Rising of the Clans After Action Report: Turns 13-16 conclusion

Turn 13:Cumberland commits the bulk of his strength in a full on attack of the Jacobite center. To this end, Cholmondoley charges two of his regiments across the river and drives back Murray's depleted regiments. Murray's battery, however, is able to stem the tide with a blast of cannister.

At the ford, Macdonald's cavalry finish off Legonier's two regiments. The British will have to take a brigade morale test at the end of the turn.

One of Mordant's regiments, under the command of Hawley's aide de camp, are able to drive back Barksdale's stubborn clansmen, while Wolf is able to push back the Ecossais, inflicting heavy casualties on them.

At the bridge, the Prince presses his advantage. He personally takes command of Roy Stewart's brigade and reorders them. Olgilvey maneuvers his men onto the flank of Lascelles' and Cholmondoley's men, forcing Lascelles to bend back his line.

The result of Legonier's morale test is that his whole brigade has to pull back and try to reform. He will have to test again next turn to see if he can rejoin the battle.

Turn 14: The situation on the British left is deteriorating rapidly. Mordaunt is not able to get his men to do anything (failed activation roll) and his one regiment under the aide de camp sustains heavy losses from cannister fire and is now worn. To make matters worse, at the end of the turn, Legonier fails his brigade morale test and his men exit the field.

In the center, the Royal Ecossais heroically hold against Wolf's column and Cholmondoley's attack on Murray is shattered by cannister and flanking fire from the bridge. Cumberland also decides to shuffle Campbell's brigade to the right to be in better position to support Lascelles.

On the Britishh right, the Royal Scots are able to drive back an attack by two of Olgilvey's regiments, but Lascelle's other regiment is reduced to worn status as a result of the Edinburgh Militia's persistent musketry and fall back. The Prince, intent of forcing the issue, tries to make his way through the chaos of the battlefield to personally lead Roy Stewart's men in an all or nothing charge, but he fails his leadership roll.

Turn 15: The Jacobites try to press their advantage at the ford. Macdonald sends the elite Life Guards across the river to wreck havoc in the Government rear. Drummond, though, dets distracted (poor activation roll) and does little with his brigade.

Wolf, sensing that the battle is being lost, once again pushes his brigade forward and once again the Ecossais manfully hold back the thrust, but only barely. To Wolf's right, Cholmondloey's brigade has suffered terrific casualties, fails its brigade moral test, and has to pull back 10". This exposes Wolf's right flank.

It is on the Government right, though, that things take a dramatic turn. The Bonnie Prince, with total disregard to his own life, gallops to the front of Roy Stewart's brigade and leads them in a last ditch charge on Cholmondoley's lone remaining regiment. The fighting is hand to hand and desperate. The highlanders overwhelm the redcoats, inflicting five casualties while suffering none. The British regiment is picked up and Stewart's men take a 9" breakthrough, putting them on the flank of Cumberland's last line of defense, two batteries of artillery. Two of Campbell's regiments come up and form line to try to protect the flank, but the Prince's charge has compromised even this last ditch attempt at saving the line.

Turn 16: The Government left completely gave way. Mordaunt's brigade failed its brigade morale test and had to withdraw. General Hawley used two moves to try to escape off the table with the supply train only to be scooped up by the Life Guards.

General Wolf, tossing caution to the wind, pressed on in the center. The Royal Ecossais finally is forced off the table with over 50% casualties. Their heroism, however, bought the necessary time for Drummond, Perth and Murray to creat a second defensive line that will be more than sufficient to contain and even destroy the impetuous Wolf.

On the Government right, Campbell is able to stablize the endangered flank, but it is a temporary measure at best. While Roy Stewart's briade is forced to retire with heavy losses, Olgilvey's brigade is relatively unscathed and is now poised to push hard on the exhausted remnants of Lascelles' brigade. Cholmondoley's survivors have sought refuge in the field works at the church where Cumberland has been stationed throughout the battle.

The Jacobites had won a decisive victory, but the cost had been disasterous for both armies. The way south was now open, but it would take some time for Prince Charlie's men to regroup and reequip. Their lack of cavalry would prevent them from harassing Cumberland's battered force sufficiently to keep them from finding new ground to defend. Concluding thoughts: As this was a solo game, I counted on the rules to create suspense. Using cards to deterrmine the order of events and then having to roll to see how active a brigade could be proviced this in spades. The mechanics for determing the results of firefights and meles worked well, too. There were surprises, but these were rare. Results seemed to be quite realistic. I also thought the ability to use aides de camp to take on special tasks added a nice element to the game. I will make sure to add some text to my rules to clarify the use of aides de camp. I invested in a large number of casualty figures, over 60. I am glad I did. Placing these where units lost stands gave a clear indication of where the fighting had been the hardest. The visual effect of all of the figures on the table was very satisfying. This is one of the best wargaming experiences I have every had. I look forward to taking my game to a local convention so I can share it with others and continue the process of refining the rules. Thanks for following along. Please leave a comment and let me know what, if anything, you enjoyed about the report.

Rising of the Clans After Action Report" Turns 9-12

Turn 9: On the Jacobite right, Drumond orders Cameron of Lochiel's regiment to counterattack Mordaunt's 27th Foot, which he does successfully. This, however, now clears a path for Legonier's cavalry to get across the ford. Drummond then feverishly tries to reorder and realign his other regiments to defend against. Barksdale small unit takes a full volley while in column but fortunately suffers one casualty. Stapelton rolls exceedlingly well and is able to deploy his two crack regiments into line. Their firepower will be a huge boon to the Jacobite cause on this flank.

