As part of the Gettysburg 2013-1863 Project there will be a small Black Powder practice game on this Sunday at the Hall of Heroes, Campbelltown.
The scenario is based on a blind meeting engagements where the 2 armies stumble upon each other piecemeal (Sound familiar?) So this is how it will work:
We will be playing up and down the length of the longest table Matt can manage without completely disrupting the shop. We will arrange terrain features haphazardly, the only thing we need for definite is a road running up and down the table, roughly in the middle. Once we have arranged the terrain, we will dice off to see which army starts on which short edge. We will then dice off to see which side starts.
There will be no overall commander for each Army. So when its your turn to step off with a Brigade, think for yourself beforehand where you want to go and what you want to achieve. Its also your decision whether you take a Brigade of Guns, or Infantry, except that the first Brigades for each army must be Infantry. (No Cavalry – they are off being dashing elsewhere- Sorry Dave!)
Each army will then take it in turns, player by player, to place one Brigade per move, a Brigade of Infantry, (4 Regiments) or a Brigade of Artillery (3 Batteries), on their table edge, centered on the road.
1) It can only come on at the point the road comes onto the table, no more than the length of a regiment in road column or 3 gun batteries, all in 'road' march column/limbered. The units would all be placed side by side in march column, 2 on each side of the road
2) The same turn that player then get the orders phase to move. If they fail to move, there is then no room for the next brigade to come on.
This will serve to encourage the realistic use of marching columns and bold orders to get within tactical deployment distance of the enemy, clearing the deployment area for follow on units, and give everybody some idea of what strategic moves can achieve, in advance of the MegaGame….
With BP in 'road' march columns I think you get a +2 modifier, and an automatic move anyway, so shouldn't be any dramas in clearing the deployment area at least!
Conferring will be allowed once an army has 3 Brigades on table to simulate the arrival of a ‘Wing' commander….
Hope to see you there!
