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Homeward Bound
Being a small skirmish set during the Peninsular War,
for the
Rencounter
rule set by
Ed Allen.
This scenario is based on a skirmish scenario from Donald
Featherstone's book, "Campaigning with the Duke of Wellington and
Featherstone." The situation is taken directly from the book, and
some variability in the forces engaged has been added to take
advantage of the flexibility of Rencounter.
Introduction
The Peninsula, 1810.
A small group of soldiers from the famous British 95th Rifle regiment
are returning from a patrol and must cross a fast moving woodland
stream in order to get back to the army camp. By a strange
circumstance, a patrol of French Tiralleurs are returning to their
own camp, and must cross the stream in the other direction by the
very same bridge.
Terrain
The table should be 6' long x 2' wide, with an unfordable stream
running down the center of the table, lengthwise. A bridge should be
placed across the stream at one end of the table. Either side of the
stream should have clumps of trees, shrubs, rocks, fallen logs and
other terrain to give cover to the riflemen. The patrols enter the
table at the end farthest from the bridge, on opposite sides of the
stream. The side to exit the most figures off the table over the
bridge wins.
Forces
Each side will consist of the following figures:
1 Lieutenant, leading one unit of
3-5 Privates (roll 1D12: 1-3 = 3 men, 4-9 = 4 men, 10-12 = 5 men)
1 Sergeant, leading a second unit of
3-5 Privates (roll 1D12: 1-3 = 3 men, 4-9 = 4 men, 10-12 = 5 men)
The basic ratings for each figure will be as follows:
| Rank |
Morale |
FS |
MS |
Weapons |
| Lieutenant |
5 |
7 |
8 |
Sword, Flintlock Pistol |
| Sergeant |
5 |
8 |
7 |
Flintlock Rifle, Bayonet |
| Private |
4 |
6 |
5 |
Flintlock Rifle, Bayonet |
No figures wear armor, and all firearms begin the game loaded.
Optional Skills
If a little extra color is interesting to you, the soldiers involved
in the fight can be customized by rolling up "skills" for each
figure. Each Lieutenant and each Sergeant may roll twice on the
following chart to obtain "skills" which will improve his ability to
fight. Each Private may roll once. Reroll if a figure already has
the skill rolled.
| D12 Roll |
Skill |
| 1 or 2 |
Bruiser (+1 MS) |
| 3 or 4 |
Crack Shot (+1 FS) |
| 5 or 6 |
Grognard (+1 Morale) |
| 7 |
Nimble (may take 1.5 turns worth of actions each turn) |
| 8 or 9 |
Tough as nails (first wound taken is downgraded one
severity) |
| 10 or 11 |
Fast Loader (may reload his firearm in 1 turn instead of 2) |
| 12 |
Fleet-footed (may move 8" per turn, run 12" per turn) |
If desired, these rolls and the rolls to determine the number of
figures on each side may be made secretly.
Alternatively, you might choose skills suited to a particular model.
A particularly muscular figure, or one clubbing his musket might be
given the "Bruiser" skill. A reloading figure might be designated
a "Fast Loader." A running figure might be "Fleet-footed" and an
aiming figure might be a "Crack Shot."
Another Time, Another Place
This scenario could easily be adapted to just about any other
conflict, of course. For example, other Napoleonic nationalities
could be used. Or perhaps Confederate and Union pickets could be
substituted in for the French and British skirmishers, or American
Minutemen and Hessian Light Infantry.
Source
"Campaigning with the Duke of Wellington & Featherstone" by Donald
Featherstone. Emperor's Press, Chicago, Illinois. ISBN
0-9626655-9-2
Page last updated: January 13, 2003
Copyright ©2003,
William Scarvie
Any advertisements below are placed there by Angelfire, not by me. Companies or links advertised below do not imply my endorsement of these places. For the places I like to visit, please see my Links or Rocketry Links pages.
