Mayhem Gaming Convention: Eutaw Springs

Last game of the weekend Rich Wallice ran Eutaw Springs using Carnage and Glory. 

Both sides advanced and then the British launched a bayonet charge...

With devastating results driving back first the militia... 

The second line arrived  attempted a counter attack and was driven back.

Then more British bayonet charges more Americans running away screaming.  

We are bleeding them but they come on despite this.

Then the third American line arrives...

Guess what happens next? Yeah we get charged!

This time the troops stand.. more or less 

Inflicting serious damage but many American units are fleeing... The end of the battle is a pyrrhic British victory. The battle didn't follow it's historic course but ended with a more or less historic result.

 

Mayhem Gaming Convention: Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat

Another war another piece of the French country side... This time I am playing the German side of the conflict and my old friend Gerry Lane is oposite me. 

At first most of the action is on my right I am not familar with the rules (Big Bloody battles if I remember correctly) so I was happy to wait a few turns befor gettign stuck in. 

Gerry had a regiment of French light infantry deployed up frought the should have died quick but it turned into Hugomont on a smaller scale.  My intitial fire stunned the denders and my Saxon troops lowered bayonets to charge. 

Only to be repusled, it tooka nother attack with an addition brigade joining int to clear the town a two hour delay in game time that I could ill afford. 

My excellent Prussian grand battery had bad luck they shorred hits but kept running out of amuntion (randomly, not a game feture I like). 

Sacon cavalry didn't get the memo that this is 1870 not 1670 and charrged foward.... 

They did manage to fend off some french cavalry but were lossing lots of men to fire.  My Artilery finaly got enough damage on one French unit for me to move up.. too little to late we are out of time (sadly the prervious game hadn't gotten clean up in time so we lost almost an hour to set up time...) If we had been able to play ther three turns left to us in game time we might have pulled it out or perhaps not. I like the game system on the whole excepting the random out of amunition rules which don't seem right to me. 
 

Mayhem Gaming Convention: France Stands Firm

Once again I found myself defending France from German attack. This time it's 1940 and the Rules are Kamphgroup Commander run by Dave Soucy.

I'm on the right of the French line need to retake the crossroads to my left and stop the German advance by holding the hills on our side of the table.

French infantry moves up I secure a supporting position along the hedgerows.

It's not a moment too soon as the Bosch is here already. My Anti-tank guns  their pay with early hits.

More Germans are coming but the attack on the right has be halted momentarily. As my other platoons dig in along the hedge.

The German commander decided it was time to get aggressive assaulting my troops with tanks. My AT-guns do well and by 1940 standards my troops fight well but with only hand and rifle grenades there isn't much they can do.

My own armor comes up after the slaughter of my infantry and an exchange of fire shows that both sides are going to have a hard time hurting each other. The German drive stalls but my colleague I the center suffers horrible casualties and is being driven back. On the left the French are making some progress but there is nothing decisive to hit there. It's another stalemate at best a minor German victory at worst. 

Mayhem Gaming Convention: France 1914

Friday afternoon at Mayhem I got to play against Arofan in new game that Kurt (on the right is writing)

The scenario is a meeting engagement between French and German troops.  We advance and start taking HMG fire.

My co commander Daniel is clearly from the offensive school of the French Army charging with bayonets right away and getting cut to ribbons.

I've been using bounding movement and have established a good backstop position on the hill 

Both sides getting hammered by fire. We clear part of the village but soon both sides have to choose between meaningless casualties or waiting for more troops. A very historical outcome.
 

Mayhem Gaming Convention: Lines on the Wind

This weekend I had the chance to attend Mayhem.  I ran a three sided engagement with Spanish, French and English fleets.  

The action started with the French Frigate Themes cutting in front of Euryalis and the being raked by her it turn as it cut in front of the on coming English. 

The Cheeky French Frigate raked The English three decker HMS Queen. 

The English and French are on a collision course to the North while three Spanish ships of the line carrying the treasures of the new world run as the two big 1st rates Santisima Trinidad and Santa Ana act as rear guard sending thundering broadsides into the on coming English. 

As the French and English fleets close and exchange body blows a line of English ships (Center) goes to full sails in an attempt to catch the Spanish after intercepting signals between the Spanish and French Fleets. 

The HMS Colossus crosses it's own T and is 

Smashed back a close range broadside from Santisima Trinidad. She shudders from the damage and crosses behind her landing a broadside of it's own smashing the stern and mizzenmast of Santisima Trinidad she shrugs off damage that would cripple a lesser ship. 

A massive melee break out a French Frigate is taken, as is a French ship of the line an English frigate strikes.  The Spanish frigate Gloria dives between the two leading English Ships of line firing furiously to both sides and scoring critical hits on both ships ensuring the Spanish treasure ships will escape. We had to call the game for time the Spanish had a clear win French and English admirals both have grounds to claim victory though in truth it's more of a draw between them.  

Santa Ana

 The Spanish "1st rate" Santa Ana the lead ship of a class of six ships armed with 112 guns on three decks. This one is a 3D print from Simon Mann's collection.

Santa was built in Ferrol but many of her sisters where built in Havana.

Trafalgar was her only major battle where she fought heroically in the losing cause.  

After the Trafalgar storm she was recaptured by a Spanish squadron who got her home to Cadiz.

Spain never had the money to fully rebuild her and she was moved to Havana to keep her safe from the French where she sunk (apparently from neglect) in 1816. She's ready just in time to join my Spanish Squadron for the Mayhem Convention this weekend. Many thanks to Arofan and his "Palache shipyard" for the model.