Valour & Steel & Flesh game AAR

 

The table set up & initial deployment

So, the first game of V&S&F in quite some time, part of my quest for the perfect VSF game. We played on a 50" x 100" table with plenty of scenery(unlike some of my Mars games) The big terrain item was the manor house, an item I bought many years ago and had yet to use. Like the farm buildings, it came to me pre-painted and assembled (molded) I do not know the origin of either set of buildings, they were both bought at two seperate conventions. The windmill is from Sarissa, that building I painted.

Now back to the game. This game saw an Anglo/Franco force go up against a Prussian force that had some American steam walkers for support. The forces came in from opposite corners. The poker chips were deployment zones and objectives. The red near the British troops were deployment points those near the Prussians were the objectives. 

The Anglo/Franco left flank & Centre

Anglo/Franco right flank

Prussian main force in the centre

Prussian left flank & centre

General advance in the centre. French steam jump troops (Soldats Vapeur Saute)
 lept into melee on the hill in the centre

The dramatic start of the game saw the Prussians advance to the top of the central hill only to have the Soldats Vapeur Saute (Steam Jump troops) leapfrog  over everyone to engage them in melee. The battle did not go well as they were slaughtered by the hill defenders. However, somehow their morale did not break and they continued to melee there for the rest of the game, even sucking another enemy unit into the fray!

The Prussian mechanical troops got off to a slow start with some mechanical issues...

Prussian Jaegers advance through the dense forest to attack the manor

Canadian, Scottish & guards advance with support from a light mg vehicle & some French Militant Infanteriste Mécanique Expérimental (M.I.M.E)

On the Anglo/Franco right flank saw some armoured troops & an Indian unit advance with armoured support

The battle for the hill continues with fresh dismounted hussars joining the fight

Armour and American Steam walkers advance around the Prussian left flank

The guards take heavy losses from the Jaegers & the Kreighosen Automat

The Kreighosen Automat prepare to charge

The Jaegers take heavy losses from the M.I.M.E.s

While the artillery is moved to a better position, the two armoured fighting vehicles exchange shots. The Prussian vehicle becomes immobilized

Prussian See Battalion to the front with support slowly advancing in the rear. 

The position as of the third turn

Reinforcements arrive, & the French heavy cavalry make a bold dash under the guns of the Prussians who thankfully had already activated!

The target, the Prussian artillery, in the distance with the remnants of the naval regiment strung out in a forlorn gesture

The French cavalry drove the naval brigade away & destroyed the gun & crew, but at a heavy loss 

The positions at the end of the game (more or less)

By the end of the game both sides had made advances.

• The Prussian unilancers made a dramatic charge into the Canadian & Highland units and were soundly thrashed. 
• The jaegers were finished off by the M.I.M.E.s (each armed with a Maxim MG) it was no contest! 
• However the british guards were turned into mincemeat by the grinders of the Kreighosen Automat. 
• On the hill the melee continues with both sides bringing up more reserves.
• The light tank on the far right became stuck in the hedge, failing to breach the obstacle.
• The Impervious suits & Indian troops delivered a withering fire on the Prussian See battalion driving them off.

In the end it was a close fought game. We called it for a number of reason. time was up for some players and the situation indicated that no one was likely to obtain any of the objectives. Once again I used too many units & vehicles, it seems I will never learn. It is just that I want to try out as much of the stuff that I own as I can, I so rarely play VSF games.

As for the rules, they felt better than the Colonial Adventures. I had planned to try out the GASLIGHT rules, but I was distracted by another player who casually mentioned this set of rules. The rules do capture the feel that I was looking for but, the rulebook is a bit of a mess. It took a lot of effort to search through the book and consolidate all the information. 

I also adjusted some of the weapon ranges to encourage troops to encourage close combat. Oh and I almost forgot, the game uses cards a lot,  I dispensed with this notion and instead converted the various card charts to d12 charts.

So, we had challenges playing the game, most were unfamiliar with the rules and the concept of VSF. In the end we did have fun and we will play it again, soon.

