Scourge of Princes: Blasts, Blowouts, and Cannons on the Frontline

Over the past few weeks, Max and I managed to play two more exciting games featuring our Thirty Years' War / Deluge armies. Once again, we used Sam Mustafa's Scourge of Princes rules. The setting for this game was towards the end of the Thirty Years' War.

Somewhere in the southern nowhere of the Empire, a small Swedish force stumbles upon an evenly matched Imperial contingent. The encounter catches both sides completely off guard; the vanguards seem to have ridden past each other, as it is the only explanation for the opponents standing directly at striking distance, hastily trying to form up their battle lines.

In this scenario, all ranked units and vehicles can also be deployed in the inner zones within 8" of each other. Normally, the forward zones are restricted to Loose Order units.

An overview of the battlefield - a typical rural countryside that seemingly had been spared from the horrors of war until today...

The opponents march up and toward each other, with the small village and its windmill forming the center and main focus of the battle. The Swedes hastily limber down four artillery batteries, setting them up side by side in position with infantry cover only on their right flank... whether that was such a good idea remains to be seen.

The Swedes anchor their right flank against the woods. This is a sound plan, if only because the Imperials hold a significant numerical advantage in cavalry.

An Imperial infantry regiment deployed opposite the batteries attempts to seize the moment and charge the exposed guns. However, they fail against the gunners, who defend their cannon with iron resolve... and with Fortuna on their side!

All along the front line, the rattle of musketry echoes and the battlefield sinks into black powder smoke.

After repelling the assault, the barrels are loaded with canister shot and the Imperial infantry regiment ceases to exist, even as one of the Swedish cannon explodes in the process.

Meanwhile, Imperial dragoons and musketeers on the right flank concentrate their fire on the Swedish dragoons, inflicting their first casualties.

The Imperials try to plug the gap created in the center with cavalry. At the same time, another Swedish battery suffers an ammunition explosion, and the relentless Imperial fire focused on the Guard infantry takes its toll - the regiment is on the brink of collapse.

Even though yet another Swedish battery explodes (something seems to have been seriously wrong with that black powder), the Guard continues to hold firm against enemy fire for now. The opposing batteries are destroyed, and the Imperial infantry also takes a severe beating.

On the right flank, the Swedish dragoons valiantly hold two enemy units at bay, allowing the infantry and the Commanded Shot of the Rytarre to concentrate their fire on the Imperial cuirassiers.

Too much is too much - the Guard dies, but it does not surrender! Merde! 😎

Instead, the resistance of the Imperial Guard Cuirassiers collapses in the hard-fought center!

Swedish dragoons and infantry prepare the charge of the Rytarre on the right flank...

...and thus the enemy cuirassier regiments collapse under the combined fire of the Swedes here as well!

Conclusion

An exciting and tight game where the pendulum of luck swung back and forth, and which could easily have ended quite differently. My greed in setting up four heavy field gun batteries right on the front line, within 8" of the enemy and thus in range of canister shot (2D6 instead of 1D6 shooting dice), hoping for a more than decent chance to eliminate the Imperial infantry regiment in Phase 1 (after all, four batteries yield 8 shooting dice), almost cost me the game! Unlike in other rule systems, artillery cannot react to an enemy charge with defensive fire; they simply fight using their 2 combat dice... and standing at 8" meant they were well within charging range of the Imperials.

Max promptly won the initiative and - attack being the best defense when staring down the muzzles of heavy guns - ordered a charge on the batteries. Against all odds, my first battery scored two hits, while the Imperial infantry seemed to stumble over their own pikes, matching only two hits and having to abort the charge. Standing completely exposed before the muzzles of my batteries and the muskets of the neighboring Swedish infantry, they breathed their last. Max was unable to close the resulting gap in his line, especially since the Commanded Shot of my Rytarre severely punished his helpless cuirassiers.

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Battlegroup Torch: Clash of Iron in the Tunisian Palms

After an eternity, we finally got a game of Battlegroup on the table last Monday. My Panzergrenadiers faced off against Bernhard's Brits, 300 points each (Squad-Level), using force lists from the Operation Torch supplement.

During operations in northern Tunisia, advancing Wehrmacht patrols clash with a British advance element, sparking a engagement to secure the best positions for the following main forces (Scenario: Recce Screen).

The battlefield, located somewhere in northern Tunisia, its name not found on any standard map.

A British Reconnaissance Squad comes under fire from my SdKfz. 222, its autocannon forcing them to get their heads down immediately.

While my 222 lays down suppressing fire, reinforcements roll up in the background - a Panzer IV F1, accompanied by two Panzer IV F2s and supporting infantry.

The Churchills advance and seem utterly unstoppable. My gunners seem paralyzed and couldn't hit the door of a barn from 10 meters away, all their shots missing the target by miles.

One of my squads occupies the houses to avoid being overrun by the Churchills - equipped only with Anti-Tank Grenades, nobody wants to face these monsters in the open street.

Another Churchill advances alongside its troop mate when a German aircraft suddenly appears overhead. It forces the following infantry to take cover after one platoon loses over 50% of its strength. However, the bomb intended for the lead Churchill misses its mark by a mile...

At least we finally hit the target, thought my Kampfgruppen commander - even if the armor-piercing shell bounced off the thick front armor of the Churchill and disappeared harmlessly into the sky.

The sad remnants of the British squad after air attacks and several accurate artillery strikes.

While my Panzer IV F1 manages to hold the town center despite inferior firepower, another Churchill rolls through the date palm plantation into our rear area, which is covered only by a lone PG squad ...

HE and machine gun fire from the Churchill decimate the infantry team, forcing them to scramble for any cover they can find. The MG team tries to save the situation, primes their Anti-Tank Grenades, charges the Churchill... and falls to the last man in the monster's defensive fire.

