Cancon 2009

The following report was prepared by Damian Pooley of Melbourne. It looks at the development and use of his Williamite Anglo-Dutch in the 15mm DBR competition at Cancon 2009. Another report, along with convention results can be found here.

Mustering the Army:

For Cancon 2008 I ran Irish Confederates because they had access to lots of Sh(O) and could take a large contingent of Wb(O) as well. I did OK that year, only having one self-appaling game and some close ones. I never really got the hang of how to use the Wb and all the Generals being allies hampered C&C more than the benefit of extra Sh or Wb. Later the same year for the League of Ancients tournament, in Melbourne, I ran vanilla New Model Army and got a result. It was a highly aggressive, standard PPS, army, and ultimately boring and having too many compulsory Pi(O). I wanted something a bit different.

As usual I went through the army lists, even Book 1. An entirely new army was out as I didn't have the time to paint it before late January. Here were the lists I considered:

So I went for the Williamites. It is a list that has everything. Even ships if I wanted them. During playtesting, this variety came to be a real problem however.

I'd played against the WADs before at Cancon and defeated them, so I didn't view them as an especially terrific army. I'd heard that it was small hard hitting army. Small meant easy to break, hard hitting meant keeping it out of close combat. I built a list with about 50% Sh(S) and (O), and strike group of Sh(F) and 3 Pi(F) with a pair of Art(I).

For practice I had both the 'most' and 'least' for any Cancon. Against another opponent I only had one simple game during the xmas break against my brother where we partitioned half the dinner table, lined up with no terrain and went at it and both armies broke. Not a good sign... For the next few weeks I used my nights doing the same thing against myself trying to make the force composition work, moving the (F) troops around and changing their number all to no avail against standard PPS.

So I had a closer look at what was defeating the vaunted WADs. Pike, Shot, Pistols, deployed minding the flanks against cavalry. Could I make that kind of force with the WAD list? Yes I could, and did. Cancon allows a player to bring two lists of the same army and having a second list was a good idea. My first reasons were to create an anti-cavalry/warband list (ie eastern armies) where (F) troops were a liability. During playtesting, no matter how contrived the situation, it was the 'alternative' list that won against the all-singing all-dancing WAD.

A view from behind the centre of the Williamite Anglo-Dutch line with Roundheads in the distance. Dragoons can be seen thrown out in front of the Williamite foot.This game was in round five of the Cancon competition.

This list was solid. It had no gimmicks that could weaken its structure, strong wings and indestructible centre. I was especially happy with break 7 wings as 7 is deceptively much tougher than 6. The centre was the odd and potentially weak part. I was counting on the (S) status to keep them alive.

It well suited my playstyle of attrition firefights. I prefer shoot and wait for formations to get broken up with kills and recoils before charging. Charging one contigious line into another means no preparation and relying on luck. I've seen enough quick-kill assaults fail under DBR2 mainly due to the PIP costs for group separations. Alone that change killed any realistic chance for my Poles to be used in tournament play. (F) troops don't fight double ranked but do (easily) die that way.

So, tactically, my army would win aggression, deploy to get the best direct match-ups, advance into musket range and then blaze away until it was time to charge and break a command. It was a simple plan. I never used my original list.

The Tournament:

I like this army and want to play it. The concept of 12 Art(I) backed by Ln, Bd(F) and filler Pk and hopefully enough Sk to slow down an attack is almost too difficult to resist.

Stewart ran his version with two big Pk/Sh(I) commands and some Art(I). Both were deployed on a ridge (making the guns weaker) and the third smaller cavalry command covering the open wing in a valley between the hills and some woods. I deployed with the intention of driving down the valley to flank and using my Dr(S) and right command to block. Unintentially it was a 'attack the weakest part of the enemy line' plan which I followed in all my later games bar one.

My attck down the valley didn't materialise, turning into another holding pattern as Stewart moved Ln up and sent LH to flank me around the woods. My formation split up to cover the flank with Pk and the Sh and Art protected the centre Sh(S) as they turned into the main assault. Usually I think trying to break the enemy by defeating his largest command only is not the best way to win but it was what happened. The Spanish came off the hill but slowly. My Dr blocked his Bd(F) and killed some and generally were a nuisance and protected the flank of the Sh(S) which blew their way up the hill for a 10-0 win. My losses were really just 2 Dr, a few other elements dying on Stewart's 'last hurrah' turn.

I saw some of Guy's fast first game against Phil. The French rolled over the Danes and I knew this battle had to be a must win for me. So I was apprehensive and Guy confident.

The terrain was pretty much the same for both sides, a hill, wood right next to it and then some rough ground on the other flank leaving a wide open centre. I won aggression again. Guy deployed on a hill the majority of his army with Pi(F) in column at the back looking to sweep around my left flank and a small command near the rough with a gap between it and his centre. This was where I was going to attack.

