"Defend the Bridge - A Song of Drums and Tomahawks AAR" Topic

All,
Had a great first game of SODT this afternoon with my old gaming partner. He modified a scenario from Song of Drums and Shakos, and set it in the AWI.
The scenario – A stone bridge over the Piddlee River has been deemed of great strategic importance by the Crown, despite being in a backwater location. Word has come to the British command in the area that a colonial militia officer has rallied a group of settlers based at a nearby farm to defend the bridge. Not wishing to commit regular troops to this enterprise, a small force of Loyalist Rangers and Indians has been sent against the position.
The game – The Loyalists began the game with the initiative, and went forward in loose order using the "Scout" command, while two Indians and a white Renegade moved seperately on the left flank. As soon as the Rangers appeared at the edge of a large wooded area, the colonials began to open fire, doing little damage. The Rangers armed with rifles and marksmen, opened up and immediately bought down a colonial guarding the bridge. As the two sides continued to trade shots, the Indians moved forward. The Indians and the Renegade had been given the "Running blow" trait, which resulted in an amusing bit. While one warrior fired forcing a colonial to cover, the other declared a running blow, rushing forward with a blood curdling yell, he proceeded to swing widely at the air, and fell flat on his face. Chingagcook he was not!
The fight continued, and as the colonials guarding the bridge were driven back or put out of action, the Rangers tightened their noose around the farm. Casualties were mounting for the colonials, while the Rangers suffered only a couple figures temporarily downed. Eventually, the active colonials all moved into the farm cabin, intending to make a brave stand. A morale check at 50% caused several colonials to run from the safety of the cabin. They were ultimately picked off by the Rangers. The leader of the Rangers and another fighter stayed in the cover of the woods across the river, managing to put at least two colonials out of the fight, hitting them through the narrow cabin windows. Crack shots indeed.
The colonials continued to move back into the cabin, only to be driven into the open by failed morale checks. Finally, with seven dead out of a force of eleven, the Militia Officer raised the white flag and surrendered both bridge and cabin. The Rangers lost not a single man. The game lasted about 90 minutes, including time taken to clarify the odd rules point. Great fun was had, even by the loser. For those interested in small action in 18th and early 19th century, "A Song of Drums and Tomahawks" is highly recommended.
Nick

Thanks!

Pics??

Sorry, no pictures were taken.

Yes, read any of Joseph Altshuler's books. He has a series of three books on the French and Indian War and eight books on the AWI in the Ohio Valley and Kentucky. They are "young adult" novels, clearly and concisely written, filled with scenario ideas for small actions. Also Alan W. Eckert's books, particularly "The Frontiersman" and "The Dark and Bloody River".

Thanks for the AAR – I've been thinking of getting these rules for a while – think I'll go ahead and get 'em now!

I'll also add, pick up the "parent" rules, "Song of Drums and Shakos", and you could do small unit actions from around 1600 to 1850 just about anywhere in the world.

This message thread caught my eye, as my friend and I had just last night played the "Attack the Farmhouse" scenario using Song of Drums and Shakos. His Prussians defended against my French attack force comprised of stalwart grenadiers and nimble voltigeurs.

IMHO, SoDS is tremendous value for your money and time. If you want to relive the adventures of Rifleman Dobbs, Sharpe, Brigadier Gerard, or those seven men of Gascony, you can't do better than these rules!

Sorry about these being on facebook, but here you go: link

Timptheous, as I expect you've discerned, that was the very scenario we played.

I don't own Song of Drums and Tomahawks myself, but I've played them a few times. I like Mike Demana's modifications for ranged combat too. We played that if the shooter beat the target with an odd number, the target would move up to short distance into the nearest cover, instead of just a base width.

Have you also played flashing steel? I've only played it once or twice, but didn't get full use out of them because we didn't know how to use swashbuckling attacks or do stunts.