Foraging duty - Clash of Katanas May, 13 2023

SCENARIO

Last week end my mates decided to play another match using Clash of Katanas. They decided to play a scenario from the main rule book: Foraging Duty (10.2).

The starting set up

Two armies are camped in the poximity of a fertile valley. While they wait the clash the armies need to be fed so their commanders decided to sent out some patrols on scavernging duty. The game started when two opposing patrols become in contact. 

On the table are placed two livstock herd tokens at 24" from table center.  The obj is to bring the herds into the camp. The unit or character takes the herd and the animals move directly away at base contact with him. For each herd that a player manages to get within 12" of their table edge, the enemy will gain a break point at the end of the turn. The opponent can cancel that break point by moving the sheep so that they are no longer full within 12" from the opponent table edge. If the player pushes an herd to touch his table edge, the herd is removed from the table and considered captured by the player. At the end of the turn, the enemy receives two break points for each herd that was captured. The game ends when a side breaks. 

My mates decided to deploy two armies: an Ikko Ikki patrol vs Tokugawa one. Riccardo leads Ikko Ikki while Antonio takes the Tokugawa.

Ikko Ikki is a very particular faction that can include an assassin. The Ikko Ikki army is formed by large numbers of highly motivated but poorly equipped peasants, supported by expertly trained and usually fanatical warrior monks.

THE BATTLE

The engagement phase ends when all tokens are in sight of the enemy…

Tokugawa moves his cavalry on the right while archibugers cover the left side 

Also Tokugawa may include into his list an assassin and a geisha but, for this fight, Antonio has decided not to deploy them. 

Riccardo launches his monks against the archiburgers covered by his men deployed in the center. On the left he send his warriors to take the first group of sheeps.

The first herd is for Ikko Ikki. 

Ikko Ikki 1 - Tokugawa 0

After some turns Tokugawa takes his herd too. Riccardo swings into action his assassin against Tokugawa's leader. Riccardo's assassin kills the enemy warlord and takes the sheeps he had captured before.

Ikko Ikki 2 - Tokugawa 0

Tokugawa leader is killed but the Ikko Ikki assassin is eliminated by his bodyguards 

A group of animals for each player

Ikko Ikki 1 - Tokugawa 1

The fight continues on the Tokugawa's left with the clash of archibugers vs monks

Tokugawa's cavalry tries to take the sheeps but it is repelled

The battle continues but at the end it is a draw

Battle of Shevardino Sept, 5 1812 - May 2023

 Last week, to celebrate the May 5, my club mates decided to play a Napoleonic battle. The fight they chose is Shevardino battle. 
They used Black Powder by Warlord games as rule sets. Minis are 15mm painted by Alberto. Shevardino battle was fought during the Napoleonic Russian invasion in 1812.

French troops lead by Alberto, Luca and Marco. While professor Alessandro Barbero, Danilo and his son controlled the Russians. Ezio took the role of arbiter.

In the real batte. On the afternoon of the 5lh of September Napoleon decided to launch an attack on the Shevardino redoubt. He used the 5th Division of Davout’s I Corps were supported by Nansouty’s and Montbrun's I and II cavalry corps. 

Prince Andrei Gorchakov had the task of holding the redoubt. He mustered Neveroski’s 27th Infantry Division plus the 2nd Cuirassier Division, together with several regiments of dragoons, jagers and two squadrons of hussars.

Twelve thousand Russians would have to hold off nearly three times their number. 

They were in a badly situated position with high ground known as the Doronino hill overlooking them to the south west.

At the end, the French captured the redoubt, at a cost of 4,000 French and 6,000 Russian causalties. The small redoubt was destroyed and covered by the dead and dying of both sides.

Also in our game the battle result is a French decisive victory. The victory arrived only at the last turn after being conquered and retaken two times. 

It took us 4 hours to play the scenario. As usual it was a nice day of play.