Cheriton II

Eight weeks since the last attempt at Cheriton, I got around to having another go. That was played 'traditional' style without a grid, using my own ruleset (pretentiously named 'Jacob Astley's Prayer'). Since then I'd fiddled around with different hex grid sizes on paper and then finally plumped on 13 cm 'across the flats'. This is just a tad wider than three foot stands or 4 horse stands in my basing convention (4cm wide for foot, 3cm for horse). I went slightly larger because 13cm can accommodate the largest of my building models and having a gap between neighbouring units looks better.

High ground was created as usual by DVD cases, then my now gridded, green baize cloth was thrown over the top. The table at 3 feet deep could fit 7 full hexes and two partial hexes (I would count units in these as being completely on the table if needed). I made a slight change in the layout compared to the previous outing. I added buildings representing the village of Hynton Ampner - I omitted it last time but a re-reading of Adair showed it figured a lot in the actual battle ......according to Adair. I placed a hedge row in the hexes in front of it representing the hedges along the road. As before, the Royalist horse had to suffer a scenario specific rule making them advance on to the field initialy via the hedge-lined Broad Lane and Alresford Lane before they could attempt to deploy in the meadow.

Initial set-up. Cavaliers to the left, Roundheads to the right. The lanes marked by the hedges in the left centre and top left.

Two Parliamentarian battalia defend the hedges in front of Hynton Ampner. Four companies of dragoons behind to their left

Ralph himself, on the forward slope of what Adair terms the South Ridge. Confusingly on the north side of the battlefield.

Now the rules. I have been intending to try the esteemed M. Foy's ECW_CnC variant but haven't got around to printing the cards yet, and as a last minute decision I decided to wing it. I haven't yet created a gridded version of Jacob Astley's Prayer. Here is what I decided on (turns are UGOIGO in the folowing sequence):

Victory Points

• Victory would be acheived with 8 VPs
• VPs scored for each unit eliminated and each general eliminated

To put this in perspective, the Royalists had 5 units of horse, 6 of foot and 1 of guns. Parliament had 7, 7 and 1 (although most horse and the artillery unit were stronger than the Royalists).

Shooting

• Muskets - max two hexes (long range)
• Guns - short 1 hex; medium up to 3; long 6 hexes
• Pistols - now ranged combat, assumed part of melee. 
• Muskets 3 dice per base, two at long range. Hit on 4,5,6.
• Guns 3 at short range, two at medium. Hit on 4,5,6. Long range 2 dice, hit on 5 or 6.
• Minus 1 die per hit marker
• Minus 1 from dice if disordered
• Saving throws: 6 horse, 5 or 6 for guns or cuirassiers 
• Roll 1D6 for each unit each turn - foot start firing at long range on a 1 or 2.
• 3 hits removes a base

Melee

• Horse & pike 2 dice per base
• Muskets - 1 dice per base
• Minus 1 die per hit marker 
• Minus 1 per dice if disordered
• Hit on 4,5,6.
• Saving throws 6 horse, 5 or 6 for cuirassiers
• 3 hits removes a base

Movement

• Foot one hex per turn, horse (of whatever type) two, and staff figures three hexes.
• Minus 1 hex for crossing hedge and are disordered (one turn stationary to become ordered).
• 1 hex if on road/trackway/in march column
• Changing formation costs one move
• No movement if the unit fired that turn

Orders

• To commence moving, or to halt, or change formation (or any other change) a unit has to score 4,5,6 on a D6.
• Plus 1 for general with, and plus 1 for each messenger figure.
• Movement in first turn was 'free', but any unit that didn't move in the first turn had to test to see if it followed orders when it did want to commence moving.
• Messengers move at 3 hexes in the movement phase.
• Dice at each turn to determine how many messengers the Commanding General can deploy each turn (they start with the General).

A morale test would be needed if a unit lost a base through firing, or lost more bases in melee than the opponent, or if you want to stop a unit pursuing. Pass on adjusted score of 7 or more from 2D6.

Simple! Anything else I would decide on the spot. Decisions on the hoof included: could attempt to rally from rout if not pursued; general eliminated on a score of double 6 if with a unit that has suffered losses; pursuers occupy the same hex as routers.

