Somewhere in Somerset...

The recent bank holiday was a nice opportunity to get a game in - and having managed to base coat a bunch of Whigs, we figured it was worth trying a fictional battle in Monmouth's campaign - somewhere in Somerset.

We've made a few modifications to the Black Powder rules to play games set in 1685 - these may get further changes over time, but at the minute it's mainly restrictions to movement, and changing the turn order a bit (Inititive Moves, Shooting, Orders, Combat). A few extra rules for grenades, scythes, etc as well.

The battlefield was set out with a village at one end, a number of fields, and some hills & woodland at the other, with the Whigs occupying the village and surrounding area, and the Government forces attacking. Somewhat similar to Norton St Philip (but not exactly - mainly as it was just a case of what I'd got painted to some degree).

The table from the Government lines.

Government positions.

Whig setup.

Government forces advance towards the fields.

Feversham oversees the Government artillery on the hill.

The Whigs redeploy around the village and send their cavalry forwards into the fields...

Alarmed by the sudden appearance of Whig cavalry, Kirke's Regiment (the regiment with green flags) falls back to protect the Government artillery (I blundered here, and rather than advance they were clearly spooked). Trelawany's Regiment (with yellow flags) continue their advance alongside the fields, oblivious to the cavalry threat.

On the other flank, the dragoons dismount and advance into the fields, hoping to screen the Government deployment.

The Whig cavalry spread out in the fields, but lack the alacrity to pounce on Trelawany's while they are vulnerable in column.

The Whigs form a solid line in front of the village.

Muskets crack as the Riyal Regiment of Dragoons and the (Whig) Green Regiment exchange fire, but with minimal effect amongst the crops and walls (we both rolled really badly for a few turns on this flank - you could view that as the dragoons doing their job...). The Lifeguards (on the road here), determined to engage, gallop along the rode (another blunder - thankfully I didn't roll any more in the game, but this one was pretty bad!).

After a few choice words from Feversham, Kirke's Regiment advances back towards the fields, while Trelawany's shake into line and give an (ineffectual) volley to the Whig cavalry.

The Whigs take advantage of the rash (blundering) Lifeguards, stepping forwards and delivering crashing volleys into the horsemen. Shaken by the Yellow Regiment's fire, a second volley from the Blue Regiment scatters the Lifeguards from the field (as expected... that blunder had basically ensured their destruction).

The Whig cavalry sense an opportunity to ride down the skirmishing dragoons in the fields on the other side of the road (and they didn't really want to hang around where they were with pike blocks facing them), but navigating the hedges proves more difficult than they initially thought (bad order rolls meant the purple coated unit just leapt into the road).

The Whig cavalry is an inviting target for the Government guncrews, and roundshot pulps several troopers, disordering their ranks (this meant they couldn't get away in their next turn - not a situation you really want to be in). The converged grenadier battalion and Kirke's Regiment advance through the smoke of their previous volleys.

The Royal Regiment of Foot continues to dawdle at the rear, (clearly their hearts are not really with James Stuart's cause). Meanwhile, the Oxford Blues charge round the flank of the fields, eyes on the limbered Whig cannon that was sneaking along the edge of the fields.

Taking personal command is the only way to get these lads moving! (The Royal Scots failed pretty much every order up until this point, so a "with me" order from their commander got them moving a bit).

Punishing volleys from the Grenadiers and a few cannonballs scatter a unit of Whig cavalry...

... but the second troop of Whig cavalry leaps over the hedge and crashes into the Grenadiers before they can react (we decided that as the cavalry was so close, the Grenadiers had to roll under the distance to react, due to the smoke around them. I was hoping to fix their socket bayonets - giving them extra dice in melee - but it was not to be, as I failed the roll)

Gunfire continues to crash out across the Whig line... (at this point, the Whig gunfire was severly mauling several Govenment units, and I didn't manage to do much to the Whigs in return - the only regiment really taking any damage was the Red Regiment right at the front of this photo).

Despite the odds, and a number of men falling, the Grenadiers hold their ground against the press of Whig horse. (this ground on for a while, with both sides moving troops up in support).

The Oxford Blues smash into the light cannon, and, despite taking a blast of grapeshot, quickly rout the gun crew. A cavalry trooper falls to an errant sponge in the melee, leaving the victorious unit somewhat battered.

The battle hangs in the balance. A few until have broken on both sides, and the armies are fully committed, both with a single thin line and no reserves left... (this would cause issues...)

The Green Regiment turns about face, and delivers a volley into the Oxford Blues, disordering them.

Meanwhile, Trelawany's Regiment suddenly breaks as a burst of grapeshot smashes out if the hedgerow into them, alongside volleys from the Red Regiment.

To add further injury to the Government forces, the Grenadiers finally break and are run down. Kirke's brigade is now broken, having lost two thirds of its strength.

Given there has been little damage to the Whig line, Feversham decides it is best to withdraw his army while it still has some strength. It is pointless to press the attack today, against such strong opposition. The Government artillery start to limber up with the wagon train. Feversham belives he can organise a fighting withdrawl, though he may have to make some (hopefully minor) sacrifices (at this point, I felt that I didn't have a chance to win the game. Rather than conceding, I figured it would be fun to try to withdraw the army and see what happened... I have one eye on doing a campaign, so trying this kind of thing would be worth it).

Things start to unravel as a volley from the Green Regiment disintegrates the disordered Oxford Blues, and they flee the field!

Volleys from the Whig line disorder the retreating Government forces - will they be able to get away at all, or has it all gone rather pear shaped? (This was very unfortunate - all three infantry regiments were disordered - only the dragoons on the front line remained mobile this turn).

Churchill manages to withdraw the dragoons, and, re-mounted, they cover the artillery so it can retreat. But what about the foot?

Further disaster! The Royal Scots break under volleys of musket fire from the Yellow Regiment! (after dawdling so much, they tried to support the Grenadiers, failed to do that, and then were broken by musketry. Not really a good day for the Royal Scots).

 While a few Government regiments have managed to withdraw, the army is severely depleted. The Dragoons, Kirke's foot, and the artillery manage to escape the battlefield, covered by the 1st Foot Guards... (the Foot Guards were disordered and couldn't get away).

Monmouth (looking somewhat purple faced, due to not being finished. Maybe the dye from his coat had run) graciously takes the Foot Guards' surrender. Today has been a great success for the Whigs. The road to London lies open, and the Government field army lies shattered. Will James II be replaced, by (slightly confusingly) another James II? Only time will tell...

All in all, a rather successful game, even if the Government forces were somewhat crushed. The modifications to Black Powder resulted in an enjoyable game, though I probably need to make a few more tweaks.