I deployed my left flank tightly on the hill with the Sh(S) in the woods and some Pk/Sh guarding behind it. The Sh(S) took up the hill and the right flank aimed directly at Guy's weak flank. Starting, Guy sent his Pi(F) on their sweeping flank move. I moved my MPV Dr into the centre to delay stand in front of artillery shells and my right moved forward quickly. In response the line of Pi(F) turned around and became a second line to advancing Pi(O). Heedless of the risk the Dr disrupted this attack. My took the rough and broke their opponents picking off lone elements and swung around to threaten some of the huge double line of Sh(F) that was charging my centre to swing the game back Guy's way.

My left and centre redeployed into Pi/Sh combos. The first assault was Pi(O) that was beaten off without loss. The second and threatening attack was across my line (luckily I had no overlaps against me) with Pi and more Sh(F) than I could count. I didn't suffer a single loss fighting most combats up factors. The (S) may have helped once or twice.

In my turn something I had never seen or be able to do in a non-simulated battle happened. I destroyed almost every element I was in combat with. Suffering -1 for (F) in enemy bound and my Sh(S) always receiving +1 the French were slaughtered. Another 10-0 and only a few Dr lost.

Rodger produced the mystery table at the end of round 2 and said “Damian, what do you think?”. I replied, “This is a great table for the defender. An attacker doesn't stand a chance.” Rodger may have been dissapointed by my observation – which turned out to be true.

All night I considered the table and how as an attacker I would cope with it. Basically the attacker was going to be funneled into a triangle of death with a river down one side (on deployment zone line), and a angle of hills down the rest. A hill and rough ground in the defender zone anchored any adventurism over the river or away from the ridge. I didn't really consider my options as a defender, and came up with the only option I felt for an attacker; that being to march right and come up the hills one at a time and from behind. It would be tough and slow.

However when the aggression dice were rolled I became the defender. I choose to defend with the triangle favouring me. However my army wasn't large enough to occupy the ridge line completely and Rodger's army was big and had Royalists. Therefore I opted further back putting most of one command behind the rough against the river, centre on one hill and other flank in the air on the left.

Rodger came at me with the Royalists heading to my open flank and a mass of Pk and Sh coming up the valley. I pushed into the rough with Sh against his Dr. My Dr again went forward and shot down a Pi(F) and caused another to die in melee (mine dying as well). It was a good sacrifice that significantly took the threat out of the Royalist command and I was able to stop any dangerous Pi(F) charge. It was shaky on that side but I managed to get the upper hand.

On my right things looked grim as well. In most games when I try to contest the smallest piece of terrain with multitudes more men than the enemy I take heavy losses and this was no exception. My command was down 3-4 elements and both lines were heavily engaged. The size of the Scots army hampered their coordination as groups got in each others way and couldn't outlfank me.

Eventually my firing line began to prevail. A line of Scottish Wb tried to get stuck in but were blown back. 4 vs 2 factors is a good match up for Sh. I gained the rough and that would give me hard flank opportunities but victory was gained with cost. 10-0 again and a flank too close for comfort.

Lyle was running one of Johnathan Moore's armies. Its biggest scariness was some Bd(F) and Sk able to cover them on the way in. Its weakness was breadth and too many MEs stuck in Pi(S). The terrain was a river (with a Venetian boat), town on the Venetian line, two 45 degree enclosed fields in the middle and a hill to the side of that and another far oppsosite the town. I think I lost deployment and took the side with the river angling away from it so the boat would not be able to fire into my deployment zone at all and force any attack in that direction to have to expand out to protect its flank against the river. My centre and left took the hill in deep formation giving me opportunity to move in the initial stages when I saw what was coming at me. My right was to play the refused game anchoring on one enclosed field and the back line. Lyle deployed a holding command near the town and the other enclosed field and the rest of his army en masse to try for my refused right.

The fields were the key to victory. Lyle would have to move past them to get at me or into them slowly where I could shoot him apart. They were also where Lyle was weakest. My left quickly pushed forward into its field and overwhelmed the defenders there. The right field (in the centre) was closer to my line and I set up Sh(S) covering it and pushed Dr down the gap between commands.

By the time the Venetian main attack got close enough to attack my right flank I was commanding the battle in the left and centre. A cheeky opportunity saw a column of Pk charge the flank of some Pi(S) with a push back giving me two elements and a general but I failed. Still it broke up his formation and the attack came in as two separate groups that further broke down.

While I was suffering casualties and being carefull to keep losses down, carefull attacks and pressure moves and unbelievably good shooting (or unbelievably bad on Lyle's part) mowed down the Venetians and they broke all over. 10-0 to the WADs.