The Royalists (top) have decided to attack all along the line rather than allowing isolated units be defeated piecmeal. 1 horse regiment is left in reserve. The Parliamentarians counter, with their cavalry swiftly advancing down the hill to meet the Royalists as they reach the meadow. You can see here how I messed up the drawing of the grid - what was I thinking?

Roundhead foot bravely (foolishly?) cross the hedge row to confront the advancing Royalist tercio.

The first Cavalier regiment has been crushed by a brigade of Roundheads, and the remnants sent back up Broad Lane. The second Royalist unit forms up to face the victorious, but disciplined Roundheads.

I did try inserting a video clip at this point but it won't play. 'Video!?' you exclaim. Yes, I 'cunningly' recorded the firework display in the school at the back of my house last night, downloaded it from my phone onto my laptop and then played it back whilst moving my camera around the table and recording it again. Well it beats making the bangs myself. The school concerned considerately always sets the firework launch point directly behind my house so I have a prime viewing point. In the dark I can imagine some bombardier with his lintstock firing mortars into some poor beleagured fortress like in the Last of the Mohicans movie. Each year the display is held on the Saturday the week following everyone else's presumably because, as a RC school, it doesn't want to be joining in with what was used as an excuse to oppress their forebears.

Alas for the King, the second Royalist regiment is seen off by the Rounhead horse (one regiment hitting it in front, the second, Heselrige's Lobsters, hitting them in the flank). Heselerige's regiment rallies whilst the other horse pursue.

At the eastern end of the field, the Roundheads defeat one regiment of Cavaliers, whilst the second decides that rather than charge headlong into the maelstrom, they would burst through the hedge and reform in the meadow where there was more space to deploy. The blue unit centre left is a Roundhead unit pursuing the defeated Cavalier regiment.

Meanwhile a brigade of foot from each side had clashed in a firefight, but seizing an opportunity to charge a Parliamentarian cavalry regiment pounces on a Royalist battalia and routs it.

In the centre the Royalists have had much better fortune. They have dispersed a brigade of Roundhead foot - see the gap where the two isolated staff figures are - this is the Night Owl himself with the now brigadeless 'brigadier'. The Royalist guns top left began whittling away at the enemy foot before being gradually ground down by the Parliamentarian guns opposite.

On the western flank (bottom) the Roundhead foot who climbed over the hedge in front of Hynton Ampner were cleared from the field but the Royalist foot have in turn been seen off by Parliament's cavalry. This was effectively game over for the Royalists, losing by 6 VPs to 8.

Post match analysis: horse attacking foot proved lethal. Too lethal probably. Horse units had 6-8 bases, foot only 3. Therefore without losses horse roll 12-16 dice and foot units only 4 (2 for pike). In the ungridded game this was less important as horse units tended to be smaller. This needs some adjustment. Maybe only 1 D6 per base for horse v foot, but keep the 2 D6 for pike v horse. Still an advantage for horse but foot can have a shot first and the odds are not so heavily weighted.

The game took about two and a half hours actual playing time, so pretty 'efficient'.  It might have been a bit longer if horse hadn't been so effective against foot - Parliament had plenty of spare units after seeing off most of the Royalist horse who could only attack piecemeal as in the real battle.

So after two attempts, the Royalists have lost both. The odds are really against them: (1) they are outnumbered; (2) the scenario rule makes their horse attack piecemeal. Maybe removing that scenario rule (which will make it less like Cheriton) will even up things sufficiently.

Mid-week match analysis: muskets at long range is too effective relative to short-range. Short-range remember uses 3 D6 and needs a score of 4,5, and 6. Long-range uses 2 D6 and also only needs a 4,5, or 6.  So by my maths, long-range is 2/3 as effective. If I reduce the number of dice to 1 then, if there  is 1 hit marker on the firing base it would reduce to 0D6 so impossible to hit anything. There are three other options here. (a) require a higher number on the dice roll. (b) Reduce the number of dice to 2. (c) A combination of the two.  The table below shows the average number of hits to be expected with the different options.

Number of Dice	Dice roll required
	4,5,6	5,6	6
3	1.50	1.00	0.50
2	1.00	0.67	0.33
1	0.50	0.33	0.17

1 dice is ruled out for the reason mentioned above. Two likely candidates stand out for me: reduce to 2D6 and require a 5 or 6; and 3D6 requiring a score of a 6.  Just whether or not I think the odds of hits at long range should be 33% of the odds of a hit at short range or 44%. Who knows?