Rolica Revisited

 Rolica Revisited!

With the CDC indicating that vaccinations against COVID are highly effective, we thought it time to have a gathering of fully vaccinated gamers for the first time since the Pandemic started.  Interestingly one of the participants let me know my last Muskets and Marshals game held in early 2020, was his last game before the pandemic struck, so very fitting that we should reintroduce social gaming with  a Napoleonic Muskets and Marshals reprise.

For this latest test of Rolica I tweaked a few of the rules for the larger battalions yet again, and all worked out very well.  I reduced the fire power of skirmishers a bit, and moderated the effect of disorganization in melee. Neither tweak had any effect on the length of the game or the fun and  speed of a combat or firefight resolution.  Many, many thanks to Striker over at the Hinton Hunt Vintage Wargame Figures blog for his work on these fantastic and fun rules.  I love the old school feel of the simultaneous movement, which really helps speed the game along.

The Likely suspects: James, Stephen, Eddie, Mike and David - a great crew to open up the garage to and have some fun.

A quick review of the historical situation, a very brief review of the rules, and we were off the the races.

Jockeying for position under the glow of the Miller Lite Billiards fixture.

British canon fire opens the ball.

The 71st moves forward - they would play a crucial role in the actions ahead.

Wellington briefs his staff for his first at bat in the Peninsula.  The French on the hill in the background ready to repel the invaders.

Four companies of the 39th take up position at the top of the hill over-looking steep cliffs.  Two of the battalion's six companies have been sent to garrison a small village where one of Wellington's flanking columns have been seen approaching.

To the right of the cliffs two British battalions Come into assault position.  The Gordon Highlanders will assault up a steep slope while the 50th follow the creek bed into the valley to hopefully come up behind the 39th.

On the left the Black Watch attempt to form line while the 24th makes a run for the village.  Unbeknownst to the Brits, The two companies of the 39th garrisoned in the village have sallied forth and burst through the trees right as the Black Watch is forming into line, throwing them into confusion.  In thew distance the 42nd can hear the drums of another French battalion striking the Pas de Charge.

But wait, what is this, just as the 42nd are thrown into confusion, the Legion Hanovrienne (playing a Swiss battalion), reverse muskets and surrender to the British.  They have had enough of the mistreatment by their French overlords!

While this creates a hole in the center of the French line, the British are not well placed to take advantage, as they have to spend a while assessing the situation and finally spin off several companies from the 58th battalion to escort the Legion Hanovrienne to the rear.

On the left there is more bad news for the 42nd Black Watch Highlanders.  Their illustrious Colonel Macara is knocked from the saddle by well aimed musket ball from the ever present French Voltigeurs.  The loss of their Colonel, the surprise and fierceness of the French attack, and the impending arrival of another French battalion, is just too much and the Highlanders rout away in panic.

The sacrifice of the highlanders was not in vain however.  Having drawn the French forward, they would find themselves completely cut off from the rest of their army.

Meanwhile in the center, the 71st, spurred on by the impetuous Lieutenant-Colonel Cadogan, charge up a ravine in march column hoping to get up the steep hill and behind the bulk of the French forces.  Both the defection of the Swiss (Legion Hanovrienne), and the impetuous charge up the gorge, were historical events.  In this case the roll of a 1 on a die at the beginning of each turn triggered the start of 1 of 3 special events.  The last was yet to come...

Back on the right, despite the steepness of the hill, the Gordons have charged home, disordering the remaining four companies of the 39th.

Unknown to the Gordons, two squadrons of Chasseurs have just charged some British riflemen who unwisely burst into view on the top of the hill in good ground for the Chasseurs.  Some were able to flee to the woods, but about half of the riflemen were ridden down by the merciless Chasseurs.

The Gordons, flush with victory pursue the routing 39th unaware of their danger, and are hit in the flank by the Chasseurs, who ride them down and rout them.  At the same time the 71st Highlanders are charged by the 1st battalion of the 39th.  The 71st were almost able to form line, but the French assault was well time and once again sent another British battalion packing.  Just out of the frame on the bottom right, the 50th were gaining the top of the hill behind the French lines unopposed!

The battle hangs in the balance, but what is this - 2 battalions of Portuguese suddenly appear and begin their inexorable march to the rear of the French formations.  Another "1" at the beginning of the 8th turn has triggered the third special event!

To make matters worse for the French, with the Legere out of position and the Legion Hanovrienne gone, the British light dragoons bolt up the road past modest skirmisher fire which is ineffective due to the pine scrub which gives the horsemen some small protection, but most of all they just got lucky!

The light Dragoons will gain the top of the hill, just as the last of the French guns guarding the road are silenced due to some counter-battery fire that finally found its mark.  Almost simultaneously the 24th British line battalion also gained the top of the hill, putting a strong force of infantry and cavalry in place behind the French blocking the road, with more troops coming up fast on both flanks!  The British paid dearly for their victory, with three battalions chased from the field, but in the end the French were left unable to withdraw and reinforce the army at Vimiero.  So while the French made a good showing, loosing only 1 battalion, based on the positions at the end of turn 10, very few if any would have been able to avoid being made prisoner.

