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| The imposing Fort Chuck |
Events have unfolded rather rapidly since the Battle of Naughty Rhyme.
General Hochemont dispatched the Legion du Rospo Hippos to follow up the retreating General Mocambe N. Wise's forces as far as Illskinning. There the du Rospos found an as yet unidentified unit of light infantry holding the town. Col. Ranacavallo sent couriers asking for further instructions.
Meanwhile, General Hochemont left General de Brigade Fefalas in charge of 1st and 3rd brigade in his absence. On learning of the enemy force in Illskinning, General Fefalas lost no time in forming up his troops for an advance. He did this without orders from Hochemont, which is OK as that is what Hochemont was going to instruct him to do once the courier arrived.
Where was General Hochemont during this time? The General set out with the 1st Burrovian Cuirassiers to lead 2nd Bde to reinforce General Moult's BGORA force. At the same time Hochemont wants to requisition some of the BGORA light cavalry for his forces. The Ferach paucity of light cavalry contributed significantly to the escape of Sir Morcambe N. Wise's force and this is an event Hochemont wishes to avoid repeating.
General Hochemont also has an ulterior motive in taking the route he has chosen to confer with General Moult. Midway along the Naughty Rhyme-Ork road lies the wee town of Barney, site of Barney Castle, the cultural and spiritual center of Guinalea. It is rumored that Hochement intends to proclaim he is assuming the Purple once he reaches the site.
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| May 25th, Day 8 |
And what of General Moult and BGORA?
They have made painfully slow progress down Guinalea's east coast, causing General Hochemont much despair. Now that General Moult has reached the environs of Ork, his way is blocked by the earthwork Fort Chuck.
The fort is orced by Enri Simering's 62nd South Mordor Regiment, and a battery of RFA. They have even pressed the ancient Mons Tres, a cannon dating from the age of Magick, into service.
The 62nd is supported by the 26th Light Dragoons, a unit of Joccian Rats that have been keeping tabs on General Moult's forces all along their slow march southward.
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| The ever vigilant 26th Light Dragoons |
Now, personally, I'm not one who enjoys "assault the fort" sort of games. I had hoped to use Moult's cavalry to outflank the fort by travelling south over the hills, to cut off the orc's retreat and harry their line of supplies while waiting for General Hochemont to come up with more troops.
However, apparently General Moult's Guinalean blood is up and he ordered an immediate frontal assault! Despite Agent d'Kless' protests, General Moult is even refusing to send word of his intentions to Hochemont until AFTER the assault is successful.
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| General Moult's forces will enter from the right of this photo |
So the table is set and Moult is ready to begin a pre assault bombardment.
Allies. What can you do? It's never easy is it?
As usual the Napoleonic fantasy troops are from Alternative Armies and painted by their talented staff. I can not say enough good things about Alternative Armies and their painting service. Forty years in this hobby and I am finally able to put on the sorts of games I always wanted to.
The fort and ravelin are from Warlord Games.
The terrain tiles are from Old Glory
The sky backdrop is from Lemax.
Tune in again after the Easter truce to learn what happens next!
Happy Easter All!
So the dice are determining the BGORA strategy? The campaign has a lot of twists and turns already. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteHello Sean!
ReplyDeleteIn this game I have taken on the role of Hochemont. As such I issue orders to subordinates and need to be informed of changed situations by courier. Couriers have to dice to see if they get though and how long it takes them.
Another variable added is the speed with which the various forces move. So for example Toad Force was much more likely to move than BGORA. That was just luck of the dice (or lack of it!).
The initial orders I had issued to Moult were to advance on Ork and attack if he felt himself strong enough or wait for support if not.
The disposition and intentions of the opposing forces are part of Grant's scenario so I don't know what I'm up against until I reach an occupied location.
As it happened I think Moult should have waited for support but used a roll of the dice to see what HE thought, and he decided to attack.
Conversely when Fefalas received word of the weak defenses at Illskinning, he (via dice roll) elected to advance without waiting for orders from Hochemeont. This time the dice were with me as that is what I wanted Fefaflas to do.
Win some lose some but it all adds uncertainty, and headaches to the campaign!
Great Stuff Bob!
ReplyDeleteI am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what is next.
GBS