Nantwich - Command and Colors Ramekin

As trailed a few days ago I ran my first CnC ECW Ramekin version game on Saturday. Solo. It tripped along fairly quickly. Having read a downloaded copy from Prometheus in Aspic probably 3 times to try to understand the rules. I have to say it's pretty straightforward. M.Foy's rules are written very methodically and thoroughly. The same points are repeated quite a few times in different places as the rulebook appears written as a guide to walk you through the game - there is very little need to cross-reference different sections. I thought I would need a QRS given the length of the booklet, but everything was pretty straightforward and clear. To be clear, there is a QRS on the download page of Prometheus in Aspic. I didn't need it.

I mentioned before that I'd chosen Nantwich because I liked the scenario and had run it a couple of times before. It is also quite a small scale battle with 8-10 units a side. It was therefore a good one to choose as an introduction to ECW CnC. The game lasted about 7 turns. I set the victory target as 4 half the number of enemy units, so Parliament needed 4 VPs and the Royalists needed 5. I didn't give any great thought to this other than reasoning if either side lost more, their mission was likely to be severely hampered.

Context: As a recap for anyone who isn't familiar with Nantwich, the Royalists were besieging the Parliamentarian stronghold of Nantwich in Cheshire in late 1643. Sir Thomas Fairfax was on the way with a relief force (which turned out to be a bit stronger than the besieging army by the time it arrived near the town in January 1644). The Royalists launched an attack on the Parliamentarian army while the latter was still in column of march, and before all the Royalist army had fully arrived on the scene. Initial advantage went the Royalists' way but the Cavaliers were hampered by enclosures and Fairfax gradually brought his numbers to bear and beat the attackers. Almost as a coup de grace, the Nantwich garrison sortied and attacked the Royalists' right flank to seal the victory.

Royalists assembling

Parliamentarians on the march

The overall grid used was actually 19 x 10, and not 18 x 8 as I'd previously mentioned. In the game I started with the Roundheads in column heading into the enclosures. Activation for the Royalist units was staggered with regiments coming on in batches over the first few turns. The garrison could dice to come on from turn 7 onwards.

Both sides. Parliament to the right have passed Burford. Royalists to the left around Acton.

First blood went the Royalists' way as first one (Assheton's), then another (Holland's) Roundhead foot unit suffered the three hits which entailed their removal. 2-0 to Byron. However, pretty quickly the Roundheads got one back (a foot unit again). Whilst William Fairax's horse (Roundhead right wing, previously their rear cavalry) were busy with the Royalist foot in the centre, Thomas Fairfax's horse were charged by first one then another Cavalier unit. The first was beaten back before the second charged home, but the second one forced the Roundhead horse to fall back onto a foot unit waiting in the rear. The Cavaliers had a choice to follow up, but that would not bring them into contact with the retreating Roundheads but it would bring them in range of the rebel foot, and possibly the rebel guns if they could get their act together. So they decided discretion was the better part of valour on this occasion. The Royalists lost two more foot units - Warren's, the one in the centre, finally collapsed, and Gibson's previously shot up unit was charged by Lambert's horse. Fairfax had pulled it back to 3-2! That same turn Brereton's foot charged the Royalist battery, and whilst not inflicting casualties, drove the gunners away, thus capturing the battery and winning the fourth Victory Point.

Towards the climax. Circular bases are loss markers.

The game was over, and considering it was my first try, pretty quickly. I'll probably run it again on Sunday, but I'll maybe give both sides and equal Victory Point target. I made one tweak to the rules and that was to only give each side 1 average die's worth of command chips. For the small number of units involved more chips would have made it too easy to move everything. It would have been too easy for the Roundheads to make their numbers tell. I like to be forced to make choices and limiting chips certainly did that. Whilst not geared so much to solo play, ECW CnC is a cracking game. Go again!

The end.

Late Edit: Don't Mention Ze VAR

The Video Assistant Referee called a halt to the proceedings due to an infraction that the referee hadn't spotted. Brereton, who'd played a blinder, apparently winning the game taking out two units in successive turns, was offside when he scored the winning goal. He'd moved two hexes and then engaged in melee. Fairfax was obviously annoyed and was close to getting charged with bringing the war into disrepute with his use of un-Parliamentary language. Fortunately I'd left the table as it was overnight and was able to re-wind the action.

The offending foot unit had to wait its turn to attack the Gunners. The Gunners shot and missed. Meanwhile William Fairfax's Horse were tackled from two directions by enemy horse and foot.  The foot dispossessed the horse unit of their ensign. 1 VP to the Royalists to level things up at 3-all. The other Royalist horse charged into Thomas Fairfax's (H) (hobbling about at right back, on a suspected cruciate ligament injury - 3 hits) but failed to get their tackle in. Booth (F) ran from centre back to help cover T.Fairfax whilst Brereton and Lambert (H) doubled-up on the Gunners to slot home the winner. 4:3 to Parliament. Fairfax, still fuming at the idiot with the dice, refused to attend the post-match press conference.