Bloody Lane! ACW action in 28mm

ACW is one of those periods that has kind of passed me by really. I can see the appeal of wargaming the conflict, but for whatever reason, it's not something I've really tried. Probably partly to do with a long-standing hankering to 'do' something more European for that period - 1866 Germany etc.

Anyway - yesterday I was invited to join Scrivs over at his house to play 'Bloody Lane', which I learned was an element of the battle of Antietam. We were using his extensive ACW collection, with Scrivs and I leading the Union forces in an attempt to dislodge the Confederates, commanded by Nick (NorthStar) from said lane. (I believe some of the commanders were Nicks figures too).

We were using 'Picketts Charge' rules which I wasn't familiar with, but with suitable coaching from Scrivs, were pretty intuitive to pick up. (They are mechanically quite similar to the 'General d'Armee' Napoleonic rules we used before)

The Union forces really struggled to get going this day.. Nick winning and retaining the initiative for much of the game and even starting to push out on to our right flank, as we struggled to co-ordinate our brigades. Eventually Scrivs Irish brigade broke onto the lane, and I had some success in the centre, but it was to be in vain, as the Rebs forced the issue at bayonet point, winning the lane and the day.

I took rather a lot of photos!

The lines of Union advance (The Rebs later pushed along the lane on the bottom of this picture)

Union forces advance

Rebel lines

a view along the Reb defensive line

Union brigades crest the hill above the lane

Nick moves sharpshooters out to slow the blue advance

Confederate flankers!

a view from behind Confederate lines

The Battle of Boggy Bottom - Wars of the Roses action

Although I've done some steady painting, I haven't rolled a dice in earnest since Hammerhead, so it was great to head  over the Sherwood soldier shack to play some more Midgard , this time getting the Wars of the Roses armies out on the table. Despite having painted up a fair sized force of these, this was the first time I actually got to use them.

Tom, James and myself were joined by Chris* (aka Winston ab Rees). Chris and I took command of the Yorkists.. (to my slight relief.. for some reason that's my 'team' - much as Parliament in the ECW).. We had three wards led by Edward IV himself, Hastings on his right, and young Gloucester over on his left. Facing us, a slightly smaller Lancastrian force blocked the road to London, arrayed behind a  shallow stream which would slow our advance. Warwick the turncoat was assisted by the able Montague. *Chris has quite an extensive Wars of the Roses collection, as can be seen in his videos, but on this occasion was playing with our toys, and trying out the rules for the first time.

Newly painted Lancastrian 'gonnes'.. soon to be 'gonners'

Warwick's men

Hastings flank advances

The Yorkists are slowed by the stream

We started off at pace, Gloucester heading for Warwick's right, where we had a potential overlap and chance to get on the Lancastrian flank. However, as our forces reached the stream, Oxford arrived to fill that gap.

Things soon got into a scrum, with both sides pushing and the line ebbing and flowing with small local successes often slowed. Gloucester barely survived one particularly firm charge, though he was wounded, his ward fought well, archers and billmen holding back Oxford's counter-attacks, whilst in the centre Edward burst through the Lancastrian lines. Warwick, seeing the king cutting a determined path through towards him, decided that the day was over, and took to his horse, quitting the field and making haste to London.

Charge!

Casualties start to mount but the guns are overrun

Gloucester's command holding on as Oxford counterattacks

A fun game, and although the pictures suggest  a mighty scrum, which it kind of was, there was enough variety in the characteristics and skills of the main leaders to make this an interesting nip and tuck affair. Midgard (in playtest) is a game of 'heroic battles' where those characters matter and can really drive the narrative.