Black Powder 2nd Ed. First Game - Fun!

Just finished cleaning up and putting away the figures and terrain from a successful first game using the Black Powder 2nd Edition rules. Actually most of the rules are pretty much the same as the original. One exception was the use of the Army General to re-roll failed commands by the brigade commanders. The four players of today's game are longtime gaming buddies, Jim, Gene, Kevin and David. David being a veteran Black Powder player was very helpful in keeping the game flowing. Here's David's "I Live with Cats" blog, and also Kevin's "A Gamer's Tale" blog. The scenario was the same one used at last month's Fix Bayonets game day. Although Victory Points were used, the game turned into a basic slug fest with the French and British trading a lot of shooting and combat. After about 8 or 9 turns, the game was declared a close victory for the British who ended up capturing the bridge in the last round. This was after David had to leave and I took over his French brigade. Sorry David!  Here's the layout prior to the game.

 The Army Generals with ADC - although we didn't use the ADC option during the game.

The British and French brigades - two per side. Having only four players, I reconfigured the formed infantry into 24-man units (except for a 32-man Coldstream Guards "large" unit), but kept the cavalry in 8-figure units. I didn't want the cavalry to have too large a foot print on the 5x8' table. It seemed to work out pretty well. I should mention that we used 2/3rd's reduced movement and shooting ranges; however, we kept the 12" basic command/order distances.

British Brigade consisting of: 1 large unit of Coldstream Guards; 1 unit of line infantry; 1 small unit of 5/60th Rifles; 1 small unit of Spanish Guerrillas; 2 light cavalry units (1st KGL Hussars and Spanish Dragoons); 1 unit of heavy cavalry (Spanish Cuirassiers); 1 RHA battery and 1 RA battery.

British Brigade: 2 units of Highlanders (42nd Blackwatch and 79th Cameron); 1 unit of line infantry; 1 small unit of 95th Rifles; two units of light cavalry (1st KGL Hussars and Light Dragoons); 1 battery of RHA and 2 batteries of RA.

French Brigade: 2 units of Young/Middle Guard Infantry; 1 unit of line infantry - all with Voltigeurs for Mixed Order formations; 1 unit of light cavalry (9th Hussars); 2 units of heavy cavalry (Cuirassiers and Carabiniers); 1 horse artillery battery; 2 batteries of foot artillery.

French Brigade: 2 units of light infantry; 1 unit of line infantry - all with Voltigeurs for mixed formation options; 3 units of light cavalry (9th Hussars and 2 units of Chasseurs a Cheval); 1 unit of medium cavalry (Dragoons); 1 horse artillery battery; 1 line artillery battery.

Here are pictures from the game. Once again I was a bit preoccupied hosting and neglected to get more pictures. I'm glad I remembered to take the ones that I did.

Around turn 2? And yes, chili was served - it later got a bit noisy near Jim's end. Pun intended.

The view from the French right/British left. Those are the light cav units run by Kevin about to take on Gene's French heavy cav. Kevin's Rifles along the hedges in the vineyard having already shot up a French line unit which had to retire back to the side of the hacienda. Gene and Kevin both used their artillery batteries to good effect.

Kevin's 42nd Highlanders trying to shoot up Gene's artillery batteries. The Highlanders ended up breaking after taking too many casualties and failing their Break Test. Note one of the French batteries having been disordered from British fire - I think from an opposing British battery out of the picture. There were a lot of 6's during Shooting - causing a heck of lot of disorder!

Another view of the French right; Gene got a unit of infantry into the hacienda early in the game. The French unit which had retired along the hacienda having removed a casualty after a successful Rally by their brigade commander.

The French left/British right. Jim's British light cav in action against David's Chasseurs a cheval. Poor David had successive bad command rolls - only lately bringing on his cavalry units.

Jim's Coldstream Guards and other units in line ready to shoot up any French advance on the British right.

British 1st KGL Hussars vs. French Chasseurs a Cheval. As you can see the KGL guys are already Shaken. An actual casualty figure is used for the first casualty and subsequent ones use skulls. The idea is the figure casualty is the one which must remain if Rallying is used.

Jim's Spanish Cuirassiers in combat against David's Dragoons. A unit of Neuchatel are in Attack Column to the right.

Again, more cavalry combat between Kevin's British 1st KGL Hussars and Gene's French Heavy Cav.

I must say I thoroughly enjoy playing/hosting Black Powder, but feel these rules are probably not the best for a convention game with the possibility of players with little or no experience. Although the rules are simple enough, there are a lot of little things which would bog down a convention game where players want something easily understood and fast-playing - which as a GM I would also want. It is however, a great game for militarily inclined gentlemen with straight backs, bristling beards and rheumy eyes that have seen a thing or two!