SAEAE Battle Report #3 ¡El Punto Final!

Goaded on by their commanders the Villistas return to the attack. And promptly lose the initiative to Los Colorados.

Counter-Revolutionary Dice Triumphant!

Emboldened by the barricade the Huertista infantry decide to mix it up with the Villista cavalry. They come off second best in the close combat and are forced away from their fortification. The Villistas follow-up.

Initiative passes to the Villistas and they activate a cavalry unit to attack the Huertista infantry amongst the buildings. There is fearful slaughter with losses on both sides. Sadly for the Huertistas their morale collapses as their last officers run off and they have no choice but to try and surrender. A few actually achieve this aim!

At the top of the picture Villista infantry and cavalry combine to drive the Colorado infantry from their positions in the orchards. In the centre the Colorados are also forced from their entrenchments behind the walls and retire to the hacienda's main warehouse.

Colorados fleeing for their miserable lives from heroic Villista cavalry and infantry.

Turn 5. Initiative was retained by the revolutionaries. They were able to bring their reinforcements onto the field in the top centre of this pic. Two cavalry units are engaged in a fire-fight with the HMG in the Hacienda; one unit of Colorados is in the hacienda's warehouse; the remaining Colorado infantry have made their way onto the hill to support the Huertista artillery.

Inititative and activation swayed back and forth as more and more units were drawn into the battle around the buildings and losses on both sides mounted. Most significant was the fall of the warehouse and thus the complete severing of the Colorado line. The hacienda is now completely surrounded and riddled with bullets. The Colorado HMG manages to fire occasionally to some effect: killing a unit of Villista cavalry.

The end, when it came, was rapid and complete. The Colorado infantry and artillery position on the hill collapsed in a welter of bullets, grenades, bayonets and machetes. This left the HMG unit inside the hacienda which was then systematically shot to pieces. Total victory to the Villistas!

Losses on both sides were heavy:

Villistas

1 x cavalry unit killed

1 x cavalry unit @ 1 hit

1 x infantry unit @ 3 hits

1 x infantry unit @ 2 hits

1 x infantry unit @ 1 hit

Orozquistas/Colorados

3 x infantry units killed

1 x HMG unit killed

Huertistas

1 x artillery unit killed

1 x infantry unit killed

Conclusions

The rules are easy to use and follow. I particularly liked the tying in of morale to fighting effectiveness as opposed to reducing firepower. The game flowed well and any mistakes were my own from being forgetful. I felt the result was the right one given the balance of forces and the weaponry involved. Talking of weaponry the results of combat and the ability to downgrade FP for crap weaponry is a real plus. Similarly being able to upgrade better quality troops, and downgrade poor ones, is also realistic. The combat results really showed how once infantry are dislodged from entrenchments of any kind how vulnerable they become. I'd like to use vehicles and trains for my next game. There was a lot of dice throwing with a lot of dice but again I felt this added to the fun and that includes oversights on my own part. Great set of rules for solo play but even better with an opponent or two!

UATH!