"Ambushing - or Circling - Wagons: How Many?" Topic

For scenarios in which transport vehicles are neither "battle taxis" nor headquarters, but an objective for one side, how do you calculate an acceptable minimum to have on hand? And what sorts do you like to see represented? Does it differ with scale or period? Looking at finishing up my 28mm horse & musket transport and building Barsoomian and Generic SF, and I'd like to know when I'm done.

Enough to encircle the defenders is all I can suggest.

It very much depends on what sort of game you are playing (skirmish, battle or mega battle).

Also, if you are using it as an objective to defend, you may need a few extra to allow some of the additional defenders (from your army) to join the defenders behind the vehicles.

That said… it could be a small convoy (maybe a food delivery)…

I don't think there will be a definitive answer…

Thank you Insomniac. No, I wouldn't expect a definitive answer. I was hoping for a range and various means of calculating requirements. "Enough to shelter any defenders" is a useful contribution. Given that transport tends to be expensive and/or time-consuming and awkward to store--well, of course I want to avoid "the scenario won't work without two more wagons" but I'm more worried by "you paid for a dozen of these things, but you never use more than eight."

Eight gives you a square two wagons per side. I guess it depends if you detach the horses and want to protect them (there won't be a lot of space for any defenders).

According to that historical epic Blazing Sadles, only one is needed.
makeagif.com/i/2KGo9R

The wagon trains across the continent 1849 and after were 6 to 8 wagons More than that meant inadequate forage, but you needed at least 6 to cross obstacles like rivers.

My grandfather was part of the 110th Ammunition Train (company sized unit) in WWI. Among other things, they brought up artillery ammunition to Harry Truman's battery (he didn't like Truman, but that's another story). I would imagine most of their wagons were the same, though there may have been a few specialist wagons, like forges.

On the other hand, the baggage train reputedly containing his treasure that King John lost while crossing the Wash in 1216, consisted of wagons, carts, and pack animals, and probably no two of them were the same. Probably some of the wagons and carts were drawn by horses and others by oxen.

I just ordered two donkeys for a mini-diorama for one of my Chain of Command jump off points for my WWII Greeks.

Yeah, it is possible to get sucked in to an unending supply train build.

Grelber

A question we are discussing when planning a game for the Society of Ancients 2022 Battleday – which is Adrianople. For 25mm DBMM, I'm currently guessing about a dozen wagons for the part of the Gothic wagon-laager shown on the table – but it might be more.

Six is the magic number.

Not too many, not too few.