Alejandro Calle
Spain
Madrid
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THE SIEGE
TURN 1
Events:
Both Event Cards are mandatory but they do not apply before turn 7. The variable French reinforcements are lost.
Spanish Turn
The Spanish plan is to advance along two lines: the corduroy road that runs from the northernmost stockade and the trail that starts in hex 2311 and joins the Mobile road in 2123.
The former will be used as a barrier against raids coming from the north, the latter will allow to build the artillery redoubts in hexes 2219 and 2119.
The guns at Red Cliffs Fort allow the Spanish Navy to enter unharmed Pensacola Bay.
Del Rey Regiment is detached from the main Army to assault this Fort and prevent any damage to the turn 7 reinforcements.
On the main front, Galvez and the bulk of the Army lands along the northern road while Ezpeleta, España regiment and all the artillery will follow the southern approach.
British Turn
As the benefits of the Raid marker (7 MPs) are lost as soon as an attack is made, the first raid, directed too far away from the forts, must be made by Indians and the Kings Florida Rangers that will be able to evade the Spanish attacks withdrawing before combat. The Howitzer and the regular will join the raids at later stages.
As the Spanish are still not overextended, the first raid is expected to be launched in turn 3, after the arrival of Creek reinforcements.
TURN 2
Events
Bad luck again as both event cards are mandatory. One of them forces de Spanish to send a regular unit and an artillery unit y to Santa Rosa Island and with the other the French Siege train is lost.
A light infantry unit and the only artillery unit are sent to fulfil the event..
Spanish Turn
The construction of the Corduroy road continues. Luisiana dragoons advance along the central trail
British Turn
The Creek unit is sent to the Indian Village in order to be ready to join the other raid units.
TURN 3
The Weather keeps clear
Spanish Turn
Soria Regiment starts building a redoubt in the northern corduroy road.
Luisiana Dragoons abandon the central road for the southern trail. The corduroy road keeps advancing.
British Turn
Creeks join the Raid Box.
Von Haxledan and the crew of HMS Port Royal join the Civilian Volunteers west of Pensacola to prevent that Luisiana Dragoons outflank the forts and menace the Governors Plantation.
Red Cliff Fort will be attacked next turn at 4-1 odds. To prevent the Army morale loss for the elimination of the garrison, the British attempts to leave, but fails.
TURN 4
Events
A mandatory event increases Spanish army morale in +1.
Spanish Turn
Soria regiments completes the construction of the redoubt. Navarra regiments begins construction of a new one..
Del Rey assault Red Cliff Fort at 4-1, eliminates the garrison, and reduces British army morale.
British Turn
Ezpeleta is dangerously close to the forts, so a raid is sent against him, supported by a regular attack that will reach the Spanish positions next turn.
The raid attacks Ezpeleta at 1-2 with a +2 DRM. A roll of 0 disrupts the KFR. One of the Choctaw retreats and the other remain in place. British Army morale is reduced.
TURN 5
Spanish turn
Galvez takes command of the menaced units while Ezpeleta lead the reinforcements from the northern road.
British turn
Howitzer reduces Spanish army morale.
Galvez is attacked at 3-2, a roll of 8 is changed to 4, thanks to a momentum marker, resulting in both sides pinned.
KFR fails the rally attempt
TURN 6
Spanish Turn
Ezpeleta advances towards von Horn. The mortar fire disrupts waldeck artillery.
Ezpeleta attacks result in the disruption of Waldeck regiment and the retreat of the Negro Volunteers. Galvez and von Hanxledan remain pinned.
British Army morale drops to fatigued.
British turn
The Sortie has been quite disastrous. All the troops retreat to the forts and a new set of units goes to the Raid box, this time including some royal Marines.
TURN 7
Weather changes to rain
Spanish turn
Galvez and Ezpeleta start to build siege redoubts. Reinforcements arrive. French are sent to the north road and Spanish will join Galvez in the redoubts.
British turn
The arrival of reinforcements makes any sortie suicidal. The British take position preparing for the assault.
Rallied units bring British morale back to high
TURN 8
Events
An allied naval victory allows the arrival of additional Spanish reinforcements
Spanish Turn
The redoubts are finished and open fire on Fort George without result. The rest of the army advances to his assault positions.
British Turn
There are too many units to launch a raid. The British waits
TURNS 9-12
Weather reverts to clear.
During four turns none of the siege guns succeeds in opening a breach. Mortar fire reduces British army morale by 3. A force under Don Girón is sent to the southern road to take position for an assault from that direction.
In turn 10, the British receives the American POW unit as reinforcement.
TURNS 13-14
Stormy weather prevents most of the activity for either side.
The event on turn 14 benefits future Spanish siege guns attacks with a +1 DRM.
TURN 15
Weather is clear again
Spanish turn
A breach is opened in Fort George, the garrison artillery is damaged
Don Girón attacks a blocking force in the west of Pensacola disrupting one unit
British Turn
Units around Pensacola are retreated to the fortified area
TURN 16
Events
American Volunteers join Galvez
Spanish Turn
A breach is opened on the well redoubt and Prince of Wales redoubt. Both artillery garrisons are damaged.
