Trimsos River

This game was played via Google Meets, and was my first remote game. Since I've already been playing with larger figures on a grid, it was pretty easy to shift to remote gaming (I added letters and numbers to the grid so orders and questions could be more easily understood).  The set up (the map and the number of units) was based on the Trimsos river game from Donald Featherstone's War Games, and the rules were my Charge! variant (with important updates of (a) no diagonal fire or movement, (b) cavalry can move 5 square, and (c) the two retreat moves for a unit at or under half strength are on that unit's turn only.

Starting setup.

There were 58 figures per side so the game would stop when one side had lost 29 figures.  The Empire (red) (me) won the toss and moved first. Would the Allied (blue/green/grey) (Pete) continue its string of victories?

After the first turn. Action is already looking to focus on the stone bridge on the left, where the West Surreys and Irish Guard are readying to cross. 

Allied artillery. This particular piece was quite reliable and critical in the game.

On the other side of the table, neither side ever seriously contested the old wooden bridge, probably because of lack of cover and exposure to long range artillery field. The Imperials most kept to the heights of River Ridge or behind it. 

At the top you can see the Scots Guards motioning towards the old wooden bridge. After taking one casualty from long range Allied fire they pulled back.

Allied Turkish infantry fords the Trimsos.

The Imperial West Surreys crossed the stone bridge and were able to take up positions behind the walls of an old ruined enclosure, with the Irish Guard following up from behind.  Fierce rifle fire was exchanged between these units and the allied Cheshire Riles and 2nd Bulgarian Infantry, with the Imperial units faring poorly. 

Firefight between Imperial and Allied infantry, Cheshire Volunteers in the foreground.

The Allies having softened up the West Surreys with additional support from from the Royal Marines and the artillery, the Allied charged the Surreys with the 13th Lancers (Bombay), and successfully destroyed the Surrey's entirely.

The situation after destruction of the West Surreys by the 13th Lancers.

As above three photos clearly show, the situation is not ideal for the Empire - the Irish Guards stand quite alone against over half of the Allied forces at the stone bridge.

Meanwhile, the other half of the Imperial army has waited perhaps too long at the western edge of River Ridge to provide meaningful assistance to the right flank... 

On the following turn, Imperial artillery were able to route the 17th, and the Irish Guards came across the Trimsos at full strength and fired a mighty volley at the 2nd Bulgarian - and caused no effect! On the Allies turn the Guards were then subjected to a deadly cross fire from three Allied units!

The Irish Guards under a withering triple crossfire!

Trying to save a poor situation - the Imperial Life Guards have moved to the right flank.  The 6th Dragoons threaten from the stone bridge. 

The Irish Guards were able to get into position behind the ruined enclosure, and the Scots Guards and  from the opposite flank began to shift into range.  The Imperial cavalry tried to keep out of rifle range in hopes of drawing Allied infantry closer...

Imperial cavalry trying to position for a counterattack. The Irish Guards deliver more ineffective volleys from the ruined enclosure.

On the following turn, however, the Royal Marines dealt the Irish Guards the last casualty to put them at understrength and they began to fall back.  One of the Imperial guns also falls back. The Imperial army is close to the breaking point...

Irish Guards begin to fall back. The Allies are now presenting an impressive firing line dominating the stone bridge.

The Allies have dispatched the Governor General's Horse Guard (upper right center) from its right flank to support the attack on the stone bridge.

There were a few more turns as the Empire tried to set up long range fire to soften up Allied infantry for a mass cavalry attack, but the Allied Governor General's Horse Guards were able to sweep across thr bridge and finish off the disordered Irish Guards and end the game.

Situation just prior to end game. The allied cavalry at lower right will cross the bridge and destroy the remnants of the Irish Guards at upper left.  

Despite the lopsided thumping my Imperial army took (the Allies only suffered 9 or 10 casualties to my 29 - whoof!), this really was the best out thus far for my Charge! variant.  Dropping diagonal movement and measuring simplifies things and the retreating mechanics felt better. Cavalry moving 5 instead of 4 makes them very effective for finishing off units which have been softened up a bit.  Concentrating fire from several units and/or guns on a single enemy is the most effective strategy by far, which both feels right and lends itself to replicating a mid-to-late 19th century battle in terms of how the players move and deploy their units.

The remote game went very smoothly although it may have been aided a lot by Pete having played the Isted game earlier and being familiar with the system. Game took about an hour and 15 minutes. Will probably set up a second camera using an old smart phone, which can be down at table level and also to see dice rolling (I did all the dice rolling - the pips were not visible to the single web cam as it was set up on a ladder from the allied side of the table).  The game was also played over coffee at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday so it felt a bit like Saturday morning cartoons, to me! It also made me a little nostalgic for the first period of sleepy gaming on Saturday mornings at Enfilade.