Remote Charge!

Today I taught my brother Josh to play Charge! over Discord.

A bit tricky. But interesting, as it turned out.

I picked the classic Sawmill Village again for the scenario.

Like my previous Charge! game, I reduced the table
size, moves and ranges, substituting cm for inches.

Navarre Regiment, Bulkeley's Regiment and Royal Ecossais.

Essendale, Royal Kempston and Calein Highlanders.

Setup.

As per the scenario, we set up in opposite corners. In hindsight (given it took us three hours to do this) we should have set up across the long edges. The goal was either to seize the center of the field, or reduce two of the opposing three battalions to under 50%.

I took photos after each move and sent them to Josh over Discord. It may have been my phone, but I eventually found that Discord could not save photos I took to immediately post them - I had to go back and forth between Discord and my camera app. My brother was patient, though.

Turn One- we're both in column.

Josh, underestimating distance and moves, formed into line early.

Discovering he hadn't enough room between the buildings,
Josh "obliqued" forward and to the left, keeping his gun
on his right flank...

While my infantry debouched into the field from the hills.

By turn 6, my gun has found a commanding position
on the hill, but Josh has formed his line and is
plinking away at my gun with his own.

Turn 8: I have two regiments in line to Josh's three.
My third is hot-footing it around the tower.

Musketry begins. My gun is
down to one crewman.

The French line is breaking up
as Josh attempts to put all his men
in position to fight. Close-range
fire begins.

Turn 11: the firing is furious.
My gun is now unmanned.

Josh's left-hand regiment is down to half strength and
will have to fall back out of the battle. My 
nearly-equally-reduced right-hand unit forms into
column (meaning it can fight in four ranks to Josh's two).

As the French unit retreats,
Josh hopes to lay on to my
flanking column before his own
lads get into his line of fire.

Turn 12: My column is badly hurt by a volley but then
charges in...

And wins the combat, as my flanking column overruns
the left-hand French and manuevers...

... into position to charge a flank.

At top center, my center regiment is marking away out of range of Josh's swinging right flank, as it is one man from being half strength and thus losing me the game. This is because in front of the French line can be seen my worn-out assault column falling back out of the fight.

On turn 15, the 14-strong French
to the left are retreating; I've narrowly won.

End result:

• Two French regiments reduced under 50%.
• One British regiment reduced under 50%, another at 17 strong out of 32, and gun knocked out.

I'd say honours were about even.

Mistakes were made, of course. 

• Shooting is semi-simultaneous, so that those killed in a turn may return fire in the next. I thought that only happened during the same turn rather than the next, so that Josh (as the first player) lost troops to my return casualties fire, but could not in turn fire his own casualties in his next turn.
• Unit-retreating begins at 50% strength, not 50% minus one.
• An understrength unit is not simply wiped out when contacted, but still fights - if at half effect. This made a difference when my flanking column contacted Josh's understrength unit and we decided that, as in Warhammer, it was automatically eliminated.
• Finally, playing the game photo by photo was wearying, and video would have been quicker and clear. (The catch being that an overhead camera would make it hard to tell flat units apart...) I couldn't figure out how to start; a video call would have done the trick, but then I think I could not have taken photos for this blog.

Ah, well. It was a practical experiment, and above all I got to play a game with my little brother, which happens quite rarely. Even with voice and still photos only, it was enjoyable.

I am almost done with the Saxons for the 960 Project; just a flag or two and a handful of alternate shields to add and then I can send them off to Peter Dennis. (He's offered to base them for those of us across the pond, so shipping in an envelope shouldn't be too difficult.)

There will also be gaming at Das Krieg Haus 2 this weekend, and I'll try to make it. See you after.