Category: AWI

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Cowpens BATREP

The Cowpens 5/22/1781

 

The battle of The Cowpens was possibly the turning point of the American War of Independence.  It pitted the seasoned American general Daniel Morgan against the British commander Banastre Tarleton.  This battle saw Morgan handle the Militia in layers that allowed them to fight, fall back and fight again.  These tactics would be adopted and used by general Nathaniel Greene at Guilford Courthouse later in the war.

I have been intrigued by this battle and have run it many times at conventions. I recall decades ago running it in 54mm scale use Charge at Fall In at the Eisenhower Hotel in Gettysburg. Now I figured given the scale, the game title and the nostalgia for old school rules it would be a hit. Sadly, no, as I recall I had a hard time even getting players. Ok move ahead in our Tardis to 2026. This year (spring) ran it at Havoc, Mayhem and Huzzah and you know what, little interest. I even canceled one at Huzzah due to only one player.
From a game master point of view, it is tricky. The width of the field is only around 500 yards, not very big and the depth isn’t that much deeper. Even though my Light Bobs ground scale (1″ = 10 to 12 yards) it was hard to get the troops on the table. Well enough of this part. I did have a few games and I even played in one as well. I present here more of a collage of pictures from two different games. I have placed them in chronological order and then added comments on each picture. The comments are mainly to help people understand the playing bits like cards and beads understand what they mean. Furthermore, it gives me another reason to show off my 40mm troops.

National Park Site >>>

Video on the event >>>

I hope yiou enjoy them and will reach out to me to help play test the edition.

Cheers…Chris

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Light Bobs 250′ AWI Rules Reviewers Wanted

Light Bobs 250′ Reviewers Wanted

This new version has been over a year in the works and we feel it is ready for others to have a look and hopefully share their thoughts on it. This is an entirely re-written set from the first edition. I am placing the Desinger Notes here to help you decide it you are interested.

If you wuld like a pdf version please e-mail me at sentry 1212 at day of battle dot com  and I will send you a pdf version.

Those that find it of interest and help us with commenting, proofing and/or playtesting will get an autographed printed copy when it is released.

PARTIAL DESIGNER NOTES

INTRODUCTION
The game mechanisms in Light Bobs are designed to give a game that has the feeling of the period, not just the battle. Like most published games of the past and present, Light Bobs can be played as standalone game where players setup a game, have a great time and then pack up. To gamers just starting out in the hobby this is great, but it isn’t too long before they yearn for a campaign.
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SOLO GAMES
The fog of war in the game due to the Command Card system and the First Move Generation of each game turn is so good that you can play a solo game and not automatically know which side will win. You would truly have to cheat to trick the game.
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CAMPAIGNS
In a campaign game you can truly prove who you are and how good you can be. But campaigns can be a black hole. When you rely on other gamers to participate in a campaign life always seems to get in the way. Players take longer and longer to submit orders or even play the battles generated by the campaign.
By using the Leader skill rules, the Mini-Campaign players can be in a mapless campaign. With the beginning of each new battle having been created by the Leaders themselves.
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LEADERS
The Leaders rules are designed to ensure that command is both a privilege and a peril. In Light Bobs your Leader is not an abstract bonus generator but a physical presence on the battlefield—inspiring men, altering momentum, and, falling to chance. By limiting each army to a single primary Leader (with additional subordinates in larger engagements), the system emphasizes hierarchy and responsibility. Command is centralized, but never safe.
Military Rank (MR) serves two purposes: it measures authority and determines survivability. A newly commissioned Captain (MR 3) is competent but far from invulnerable. As rank increases, so does resilience and command ability, but the risk never disappears. The fractional “Advanced” ranks reflect transitional stages in a career—moments where experience and growing influence have not yet fully translated into senior authority. This creates a natural narrative arc as Leaders rise through success or falter through defeat.
Leader Risk is intentionally unforgiving. The battlefield of the era was chaotic, and officers often led from the front. The simple dice thresholds and card-based injury table create suspense without excessive bookkeeping.
Promotion ties performance to progression. Winning improves prospects, but chance—represented by the deck—always has a say. Over multiple battles, this system encourages players not merely to win, but to preserve and cultivate their Leader. The result should be a growing attachment to the officer at the center of your story.
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DESIGNER NOTES IN FULL >>>

