Enfilade: the games

I didn't do a really good job of taking pictures of my own games, but I'll share what I have.

Friday Night: Tripwire- The Straits of Hormuz


Dave and I had six willing participants for the game.  Let's face it, modern naval combat is fairly unique at a game convention.  Andrew, Steve, John and Brian chose the Iranians and Andy and Chris managed the Americans.  It was different than our playtest in some ways, but very similar in others. The Americans, again, chose the LCS 1 and the bunch of American and UAE  gunboats and missile boats.  The Iranians went a bit different direction with two groups of Boghammars, and one each of China Cats and the Tir torpedo boats in reserve.  What we wanted was the tension of when to start fighting, and we got it.  Lots of bluster and warning until  Andy Doty's Cyclone stepped on a mine.  Then it was missiles galore.  The Iranians game out on the short end of this fight, with many losses, but they clearly won the propaganda fight with the Americans starting the shooting.

An American Cyclone gunboat tripped over a mine and began the entire incident

Captured live on CNN, Exocet missiles streak toward and IRGN Thondar class missile boat, and a fishing trawler (??!!) Hmm, Charles Taylor just got 50 years.  Andy Doty?

Saturday Morning

This was the only period I didn't have anything going on.  I didn't sleep much the night before so I wandered the Bring and Buy and dealer areas, helped out Jim Denberger totaling receipts.  Just kind of tried to wake up. 

American troops emerge from their water transport and mass for their advance against the Spanish positions.

Saturday Afternoon-Chickasaw Bluffs Part One: Smoke on the Water

As the morning game period came to a close, I shifted into full fretting mode.  I never playtested the scenario, though I walked through things in my mind many times. Most troubling was that the board was fairly busy and I was concerned the board area wouldn't quite work out.  Thankfully, Mark Waddington gave me a hand setting up and it was fine.

Dave Schueler and Lloyd Bowler ran the American assault on Spanish prepared positions controlling the Mississippi.  The Spanish, controlled by Thomas Moore and Francis Munroe  deployed their Spanish regulars into the redoubt, and waited sleepily for the fun to start.  By turn three, the Americans climbed the steep hill from their boats to the hilltop and were beginning to form for battle, when the Spanish gave the alarm to their camp.  Thomas moved one of his infantry squads out of the redoubt, to receive the attack, but retreated back in a hail of gunfire.  As the Americans spiked the Spanish guns, they began to close in on three sides of the redoubt.  Just as things began to look hopeless for the defenders, reinforcments arrived from the camp.  Choosing to mount one of their militia units, Francis hurled the cuera lancers at the Americans, and really did do nasty stuff, but there were enough Americans to drive them off.  Though the Spanish were able to hold on to the redoubt, the Americans with their long range riflemen were sufficient to inflict unanswered damage, and they surrendered.

An American infantry squad masses in formation

Spaniards of the Louisiana Regiment awake to find the Americans ready for a fight.

Yikes, lots more Americans than they counted on.

It was actually a nice game of back and forth.  All played well and it was fun.

Saturday Night-Chickasaw Bluffs Part Two: Just a big Indian Fight

This is the game I did playtest and it went badly sideways.  Sam, Mark and Tim played the Indians while Doug, Brian and Scott ran the Americans.  The playtesters suggested the Americans be allowed to set on to the table two feet rather than the 18" I allowed.  It was a disaster.  On the first turn, the Americans, getting ready to cross the little creek were blasted by Indians.  The militia was routed and the regulars were mauled.  Though the Chickasaw units were also weakened, they had plenty of reserves, and when I called the game, were in danger of surrounding the advancing regular units. Yecchhh.
Sunday Morning-Atlantic Blockading Squadron, in the Gulf

Three ironclads looking for something wooden to ram.