Suddenly the closeness of the battle is explained, as old Nosey apparently left the field of battle to go have a chat with the village laundresses!   Clearly that happy event was suppressed in the history books of the time...

What a fun day it was!  A special thanks to my friends who sacrificed being outside on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to spend time around a games table.  Fortunately we were able to leave the garage doors open, so it almost felt like being outside.  A special thanks to David R for taking some absolutely wonderful photographs, and to Eddie and his son James who drove eighty miles each way to join us!  Thanks to Mike for providing good beer and a thorough reading of the rules and to Stephen, whose humor when half of his force defected kept a smile on all our faces.  Can't wait for the next time!

A Tribute to the Passing of a Friend - Dick Tennant and the Portuguese Expansion

 

This week Richard "Dick" Tennant's family was kind enough to let me know of his passing after a long struggle with cancer. Over a year ago I was fortunate enough to receive Dick's miniature collection - fifty year's worth of his labor of love. Through his collection of Hinton Hunt Napoleonic miniatures, I got to know him and felt I might with genuine sincerity call him a friend, even though we never had the chance to meet in person. His generosity of spirit and love of the hobby was evident from the many messages I received from him, going into great detail on aspects of his collection about which I was eager to learn. Always thoughtful and meticulous in his devotion to the hobby, I also came to know his sharp wit, and will miss our correspondence tremendously. Below is a short announcement his daughter shared that he had prepared for fellow hobbyists.

 

 

Richard Tennant 1944-2021

 

Like many historians of his generation Richard developed his interest in Napoleonic history via wargames. He had known Donald Featherstone since the 1960's when his book 'Wargames' introduced a generation of male baby boomers brought up on 1950's films and the wartime experiences of their parents, to the military experience and thence to the history.

His first published article The Royal Sappers & Miners was published in 1971 in Tradition magazine, and Rocketmen of 1814, published in 1973 in Military Modelling, provided him with the funds to purchase an MGS medal which proved to be a valuable investment. The Journal of Napoleonic Association then published a four-chapter article in 1989. Richard went on to carefully research, write and publish many articles covering the Napoleonic Period and in particular the Peninsular Wars. His articles often took a new perspective, exploring the impact of language and logistics challenges of the period. He built an impressive collection of books, maps and rifles and spent his lifetime meticulously and lovingly painting Hinton Hunt figures in superb detail. By 2020 he had complete 2,816 figures representing both an Anglo/Portuguese/Spanish Army and a French & Allied Army of around 1812/13. These were sold as a complete collection to David Crenshaw in Nashville, Tennessee.

Richard was Treasurer for the British Commission for Military History having been one of the 43 original members in 1977, and was made an Honorary Life Member in 2019. He became a Trustee for Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum in Winchester. His contribution to the Waterloo Diorama at the Museum earnt him Honorary Membership of the regiment presented by the Colonel Commandant, General Sir Nick Parker. He was President of the Wessex Military Society from 2013 until 2020, and recently was a key sponsor supporting the publication of Stephen Petty's book Bugler Boy to Talavera.

 

I thought a fitting way to honour Mr. Tennant's devotion to the hobby would be to accompany this announcement with some pictures I have not yet featured on my blog of his collection. Below are the first battalions of Portuguese infantry and a cavalry regiment that will now join many other figures as I work to make his collection more suitable for the wargames' table so that others may enjoy his work. 

 A full bio of his hobby life can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DHRfxvtMiuIeqvAMOM7t1qLo1MKx4WiV/view?usp=sharing 

 

Two battalions of the 6th Portuguese Infantry Regiment being led by Brigadier Sir Charles Ashworth - KCB

Sir Charles up close and personal in his Portuguese uniform.  The Portuguese army in this period was led by a mix of British and Portuguese officers guided by the reforms of General Beresford.

2nd battalion of the 6th Regiment

The 1st battalion.  Note the fine quality of the lines Mr. Tennant was able to achieve on the drummer.

About face!

The 11th Portuguese Dragoons.  Portugal had very few horses and hence the quality of their cavalry suffered.

The Dragoons are led by Lt. Colonel Domingos Bernardim Ferreira who has donned a stylish shako as opposed to the helmets of his troopers.

The Portuguese cavalry brigade (there are two more regiments waiting to be spruced up and based) are led by Brigadier General Benjamin D'Urban sporting a very stylish goatee.  In reality he was bald and not at all particularly stylish, but I'm going with the model available!

Once again note the quality of the lines and the addition of the trumpet and multicolored cords on the trumpeter.  All I added was a wash to help shade the horses and give the reins some definition along with a little highlighting.

Such attention to detail!

 All of these lovely troops need a place to recreate their struggle over 200 years ago, so below I have included a few shots of the battlefield as it evolves.  I have added more trees, boulders and scrub brush.  Work on the roads and gullies is done, but I still need to finish up detailing the streams.