"gaming the new 15mm Alamo vs Hudson 28mm" Topic

I am currently painting the OG 15mm Alamo, and beginning to think how to game it. I have rules (BLOODY DAWN) that work very well with the Hudson and Allen 28mm model, and I will adapt those to the new 15mm. However, the new model is VERY different in layout from the old one, being based on the Lemon book and far more accurate. And I already see that the set-up for the Texians must be quite different. The artillery will be (in about a third of the cases) in different locations. There are long sections of wall with no firing positions, but also a steep drop (15 feet or so) for a Mexican climbing the front by ladder and then having to drop down. How many break an ankle or shoot or bayonet themselves? (Seriously!)

What is beginning to take shape in my mind is that the Texians will have several islands of resistance capable of firing all-around and holding out for a while even after the perimeter is pierced. One example is Fortin de Teran, the three gun battery in the middle of the north wall. It is quite large, enough to hold 20-30 riflemen plus the artillery, and the Mexicans would have to maneuver troops around to attack up the ramp to bring it into melee. However, it would fall quickly if the Mexicans captured the northwest corner position and turned its gun around.

In other words, getting over the wall may be both easier and also less decisive, while the interlocking fire of defensive positions, and the relationship between them, becomes far MORE decisive.

Has anyone else begun to wrestle with this problem?

One change I am contemplating is keeping the garrison organized by its companies, with each unit having a sector of responsibility. I assume that is what they did. I always had players put individual Texians into position along the perimeter as they pleased, though they did have to scatter officers along the wall to keep everyone in command. (In BLOODY DAWN only officers can move, but they can shout "follow me!" (or "half of you follow me!) and carry men along with them provided they are near enough to hear the shouted orders (6" or so).)

But now I'm thinking that the Texian players have to operate within the existing command structure (five companies iirc, plus the artillerymen) with everything more oriented towards a subordinate command level.

you guys should post this to the Texas War yahoo group…
link

Good idea! Done!

I have both, they both are very cool.

Painting my Blue Moon Alamo this weekend…finally.

The Blue Moon Alamo suffers from the same problem as the Hudson and Allen scale. It's 5X4 instead of 6X6. You are going to need a 10X11 table. How big is your basement, attic, or 2 car garrage?

I have never seen a European village miniature that does not have a small out of scale footprint and a height to scale. But these special sites, the Alamo and the Hougoumont to name two, must be "to scale." There was a site where a GdB refight was done in 15 with a 10mm Hougoumont (not the one sold by OG).

The Alamo assault is a Skirmish Game (Santa Ana Skirmish Rules). There are 1000 to 1200 men assaulting and 250 defending, not the the "holy numbers" of Texas of 180 something and the "Hollywood numbers" of 5000.

Santa Anna's Army of 5000 was split into Columns to wipe out all the settlements of the Americans. 5000 men marching across Texas.

Skirmash means the columns must have space to cross. If the Defenders wake up because the Attackers give a hearty Viva Santa Anna and fire off their cartridges, that long deadly space when they will be under canister fire (both sides have muskets and a few, very few, rifles).

I would suggest that if you want to do an assault on the North American continent you try the attacks by the French flank companies and American Light Infatry On the outlying redouts at Yorktown.

I was sucked into the Hudson and Alan years ago. I got to use the Norrh wall and its North East corner once!