Battle of Spielstadt

A 3x3ish Experiment

As much as I love the Dominion series, sometimes I want a little more. Specifically, I want more variety of scenarios. Dominion essentially has one scenario - a pitched battle.

I'm toying with the idea of adapting One Hour Wargame scenarios to Dominion. I noticed that OHW scenario maps are on a 3x3 grid. Why not try a 3x3-style game? I created a 5x5 grid (to include reserve and flank areas). I winged it with the rules; they are a mishmash of Dominion, the Portable Wargame, and MicroBattle.

Background

The kingdoms of Redgrave and Bluderia are once again at war.

Note: These kingdoms are from imagi-nations I created a couple of decades ago. They participated in a number of campaigns on my old blog.

Bluderia's Marshal Heinrich von Sturmwald outmaneuvers the Redgravians. He descends upon the lightly defended town of Spielstadt, held by General Wilhelm von Falkenstein.

Note: This is scenario 21 - Twin Objectives from OHW.

Set Up

Falkenstein (red army) has 2 infantry brigades and a cavalry brigade guarding the town of Spielstadt. In addition, a brigade of light infantry defends a wooded hill.

Sturmwald's vanguard consists of a brigade each of infantry and cavalry. He has 3 more infantry brigades and an artillery regiment in reserve.

The Battle

The Bluderian vanguard advances. The Redgravian defenders sally out and attack. The Bluderian cavalry (right) forces its counterpart to retreat. In the center, the infantry brigades grind each other down. On the left, the Bluderian infantry and Redgravian lights fight to a stalemate.

Notes: 

• I adapted a retreat rule, like the Portable Wargame. Otherwise, the unit is eliminated.
• When a vacancy opened on an army's baseline, I moved a unit onto the battlefield from the reserve area.

The Bluderian cavalry pursue but a counterattack routs them.

Bluderia's artillery forces the enemy cavalry to retreat again. Redgrave's lights also get destroyed.

Another fight for the town. Bluderia loses a brigade while Redgrave temporarily retreats.

Finally, the guns destroy the cavalry. Bluderia's infantry brigades close in on the town.

A bloody assault wipes out the defenders. Bluderia can take the town.

Victory for Bluderia!

NOTES

• Game time was about 12 minutes. Not as fast as Dominion but not bad.
• The OHW scenario has a 15 turn time limit. Given that this is a quick-play scenario, I should have reduced the number of turns. I just did not know by how much so I played the game out to its conclusion. It went 6 turns. Perhaps I should have had a 5 turn limit?
• Instead of automatic defeat when down to 1 unit, I rolled morale to see if Redgrave's last defenders would keep fighting. They did, but could not hold out.
• The units are out-of-scale on the map compared to OHW. Each square would equate to 12" on a OHW board, but OHW units should be 4"-6" wide. I briefly thought about halving the size of the units, but I don't want to put in the effort. Besides, I think it worked fine to have units in the reserve area.

Pyrrhus's Last Chance

Part 3 of a Dominion of the Spear Campaign

Following up from the last post.

Background

Pyrrhus lost his first battle against the Carthaginians outside Syracuse. The Carthaginians pursued and Pyrrhus made a stand. This time, he won a decisive victory.

Now he advances along the north coast of Sicily. The Carthaginians block his way outside the city of Panormus.

Battle of Panormus

The army compositions are unchanged.

• Pyrrhus (blue) - Elephants (ferocious armored), archers, elite cavalry, armored pikes, spears

• Carthaginians (red) - 2 armored spears, 1 chariots (elite armored), 2 spears (representing javelins)

Pyrrhus initiates the attacks with his elephants, but they are stymied by the hill. They rout from the field.

Note: I added the hill for variety. It provided a defense bonus if the occupying unit did not already have one. In the above case, it was superfluous. I still used it in the narrative just because.

Then Pyrrhus leads his cavalry in a charge that destroys the enemy chariots.

Pyrrhus's archers drive the spears from the hill. But his cavalry breaks against the javelin men.

Pyrrhus's spears drive off the javelin men. But the archers in turn get routed.

The remaining Carthaginian javelin men flank Pyrrhus's pikes. The attack proves too much and the pikes flee.

A Carthaginian victory!

Aftermath

His army decimated, Pyrrhus returns to Messana, boards his ships, and sails back to Epirus. His foreign adventures have proven disastrous.

What's Next?

Let's see if Pyrrhus can hold onto his throne. Given my luck with him, I doubt it.

Pyrrhus vs. Carthage

Part 1 of a Dominion of the Spear Campaign

I decided to play a 3 game campaign pitting Pyrrhus vs the Carthaginians in Sicily.

Background

When last we left Pyrrhus, the Romans had defeated him. He decided to try his luck in Sicily.

He arrives as the Carthaginians besiege Syracuse. Pyrrhus goes to the aid of the city.

Battle of Syracuse

• Pyrrhus (blue) - Elephants (ferocious armored), archers, elite cavalry, armored pikes, spears

            Note: I accidentally used an elite marker rather than armored for the pikes.

• Carthaginians (red) - 2 armored spears, 1 chariots (elite armored), 2 spears (representing javelins)

Note: I bumped the armies up to 14 points.

Pyrrhus attacks the Carthaginians encamped by the walls of the city. 

