Detailed Account Of The Invasion Of Ozzz Part One

 I got distracted with other projects but here is the promised detailed account of the Amerigan Invasion of Ozzz.

FORCES:
Ozzz

Glenda, Good Witch:

Quadlings

Grenadier regiment, infantry regiment, cavalry regiment, cannon

Bad Witch, Arella

Gillikans

Skeleton regiment, dwarf regiment, cannon, six dire beasts

Bad Witch, Evora

Winkies

Guard infantry with halberds and heavy armour
rifle regiment, giant, skeleton regiment with spears, Harpies

Zoraster

Munchkins

Hot air balloon with two sharpshooters

Scarecrows with attack crows

grenadiers, militia, light cavalry

2 cannons

UNTED STATES OF AMERIGA

General 

Seven volunteer infantry regiments, quality unknown

One Regular infantry regiment

One regular Cavalry regiment

One Volunteer elite cavalry (Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders).

2 machineguns

Dynamite gun

Mountain gun

12 pounder

Steam flyer

RELATIVE STRENGTHS

Amerigan -  firearms could be used after a half move (although casualties were then halved). Ozzz weapons were only shoot or move. Amerigan firearms were longer ranged.

The Steam Flyer had two bombs and could fly over obstacles.

Machineguns could concentrate fire.

OZZZ forces - Magic, balloon difficult to destroy, large beasts and skeletons caused fear. The giant caused terror.

Ozzz forces could make US forces set up first. Ozzz forces were positioned on flanks as well as in front. Forest provided cover. In the event that Ozzz lost a commander only that army would be immediately affected although if it lost its general's leadership roll otherOzzz  armies would also roll for leadership.

WEAKNESSES

AMERIGAN - started with two units through the portal then diced for new units arrival, outflanked and difficult to break through,
lacked many hero characters, faced those fighting on their own territory, many of the volunteers proved to be of militia class. A tunnel on their flank was used to infiltrate Ozzz forces on to their flank.

OZZZ

Forces potentially disunited - unreliable allies. Only half the forces had firearms, movement hampered by forest and some units understrength.

SETUP

As I anticipated the invaders having a big advanatages with fire power I stipulated that only two units be present on the table at the start. This was not quite so bad as the Ozzz forces did start a fair distance away and the Winkies in particular.

On both sides the air support came on from reserve and this included the harpies under Evora's command

Two of the Ozzz armies would come on from one side and a single one each  from the other table edges except the one the Amerigans started on.

There were also the amphibious creatures that came on from reserve from their spawning pond. There was a small chance they would attack Ozzz forces instead of the Amerigans.

PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE

I placed Arella's force to Mat's Amerigan's left. An intervening rocky cliff with tunnel provided a barrier and an infiltration route for Arella's forces. Further along on that board edge were the Quadling foces under Glinda. Opposite the Amerigans, at the far board edge was the army of Evora and to the Amerigan's right were the forces of Zoraster.

The first forces to come into battle were the amphibians that, enraged to see the outsiders so close to their spawning pond attacked their machinegun crew. Predictably, they suffered high casualties but they managed to close with them. The Amerigan infantry came to to the rescue of the machine gunners and the few remaining amphibians retreated back to their pond for the rest of the battle.

The two infantry units here bore the brunt of the initial attacks. The next threat came through the tunnel as huge dire beasts, mainly lions attacked the soldiers. They were shot dead by the machine gun. Then Arlla sent her skeleton regiment through the tunnel. They wielded an ancient Egyptian looking gold. emblem. The infantry held their ground and passed their fear test. 

Meanwhile as more Amerigans arrived through the portal they attempted to push forward on the other flank. Two things halted their initial progress. Zoraster's Munchkins placed to cannn son the hill and reduced the Amerigans numbers . A regiment of Munchkin grenadiers reinforced by Zororaster and his personal guard stopped the advance. Zoraster cast an initial spell of uncanny marksmanship followed by repeated healing powers that reduced the grenadier casualties. The greandiers defeated three attacks, the last being by the Rough Riders. The artillery also turned one of their cannons to deal with them. The Hot air balloon had also arrived and added to the Rough Rider casualties as well as those of the Dynamite gun crew. In fact the Amerigan artillery were deployed late and largely blocked from line of site by their own men. By contrast four Ozzzralite cannons were, at one stage, trained on the Amerigans. One of the other cannons was Arella's Gillikans and the other was of the Quadkings. The Gillikan cannon was eventually blocked but the advance of the dwarves and the Quadling gun was in such short range that the Amerigans were able to shoot its crew.