Sikh Wars Akali infantry

This weekend I've managed to get some more basing done. This time what will end up as three units of Sikh Akali fanatic infantry. I reckon two bases per unit will be about right as that will almost match a unit of Queens or Company infantry in line, or indeed a battalion of Sikh regulars for that matter. I seem to becoming a little ocd on basing and base sizes at the moment.

That said, I'm pleased with way these venerable Foundry figures have turned out. Let us see how they perform on their first outing a a month or so.

The Battle of Prdusa Vela, Ottoman-Venetian War 1672

As detailed in the last post, yesterday's game was set during a forgotten and short lived imaginary period of hostilities between the Ottomans and the forces of Venice. The OoB and scenario notes etc are also on the last post. My Venetian, Papal, Savoyard et al forces were already veterans of one wargame, although they were pretty well duffed up by the French in that outing. The Ottomans were new and were bought en masse on a whim, as one does, in several job lots a couple of years ago. They are in need of rebasing, reorganising and tarting up to make them fit in but are still  a viable force, especially when I added my Sikh Gorchara to play the role of Feudal Spahi. Steve and Conrad were the Ottomans while Paul and I (in a rare appearance) played the 'Allies'. (They will be hereafter referred to as 'Allies' even though many of the troops were sent to aid the Venetians in exchange for gold rather than any reason to do with protecting Christendom, and those sent to support the Hapsburgs were there largely due to their Imperial 'obligations' - so they were hardly the best troops available given that their likelihood of ever returning home were pretty remote).

The Turks deployed all their cavalry on their right with their Jannisaries in the centre and the crap on the left.  We  deployed our strongest cavalry on our left where we guessed they'd be facing the enemy cavalry, the bulk of the foot and the remaining horse in the centre and a brigade of foot and some dragoons on the right to attack if possible but otherwise take advantage of the vineyards and olive groves to slow the enemy down. The river by the way was impassable except at the two bridges. The 'Allies' had to attack and smash through the Turks in order to leave over either of the two bridges and relieve their beleaguered comrades.

The Ottoman centre was thinly held by cannon and Janissaries.

I ordered our two dragoon regiments to advance and capture the village and surrounding orchards and vineyards.

In the centre Paul's mixed brigade of Papal, Venetian and various German units blundered backwards off the table  in the first turn, scuppering our plan for an all out advance in the centre. This meant our cavalry in the centre were forced to stand and await the return of the infantry or face being shot to pieces by the Ottoman artillery if they advance unsupported.

Paul's Celle/Hanoverian brigade quickly to the hill and church of St Agetha but Steve's (probably anachronistic) camel gunners did a good job disordering the lead units. Indeed the unit seen above in yellow was to break early in the battle.

To the left of the church a disordered battalion of Germans were charged by a unit of Spahis. Although the later were disordered during closing fire they won the melee and forced the Germans back. The Spahi wisely withdrew to rally.

My Sikh Wars Gorchara and camel gunners doing sterling service in the Ottoman army, the former as Feudal Spahis.

On the right my Savoyard brigade made slow progress towards the village and the Ottoman troops beyond. Conrad's irregulars moved around the far end of the village and did force one of my (Venetian) dragoon units to evade, but they were never in any danger.

The aforesaid irregulars. Thankfully I beat them to the village with my Savoyard dragoons.

Steve had ALL the Ottoman cavalry and was pressing forward around the exposed flank of the Germans on the hill.  Paul's cavalry were hampered by having a poor commander (a 6), having a card played on them which meant their orders went astray for 1D3 turns (it was 3 of course), and then the commander was randomly killed with a lucky shot!

Early in the game one of Conrad's batteries threw a double 1, destroying one of his cannon. In my next turn I did the same, so serves me right for feeling smug! I think the rules say that on a double 1 the entire battery is out of action but I prefer our option as the gunners were much more professional than in the early period covered by the rules.

Back on the right the Savoy brigade was closing on the Janissaries and Irregular musketeers, all the while taking fire from the enemy cannon. The latter gave the regiment at the bottom of the picture such a pounding that eventually they broke!

Paul clearly wondering what I was getting up to on my flank.

Seen from the behind the Ottoman centre, the German infantry on the hill look under pressure. Thankfully the  brigade which had blundered off the table returned and filled the big gap in our centre.

Conrad's Jannisaries trading shots with the Savoyard infantry.

A moment's breathing space in our centre as the brigade of Venetian, Austrians, Bavarians et al advance.

My cuirassiers were wasted where they were but I was unable to get them moving.

