So here we are for the fourth game of Baroque in as many weeks between myself and Jack. 600 pts with three commanders per side. Previously Jack has only used one commander to get used to the rules. Now we're stepping up a gear. Winning with the initial roll and modified by the Exploration dice again, I chose terrain with Jack moving it after trying to reverse the fact that he had to deploy first. I chose a hill, with two fields of broken ground. I'd also chosen a small wood but Jack removed that. Jack also chose to move both of my fields so that they rested atop the hill making it liable to disorder some troops and preventing me deploying there. Clever boy. I must add that Jack worked out his own army list, commands and deployment. Not bad for an eight year old.
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Parliamentarian Right wing. Deployed on the hill, in the broken ground, so Disordered at the start. Two units of Massed RE with a unit of TR. 7 VDT.
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Parliamentarian Centre. Skippon's redcoat Veteran P&M (Hardened Unit), Merrick's greycoat P&M (Iron Officer), Waller's yellowcoat P&M (Preacher), Artillery C piece (Master Gunner) and S Forlorn Hope. (Well Trained Shooters). 11 VDT
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Parliamentarian Left. Two units of Massed RE supported to the rear by a TR unit with Motivated Fighter status, (notice the single mtd figure). 7 VDT. Army total 25 VDT
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Jack's Royalist left. His Royal Highness GA Cavaliers (Feared), Gerard's bluecoats and Berkeley's TR, with the baggage deployed behind. 9 VDT.
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Royalist Centre. Cornish P&M, GA His Royal Highness and C Class TR in reserve. 8 VDT
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Royalist Left. Jack sloped these towards the centre rather giving his plan away as I had to deploy the command opposite after he had. redcoat P&M, S Forlorn Hope, DR and T Commanded Shot. 8 VDT.
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Our Royalist ne'er do well poses with his army. It's all smiles for now.
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First moves. Jack realises his deployment is a bit vulnerable and begins to expand his left flank command.
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Dragoons march move, fail Discipline test and become disordered.
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Parliamentarian left advances disordered, due to the broken ground they were deployed in at the game start. There's plenty of time to redress ranks though as the Royalists opposite are shifting their alignment rather than pressing.
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Parliamentarian left tentatively moves forwards. The second line RE expands outwards.
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Royalist centre begins to advance led by the Cornish with levelled pikes.
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Parliamentarian General on the left, rated as Reliable, rolls a double six for initiative thereby raising his level to that of Expert for the remainder of the game.
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Tit for tat. Royalist centre commander also raises his level with a double six initiative roll. The more observant of you will note the annoying family trait that our opponents will attest to, Jack and I have a tendency to roll high. Now, in some games this is a GOOD THING. However, this is not necessarily the case in Baroque (and Impetus for that matter). Rolling high means you will inflict potential casualties on the enemy and pass most of your Discipline tests. However, keep that up for Cohesion tests, where you need to roll low, and you'll soon find your units being very brittle and running away forthwith. As a 'high roller' you'll do well on the attack but once it stalls, or you're on the receiving end, your game plan can seriously become shattered. As a 'low roller' you'll become very demoralised as you fail to hit a thing when shooting, become disorganised when you try to do anything clever with movement and will fail to fight well in combat. However, rolling low means you'll pass Cohesion tests with ease and so will stand there as a rock defying all attempts to break you. It takes a very lucky person to roll high when necessary and then roll low when required. One of the little things I really like about the mechanisms. The goalposts have shifted somewhat with all the increased use of Special Characteristics for units in Baroque. This allows re-rolls for certain bum rolls of the dice and somewhat helps the traditional 'high' and/or 'low' rolling player to even out some of the dramatic effects of rolling sixes and ones. Mind you, you have to spend points on most Special Characteristics.
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See what I mean? I roll yet another double six for initiative. This time the commander (Centre) was already Expert so raises his level to Charismatic. As well as raising his leadership value to 4 he can re-roll one or both initiative dice and pass the initiative to the opponent.