Chris Parker
Day of Battle Games
www.dayofbattlegames.com

 

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Light Bobs 7YW – Defending Pirna Review

Seven Years War Army Supplement

From a player…

Saturday Evening at Huzzah! Defending Pirna…

My Saturday evening game was a Seven Years’ War contest between some Saxons and the Prussians and allies – a fictional encounter in defence of Pirna. Chris Parker ran it (and played, too) using his re-written “Light Bobs” Am Rev rules. They are intended for use with the AWI, for the “war of outposts”, but this was a test to see if they could be suited to doing more battlefield-oriented things in a slightly earlier period.

I am always a sucker for the Lace Wars, and I love 40mm as a gaming scale for these periods especially, so maybe I am biased, but I think it passed the test. There may be a few potential tweaks to add a bit more “battalion” flavor, but in general the rules portray company-sized units doing linear warfare quite accurately, so grouping a few together into battalions makes sense. We had a brigade on a side: the Saxons (including yours truly) held off the Prussians as they tried to cross a river, probably longer than we should have. In the end, our morale was on the brink of collapsing and we conceded. All told, a very fun game and a great-looking setup. Thanks to Chris and the other players!

Thank you too 🙂

I would like to add that the convention was kind enough to give me best of period for the game to.  Thank you.

 

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HAVOC 2026, Concord Bridge North, with Light Bobs 250′ rules

HAVOC 2026, Concord Bridge North, with Light Bobs 250′ rules

What follows is a slightly modified Blog Post from Peter who played in this game and then posted it to his blog.

Blunders on the Danube

Actual Blog Post >>>

First game, 9:20 AM Saturday (Twnety minutes late – I got stuck in traffic in Waterbury, CT for 20 minutes – a construction site winding down at 7:00 AM, one of the few times when there is usually hardly any traffic there!

Concord Bridge 1

My friend, GM Mark T. (aka GamePoet) who lives in New Hampshire. His figures are 40mm scale.  Editor:  most are 3D printed from dayofbattlegames.com but some are Sash and Saber Castings and Trigard Miniatures too.

Concord Bridge 2

 

The Bridge model has a story.  Back in Marks youth during the Bicentenial early middle school, Mark’s class had an assignment to do “Shadow box” type dioramas. Not content with that, he (using 54mm toy soldiers) did a 2x 4 foot model of Concord Bridge North, the site of a major skirmish during the British raid on Lexington and Concord. He had some help from his Dad, and the model hung out for decades. Last year, Mark rehabbed it and built up new terrain for the scenario, which sees a British force trying to hold back a Patriot advance upon their position. A party of British Grenadiers is seen in the far ground, trying to march to the rescue!  Also in the far ground is Chris Parker.

Concord Bridge 3

The patriots try to storm the bridge with their best troops, while many of the others provide fire support from the river banks.

Editor:  Note the playing cards are used for the command system in Light Bobs 250.  Smoke markers note how many times a Unit has Fired in that turn.  Gray markers are Disorder levels brough on by casualties or multiple actions of a Unit in a single turn.

Concord Bridge 4

“Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules…”
The Patriots have taken the bridge, dispersing most of the British Defenders… but the British Grenadiers arrive, with vengeance in mind!

Greanadiers arreive

 

In the end, it is too little, too late. The (skirmish level) rules used were Light Bobs by Chris Parker (2nd edition in evolution, with help from Mark T). The game uses a playing card deck for activations in some interesting ways, but D6’s for combat “Ones are Magical”. I enjoyed the game… and the rules!