So far in every game I had picked and attacked the weakest part of the enemy line. The night before Chris said something about Marlborough attacking where the enemy defense was strongest because that was where they were weakest.

Keith's low aggression meant I won the roll. The battle was Newport with sea, sands, a hill, gap and more hills. The Parliament army had one tiny command near the suf and a huge command stretching from the hill into the gap and the third mixed Cavalry/foote command hanging back.

Typically I would have ignored the hill and gone for the far command but I was going to be Malborough! and so deployed two commands facing the hill alone and the other to delay Keith's refused flank.

My plan was to sit just off the edge of the hill and blow everything on it to smithereens. Either the Parlies had to charge down onto bayonets or suffer attrition where I had the numerical superiority. At the same time Dr and Sh would take the sands and flank the hill.

The plan didn't work. Quickly my left was down 3-4 elements vs two Sh in the sands and Keith brought up the refused flank command and some Pi(S) that I shadowed with a Dr. In the middle between the lines I gave away the 'buttocks of death' move to no avail. On my side I looked like I was in trouble.

Keith must have had the same impression of what was going on on his side. I'd forced back his sand people with Sh and Dr towards the sea giving me an opening to flank the hill. In a soundly managed defensive strategy Keith made a mistake and moved up his tiny command General (Pi(I)) after pulling out some Pk from the front line's gunfight. That general then charged down with one flank support and off the hill into a solid line of Sh(S). The Sh(S) held then hard flanked and killed the General opening a hole on the hill and what I had been waiting for.

My centre and repeated Pi charges into unsupported Sh had failed to break through. My right was under heavy pressure and engaged the enemy in close combat to avoid being shot up by Pi(I). A screen of Pk and Pi tried to scare off Pi(S) and (O) with supporting Sh. It was a race to see if my right would hold or tie up their opponents to give me enough time to break Keith's centre.

And a score to give me an uncatchable tournament lead. That didn't mean I would go easy on the last game however.

Every previous game I knew I had to win to keep my place secure. A draw still gave me 1st but eneded my chance for straight 10-0s. Not dropping a game or command were good enough consolations.

I lost the aggresson roll and deployed my right and centre along a ridge (forgetting that Art are worse on hills) excepting to give the Swedish Sh(F) a hard time coming up. The left command filled the gap between the wood and hill. Dr were forward.

The Swedes shuffled their baggage positions after seeing my deployment. Wb were going to head through the woods to flank me and it was PPS along the rest of the front. Somehow all the Sh were (O) which would make matters more difficult for me as I wouldn't have range on them.

The Swedes advanced. I with casual brutallity threw my Dr into the enemy advance and took the woods and send the left flank General with his Pi down the road between the wood to swing around it and hit the enemy from behind. My right advanced up the ridge, the rest hanging behind the crest in true English style.

Even more casually the right sent a small assault group of Sh and Pk into the extreme Swede left and forced marches moved a pair of Dr up to support. This lone attack of about ten elements won the game.

On my far left the Pi and Dr took apart the Wb and halted the enemy attack forcing a gunfight that staggered the Swedes so they lost any momentum. The centre and right exchanged casualties. The far right got stuck in, killed their hapless opponents and both flanks had been turned with minimal use of troops. I was surprised at how quick and easy it turned out to be. 10-0.

Analysis:

I had won my first Cancon so I was happy. The army that I used is beatable, I have defeated it, it is not as imposing as it seems. Taking all of its troop type options compound weakness into an army than strenghten it as my playtesting discovered. My eventual list was ordinary, beefed with some Sh(S) that came into play only a few times, and designed to be solid and flexible. Each game after set up I knew where I was going to attack and never took a completely defensive stance. I would pick the gap or small command and aim to break it quickly. Aggressive play tends to demoralise many players or make them commit mistakes that can be exploited. Being able to quickly analyise PIP use and element kill counts and move just as fast does the same as the other player tries to figure out from where and how they were flanked or ganged up on. Threat ranges in DBR are large.

As victory comes by breaking commands I find it odd to still see overly large centre commands and small PIP dump commands. Small commands are fragile and first targets. Their loss drains PIPs or removes a die entirely. If they are held back they are not fighting and that reduces the power an army can project with. If they are fighting they can die and break giving flanks and demoralisation. Huge commands may be tough, yet they are also easier to delay and when lines are disrupted require more PIPs than available to repair or attack with. Baggage, as a list building construct, should not be looked down upon. It gives the centre its durability much more than a few extra elements.

The challenge for me now is to take an army that will be a challenge. I have a few candidates that require models, but if the economy is still bad maybe expect those WADs to return, but more likely Charles XII.