Micro Battles - Part Four Supplementary.

A number of readers of this blog series have shown an interest in how I organise the game, work out the mechanics and what improvements would I make, if I did it all over again.

To be perfectly frank, when I conceived this project, it was simply for my own consumption, it was never intended for a public audience. However, I do like to keep a photographic record of the battles I fight, a more modern day version of the War Diaries, kept by Featherstone, Grant etc. It was a simple matter then, to include a battle report and throw in a little fictional narrative. I placed it on the Tabletop Commanders Blog, rather than my own, for a wider exposure. Even so, I didn't expect the amount of views, comments and likes, the entries have so far received. It seems this type of fluid table wargaming struck a chord with many of you.

I have a passion for fitting games onto small tables, partly out of necessity, and partly for the challenge. I wanted a full blown game, that could sit on a small table in front of my armchair! Who said wargaming had to be tiring, and being on your feet, walking around a table all session?
The maps in Charles Grant's book of the Recon in Force up a valley, with ten separate tables to traverse, was the spark for this whole adventure. I already had the 6 mm American Civil War armies needed for such a small area. That spark grew into a very rough and ready system of movement, combat, reinforcements and casualty recording.

So far, so good. The rudimentary system for each is working pretty well. I did have concerns about the method for reinforcements, I didn't want to swamp the table with units. However, using the two dice system, the feared massed reinforcements have not, as yet, materialised. As the action moves north up the valley, the Union units rolled for, appear immediately on that table, for the Confederates, any fresh troops have to start on table 1 at the very south end of the valley, and then march northwards. Initially I thought this would skew the game in favour of the Union, but as their lines of supply shorten and we move closer to the HQ of First Division, it logical that the troops would be much closer, some already pre-positioned along the valley. It also makes perfect sense that all rebel soldiers must travel north to where the action is, they simply cannot just appear magically on the battlefield courtesy of some teleportation device.

This valley is simply a sideshow, the main Union and Confederate forces are over to the east of this location. I wanted to restrict it to, at best, a Divisional sized encounter, and then with not all the units of either division being on the table at one time. Some would be in various locations along the valley, others would be traversing up or down. Besides which, fitting two full divisions, even in 6 mm, on a table measuring just seventeen inches square, just would not work at all. Wounded units will be pulled back to their respective rear areas, fresh troops will move forward. A huge supply train would be needed, even at division size, something I have not really incorporated so far, I did place a small supply wagon, representing a number of supply wagons, at the south of the valley on table 1 for the Union troops billeted there, and I have placed a covered wagon in the town of table 4, to simulate the same thing. But what of the rebels, they have brought nothing with them! I will have to remedy that as the campaign unfolds.

Another factor is time, not my time, but time on the battlefield(s). The first encounter took place at first light this morning, it is June so that would be around 4 - 5 am. Since that time the rebels have moved steadily north, by now I estimate the time to be late afternoon, with dusk falling around 9 -10 pm. Plenty of time for the Confederates to defeat the Union forces and take the town, or conversely, for the Union to be victorious and push the rebels back. Maybe they will fight to a stalemate, but where, and in what will the tired rebels sleep? Remember they have no supply wagons with them. A glaring mistake by me. I may have to use that teleportation device after all.

Well enough of my ramblings, let us move on to what comes next. I had to clear the table and rearrange the terrain for the fighting withdrawal and pursuit currently underway. I have attempted to create a table using the top of table 3 and the bottom half of table 4.

The next few photographs show what I have come up with, it incorporates most of the features shown on the two map halves.


The union infantry are falling back to the river, hotly followed by the rebel infantry.

The dismounted Confederate cavalry troopers have now reached the edge of the elevated wood. and must decide what to do next, carry on along the ridge with no cover, or go back to the horses and mount up.

The artillery was out of range, so had to limber up and move.

Defending the bridge are 153rd Pennsylvania battalion and 'K' Battery, 1st Ohio. The outskirts of the town can be seen across the Hog River.

With the new units added to the Union, the coming battle is far more balanced.

A view from the town looking south across the bridge.

For information, the two infantry battalions rolled for by the rebels, who have just entered the valley, are two more units of Archers's Third Brigade, namely 5th Alabama and 1st Tennessee.

Thank you for taking the time to read these posts, feel free to comment or ask questions.