Note: The walls are just for looks. They have no impact on play.

Pyrrhus's elephants rout the Carthaginian spears. But the Carthaginian heavy chariots run roughshod over Pyrrhus and his cavalry.

Note: I did not bother with leaders this time out. I assumed that Pyrrhus escaped the rout with his life.

The Libyan javelinmen fill the gap on the left and stop the elephants cold. Meanwhile, the Greek pikes stop the chariots, but they are also hors de combat.

More javelin men move into the line. They flank and rout Pyrrhus's archers.

Pyrrhus retreats back to his base at Messana.

Battle of Messana

The Carthaginians pursue. Pyrrhus reforms his army and makes a stand

• I used the same army lists as the first battle.

The Carthaginians attack with their chariots, but Pyrrhus and his cavalry hold them back. Meanwhile, Pyrrhus's elephants rout the enemy spearmen.

The Pyrrhus put the chariots to flight.

The elephants continue their rampage. To salvage the situation, the Carthaginian general presses his spears in the center. A hail of arrows rains down on them, obliterating their formations.

The Carthaginians retreat. A decisive victory for Pyrrhus!

Tune in next time for the thrilling conclusion!

Romans vs. Persians

Inspired by a post* on the Portable Wargame Facebook group, I looked into playing a Byzantine battle with Dominion of the Spear. I settled on Late Romans vs. Sassanid Persians.

* Bob Cordery provides a nice overview of the post on his blog.

Set Up

• Persians (blue) - Elephants (elite armored), 2 armored horse archers in battle line. Spears in reserve
• Romans (red) - cavalry, archers, and legionaries (elite armored) in battle line. Cavalry and spears in reserve.

The Battle

The Persians launch their elephants on the left. The Roman cavalry panics and bolts. The Roman legionaries try unsuccessfully to engage the horse archers.

But the legionaries finally draw the horse archers into melee. The horse archers don't last.

The legionaries continue their attacks, this time routing the reserve spears. On the left, the Roman spears and Persian elephants engage in a bloody stalemate. leaving both units blown.

On the Persian side, only a unit of horse archers remain. Seeing both flanks exposed, they wisely decide to withdraw from the battlefield.

A Roman victory!

Next

Dominion is great! It is so easy to set up and play.

As a result, I've been playing a lot of games and have lots of reports to share. Over the next couple of weeks (and hopefully longer) you'll get 3 reports a week (on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). I even completed a couple of 3-game campaigns!

The British Retreat

Lexington Concord Campaign Using Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet

Part 3

This is the finale of my Lexington Concord campaign using Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet.

So Far

The colonial militia has driven Col. Smith and his command from Concord. Colonial ambushers hit the retreating British, inflicting more casualties.

The Final Battle

Col. Percy links up with Smith. Percy has 4 companies of line infantry and one battery of artillery. Smith only has his lights left.

Note: For this larger battle, each company = 1 stand.

Outside Lexington, Col. Green's militia strikes.

Smith's light infantry draws first blood.

But then the colonials counterattack and drive Smith off.

The British line defeats a company on the left.

But then they get routed.

Disaster for the British! The colonial militia wipe out the flanks.

Then a flank attack routs the center.

The colonials are victorious. Percy leads his battered command back to Boston.

GAME NOTES

• That was fun, aided by an American victory!
• I changed the campaign a bit. I did not roll for American reinforcements. Instead, I had each command individually challenge the British.
• Interesting, the British won my first attempt at Concord. Then I realized that I shortchanged the colonials - I only gave them 1 stand per company while the British got 2. I replayed the battle and this changed the result.
• I made the colonial militia = ambushers because I wanted them to fire first. It seemed fitting for Lexington Concord, where the colonials generally used hit and run tactics.
• Stay tuned for more Revolutionary War battles!

Battle of Concord

Lexington Concord Campaign Using Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet

Part 2

I'm continuing my Lexington Concord campaign using Dominion of the Spear and Bayonet.

So Far

Col. Smith leads a company each of light infantry and grenadiers to Concord. His mission is to seize military stores from the colonial militia.

He brushes off a colonial company at Lexington. At Merriam's Corner, he drives off more militia. Part of his grenadiers get dispersed but he rallies them. The British continue their march.

Concord

Smith arrives in Concord. His troops begin searching the town, but then colonial reinforcements arrive from the North Bridge. Col. Barrett leads 3 companies of militia.

Notes:

• Two stands represent a company.
• The British light infantry are skirmishers, the grenadiers are bayonets, and the colonial militia are ambushers.

The British lights drive off the militia on the left. The grenadiers charge in the center but get driven off.

More grenadiers come up from the reserve, but they also get driven off. The British lights on the left continue having success.

But then they get flanked and routed.

The colonials control the battlefield. Smith must retreat from Concord with his mission unaccomplished.

The Retreat

Smith retreats, looking to link up with reinforcements under Brigadier Percy. He manages to rally his grenadiers.

Near Merriam's Corner, he gets ambushed by more militia, this time under Col. Pierce.

Musketry from the militia drives off some of the grenadiers.

Then the militia flanks the remaining grenadiers, driving them off too.

Smith hastens his retreat to Boston.

Happy Easter!

"But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Acts 2:24

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3