Yes I'ts Thursday

It seemed like a good idea at the time - blog every Thursday.  Trouble is you get weeks that just crowd wargaming out.

My other hobby (country dancing) meant me calling Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon.  I also danced on Friday and Monday.

On top of that my loft cover came crashing down yesterday - it's a good job that no person or animal was anywhere near!  So now I have a gaping hole into my loft and a cold wind blowing into my bedroom.  Such is life.......

Oh yes,,,,Saturday's wargaming:  I took some of my DBA-RRR armies along.  The other table was happily playing Age of Eagles (Neapolitans v French) and I waited for my opponents.  At 15.00 hrs we alll packed up.

On the plus side my solo game meant that I could set up and try out a 'house rule' for DBA-RRR. 


HAMLETS

The last time we played with a BUA getting established troops out was impossible.  The 'standard' rules give +3 to the defenders.  Now this is probably ok for a town with brick walls and substantial buildings but what about the lesser fry?

 I was thinking about this as I drove through Cold Hiendly - a hamlet near where I live - it has approximatley 8 houses (brick built), one winding road through, hedges and two small barns.  So this would, maybe, count as a large hamlet and defenders could be given a +2.

Old 18th century maps show only 4 buildings, a track and some small sheds or barns.  None of the current buildings pre-date the 19th century so Cold Hiendly, at that time, would have been little more than a blip on the landscape.  Perhaps it should only rate a +1 for defenders.

I therefore propose that scenario setters could be more flexible in how they rate BUAs.  Hamlets could be from, say, 1 to 2, Villages 3 to 4, and larger areas as appropriate (even being split up into differntly rated sectors).

First trial:

 Setup was as per a scenario in 'One Hour Wargame' with a village at the centre of the board, a hill in one corner and a wood in the opposite diagonal corner.  I designated the BUA as value +2.  Half the DBA-RRR armies (Swedes v Danes) would march up the road towards the BUA.  One force was 5x foot + 1 Lh.  The other was 5x mounted + 1 dragoons.  Mounted would receive no bonus within the village.  After 5 turns the other halves would turn up (over the hill or out of the wood).  

In the battle the Danes rushed their mounted into the village.  The enemy foot plodded forward.  One unit of dragoons was not enough to hold out against 4x muskets.  But just as the Swedes were celebrating the other forces arrived.  This time, after 15 moves, the Swedes could not be shifted.  

Maybe when I play it again with 'real people' I will have to put terrain in all four corners (wargamers are always suspiscious of terrain).  That way each player could decide where the 'second half' emerges from.  It would add more uncertainty.

If anybody tries this out please add a comment.