The British prepare to storm the olive grove held by my HQ artillery observer and a infantry squad, aiming to put an end to the extremely effective German artillery fire.

But at the decisive moment, my Panzer IV F2 securing the far right flank scores a lucky hit on the oncoming Churchill, causing its ammo storage to detonate in a spectacular fireball.

Their Battle Rating reduced to 0, the British begin their retreat, leaving the field to their opponents for today.

Conclusion

BG is just plain fun, though it represents a different level compared to Chain of Command. Our squad-level game featuring an infantry platoon, reconnaissance units, support, and a tank section would easily qualify as Big CoC in Chain of Command terms. BG also lets you react during your opponent's turn provided you planned ahead with the right Orders. The BR system ensures you do not take foolish risks (much like Force Morale in CoC), and you never have enough Orders to move every single unit.

Playing Germans puts you at an even greater disadvantage here, as unlike the British, you cannot order a full squad with a single Order; German squads are split into two separately commanded teams, each requiring its own Order.

We certainly need more practice—Bernhard hadn't played BG in nearly a year either—yet we managed to wrap up the game within our 3-hour window, which speaks volumes for the ruleset.

We both agree: a rematch is needed very soon!

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TaToCon 2026: Short Visit, Great Atmosphere, and a Game of Port Royal

Last Saturday, it was time for TaToCon XIII again at the "Roll-the-Dice" club in Puchheim (near Munich). Due to a shortage of time, I could only attend as a short-time visitor this year rather than running a demo table myself.

Even though I only had about three hours to spare, I managed to catch up with a few folks, chat with old acquaintances, and squeeze in a game of Port Royal—having secured a spot in advance since the game has been on my wishlist (and to-do list) for quite a while now.

As always, there were plenty of gorgeous tables to check out, interesting rule sets being showcased, and a wonderfully relaxed, friendly atmosphere. It’s a convention that is genuinely well worth a visit.

Enclosed are a few impressions of the tables and systems on display:

Our game of "Port Royal" hosted by Marc aka Lord_Rorken:

Battle of Trebia using "Epic Hail Caesar" rules that Max had to try out:

Conclusion:

It was a blast, and hopefully next year I'll have more time to chat and play!

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Rangers Lead the Way: The Push on Ponte Dirillo in Chain of Command v2

Not too long ago, after my Rangers had scouted the Italians' forward positions near Ponte Dirillo and tested their strength (Rangers Lead the Way: US Forces push out of Gela at Ponte Dirillo), the time had come to launch a breakthrough into the defenders' lines with armored support (playing the "Attack and Defend" mission).

A fresh platoon of Darby's Rangers advanced to the attack, supported by an M5 Light Tank and an M8 "Scott" HMC and their patrols soon encountered the Italian outposts, which were identified as belonging to the 4e divisione "Livorno".

The battlefield from the perspective of the advancing Rangers; in the upper left, within the northern sector, the first houses of Ponte Dirillo can be seen.

The "Livorno" patrols try to prevent the Rangers from getting too close to Ponte Dirillo and also aim to deny them the farmstead in the foreground as a secure starting point for their attacks. Consequently, the Ranger patrols work their way forward along the flanks within the plantations.

Both Ranger squads have deployed and immediately take heavy casualties—primarily from the Livorno squad stationed north of the farmstead. Meanwhile, a second Italian squad advances through the date plantation and manages to capture the Rangers' Jump Off Point (JoP) there. However, they are forced to retreat back into the cover of the palms shortly afterward to escape the "Scott's" HE shells. Simultaneously, the M5 succeeds in capturing the Livorno JoP located south of the farmstead.

The "Scott" advances to the edge of the date plantation and covers the Italians with high-explosive fire, yet the following Ranger squad still has to take further losses.

Another Livorno squad advances toward the date plantation to support their already heavily depleted comrades and trying to get the attention of the Rangers.

But it is too late. The Rangers seize the initiative (rolling a double phase), unleash a volley from their Garands followed by a hail of hand grenades, and storm the Italian position, backed by the fire of the "Scott." The Sergente is unluckily clipped on the helmet by a shell fragment and loses consciousness, while the Italian soldiers press themselves deep into every available fold in the ground to escape the firestorm (Pinned). The charging Rangers prove to be too much, and the survivors raise their hands and surrender—for them, the war is over.

Another overview of the situation.

The victorious Rangers dig into the position of the defeated Livorno squad to prepare for a potential counterattack by the fresh squad. However, the Livorno platoon's Tenente—now wounded himself—orders a retreat and is forced to abandon Ponte Dirillo.

Conclusion

As so often, the Patrol Phase tells a story of its own that no other rule system can replicate. You almost never just march onto the table edges and advance toward each other; instead, as seen in this game once again, you suddenly find yourself playing across the narrow flanks. This ensures that no two games are ever alike, even if you were to set up the terrain identically every single time.

The subsequent fight was extremely costly for both sides. Thanks to the Chain of Command points system, it was characterized by a high degree of movement and never degenerated into a static war of attrition, despite the dense terrain that might suggest otherwise.

Ultimately, fortune favored me because Max became laser-focused on capturing my JoP in the date plantation—at that point, I wouldn't have been able to achieve the mission objective of capturing one of the two object markers myself and if he had played a waiting game I would had to go over to the attack and this would have failed I´m very sure.
His impetous attack gave me the chance to defeat him piecemeal and grind down his Force Moral. I was further aided by some terrible dice luck on Max's part, as his leaders were wounded one after another, including one of his two Senior Leaders. Combined with the loss of one of his JoPs, it simply became too much to handle after a while.

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