Steve's Spahi smashed into Paul's cavalry, who did well disordering both leading units with their pistols. Sadly it was not enough and both of Paul's regiments were forced back.

My cuirassiers finally got moving but then blundered in completely in the wrong direction!

The central brigade beat off one Ottoman attack and advanced.

The continuing exchange fire on our right was going nowhere, except that I was taking more casualties than I was dishing out. The Guards were close to becoming shaken and the Redding Swiss battalion on the left was taking a battering.

The Redding battalion were disordered, hit by cannon fire and took three excess casualties. A break test was required and passed as I threw a double six! 12 - 5 = 7 Stand! That was a very provident result as the Guards became shaken in the following turn, but by playing a card I'd been holding, was able to rally them off, thus saving the brigade from breaking.

Conrad's Jannisaries hit the Swiss and pushed them back!

A unit of Feudal Spahis crashing into Paul's infantry, first pushing them back. 

The Spahis made a sweeping advance and hit the German's again, this time riding them down.

The battlefield seen from the Ottoman left.

Another Hanoverian battalion was hit by Spahi but held.

Delayed further by my commander's horse being killed under him, I swung two squadrons of cuirassiers round to the left while the other two covered the flank of the Savoy brigade.

In another furious round of combat more of Paul's cuirassiers and horse were forced back off the table, resulting in the entire brigade of seven regiments becoming spent. In the same turn my Savoy infantry brigade on the far right also finally went the same way and were forced to withdraw, a spent force.

My Yellow Dragoons did however manage to ensure that all of Conrad's Balkan and Albanian irregulars  also turned tail and fled.

In a last desperate gamble I swung two cuirassier regiments between our two infantry lines in an attempt to hit Steve's  Spahi in the flank. But it was too late as with both our flanks broken, as well as the German brigade on the church hill that also decided to reach break point, our army was well and truly beaten. 

The Ottoman's under Conrad and Steve had pulled off a resounding and pretty overwhelming victory. Our plan never got a chance to be executed thanks to the blunder in turn one. Some lucky random event cards also put more than odd spoke in the wheels, but for both sides. Again, using them was fun, at the same time very frustrating, and added another dimension to the game without spoiling it, Certainly Conrad was playing the cards like a demon, or was that a djin?

An unusual encounter, matching a pretty good but not too good European force against what I thought was a balanced and not overwhelming Ottoman army. The camel guns (anachronistic or no) were too effective but everything else appeared to work well. As usual the rules were very heavily tinkered with to attempt to reflect the last quarter or thereabouts of the 17th century. I would class all of us playing as experts in some aspects of the mid-late 17th century so we happily and more likely unconsciously played the 'period' rather than the rules.

I have another game on Saturday so that is something to look forward to once I've decided what to put on.

PS if anybody has any 28mm Ottomans that would do for the mid-17thC to late 18thC and are thinking of selling them, then please let me know.

The Venetian-Ottoman Wars - A Wargame

The next game (tomorrow) at The Burrow is to be one set 'somewhere in the Balkans'. The 5th Venetian-Ottoman war ran from 1645-1669 and the 6th from 1684-1699, so this game appears to be taking place sometime between the two wars, a possible border incident (5.5) that never made it to the pages of history. Anyone wishing to find out more can click here . The game is very much an excuse to get my Ottomans on the table. I picked them up en masse a couple of years ago and have done nothing with them, so after the game and before they return to barracks they will be rebased, flagged, touched up and varnished.

An Ottoman army has laid siege to the Venetian-held coastal town of Prebranac (i) in an effort to entice a combined hodge-podge of Venetian, Savoyard, Papal, Imperial, Hanoverian, Bavarian and Saxon force to intervene, thus precipitating another war. This army is under the command of the veteran Celle/Hanoverian General Otto Wilhelm von Konigsmark (uncle of the character Count Phillip Konigsmark, played by Stewart Grainger in the 1948 movie 'Saraband for Dead Lovers' who  may have fled to join him after his affair with Sofia Dorothea, wife of the Elector George Louis, later George I of England).

The Ottoman main army has intercepted the Allied fruit cocktail of an army near the village of Prdusa Vela(ii) and church of Saint Agetha (iii). The Allies must drive through the Ottomans in order to relieve the town. Not a big ask really but a vital one as the town must not be lost.

