Detailed Acount Of The Battle of Ozzz Part 2 & The Next Battle
PART 2
The Munchkins, not content to simply halt the Amerigan advance decide to take offensive action. A small unit of scarecrows edged up on the American right centre and launched their attack crows that cause a couple of casualties before flying off. The Munchkin cavalry, resplendent in their parrot green and yellow uniforms, after initial hesitation, finally charged the Amerigan infantry. The Dun coloured uniforms of the 'giant' Amerigans faced off the little men but the Munchkins savagely swirled their sabres, determined to guard their homeland. The melee was also joined by the straw men. The latter were bigger than Munchkins but smaller than Amerigans yet their straw bodies were resistant to bullets (hence two wounds each). However, some were ripped apart by sufficient bullets and then the bayonets. Because of their 'brainlessness' they went last in combat after their initial charge.
On the Amerigan's left a strange thing happened (or should I say additionally strange thing): after the regulars and volunteers had pushed the skeleton warriors back through the tunnel the attacks from that vicinity ceased. Unknown to them, Arella had decided to cease participation in the battle to see her rivals, destroyed by the invaders. Then by her 'good faith' perhaps she could do a deal with the invaders.
Much to Arella's annoyance, the Amerigans moved their infernal shooting machine to the tunnel entrance and poured lead into the skeletons there. Skeletons dropped, double dead but, of course, the remainder showed no fear and stood in place. Arella was summoning additional skeleton warriors to form a new regiment so she could stand to loose a few more bony warriors.
Not far from this, Glinda's grenadiers were in the cover of forest and exchanged volleys with the Amerigan infantry as they moved forward in the centre. The single cannon poured cannon balls into the Amerigans but the invaders opened up with a volley which cut down the crew.
Then, a strange noise was heard in the air and Glinda looked up to see the Amerigan machine eating its way through the sky. She danced in a circle, muttering an incantation. In a moment the astonished airman found his steam machine pushed back the way it had come. Glinda collapsed on the ground, exhausted and lay there for another turn, too tired to cast another spell.
In the centre the Winkies had not been idle. Evora's favourite regiment, the Guards, with their greatcoats and tall fur hats, advanced through forest to intercept some grey coated Amerigans. The Guard brandished bills and halberds but their orange coats with purple facings provided good targets for the Greys who cut many down before they could reach them. The Winkies hesitated but then Evora cast a Blood Lust spell on them and they charged home. The few remaining Winkies began slicing and dicing but they were too few and all were cut down.
The Winkie rifle regiment also advanced and began shooting at the Amerigans, A Winkie skeleton regiment marched down the road, pushing a wagon in front of them for partial cover but they were beaten off by teh dauntless Amerigans.
Then the Steam flyer was back. Leroy Wright was looking for targets for his two small bombs. Evora saw the threat and signalled for her harpies to attack. The harpies screached as they rose from a tree, flapping their dark purple wings, The sound was a hybrid falcon and woman's high pitched squeal which hurt the ears. heir skin was black and their eyes red. Two glistening whit fangs extended from each of their evil mouths. Twelve of them flew straight at the flyer and a few perished on the propellers but damaged them in the process. Others clawed at the canvas wings and the pilot's face. Leroy drew his pistol and shot down two of the weird 'birds'. Others were knocked unconscious by the plane. Yet the steam flyer was seriously damaged. Leeroy was thinking of a forced landing when he spied the lumbering giant. The stupid and ugly thirty foot creature was covered in pustules and warts and slobbered great globs of saliva that stuck to the vegetation and dripped to the ground. He had time for a brief glimpse from under his thick brow before the bomb dropped right on his head, splattering it and the proportionately small brain. The flyer, however, was done for and Leroy made a forced landing but the plane toppled and twisted so that the steam engine burst and exploded, killing the pilot.
Even as the Winkie Guard perished Evora sent in her skeleton warriors. Marching in unison, the undead slammed into the Greys. Despite the scary sight of the grinning bony faces the soldiers stood their ground. and 'killed' their assailants. Evora was furious and ordered her remaining harpies to attack, With haunting screams, the harpies launched talons and teeth at the men but again the greys won and the harpies were all killed. Yet few of the greys remained and the Winkie Rifles moved through the forest and took position; the Greys were mown down.
On the Amerigans' right their repeated attempts to defeat the Munchkin grenadiers came to naught and the Munchkin artillery continued to find their mark.
Arella, seeing the tide turn reentered the battle and commanded her skeletons to again advance through the tunnel but this time their were fewer and although they killed the machine gun crew the Amerigan volunteers halted their advance. Arella also direct her dwarf mercenaries to charge the Amerigans. She also prepared newly risen skeleton warriors for battle. Arella shot thunder bolts at the Amerigans, killing a number.
Glinda also ordered her grenadiers and infantry forward.
Meanwhile, throughout the battle, Evora had suffered four miscasts. Miraculously (if such a term can be used in reference to an evil witch) she was not harmed and in half the cases the spells still worked but caused her to exchange her spell list for another. Also, a nearby cannon was made to become animate and began moving off the field all by itself. (It's crew was already dead so this had no affect on the battle).
CONCLUSION
The Amerigans were decimated and only a rump force was left. However, as we are having a rematch I said that if any Amerigans were still on the board they could have an additional regiment and four units on the field at the beginning of our next battle. I would have been interested to change sides bu Mat was keen to command the invaders once again.
My view is I probably stacked circumstances against the Amerigans too much. The greater range of their weapons and the ability to move a half move and shoot was not sufficient given the nature of the terrain. At shorter range the muskets of the Ozzzralites was nearly as effective, which wasn't right really
Anyway we will see what happens next time. We might well play two more games of this before trying the medieval-Renaissance invasion from Bogavania and then the Dark Elves.
I have been thinking about the matchlock versus 18th century type flintlock scenario of the Bogavanians versus the Ozzzralites and so far I have ascertained that there was not a significant difference in range. So I might allow for weather. If it rains then matchlocks will be handicapped, say losing a quarter to half their effectiveness. Any thoughts readers?
HOME BREWED RULES
Mat and I use a few different sets of rules and are finding that we are cross fertilising them from each other or modifying them as appropriate. So Funny Little Wars has a kind of 'overwatch' where a unit can get a free shot at an attacker. we have refined this so that this applies only if the attackers are more than a half move away. Also the defenders get hit on 6s (on a d6) only (as in Warhammer 40K). Maybe we could modify this for more effective weapons so that modern rifles need a 5 or 6.
Also our pushback rule stipulates a pushback of 20cm except for cavalry that can push infantry back but are not pushed back by infantry or other cavalry. This evolved out of my wargaming mate, Bob's, rules. It can see all the units behind also pushed back 20 cm so a whole column of regiments can begin to get pushed 'off the board. never to return. This seemed a little unrealistic to me so we have made the pushback 10cm when it meets other units behind.
The fun of 'inter-period' game sis to adapt battles for different troop and weapon types, just a little more radical than usual. This becomes even more apparent with supernatural and beast types. For the this game we just counted the skeletons as light infantry but with no need to roll a dice to see if they charged and potentially causing ear in those attacked or those who attacked them. If this is failed then the non skeleton unit will not attack and if attacked may suffer penalty on the dice in combat. This is Warhammer derived. If we have a situation where a lot of strange creatures are involved we don't have a problem switching to Warhammer tables of initiative, strength and toughness as they work quite well for this kind of thing.
When we use rules designed for a smaller scale we simply increase the ranges of shooting and movement. usually around twice.
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