Trying out Perry's Fortitude and Valour rules in a solo game.
I finally got some time to have a game and try out the Fortitude and Valour rules which are freely available from the Perry Miniatures website (highly recommended) https://www.perry-miniatures.com/?v=6cc98ba2045f
Given I only have a 6x4' game mat and playing with 28mm figures I viewed the game as a part of a larger campaign where the Austrians were attacking and had to capture the two river crossings (bridge and ford) as well as the farmhouse.
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| Initial positions |
The Austrians concentrated their cavalry with infantry support on the ford while their main infantry column attempted to seize the bridge and then the (Sarissa) farmhouse. I found the fate cared system in the rules ideal for solo gaming as it throws in the element of 'unknown'. The Austrians commenced with their artillery firing on the Swiss regiment moving to defend the bridge. If I have one minor 'gripe' with the rules is that artillery fire is not covered in any detail. As you can see, the French have two howitzers but I had to make up the rules for howitzer shells. The French artillery responded as soon as the Austrians came into range.
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| The Austrians advance |
The Austrian advance went very well aided by good dice throws and fate card draws
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| The Austrians capture the bridge under heavy fire | |
The French and Swiss rake the Austrians with skirmisher fire.
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Meanwhile, Austrian grenadiers attempt to seize the river ford opposed by French infantry and lancers
The battle rages with reinforcements coming .
The battle at the bridge intensifies with a powerful Austrian infantry column
Austrian cavalry support the grenadiers, will the French hold?
The Austrians break through at the bridge
The fighting is intense BUT the dice were not on the French side this day. Under artillery fire from the Austrians, the French broke at the ford enabling the Austrian heavy cavalry to outflank the farmhouse and the day belonged to them.
That all looks great Chris. While I initially thought they were a little gimmicky I am becoming a fan of card-driven games and they certainly add that bit extra to solo games.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence :) solo games can be very predictable but, as you say, the cards (& dice) gives the game some of the uncertainty playing a human opponent would.
DeleteLooks like a great game, I'd be interested to compare it to Blackpowder as they're closely related but it sounds like they gave a decent game on a 6x4 board laden with lovely figures!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain, I haven't used Black Powder. The 6x4 table is small for 28mm figures other than games like this. I look on the much larger tables some are fortunate to be able to play with with some envy!
ReplyDeleteI thought these rules were a great contribution by the Perrys. I enjoyed my solo and convention games, and the p[layers seemed to enjoy the game. All in all, I thought they suffered a bit from trying to make the rules fit on just a few pieces of paper leaving quite a few unanswered questions. My final conclusion was that the rules didn't really play much faster than Field of Battle/Battle Command, and the later were, to me at least, much more satisfying (and incidentally, superb for solo play). As they say, "Your mileage may vary". :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Peter, thank you for your comment. As a solo (no one near me apparently) wargamer, I enjoyed these rules as it allows for surprises. In this game, I9 was certain that the french and their allies would hold the farmhouse but between card draws and dice throws it was not to be. Yes the rules are quite basic but even this skirmish game took me over half a day to play so I am happy to sacrifice detail and accuracy (to some extent) for having fun. I haven't seen/used the other rules you refer to so I will have to check them out. As I referred to in the comments, my main 'gripe' is the lack of rules around artillery.
ReplyDeleteFor information on Field of Battle, best place really is my blog at:
Deletehttps://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/p/field-of-battle-3rd-ed-playthrough.html
There's information about Battle Command, which is very closely related, there as well. The very detailed write up of Caldiero was a solo game, played over a couple of weeks (due to the size and the need to take many notes and photos). With FoB (and BatCom), it's easy to leave the game at almost any point and pick it up again later. The cards will definitely produce unpredictability and drama. This was a BIG game, but the rules will work fine with a dozen or so units a side, or even a few less!
Indeed, you could easily take this game and play it again with FoB!
DeleteHi Peter, I had a quick look at FoB rules and (as usual) I can't find an Australian supplier so the price is astronomical including shipping. I would want a hard copy with the cards which do look look very nice. I went to Lancashire games site in the UK but they add 40% to the purchase price for shipping :(. Your Caldiero game looks like a heap of fun.
DeleteGet the pdf version and have it printed ,locally - probably faster and cheaper. They may be able to print the cards for you as well; they are included in the pdf, at least until you decide that you like the rules enough to spring for the shipping for the cards.
DeleteOverseas postage is a bear these days!