The Army of the Venetian Republic (and others)

General Otto Wilhelm von Konigsmark (9)

Right Wing: 
Fausto, Duc de Sarli (8)
‘Imperial’ Cuirassiers x 4 regts

Centre:

Savoyard Bde: Umberto, Duc de Schiaparrelli (8)
Infantry x 5 regt (incl 1 Guard and 1 Swiss)
Light battery x 1

Celle/Luneberg Bde: General Karl, Count von Lagerfeld (8)
Infantry x 5 regt
Light battery x 1

Mixed Bde: Louis de Vuiton, Prince of Multo Pongo (7)
Venetian regt x 1 (NR)
Papal regt x 1 (NR)
Austrian regt x 1
Bavarian regt (NR)
Brandenberg regt x 1 (VET)
Saxon regt x 1 (NR)
Light battery x 1

Artillery:
3 heavy guns

Left Wing: 

Emilio Conte di Pucci (6)
Savoyard Guard du Corps x 1
Allied Cuirassiers x 3
Allied Horse x 3 (NR)

Dragoons:
Savoyard (Green) Dragoons x 1 regt
Papal (Yellow) Dragoons x 1 regt

Army of the Sublime Porte

Commander in Chief: Governor Babaros Ançal Pasha(8)

General Hakan Akaya(8)
Spahi of the Porte x 6
Gonulu Horse x 2

Cemil Ipeçki Pasha(7)
Feudal Spahi x 6
Zambareks x 3
Light artillery x 2

Jannisaries: Commander Bora Aksu (9)
4 Orta
2 Orta (small) Fanatic

The Bottom of the Barrel: Yilderim Myruk Pasha(6)
Albanian musketeers x 1 (large)
Azab bowmen x 1
Arab spearmen x 1

Artillery: Vladimir Ardutyunian (8)
Heavy artillery x 5 (behind wagons/chains)

Based on information from the Ottoman chief intelligencier Rumor Haçit Pasha,  the Governor has despatched the hoards of Azabs, Wallachians and Delli light horse that normally accompany the army on a mission to intercept the Allied supply train which is half a day's march behind the main body.

(i) actually a Serbian dish of baked beans;
(ii) Croatian (I think) for Big Fart
(iii) The patron saint of volcanic eruptions. (I kid you not!)

Sikh Gorchara Cavalry finiahed.

Last night and earlier this morning I finished the bases off for the remaining Sikh Gorchara irregular cavalry and added some flags for added colour. Here are all 12 bases (six units) together with several Sikh command stands. I will actually be using the cavalry tomorrow where they will be acting as Feudal Spahis to bolster my Ottomans who are due for an airing in the 6th Venetian-Ottoman War.

Sikh Wars armoured cavalry

Last night I completed the basing of three units of Sikh Wars Gorchara cavalry. The figures are based on 80mm x 80mm bases to represent the irregular nature of these troops. The castings are from Studio Miniatures and to be honest I am not keen as they are a bit 'wooden, but they don't look too bad en masse. They will look even better with some banners and lance penons attached. I hope to get an other six bases (three units) done today, and, if I can find them I'll add some flags etc.

The first finished Sikh Wars figures

Well after a gestation period longer than that of several elephants, several years after they were painted, the first Sikh Wars figures are finally based up. Not quite your typical Sikh units but a whole bunch of zambareks and camel gunners from Foundry and Studio Miniatures. Will be starting on a bunch of Gorchara irregular cavalry this afternoon.

Battle of Grollo Dell'Amizizia final thoughts

I am now almost happy with the amendments that have been made to 'Pike and Shotte' to better accommodate the 1660's to the 1680's. The attached might hopefully be of interest, the first being the stats used for the game. Click on the picture to embiggen it.

One aspect of the rules I'm still not happy with is the inability of 'trotting' cavalry (i.e. those who rely on firepower) to countercharge when they are still able to initiate a charge, which seems a little unbalanced and gives whoever gets their charge in a massive advantage, as we saw in this game when the French Maison du Roi (trotters) went through the Imperial cuirassiers like a knife through butter. For the next game I'm going to try out giving 'trotters' two shooting dice instead of one, which ought to increase the number of times one or both sides in a cavalry melee are disordered. Furthermore I shall remove the +1 to hit charge bonus, so neither side gets one. The defending side also moves into contact at the same point that they would if counter charging.  'Gallopers' will still get the charge bonus so should still get a slight advantage in melee. Or not....

One aspect that both sides overlooked in the last game was that cavalry armed with pistols and carbines, so have limited (but potentially very useful) shooting capabilities. Ok, a 6" range isn't much but get a fews six's thrown and mayhem could well result. 

Next are the 'house' rules used for the Grolla Dell'Amizizia game.

Apart from the few odd changes discussed above these remain unchanged from the game. There's nothing significant in these other than the different turn sequence, which again proved to work very well. 

As always these are a work in progress.