“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” William Prescott
2,400 inexperienced American militia went toe to toe with 3,000 hardened British regulars. The Americans lost the ground, but only took 450 casualties to the 1,054 of the British. Historically, the battle was a fighting retreat for the Americans. Which is where our game comes into play.
American Colonists Led by William Prescott 2400 Militia
Britain Led by William Howe.
Scenario
To be used with General D’Armee, Black Powder, or any other massed horse and musket battle system. 2 Players Models needed 10 or 12 militia units, and 16 or so British units Terrain required: a small hill and a peninsula from an island.
Objective,
The Americans must flee the Peninsula, while the British must try to trap the Americans.
Set-Up
The British should be deployed in three equal forces in the locations shown, while the Americans should be massed in the middle on the hill. The American positions should be somewhat fortified.
No real special rules apply other than the lack of artillery and cavalry.
The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval engagement of World War I and the last battleship-on-battleship engagement in history. Like most major naval engagements, it was indecisive. Both sides claimed victory. Germany sank more ships by 2:1 and killed more men by 3:1. The British were able to limit German access to the North Sea.
RuleSet Broadside Table Size 8×4 or larger. Number of Players 2-7 Models needed, 100 give or take.
Set-Up
I would advise using 1:1800 scale ships for this encounter. Most ships are available as 3d prints. This scenario should be played on a large table. If a large table is unavailable, reduce the range of various ships. Maybe the maximum range of a battleship is 6″ and the ideal range is 4″.
You do not need most of the destroyers and light cruisers. If you choose to use them, they should be kept in squadrons of 4 to 6 for scouting or anti-submarine activities. The core of the action is the dreadnoughts and battlecruisers.
The main crux of a game like Jutland is to balance the two forces, even with the numerical difference. At Jutland, the British were disorganized and out of formation, while the Germans were prepared for battle.
For the setup, the British should be divided into three squadrons of 8 dreadnoughts, and 2 armoured cruisers with support ships, similar to the actual engagement. If you have more players, the British should have up to five commanders while the Germans should stick with two. The Germans should also be broken up into three, eight-ship squadrons with three or four lighter ships each. However, these should enter much closer together in a more traditional Vanguard, Center, Rearguard scenario.
One British squadron should be about 10% away from each edge, with the Germans engaging from the bottom left. One British Squadron should be kept in reserve and begin entering the fray after an adequate number of turns. Depending on your system, it should be the middle of the game, so if a typical game is 20 turns, they should enter around turn 11.
The scenario’s challenge involves doing enough damage to the British squadron nearest the German fleet before the reserve squadrons can turn around and engage. The Germans must also escape the topmost table edge.
The British must quickly bring their forces to bear. Due to their spacing, the British should not allow their commanders to communicate with one another.
Victory;
The British will win if they inflict more damage on the Germans than the Germans inflict on them. The Germans will win if they inflict more damage or cause less damage, but every dreadnought and battlecruiser escapes.
Additional Rules The Germans had submarines in the area; they could place torpedo markers that forced British ships to change course. British scouts could eliminate these markers if needed.
Fog played a significant role in the battle, as visibility was limited. This can be gamed by having the British reserve commander be in a different room and only communicating with one-line telegrams.
Scout forces also engaged and caused minor damage. Based on the scouting results, a pre-battle scouting game could take place, with the sides getting better positioning.
stonewalljackman 