In the center, Lord Murry tries to exploit his gains from the prior turn with disatrerous results. Lord Lovat's regiment rolls and is able to charge forth, but when Murray rolls for another regiment to accompany him, the roll fails. Lovat's men are reduced by a disciplined volley and then shredded in the following mele. They are forced to pull back 9" and are now wavering. Cholmondeley then counterattacks Lady Macintosh's regiment and drives them back across the river disordered and Worn. Later in the turn, Macdonald's cavalry maneuver into the center to support Murray and Stapleton while the Duke of Perth forms a second line.

On the left, the Bonnie Prince cajols Olgilvey's men into formation along the river and in position to storm the bridge. Roy Stewart, on the other hand, becomes hesitant to move forward to pressure the Government right.

At the end of the turn, Campbell is unable to get his desperately needed brigade to advance across the stone wall and into a supporting position in the gap in the Government center.

Turn 10:Olgilvey and Roy Stewart trudge across the river and have enough actions remaining to reform in preparation to attack the weak Government right. Pince Charlie attaches his aide de camp to the Edinburgh militia in hopes that this will allow them to cross the bridge and redeploy into line. Alas, the militia men cross but remain in a very vulnerable march column. They must now pray that their card comes up first in the next turn, or they will face catastrophe.

To Ogilvey's right, Lord Murray seems to be losing control at the worst possible moment. His indecision will prove costly. Lascelle's orders a charge against Lovat's wrecked regiment. The unit gets only one action, however, sparing the highlanders for the moment. Cholmondeley also orders an assault and his is much more fruitful, driving back yet another of Murray's regiments. General Wolf is able to completely deploy his fresh brigade in the center, and Camplell's men advance to support the center, though the stone wall hinders their progress.

On the Government left, Stapleton's card comes up first. He rolls and the Royal Ecossais get three actions. This allows them to fire, reload and fire again. Lascelle's 14th Foot is devestated by these disciplined volleys. The Irish Picquets pass through Lochiel's men to face the imminent charge of Legonier's dragoons.

The last action of the turn sees two of Legonier's regiments charge. The 10th Dragoons hit the Picquets who are unable to issue any defensive fire. All seven dice are hits for the dragoons while the French are only able to inflict three on the cavalry. The French are driven back 9". The 10th is able to continue on into Keppoch's highlanders. They somehow are able to halt the progress of the horsemen. The 14th Dragoons clash with Fitzjames heavily outnumbered cavalry. Fitzjames is driven back, but has stopped the British horse for the moment. Legonier now tries to bring up his two remianing regiments, but the dice fail him and they refuse to go to the aide of their comrades. This will have significant consequences in the coming turns.

As the turn ends, the Jacobite right is on the verge of collapse. Turn 11: Turn 11 begins as it ended for Legonier. He once again rolls a "12" which means his horsemen can do nothing. Drummond, Macdonald and Stapleton take full advantage of this lapse and pummel the 10th and 14th Dragoons. These regiments are now worn. The Ecossais once again get the jump on Lascelle's men, taking out another stand and causing them to waver. This means they are no longer capable of offensive action.

Wolf continues to put pressure on Murray, encouraged by the deployment of Campbell's men behind him. A volley wipes out Lovat's forlorn regiment. Murray frantically tries to pull back his battered brigade and get them into a defensible position.

At the bridge, Charlie's aide de camp's card comes up first. The Edinburgh militia gets three actions, so it is able to get into line, fire a volley and reload. Lascelle's Royal Scotts suffer three casualties.

Roy Stewart receives only one action for his units. He puts them into attack columns in preparation of an all or othing attack on the Government right. Both Cholmondeley and Lascelles roll high when their cards are drawn. Their brigades are paralyzed for the moment.

Turn 12: At the ford, Hawley senses that one strong push could turn the tide on his flank. He orders his aide de camp to lead Mordaunt's last regiment in a charge across the river. They are met by Barksdale's plucky men who are able to slow the advance. Tragically for the Government cause, once again Legonier loses his nerve (rolls poorly). His two regiments across the ford are counterattacked and are both now wavering. The brigade will now have to take a morale test at the end of the turn.

It's not just the British who are suffering with poor luck. Macdonald is able to get one of his units to charge, but a second refuses to support. What could have been a smashing victory is reduced to a minor one. And the Ecossais, whose volleys had been so formidable in previous turns, fire ineffectively at Barrel's regiment that has moved up to fill the gap in the government center.

Meanwhile, Murray is able to get is thinned ranks into line, giving them a better chance to withstand the attack that will certainly be coming soon.

At the bridge, Olgilvey's men continue to prove reluctant to press Lascelle's precarious brigade. The Edinburgh Militia continues to exchange volleys with the Royal Scotts.

Despite the hesitancy of Olgilvey's men, Roy Stewart impetuously attaches himself to his own personal regiment and leads them in a heroic charge against Cumberland's extreme right flank. The fighting is desperate. Somehow, the clansmen are able to drive back the redocats. The cost, however, is terrific. Both clans are now worn, and their beloved leader is killed in the action.

With only a few turns remaining, the situarion is this. Both Government flanks are under intense pressure. In the center, though, they have two viirtually unblooded brigades positioned to unleash a lethal attack on the depleted Jacobites there. Losses are mounting rapidly on both sides. The battle is near its climax.