The 11th Massachusetts Regiment are having a successful Peninsula Campaign, unlike their boss General McClellan. The Rebs have withdrawn from Yorktown and are being followed up towards the enemy capital at Richmond. What the General needs now is information, and more specifically he needs the 11th to find a Spy who is trying to pass the Confederate lines near Williamsburg.
Unfortunately the advance seems to have spurred a Reb rearguard and the damn spy has gone to ground somewhere near the Dunker Church on the Richmond road. Both sides have sent out a detached force ostensibly to seize the church, but in actuality to sweep the area and find the spy.
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign. Following up the Confederate retreat from Yorktown, the Union division of Brig. Gen. Joseph Hooker encountered the Confederate rearguard.
The winning maneuver of this battle was Brig. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's brigade's move to threaten the Confederate left flank, occupying two abandoned redoubts. The Confederates counterattacked unsuccessfully. Hancock's localized success was not exploited. The Confederate army continued its withdrawal during the night in the direction of Richmond, Virginia
The game focus is on the 11th Massachusetts advance against the Church, South-East of Fort Magruder.
Characters and Locations
The mission is search for the spy. Problem is, we don't know who, or where the spy is. The hidden character rule will be used to discover the spy. Literally X marks the spot.
EARLY UNION, 1861‐62
Leader, Status II
Three Groups of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets
Leader, Status I
Three Group of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets
Leader, Status I
One Group of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets
Point Value: 83
CONFEDERATES, 1862
Leader, Status III
Two Groups of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets
Leader, Status II
Two Group of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets
Leader, Status I
Two Groups of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets
One 9pdr gun, 5 crew.
Point Value 1862: 83
Union Force Morale is
Confederate Force Morale is
Both sides will use three leaders:
Two Union players, Line and Skirmishers
Two Confederates, Line, Skirmishers and guns
11th Massachusetts
Captain Dick Power
Lootenant Stu Piddidiot
Sergeant Seymour Butt
6 Regular Groups, 1 Skirmish Group
7th Virginia
Captain Herry Balls
4 Regular Groups,
Sergeant Lardo Grossweiner
1 Skirmish Group
Lt. Chris P. Bacon
1 9pdr gun five crew.
The fight for the Churchyard
The Apostolic Presbyterian, Evangelist, Ecumenical Methodist, 3rd Coming, Dunker Church of Lower Williamburg. A Sweep the table Battle.
The 11th Massachusetts are the first unit on the northerly road to encounter the Confederate rearguard. This is a linear game, short edge to short edge, and an infantry line game. Apart from the creek there is little cover for the Union advance, whilst the smaller Confederate Force has the benefit of fence-lines on the road, and the graveyard surrounding the church.
Civilian characters appear on table, one per area.
INTRODUCTION
This game is a Mission. It requires one side to sweep the table in order to gain an objective. In this case recover the spy and the documents he or she is carrying. Their opponents have been dispatched to stop the foray. They should, ideally, not be aware of the exact nature of their opponent’s mission.
DEPLOYMENT POINTS
Both sides roll a D6 to see which of their two possible entry points they use for their Primary Deployment Point, with an even chance of either. After that they place any other Deployment Points. The force which is sweeping the table may deploy as normal. Their opponents are slightly delayed, so will roll 2D6 each time their Force commander’s card is dealt. When that cumulative total reaches 14 they may begin deploying their force on any subsequent Leader activations. Neither side is the defender in this scenario.
FORCE SUPPORT
For support roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 to 3, both sides may select 4 points of support. On a roll of 4 to 6, they may select 6 points of support. Neither side may select entrenchments or any other static defences.
OBJECTIVE
To win a victory the side sweeping the table must achieve its objective. Since the objective is a Spy or escaped prisoner, we will use the Hidden Characters rule to find him.
An officer must "interview" the spy rolling 2D6 and obtaining a cumulative 10 to unmask them. There is also the small matter of the Hidden Documents.
TERRAIN & MINOR CHARACTERS
There are three buildings on the table, each in a different square, with additional outbuildings or areas. Each of these should have at least one minor character present.
The Church
1. Why I do believe it's Miss Daisy
2. Mrs Kornblow, a-lookin' so lovely
3. Uncle Peter, an escaping slave
4. Dunker Reverend Dimwit Van Troomp. How do you eat a biscuit sir?
5. Eustace the chicken wrangler
6. Mayor J. D Hawg
Roscoe's farm
1. Miss Belle, Why I declar'
2. Mrs Van Troomp, running away from her husband
3. Slim, the overweight mailman
4. Preacher Welby
5. Prissy, an escaping slave
6. Roscoe, dirt farmer
Parker's Meadow
1. Miss Scarlett, with a revolver
2. Mrs Firefly, looking for her drunken husband
3. Rufus T. Firefly, with a bottle of bourbon
4. The Duke boys, cropping an old cottonwood
5. Mr Rhett Gable, Southern gambler
6. Otis P Driftwood, whiskey drummer
The Game
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