Battle of Germantown - Post Game Results

Its been a while since my son and I played this game out, but I'm finally getting round to the battle rep.  The Battle of Germantown scenario (written by Bob Barnetson) I'm playing is from Tea for Two, a great hack that turns the Warmaster rules into an AWI ruleset.   I made the counters myself and posted them up on the site if you want to download.  For a good depiction of the actual battle map, this one is pretty good.

The Declaration of Independence and a D6.  What could be better?   Well, a beer and hot dog might add to the fun.

Chew House

The above picture is of the Chew House, the main battle objective.  The Redcoats are in and around the house (they barricaded themselves under cover of fog), while the Bluecoats are coming down the road to drive the Brits out.



The terrain of the board is basically a road made out of a cut up paper bag, the little trees that are sold everywhere at Christmas, some paper craft buildings and some little fences I made from coffee stirrers.

Intersection south of Lukens Mill

Lukens Mill

Lukens Mill is the second objective.  For the Americans to hold that intersection, as well as Chew House, the game is won. 

Overview of the board.  Top left is Chew House.  Top Right is Lukens Mill.

Coffee stirrers, cardboard strips, glue, add sand and paint!

The most forces on both sides are battling it out around Lukens Mill (the single building in the middle of the picture).  

Washington's men are moving in on Chew House.  The British have taken up a defensive position outside the house.

The lines around Lukens Mill are holding, despite fighting through the woods.  

Back at the Chew House, the British fall back behind the fence as cover.  But they are being flanked on their left, at close range.

The British were not initially well positioned, as they had 3/5th of their forces at the intersection with less strategic value (it has value for the Brits, but it seems unlikely the Americans could actually take it within the game time).  And they can't move until shooting starts.  But at this point, you can see them moving to relieve their comrades at Chew House.

The reinforcements arrive, but too late to drive the Colonists from the Chew House.  

Back at Lukens Mill, the battle turns into a disorganized skirmish.

By the last round, you can see the fighting in the woods next to Lukens Mill has gotten bogged down.  At the southern intersection below Lukens Mill, the Redcoats are standing around uselessly, but looking splendid in their finery.  Meanwhile, there are three Colonial artillery pieces positioned above the Lukens Mill intersection, but its not clear there's really control over that point.

So, after 6 rounds of battle, the Yanks have a pretty clear hold on Chew House, at least for the time being.

I see the Lukens Mill situation as more of a toss up, maybe slightly leaning towards the Colonials.  But the Brits certainly hold the intersection south of Lukens Mill.

Sort of a toss up, really.  And that's how the actual battle played out, too.

The Yanks were inexperienced.  Fog didn't help them (nor did a drunken general) and they weren't able to dislodge the British from well defended positions.  But Howe played it conservatively and allowed the retreating Yanks to get away to fight another day.

And the Yanks impressed the French enough to convince them to lend the Colonies a hand in their effort toward independence.

In any event, the game is loads of fun and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Warmaster or the AWI period gaming.  Plus, the rules (and my counters) are free.  So, you've got nothing to lose!

Thanks for visiting.