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Royalist centre still coming on, three deep. Not necessarily a good idea. The boy's gotta learn somehow.
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Parliamentarian centre advances . Forlorn Hope and artillery slowly edge forward to encourage the enemy to keep coming on. In this game I planned to try and refuse the centre.
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Parliamentarian Massed RE advance to fire their pistols and carbines by Caracole, but the Royalist GA fail their reaction test and so calmly allow them to approach. As it was the RE failed to hit a proverbial barn door.
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Having attempted to react the Royalists now sit rooted to the spot as another Massed RE unit arrives to their front. They have march moved and are Massed, so need to score 5 or 6 on their discipline dice. they fail, and so are Disordered.
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They Royalist centre advances with Jack shifting his horse sideways with anticipation that on his right it isn't going terribly well.
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The Feared Royalist GA of His Royal Highness crash into the disordered Parliamentarian RE who fail to react allowing the enemy to hit them with their 11 attack dice whilst rolling only 4 in response. I forgot to add the +2 melee modifier for a massed unit.
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The RE are pushed back and suffer one Permanent casualty.
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Sneaky move. A unit of RE slips behind Jack's leading GA unit which has become somewhat over extended. The RE advance upon the third line TR unit.
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Face off between the opposing lines. The RE have already tried and failed to react.
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The Parliamentarian Motivated TR interpenetrate their RE comrades-in-arms to face off His Royal highness's GA, who fail their reaction test.
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It's going to get very messy, methinks.
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Parliamentarian right. I take a big risk in march moving my RE (and failing the Discipline test) towards the Royalist Dragoons. Fortunately they fail to react.
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In the Royalist centre Jack shift left with his redcoats (disordering them) to allow his Commanded Shot access to the front line.
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The RE of the left flank shoot at close range at the Royalist Trotters who fail their Cohesion test in spectacular fashion and are routed. What's more, the Royalist baggage lies temptingly close. Score 6-0 to the Parliamentarians.
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Things begin to fall apart on the Royalist right. HRH Gallopers are exhausted after protracted melee against resolute Roundhead TR. Score 9-0 to the Parliamentarians.
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Parliamentarian RE of the right flank react movement by enemy redcoats by charging them. Bold, if somewhat rash. However both sides begin a protracted combat.
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The Royalist left is rolling with the punches for now.
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Royalist S Forlorn Hope screen the Cornish but a lucky shot from Skippon's boys, and a failed Cohesion test routs them. Score 11-0 to Parliament. However the Cornish fire upon the Parliamentarian redcoats who now fail their cohesion test and become exhausted. Score 11-3 to Parliament.
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Ahem. Yet another double six for initiative.
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Parliamentarian RE of their right flank command engage the enemy Dragoons in combat. the Dragoons suffer potential casualties, fail another Cohesion test and rout as a result. Score 15-3
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The Parliamentarian RE locked in combat with the Royalist redcoats are now joined by the reserve TR who charge the enemy infantry. Combat is fierce but brief. the Royalists are routed. Score now 21-3
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Raising a cheer the Cornish launch forward into Skippon's boys. Despite having Iron Officers the redcoats are already exhausted and break in rout. Score 21-6.
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And they're not finished yet. The Cornish pursue into the Roundhead artillery routing it too. Score 21-8
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Yet another double six for initiative.
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The Parliamentarian RE head for the Royalist baggage and after a brief show of force capture it. Score now 26-8. The game is officially up for the King's men but the turn hasn't finished yet.
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The Roundhead TR now rout the exhausted GA of His Royal Highness's. Score 29-8
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The flank is wide open.
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Just to rub salt in the wound I now begin to pay attention to the enemy cavalry in the centre. The game is over. God in his wisdom ensures victory goes to the Righteous. A very exciting game which felt much closer than the score indicates.
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Most figures 15mm peter Pig, owned and painted by yours truly.