The unit cheat sheets

Natural 0 is always a success Natural 9 is always a failure 0 on die = zero

German Units	Mettle	Pluck	Special
Jaegers [Regulars/Drilled]	8	2	Rifles 18”/36” ‘Good shots’ +1 to hit, Woodsmen no movement penalty in woods
See Battalion [Regulars/Drilled]	6	1	Rifles 18”/36”
Militia [Drilled]	5	0	Rifles 18”/36”
Dismounted Women’s Hussars [Regulars/Drilled]	6	1	Carbines 12”/24”
Dismounted Women’s Hussars [Regulars/Drilled]	6	1	Carbines 12”/24”
Women’s Naval brigade [Regulars/Drilled]	6	1	Rifles 18”/36”
Unilancers [Regulars/Drilled]	7	2	Lances +1 first round of any melee
Field artillery [Drilled]	6	1	Medium gun 30/60”” RoF 1 [+1/0] 4” Blast Explosive Reload (0)

German Units	Mettle	Pluck	Prot	Rel	Weapons/special notes
Grosser Landkreuzer (Big boxy ship)	6	2	5	5	Medium gun 30/60” RoF 1 [+1/0] 4” Blast Explosive Reload (0) Slow: When moving roll extra d10, discard high roll.
Union land ship (Blue/red)	5	1	3	3	Medium gun 30/60” RoF 1 [+1/0] 4” Blast Explosive Reload (0)
Dampf-Panzerschiff-Wagen (small greenish ship)	5	1	3	4	Light gun 24/48” RoF 1 [0/-2] 3” Blast Explosive Reload (0)
Schneller Maschinengewehr-Kampfwagen SMK (2) Fast and small -1 to be targeted	4	3	2	4	Rapid fire gun 20/40” RoF 2 [-2/-3] 3”x5” Impact Shrapnel reload (0) Hit on: Open 0-6 Soft cover 0-4 Hard cover 0-2 Fast: When moving, roll extra d10 discard low roll
Kreighosen Automat (4) Beat by +2, Attacks 2@+1 HTK 2 Save (4)	4	--	2	4	Auto rifle 15/30” RoF 3 [-] Slow: When moving roll extra d10, discard high roll. Reliability to activate, failure = roll on malfunction chart
Vassily’s clockwork men (4) Beat by +2, Attacks 1@-1 HTK 2 Save (4) Reliability roll to activate, Failure = roll on malfunction chart.	4	--	1	3	Auto rifle 15/30” RoF 3 [-] ‘Poor shots’ -1 shoot target number Negotiate terrain as machines that walk.
Vassily’s clockwork men (4) Beat by +2, Attacks 1@-1 HTK 2 Save (4) Reliability roll to activate, Failure = roll on malfunction chart.	4	--	1	3	Auto rifle 15/30” RoF 3 [-] ‘Poor shots’ -1 shoot target number Negotiate terrain as machines that walk.
Mechanified Infantry (4) Beat by +2, Attacks 3@+2 HTK 2 Save (5) Each figure counts as 2 for morale	6	5	2	5	Colt MG 18/36” RoF 6 [-3/-4] Prone to jam possible reload Steam blast: 2.5”x 3.5” template, (no move or steam attack next activation) Hit on: Open 0-8, Soft cover 0-5, Hard cover 0-4 ‘Tall’ (large +1 to be shot) Breakdown roll (‘0’ on move die) only if terrain type reduces their movement.
Kriegsautomat Hussar (2) Beat by +2, Attacks 1@-1 HTK 2 Save (2) Reliability roll to activate, Failure = roll on malfunction chart.	3	--	1	6	Maxim MG 18/36” RoF 8 [-3/-4] ‘Poor shots’ -1 shoot target number Reliability to activate, failure = roll on malfunction chart Prone to jam: Jams on 2x mettle or a ‘0’ roll. Possible reload. ‘Tall’ (large +1 to be shot) Negotiate terrain as machines that walk.

Prone to jam: All machine guns roll mettle test before they can open fire. If they fail they do not fire this activation.

Possible reload: Any roll of ‘0’ on shoot test means reload required. Place reload marker. It takes one action, per marker, to reload.

Malfunction chart [d12]

1        Fully functional Does not restore any damage, but machine operates as normal.

2-3     Impaired Movement reduced to 1d10, & counts as unsteady for shooting & melee.