David Sullivan and I agreed to host a Sail and Steam Navy game at Enfilade some time ago, but didn't finalize its contents until Wednesday night.  It had some interesting elements-Confederate ironclads attempting to break through some Union blockaders at Mobile.  The rebels had the ram Tennessee, the sidewheel ironclad Nashville, and the barely armored steamer Baltic.  Together they sailed through early morning fog toward the Union fleet.  The Tennessee rammed and sank the wee monitor Neosho.  The Baltic absorbed, sort of, the scalding effects of having a steam line severed. But heavily armored Nashville and Tennessee were sort of the "men about town" administering nasty shots with their Brooke rifles.  Well, until their stacks were shot away and then they were sort of the "cripples about town," absorbing the broadsides of Hartford, Iroquois, and a fine supporting cast as well.  Needless to say, this turned out badly for the Confederates. 

A glimpse down the barrels of a pair of 7" Brooke rifles.

The Hartford, ready to let fly with a broadside.

Bonus round: Sunday afternoon-Crysler's Farm

In the weeks before the convention, Mark, Doug and I agreed we'd try out a War of 1812 battle, Crysler's Farm.  Fought in 1813 near Montreal, it's one of those tried and true American disasters.  The heart was willing but the brain was petrified, so the attack failed.  We agreed to play using Regimental Fire and Fury, but it's a challenge for scenario designers because the British are so badly outnumbered.  The Americans, rated as trained, advanced against the Brits and just sort of ran them over.  Unfortunately, in the actual battle the American commanders, that slimy bastard James Wilkinson, was quite ill, and his sub-commanders lacked talent.  The Brits pretty much held them off all day. We definitely need to do some fiddling as I expect we'll host this game next year on the 200th anniversary.

A full weekend of hosting.  I really didn't get around to see as many games as I would have liked.

The Indian Stockade: WIP

It's great, I'm here at school on deadline on a Friday night, desperately hoping I'll get home in time to see the season premier of Portlandia.  Some things are more important than others. In between looking at stories, and page designs I decided to amuse myself by working on my next terrain project, the Chickasaw stockade.

As you can see from the illustration, the Chickasaw stockade is not huge, and is nothing like we see on the whites building on the frontier.  No bastions, firing platforms or interior buildings. In an Indian palisade, the palings simply are not flush together.  A gap is left between the timbers to allow fire. There's not a gate; entering and exiting  is done by a narrow opening.  My objective is to provide a simple fortification warriors can use to defend their village and food source, or send their families for safety.  And I want to scratch build it.

There is a commercial Indian palisade available from Acheson Creations. It's not even terribly expensive, and looks pretty nice, but I've decided to make it myself. 

I decided on dimensions of 12" X 6" with rounded corners.  I decided to make the palings two inches tall from 1/8" craft dowels I bought at Michaels.

Step One:  I cut the dowels on my little scroll saw, shattering a few along the way.  My bad.  After cutting the dowels into two inch lengths. I traced out the outline of the palisade. 

The dowels are sanded to flatten one end and an irregular peaked shape is created on the the other end

A hole is drilled in the flat end and a hunk of .032" brass wire is glued into the hole

 Step Two: I decided the best way to fix the palings into the plywood was to put a pin into them and glue them into the holes.  I sanded one end down flat and tried to remember to round off the top edge or to make a point; I didn't want them to appear too uniform.  I started by using a pin vise to drill the hole because I was afraid using a drill might split the dowel.  After taking forever and wearing out my hand, I switched over to my Dremel tool and it worked fine. I chose .032" brass wire for the pins and I began cutting it to length.  Actually, to make it easy, I inserted the brass rod into the hole and cut the protruding rod to the desired length, and glued it in with CA glue.

I started gluing the palings into the holes in the plywood and immediately discovered I'd need to skip some of the holes if the palings were to have enough room and leave sufficient gaps. 

One view of the Chickasaw fort under construction.  The palisade doesn't have a gate.  The entrance is open but protected by fire from the overlapping curved wall.

The palings don't fit flush and provide some fire openings between palings, yet offer some protection to defenders including women and children seeking shelter from an attacker.  The holes for the palings are clearly visible.

The brass wire offers some advantage.  It fits snugly in the holes, and can be bent a bit to get the palings perpendicular.

Chickasaw Bluffs: an outline

I've been trying to put together my plans for Chickasaw Bluffs as part of my Enfilade projects.  I'm thinking seriously about what I want the game to look like.  It might be complicated but should be fun.  So here it is in a nutshell.

