The Skirmish of Orchard Farm

Hey all, so last Sunday, JD came over and played a game of Valor Steel and Flesh. He forgot his own guys so we played a small skirmish with some of my own boys in prep for a campaign we will be starting VERY soon.
We used totally identical forces for kicks and giggles.

Participating forces:    3rd British Foot Infantry with Elements from the 5th Armored.  
                                  7th French Grenadiers with Elements from the 2nd Armored.
Acting Commanders: Captain Teague (British), who has "Hesitant" and "Good Shot"
                                 Captain Lafayette (French), who has "Fightin' Mad"
Location: Outskirts of Orchard Farm-France.

(A quick explanation of whats been going on prior,  The 100 years war never ended, France and Britain have been in a state of constant war straight up into the Victorian Age.  The American Revolution was crushed, due to French support never arriving b/c of the aforementioned war. France has been terribly ravaged by this and much of the countries farmland is an unmanageable crater poked wasteland, save for a few areas that remain fertile.  Many of France's cities were reduced to rubble years ago, so the french people labored to create giant floating cities, on massive steam barges. creating a new nation named "Neo-France".  you can imagine the difficulties and interesting quirks involved in a Napoleonic style siege of such a town and we will be doing plenty of it in the coming campaign)

Two Scouting forces are patrolling the outskirts of a fertile area named "Orchard Farm" one to move in, in preparation for a siege of Orleans. The other to defend it to the last.  These troops eventually meet and battle ensues...

British troops formed up behind a small hill, and began to pepper French troops as they advanced through the forest and over the crest of a low ridge.

The Frenchmen deliver several volleys of their own into the English lines. both armies shooting are rather ineffective.

 Fighting continues like this for sometime until the French troops on the far right finally make it to the top of the ridge and began to enfilade fire of the English Line. Two squad of English troops turn and make a successful charge at the flanking party, but the Frenchmen are able to inflict heavy casualties. It is then that the reserves arrive in the form of an English and a French Landship.

The French Battalion moves out of the trees, as the last of their Flankers are stabbed to death. The Landships fire their medium guns at one another with no ill effect to either side.

The Entire French Line opts to charge the splintered British troops. The field rumbles with the clatter of bayonets and the boom of cannon.  As the smoke clears all but 5 Footmen from the French stand on the right, and only Captain's Teague and Lafayette on the Left.

The two Captain's Pull out their swords and slam into one another for a climactic duel in the middle field. The British Landship turns and fires into the surviving french leaving only 2 alive.

The Captain's duel ends with Lafayette wounded on the field and Teague standing triumphant over his broken opponent.......right in front of the French Landship

 
Who promptly sends the good Captain Teague down with a shot from its Medium Gun. He would be recovered with 45% of his body covered in Shrapnel, cursing the French crew and their "not fighting like gentlemen".

With only the two landships and the 2 infantry on the table it was an tank commanders game.

The two crews fire shell after shell at one another, with the french crew finally scoring a brutal amount of good flips on the Vehicle Damage Table. leaving the English vessel, filled with deadly fumes, its signals system wrecked, the engine compartment ablaze, the crew slain by tiny fragments of shrapnel, and several smaller damages. (Not this is not an exaggeration, but the cumulative results of French flipping)

So ends the first Skirmish of the Campaign.  and what a way to start it !

The Final Tally: Minor French Victory
 Over 60 Foot Dead
1 Landship effectively obliterated
2 Extraordinary Personages taken OOA during the course (both will be back as they are only wounded)



Thats all for now!

-Your Favorite Madman-