I based my list on the FoGR list which gave me a somewhat smaller army than FoGR and didn't include the ship as Simon had no rules for it yet. None-the-less I did bring the ship and deployed it for scenic effect!
The table was depressingly open from the Pirates point of view apart from the waterway. The Pirates deploy across the table and face an Austrian army with an infantry centre and small cavalry wings:
The initial action was on the Pirate left where Veteran Pirates, Mad Pirates and Pirate Skirmishers face off Austrian cavalry and Dragoons:
Elsewhere the Pirates advance to support their guns and the Austrians advance in general:
On the left the Austrians manage to trap and kill a Pirate skirmisher but look rather outnumbered and not well placed to face the heavier Pirate foot:
The Veteran Pirates cut down a Dragoon while the Mad Pirates deal with the other Dragoon:
Pirate and Austrian artillery start to inflict hits on the main battle lines:
On the left the remaining Austrian Dragoon has been disposed of as has one Austrian cavalry element. The remaining Austrian cavalry are looking very lonely:
The Veteran Pirates take on the last Austrian cavalry:
The main battle lines close to musketry range and open fire. The Mad Pirates from the left are well placed to outflank the Austrian line:
The ever-victorious Veteran Pirates have now wiped out all opposition:
On the right things are going less well for the Pirates. If only there were some rules for the Ship!:
Two big holes appear in the lines as units start to break on both sides:
The successful Pirates from the left are now getting into contact with the Austrian flank:
Austrian morale collapses but, in a final combat, the Austrian infantry on the left obliterate a unit of Mad Pirates which is just enough to break the Pirate morale as well resulting in a mutual destruction:
One group of Pirates on the right heroically defended the Pirate baggage to the end against overwhelming odds:
So in the end an almost-victory for the Pirates, the Austrians were well over their break point while the Pirates only just slipped over theirs.
The Pirates were always a fun army in FoGR though perhaps somewhat one dimensional overcome by two factors, firstly that you are PIRATES and secondly that you have a PIRATE SHIP (at least if you get it on table)!
Some thoughts on the ADLG-R rules which came up:
- Elite infantry units at only 2 points extra are very good value as, in effect, you pay 2 points to upgrade two elements for the double-sized infantry.
- The system of marking hits and removing the whole unit for the battle foot means that all the units quickly become disrupted but there is little difference between a P&S unit with 5 hits out of 6 and one with 1 hit out of 6, in FoGR units gradually lost bases as well as being disordered so they effect was more subtle. Perhaps giving an extra minus at 3 and 5 hits might help.
- The Austrian P&S shot (with few pikes) as well as the entirely musket Pirates, in FoGR the Pirates have a slight shooting advantage.
- The Pirates seem much less vulnerable to cavalry in ADLG-R. They also cover the table better so being outflanked is less of an issue.
- I will nag Simon to add rules for the ship!
As with the Kushites the pirates are another army I didn't paint much of, I just added a few generals, extra bases here and there, the flags and the ship. The rest were painted by another member of my club.
They usually managed at least one competition outing a year under FoGR and it was nice to see them on the table again.
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