THE ASSAULT
The coup de main begins with three forts breached and British morale at 10, compared with 19 for the Spanish
1st COUP DE MAIN TURN
Spanish turn
All units advance to launch positions. Luisiana Dragoons advance to the Governor’s plantation
British defensive fire causes no damage
British turn
British concentrates his units in the three southernmost forts
2nd COUP DE MAIN TURN
All the damaged forts are attacked at once, to prevent the British to concentrate artillery fire in a few units.
Luisiana Dragoons reach the Governor’s plantation.
Defensive artillery fire reduces Spanish army morale.
Assault on the well redoubt
Galvez retreats from the assault at the well redoubt because of a Sniper event, and Von Horn is ignored because of “confusion” event. The odds are 2-1 with a +3 DRM. The roll is a 6 and one defender suffers a step loss. American POWs abandon the redoubt
Assault on Fort George.
Odd are 1-1 without DRM. The roll is an 8 and one defender is disrupted
Assault on Prince of Wales redoubt
The odds are 3-1 with a +4 DRM. The roll is 6, modified to 10 that awards a momentum marker for the Spanish.
The Pennsylvania loyalists are captured and two other units are disrupted.
British Turn
Indians are rushed to the forts to replenish the garrisons.
British morale is at 5, Spanish at 19.
3rd COUP DE MAIN TURN
The play of an event reduces both sides morale.
Spanish keep assaulting the southern forts and the French start their own assault to the Queen redoubt.
The Governor’s Plantation is burnt, reducing British morale at 3.
Spanish grenadiers are disrupted by British artillery.
Assault on the well redoubt
The odds are 3-1 with +5 DRM. The roll is 8. 3rd Royal Americans is captured and two other units disrupt. British Morale is reduced to 0 and the Spanish win the game.
CONCLUSIONS
This match is the third played, and all of them resulted in an easy victory for the Spanish. In every one of them, the British attempted different strategies but all failed.
IMO the game is broken because of the following reasons.
-The raid procedure does not work to represent the constant strain on the Spanish army that happened in the actual siege. Trying to adapt hit and run tactics to a (great) set of rules designed for pitched battles results in the total loss of the surprise factor and the particularities of irregular warfare. The Spanish knows where the raid is and can react accordingly. Applying the rules to the letter the mortar, a heavy, cumbersome siege weapon can fire to a raid counter on the board and hit it 30% of the time!
Considering that the game begins with 33 Spanish combat factors against 15 British and similar quality units, any regular combat can be easily won by the Spanish. In fact, in one of the games played before this session, the British player was more aggressive in his sorties and raids and the game ended before the coup the main with the British army decimated outside the forts.
-Even if the raids success in causing some damage to Spanish units, the procedure to destroy a stockade or a corduroy road is to begin the movement phase in the hex and finish there without moving, giving time to the Spanish to react and get rid of them. Thus, the raiding units have difficulties to hit and are prohibited to run.
-There is no limit to the number of different corduroy roads the Spanish can build. That means that all three can be built at the same time, leaving the British player ignorant of where the siege guns are going to be built. The surprise factor is in the Spanish favour.
-And last, the most important flaw of the game. What happens with the topography of the terrain? Spanish siege guns can fire 9 hexes away no matter where they are. The historical redoubts were built higher than the British forts, that’s why Galvez had to move so far north to place his guns. And that’s why raids were so dangerous, having to protect a long corduroy road from the coast.
In the game, you can fire from a lower altitude and still have 9 hexes of range and make full damage to the fortress.
Hence, why use the northern road more exposed to raids? As can be seen above, the northern road can be transformed in a barrier against raids from the palmetto, reducing British player options to frontal assaults of the Spanish trail head.
Perhaps the siege turns should have been treated in a more abstract way, with cards, area movement, and use the series rules only in the assault
In sum, great expectations for a big disappointment.
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Joel Toppen
United States
Gallup
New Mexico
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Quote: There are too many units to launch a raid. The British waits
There's your problem. 
There are NEVER too many units to launch a raid. Raid from the north and threaten the stockades. Cut the road. In short, mess with the Spanish and harass them constantly. Just be sure not to get caught out on a raid when the coup de main is declared.
Remember, Indians can use Indian withdrawal in the face of any counter attack. Remember also that there is no ZOC projected in the Palmetto Scrub. Pay attention also to the weather rules as poor weather makes building the road slower and moving the mortar slower.
I think your "this game is broken" summary is broken. My guess is that you may be missing a rule or two somewhere.
-Joel
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Alejandro Calle
Spain
Madrid
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Thanks for your comments.
If the siege redoubts are built supplied along the northern road, raids can be deadly, but if the central road is used to advance, the raids are less dangerous as more time is needed to reach the spanish supply line (limiting the numbers of raids launched) and allowing the spanish to use the northern corduroy as a barrier to the raids, as spanish units can move at 1 MP per hex.
My critic goes in the sense that there is no limit on the total number of corduroy hexes that can be built in the same turn (all of them can advance at a pace of two hexes per turn) and that there is advantage or disadvantage for the spanish in building the redoubts one place or the other.
A more subtle approach to these factor will let the spanish to choose between the best placed redoubt (at the north) but more vulnerable or the less acurate redoubts but safer (at the south).
As the rules are written he can have accuracy and safety.
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