4-6     Advance Full move forward, no shooting but will engage in melee if contact made

7-9     Retreat About face and full move to rear. No shooting. If engaged will fight as out of command.

10-11 Cogitating Does not compute, automaton does nothing this activation.

12       Deadly error Crush, kill, destroy! Enemy controls the automaton for this, fully functional, activation.

Anglo/French Units	Mettle	Pluck	Special
Grenadier Guards [Regulars/Drilled]	8	2	Rifles 18”/36” ‘Good shots’ +1 to hit
Highlanders [Regulars/Drilled]	6	1	Rifles 18”/36”
Gurkha [Regulars/Drilled]	8	3	Rifles 18”/36” ‘Good fighters’ +1 in melee
Canadian Militia (purple) [Regulars]	7	1	Rifles 18”/36” ‘Woodsmen’: No movement penalty in woods
Canadian Militia [Regulars]	7	1	Rifles 18”/36”
Indian Troops [Drilled]	6	0	Rifles 18”/36”
Soldats Vapeur Saute [Regulars/Drilled]	6	1	Carbines 12”/24” Steam jump packs Reliability 3, Move 4d10”, if any dice show ‘0’ each one causes a seperate reliability test. If any test fails, rocket trooper moves at max speed in a random direction (can leave table this way!)
Cuirassier [Regulars/Drilled]	8	2	Mounted

Anglo/French Units	Mettle	Pluck	Prot	Rel	Weapons/special notes
Large Landship	6	2	4	7	Medium gun 30/60” RoF 1 [+1/0] 4” Blast, Explosive, Reload (0)
Medium Land ship two guns	6	1	3	7	Light gun 24/48” RoF 1 [0/-2] 3” Blast, Explosive, Reload (0) Rapid fire gun 20/40”” RoF 2 [-2/-3] 3”x5” Impact, Shrapnel, reload (0) Hit on: Open 0-6 Soft cover 0-4 Hard cover 0-2.
Medium Land ship	6	1	3	7	Light gun 24/48”” RoF 1 [0/-2] 3” Blast, Explosive, Reload (0)
Light Armoured Tractors (2) Fast and small -1 to be targeted	6	1	2	6	Rapid fire gun 20/40”” RoF 2 [-2/-3] 3”x5” Impact. Shrapnel, reload (0) Hit on: Open 0-6, Soft cover 0-4, Hard cover 0-2. Fast: When moving, roll extra d10 discard low roll.
Canadian Tricycle artillery	7	2	Spec	3	Light gun 24/48” RoF 1 [0/-2] 3” Blast Explosive Reload (0) Armour counts as armoured protection not vehicle armour.
Impervious suits (8) Beat by +2, Attacks 1@+1 HTK 2 Save (3)	8	3	Spec	3	Auto rifle 15/30” RoF 3 [0] Armour counts as armoured protection not vehicle armour. Stored energy: If any ‘0’ rolled for movement then roll on fated number chart. This is how many suits have wound down & cannot move again.
Militant Infanteriste Mécanique Expérimental M.I.M.E.s (3) Reliability roll to activate, failure = roll on malfunction chart.	4	--	2	4	Maxim mg 18/36” RoF 8 [-3/-4] ‘Poor shots’ -1 shoot target number Prone to jam, Jams on 2x mettle or a ‘0’ roll. ‘Tall’ (large +1 to be hit) Negotiate terrain as machines that walk.

Prone to jam: All machine guns roll mettle test before they can open fire. If they fail they do not fire this activation.

Possible reload: Any roll of ‘0’ on shoot test means reload required. Place reload marker. It takes one action per marker to reload.

Malfunction chart [d12]

1 Fully functional Does not restore any damage, but machine operates as normal.

2-3 Impaired Movement reduced to 1d10, & counts as unsteady for shooting & melee.

4-6 Advance Full move forward, no shooting but will engage in melee if contact made

7-9 Retreat About face and full move to rear. No shooting. If engaged will fight as out of command.

10-11 Cogitating Does not compute, automaton does nothing this activation.

12 Deadly error Crush, kill, destroy! Enemy controls the automaton for this, fully functional, activation.