in the vale where all the fun was
was all that was left to the Roundheads, now under the command of an
unnamed Colonel), the right flank apparently turned by the Royalist
right wing infantry and one surviving cavalry unit (some of the
Roundheads' three pounders opened up on the HI to no effect, and the one
remaining Roundhead LI unit from those in the wood took up station to
protect the guns), the center wing Royalist HI safely ensconced behind
one of the many hedge-lined roads in the area and no other higher
commanders around, the Roundheads pulled back, leaving the battered
Royalists in possession of the field with a Marginal victory (net of 3
VPs to the Parlimentarian side). 

What a feast of death! Waaaaay cool little scenario, despite the
difficult terrain, and hard-fought. If the Roundhead AC hadn't bought
it, the Parlimentarians win a Marginal Victory, and it's the Cavaliers
who must retreat. 

I thought about doing Marston Moor next, but decided against it.
Instead, I'm going to do some battles from SPQR (GMT)--two of Marcus
Claudius Marcellus' (the Sword of Rome) battles in Sicily during the
Second Punic War: Acrillae (213 BC--C3i #8 I think it is) and Himeras
River (211 BC--C3i #17). More Romans later this week, as Joe and I hook
up on Wednesday for Lest Darkness Fall, the latest S&T game on the Third
Century Crisis. Next target in Mike Lam's PBEM B-17 game is a short hop
to bomb rail lines at Treviso. Painting up Prussian Uhlans and expecting
a horde of Russians to arrive this week at the Moody household--some
painted, some not.