The Spanish Militia list:
Untested Commader (a first for me)
5 Caballero, with a Grizzled Veteran
6 Hostigadores, with a Grizzled Veteran, and muskets exchanged for carbines and Scout
6 Hostigadores
6 Lanceros
6 Soldados
The idea was to see how well Grizzled Veterans can compensate for the commander not having Inspiring, while also being cheaper. In conclusion, it might work for smaller points, but I think I need a better commander, possibly AND some Grizzled Veterans (I had constant problems of just too much fatigue)
The English Buccaneers:
Experienced Commander
Local Guide
6 Freebooters
5 Forlorn Hope, upgraded to Veterans, and of course with grenadoes
7 Sea Dogs, upgraded to Veterans
6 English Militia
A force perhaps a bit too focused on attacking, which, as will be shown, would be a minor problem initially.
Rolling of for Attacker/Defender (despite me offering to defend) surprisingly see the Buccaneers as defenders. Presumably, they've plundered a plantation before making camp for the night, and now the defenders of rightful spanish territory see their chance to liberate said plunder, with payment in blood.
The english deployment, with a few lone militia models serving as guards. The lone spaniard (with a yellow base) is the local guide. Probably a deserter, should be shot if possible.
Hopefully the stars of the show, being ready to ride over the bridge.
And they're off! And sanctified balls, cavalry is fast. They easily move 12 inces in a turn (which is also good, because they're not exactly useful or resilient in a long range fight).
The rest of the spaniards creep closer in the dark, with their matches out to preserve the element of surprise.
Everyone has moved closer, all quiet-like.
And the english dogs suspect nothing (despite some horses going all out on the other side of the house...).
"Wait, I think I see something!"
"Is that horses? I didn't know we had any horses..."
"... oh. Those aren't our horses."
Turn 2 is off with a charge. The Caballero lay into the english Sea Dogs, who have no chance to defend themselves, just as the alarm is about to go off.
Men fall and the English even gets some fatigue (these 2 fatigue might have been the most fatigue the english got in a single turn throughout the game...)
The rest of the spanish rush forward, some lighting their matches as they go (an occasion where I dearly wished I had a more competent commander, since lightning a match is a Dedicated Action, and best done by Command Point).
Then, on turn 3, comes the first event, and every single unit with guns start getting some problems (aside from the Hostigadores, whose matches obviously can't foul up since they're not lit yet).
The Caballero continue their push, felling englishmen as they go. But not quite managing to shake the dogs...
Who then promptly cut back and cut down a cavalryman. That Veteran Upgrade is already starting to pay for itself.
The English Militia then proceed to do their drill, and open fire on the Hostigadores barely visible in the dark.
General concencus is that English Militia is a very good unit to have, because they tend to pay for themselves (and if they don't, they weren't exactly expensive). I should probably try that some. I know that it doesn't work for my spanish militia, though...
The fight between cavalrymen and sea dogs wages on, with more horses down.
And the English discover the eternal problem when fighting spanish, the trees are suddenly full of Lanceros.
Sadly, the Lanceros do not choose to stay in the fight, instead skirmishing away. This allows the Militia to charge in and support the Sea Dogs.
A most spectacular display of skill (or possibly blind, rotten luck), later...
And the cavalry has been killed to a man. And I had even been cheesy and delayed their activation a bit longer, meaning they didn't even get a chance to strike.
The game turns on this moment. Instead of the English getting a Strike Point because only the spanish were withing 3" of the objective (the Sea Dogs barely being too far away), it's the spanish who get a Strike Point for having no units within 3" of an objective (with the Caballero being dead, and the Lanceros getting Shaken by Freebooter fire).
It's time for some desperate pushes. The Soldados charge to try and clear a way to the objective, while Hostigadores screen them (and their Grizzled Veteran instil some fervor in the Lanceros).
The screening Hostigadores (and the commander) are cut down to a man, creating a dangerous hole in the spanish lines.
Meanwhile, the forest is full of fighting, with Soldados and bouncing Lanceros duking it out against Sea Dogs and Militia.
The last Hostigadores charge the Forlorn Hope, in a desperate attempt to tie them up before they get to eath grenades (and maybe, if Lady Luck smiles, cut them down... Lady Luck is a [bleep]ing [bleep]).
There is finally some amount of headway in the forest, the Sea Dogs are cut down, but it takes all the spanish have to do it.
In the end, it is not enough. The ground is covered with dead bodies, and too many of them are spanish. They also didn't manage to hold the objective long enough, and stand (well, most of them lie by now) with 2 strike points too many and no commander to even try to rally the troops.
This game turned on two things. I was too slow to activate the cavalry (worrying that if I managed to kill the Sea Dogs too soon, they would be cut down by gunfire), and just as the cavalry died, my dice luck turned absolutely rotten. I didn't run any intricate statistics, but I think 3/4 of the english casualties was from before that point, because after that, I had trouble rolling a 5+.
Oh, well. Next time, Barrett.
/Fool Out.
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