The Layout

There are two 8' X 5' game tables separated by space to move between them.  The left table is an all land table, at relatively equal elevation.  The terrain will consist of an Indian village represented by four or five small buildings and a defensive stockade, plus a large cornfield. The rest of the terrain will be some medium sized hills and a fair number of trees.

Yes, it's crude, but I'm thinking the board will look something like this. 

The right table is partly river, with a with an irregular shoreline roughly bisecting the table lengthwise. The shoreline rises quickly to an impassable height with a steep, but passable grade near the board edge.  At the top of the hill is a Spanish battery defended by an earthwork.    At the top of the table is a Spanish encampment.

 The Forces

American Forces: The Americans will have a combination of regular and militia troops.  There are six American units (half companies) of 12 figures each.  In addition there are eight militia units (half companies) of 10 figures each.  To support the foot forces will be at least one (perhaps two) mounted militia companies of ten figures each, and an artillery detachment two-three guns (there will be choices to make.)  Last, but not least, the Americans will have a keelboat and four armed pirogues.  The priogues can each carry a half company (one unit.)  The keelboat can carry a complete company (two units)

Spanish Forces: The Spanish will also have a combination of regular and frontier militia (cuera) troops.  There are two half companies of Spanish regulars, 10 figures each.  The three militia half companies are also of ten figures each.  One of the Cuera companies may also mount as lancers.  Finally, the Spaniards will also have three artillery crews.  They will be able to apply these to the three pounders in their camp, or the twelve-pounders in their earthwork.

Indian Forces: The Indians, Chickasaw warriors, will defend their homes with eight ten man units, all dismounted.

The Scenario  

A combined army of American regulars and militia are making their way down the Mississippi to capture New Orleans.  The Spanish are fortifying the west bank of the Mississippi and providing anchorages for river galleys in order to control Mississippi traffic.  The Americans force is intended to capture  the Spanish battery commanding the river from the bluffs.  

The Spanish have paid the Chickasaw (and other tribes) to fight the Americans, who menace their homelands.  The Chickasaw also provide some much needed to manpower to augment the small and dispersed Spanish Army in America.  

Particulars

The American forces are divided between a force marching overland toward the Chickasaw village, and an amphibious force aimed at ascending the bluffs from the river .  The Indians may begin in the cornfield or the stockade to defend their village.  The Spanish begin in their encampment, ready to move, having been given the alarm by their Chickasaw allies. 

Units can move freely between the two tables, being separated only by convenience.  I'd be interested to hear, dear readers, what you think. 

My Mississippi Project: Scenario One-The Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs

After a week away from the paint brush and chain, I've begun thinking about potential game topics for my Mississippi project.  One that came to mind first was the American effort to chase the Spanish out of the fortifications they were building on the east bank of the Mississippi River prior to the Louisiana Purchase (1803.) One such place was at Chickasaw Bluffs, built on a promontory at the mouth of the Yazoo River.  It was intended to command the river and control approaches to New Orleans.

I was considering a fairly terrain heavy game with some interesting game pieces.  Because the Spanish allied themselves with the Chickasaw, I am thinking about a Chickasaw village and stockade.  This reconstruction of an early 18th century village will help guide my thinking.

I generally avoid terrain-heavy games.  I know it adds a lot to the scenario, but my chief objection is the problem it creates in storage.  Even so I'm willing to take on the travails of building and tucking away the stockade, buildings and cornfields, the earthworks and encampments because it will look cool.

I've been giving some thought to the scenario itself.  The Americans will have five or so units of regulars and eight to ten units of militia troops, with artillery.  Maybe one unit of light dragoons or mounted riflemen, and some artillery  They'll be able to split their units between a direct land assault on the Chickasaw fortification and an amphibious assault with five or six units on up the bluffs on the Spanish artillery position.

The Spanish will defend with a unit of mounted cuera militia, three units of dismounted militia, and eight to ten units of Chickasaw warrior allies, plus some artillery.

Play it all on a 16 X 5 table.  It should work.  How much do I have to paint?  Not that much actually.  The Indians are already done, as are almost all the Spanish.  I need guns and gunners for both sides and the Americans are a ways away from being finished.  Plenty of time, however, to allow me to concentrate on building the terrain pieces.