From Richard Bach

That’s what learning is, after all; not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we’ve changed because of it, and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is winning. - Richard Bach

Monday, July 11, 2016

Replay 7

                                Retired guy takes on a 20 something. What could go wrong!

 Well, here at the  end of turn 1 we get to see. Notice in the picture above the militia holding the Colonial left. In the picture below you see what happens when Cornwallis' entire column comes raining down on a bunch of farmers and tradesmen. You also get to see Wayne's division fly to the opposite side of the board in a vain attempt to staunch the crimson tide. This is what happens when you overcommit to one flank. I was trying to psych my opponent into trying to attack from the Northwest, and he just didn't buy it. Note also, in the beginning of turn two, that Cornwallis got to move first and pinched the Virginians at Pyle's ford. Even though Sullivan's troops moved after Cornwallis they couldn't extricate themselves from between two enemy units. They would have needed at least a half unit width to pull that off. So it is possible to move first and trap your opponent between your units so that he can not escape.
 The other Brigade of Virginians does get out of the jaws of death and the colonists are able to form a line on their left.
 However, before turn three is even over the colonial player realizes that he will not be able to recover Nottingham Road on his left, and has already lost two units to the British Zilch, giving the Brits a Major Victory and then some!
Sometimes this game can be very unforgiving. I can blame some of it on chit pulls and some of it on bad dice, but I made two very bad mistakes. The first was in  investing too much in the defense of the upstream approach, and the second was in not getting the Virginians off of Pyle's ford when I had the chance. Wade is a good player who does not allow his opponent to make a mistake without paying for it.
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownJuly 12, 2016 at 8:15 AM

    lol.... Be careful not to dip your hand into the hot coffee or drink the chits!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJuly 12, 2016 at 8:30 AM

    Wow! That is an ugly opening. About the worst possible timing. I have seen Colonials fight back from here to a draw or even a minor victory but it's not easy.

    Looking now at turn 3, I'm wondering if a strike against that thin Brit line on your right could have worked? With a bit of luck, you might have been able to pop one of them. A drive to Parkerville could have cut the roads and restored your honor!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 12, 2016 at 11:22 AM

      Are you referring to the two troops on the far right?
      Maybe. In the initial set up, that's where he had a slightly heavier encampment. My strike forced him to reinforce the left side of the board as soon as possible. To turn around and return troops would've taken maybe more time than he had. Further, I could've afforded to lose a few troops if it meant holding the road on the northeast side of the Brandywine. By the time he got enough troops to that side of the board to mount an assault, I either would've...
      A. Secured the entire southeastern section of the map,
      B. Been able to pivot my troops southwest of the Brandywine toward this new assault, or
      C. Ignored this thrust and committed to a total assault with the entirety of my army.

      Delete
  3. Mike StrandJuly 12, 2016 at 11:59 AM

    Yeah, so there. ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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