Federal spoiler attack - the game
First off in between me setting up, I realised I`d
miss-judged distances and the time it actually takes for the boats to land
their troops! Pretty basic stuff, but quite critical in a game.
Therefore the game now starts after the boats have arrived
and unloaded their troops, the alarm has already been raised and the rest of
the garrison rolls to see how long it takes then to organise.
Another change to the scenario as written, the
Constitutionalists start rolling for reinforcements from turn 10 and then every
5 turns, but I changed the table as infantry would just never get anywhere
close to the action, so all results where infantry are mentioned (except the
train) are changed to cavalry.
First off I set up the troops landing and placed the chits
on all the buildings/tents - I marked 8 discs (one for each 5 man squad), mixed
them face down and randomly placed them so i had no idea where each unit was. I
also rolled for the alert "6" which meant of course those troops off duty
would react until turn 7!
The Federals land
I than randomly (by rough grid) placed the two active
defender patrols
The game begins turn 1
The 1st naval platoon reaches the first shack at the end of
this turn, the chit is marked (occupied), I rule the sailors spend 2 turns
butchering the occupants!
Turn 2 the 2nd naval platoon comes under fire from the
defenders roving patrol!
Turn 3 sees the 2nd naval platoon with some excellent
marksmanship and 4 x 6s on 5D6 virtually wiping out their opponents!
At the other end of the beach (the Federal left) a unit of
infantry finds their shack occupied and again I rule the defenders lost!!
During these turns Col. Gomez pushes on toward the rail yard
with the bulk of his command.
Turns 4-6 see a general advance, the second roving patrol
appears and causes some casualties
Col. Gomez continues onward towards his objective
Turn 7 I turn over all the remaining chits to reveal where
the defenders are - weirdly as these things go the random deployment was pretty
good - the station building, one of the warehouses, two of the buildings by the
station and the last 2 units in the cantina (life imitating art)
Turns 8-9 the defenders deploy and begin a protracted
resistance
Turn 10 sees Col Gomez taking personal command of the
machine gun and directing its fire against the station and warehouse
also this turn the first reinforcements arrive - a troop of
cavalry.
Turn 11-12
Saw bitter fighting in the pueblo, the Federals employed
good envelopment tactics and used grenades to clear one building!
Turns 13-14
Saw the machine gun driving off the defenders of the rail
station, the sappers started setting their charges on turn 14.
Troops crossed the rail line and engaged the last few
occupied buildings, sailors moved down the federal right and checked the last
few buildings (unoccupied anyway) they then set up to repel the incoming
cavalry.
Turn 15
More cavalry turn up
The last buildings are cleared of defenders, the first
cavalry unit is engaged with the sailors on the Federal right.
Turn 16
The warehouses explode
Turn 17
Sees both cavalry troops shot to pieces! The sappers start
work on the rail line itself
Turn 18
The cavalry (both units) break and run
Turn 19
The Federal move to form a defensive pocket around the
sappers
Turn 20
The rail line explodes!
Yet more cavalry arrives
Turn 22-23
The cavalry advances, the federals await their arrival, the
sappers move and start setting up the water tower and smaller coal bunkers
(turn 23)
Turn 24-25
Some long rang fire between the new cavalry and the sailors,
the water tower is knocked down and the bunkers are burnt (end of turn 25). A
train arrives at the far Federal right!
Turn 26
With the arrival of the train the Federals begin to organise
their withdrawal
Seeing the train and the sailors withdrawal the cavalry rush
forward on foot
The sappers start work on the last coal bunkers
Turn 27
The drives right up to the rail yard its armoured front car
firing on the Federals
The cavalry on the Federal right hotly engage the Federal
infantry who are covering the sailors withdrawal
On the federal left the withdrawal moves on a pace
Turn 28-29
The train company dismounts and advances on the rail yard
and its Federals, Capt. Castro of the 32nd Regiment distinguishes himself
organising his mens withdrawal protecting the sappers.
Capt Castro
Now the train should have backed off, but it didn`t and El
Tiburon began firing her 14pdr at it on turn 26, on turn 29 she hit!
Also on turn 29 the last coal bunkers were fired
On the federal left Capt. Juan Antonio of the 32nd regiment
holds his rearguard with a Rexor LMG team and a few men.
In the centre Col. Gomez himself organises a fallback
position to cover his withdrawing command
Turn 30 the withdrawal continues sailors begin to reach the
boats, more cavalry arrive!
Turn 31 - 34 the withdrawal is now is full swing rearguards
commands by Captains Castro and Juan Antonio keep the Constitutionalists at
bay, a near break-though on the Federal right is halted by a well placed shell
from El Tiburon!
Turn 35
More cavalry but this time accompanied by a gun!
The withdrawal continues, Col Gomez collapses his defensive
pocket, falling back on the boats
On the Federal right the enemy cavalry (dismounted) are
right on Captain Juan Antonio but a timely shell from El Tiburon once again
stops that and relieves the pressure.
The Juanita is fully loaded and moves out into the river.
Turn 36-37
El Tiburon`s gun keeps the enemy at bay, the withdrawal is
in full swing, nothing is going to stop the Federals getting away.
The Enemy `75 arrives at the pueblo
Turn 38
The last troops re-board El Tiburon, Col. Gomez is the last
man ashore
The enemy gun un-limbers and in one last attempt to salvage
something, it deploys to fire on El Tiburon as she casts off!
Turn 39
The `75 misses! But El Tiburon`s gun crew is on fire and
nails the gun with a magnificent 11 on 2D6!
Turn 40
El Tiburon sets sail back to Tampico with a tale of glorious
victory over the enemy!
The game proved complicated to run, with many turns taken up
by just movement and little action. The defenders had a near impossible task,
but of course me rolling for the arrival of single cavalry troops on each of
the first three reinforcement phases didn`t help matters, if the train, the
plane or a larger unit with an attached gun had shown up earlier things may
have ended differently.
