Wargame Bayou: SDS Multiple Battles

Wow. What a day! The Broncos pull out another one...and...Dan and I hosted a triple Songs of Drums and Shakos (SDS) battle!

That's right, we put on three simultaneous SDS battles today at the club meeting. There were 16 people playing, helping or both on the three battlefields - what a turn out! The rules produce fun skirmish results and the guys have taken to them. As Dan has mentioned, members are producing squads of French and British "out of the woodwork"!

The battle I was most familiar with today involved some British lights and Royal Marines landing to surprise some Frenchmen guarding a payroll wagon in a sleepy seaside Spanish hamlet. There was a small French warship docked at the hamlet too...garrisoned by some French sailors...strung out a little loading supplies onto the ship from the dock. When the battle started, the French were rushing troops into the hamlet to oppose the English landings.

I ran the French sailors and my seamen, after trying to establish some semblance of order in their ranks, were quickly engaged by some Royal Marines. I actually did a pretty good job of holding them up for a few turns, but was outclassed by them and was ultimately defeated. The remaining sailors retreated to the ship to await terms (sailing out would mean doom with English warships in the harbor).

Funny thing. Dave had painted up the two units of Royal Marines, augmented with a couple of sailors, and was anxious to use them on the tabletop. But, the two kids with us that day, Colin and Ben, really took a liking to them (who could blame them?) ans asked Dave if they could play them! Dave, being the gentleman gamer that he is, obliged the kids and took command of some French infantry.

Speaking of Dave's French command, they advanced quickly to the edge of some light woods and began a fire fight with Ben's marines. Even though the sides exchanged some casualties, the marines had a stone wall to hide behind! So Dave fell back to draw the marines in.

Meanwhile, Greg's British lights infiltrated around and engaged Matt's French infantrymen in a fierce fight - Greg's sapper was an early casualty. Matt and Greg slugged it out, pretty much to a draw until Colin's marines finished me off and added their weight against Matt.

Ben's marines, now moved into the hamlet when Dave fell back...causing Dave to again attack him - the two fighting with and around a building. With Dave occupied by Ben and Matt falling back and continuing to fight Greg, Colin advanced his marines up the roadway and captured the payroll chest - ending the game in a British victory!

Good stuff gentlemen!

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