A Static Defence (One Hour Wargames Scenario 14)

I had an itch for a figure game, but didn't want to do another WWII scenario, so I decided to take the opportunity to give my khaki British force their inaugural outing.

(Please note the grid is not being used - it just makes things easier for terrain placement and speeds measurements)

Defenders of the town.

Defenders of the hill.

The British put all of their eggs in one basket and prepare to attack the hill in force.

Cossacks ride to support the hill defense.

The approaching wave of khaki, the Cossacks set their lances for the charge.

Prepare to fire!

Men and horses collide! The cavalry retires to the hill to prepare their next charge.

Screw guns and Gatling bullets tear into the advancing Highlanders!

This stalwart unit would repel three successive charges.

In an ill-fated gamble, British lancers tried to sweep around the woods and pass by the town's defenders to flank the screw guns. Withering fire stopped them in their tracks.

Moving into line, the khakis bring the Gatling and screw gun crews under fire. The Gatlings fall first.

They rush the hill to face the lone Russian infantry unit waiting for their advance.

The screw guns advance to bring the British back into sight, but are halted on the hill side under fire.

 

Technically, I'm not sure the British won - they now occupy the hill, but the hill side is contested. I'll call it a minor victory.

*****
The rules used were a modified version of the One Hour Wargames Rifle and Sabre rules. When skirmishers were called for by the random force generation, I substituted regular infantry.  For  artillery, I allowed that one piece could be a Gatling gun. I gave it a range of 18", rather than any bonus when doing damage (infantry get +2). 

I realize logically it doesn't seem to make sense, but the effect does, so I consider that a wash. 

A stationary Gatling can attack enemy infantry twice before the infantry can return fire - once when the infantry moves into the 18" range, and once again when the infantry moves into their rifle range of 12". This way, it doesn't step on the bonus that infantry have but gives them a way to deal more damage. I think you can also argue that they don't get the +2 because they are subject to jamming/accuracy issues.

Otherwise, the rules were as written. 

I have to say again, I think the less you know about a period, or the less opinions you have about what you expect from the rules for a given period, the more likely the One Hour Wargames rules will satisfy. As I don't have any particular expectations for the period, I found them more than satisfactory.

I suppose if I had to pick something that was missing,  I'd like if the infantry could come to blows but I don't know how common that was in battles between European powers. That said, it would be possible to simply allow infantry to charge into hand to hand using rules from earlier periods - as the units are limited to attacking via their front facing (unless they are in a town) and so bonuses for flank and rear hand to hand is applicable (coincidentally, this is why simply bolting on hand to hand rules for infantry fails for the One Hour Wargame WWII rules - units don't have flanks or rear, thoutgh you could modify the rules further to accomplish that).

I'm looking forward to another game with these figures - hopefully by the next game I will have my second unit of Russians completed.