The Alps Aflame, 1809. A Wagon Train scenario in the Tyrol

I have been agonizing for quite some time over the details of my planned Wagon Train game for Historicon, and this weekend I finally had the chance to work it all out and set it down on paper, along with a playtest.

The scenario is fictitious, but based upon many such situations during the revolt in the Tyrol, and the classic Wagon Train scenario by C.S. Grant. . The title is stolen from one of John Gill's chapters in his excellent "Withe Eagles to Glory". The rules used will be Field of Battle, 2nd edition, by Brent Oman.

"It is the Spring of 1809, and the Tirolese have risen in revolt against their Bavarian masters. The Rebels have cut off the garrison in the Fortress of Biersteinburg, and supplies are running low. A  wagon train of much needed supplies, escorted by a detachment of Rheinbund troops have been dispatched to re-provision the fort. By now, the dangers of the Tirolese countryside are well know to the Bavarians and their allies. It is easy to get cut off and isolated in a land where the natives know the alpine byways almost from birth, and ambushes and man made avalanches are an ever present danger!"

Hand drawn map of the battlefield, as drawn by a survivor

All Rivers are impassable except at the bridges, which cannot be destroyed.

All buildings are Class II terrain. The fort is class II terrain. 

All unoccupied buildings may be burned by Allied troops in contact with them on a MELEE card, adding D4 - 1 Morale points to Rhine confederation pool, but also causes the Sturmglocken to ring *(Tirolese get a “Bell” token to play later), calling the local populace to arms!

Bridges are class II terrain for movement (only)

*** ALL Tirolese treat Mountains (Class III,  and also impassable to cavalry and artillery otherwise) as Class II terrain for movement. In addition, while in Mountains, Tirolese never count as outflanked or hit in rear for melee or fire. Tirolese in Mountains may always expend a segment to change facing in lieu of movement.

Roads do NOT grant any bonus for movement, but Wagons cannot leave the roads.

Losing wagons or UI from Wagons does not cost Allied Morale points, but wagons eliminated in melee with Tirolese grant the Rebels a bonus Morale point  each (2 points for the Beer Wagon!)

Garrison of Biersteinburg: Only the cavalry and Baden Infantry may leave the fort via the gate, and only after the first Allied units come within 36” of the Fort.

Objective: Allies must get 2 points worth of wagons into the fort by the end of the game. If the Tirolese eliminate sufficient wagons to make that impossible, they win The Bierwagen counts as two points, all others as one. The game can also be won or lost if either side fails Army Morale.

The troops of the Rhine confederation set up first. 

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Tirolese

16 units total; 18 Morale points. 

Average Sequence Deck

9 Schutzen:

All DD6, CD10, Down 2 in melee

2 UI each, Formations: Skirmish, Line

Rifle armed!

6 Landsturm:

All DD4, CD8; up 2 in melee

3 UI each, Formations: Column, Line

Landsturm do NOT suffer any oenalty fioer not being in square when charged frontally.

** Special: If at the edge of any Mountain terrain, Landsturm may launch prepared avalanches on ALL enemy troops within 12” straight ahead (target units must have at least1 full stand within the “Avalanche” area to be hit). Roll an unmodified D8 vs defender DD. “Reload” on Artillery Firepower card.

"Greencoat" brigade: Andreas Hofer LD 10, Up 2 for rallying. Hofer is C-in-C

Schutzen: Anton Kerschbaum

Schutzen: Wolfgang Iselsberg

Schuitzen: Uwe Holzleiten
Landsturm: Ferdinand Mittwoch

Landsturm: Karl Montag'

"Browncoat" brigade: Josef Speckbacher LD12

Schutzen: Otto Grießen

Schutzen: Ingo BrennerGünter Arlberg

Landsturm: Ludwig Sonntag

Landsturm: Johann Freitag

"Blackcoat" brigade: Joacjhim Haspinger LD8; Up 2 for combat for any unit he is attached to.

Schutzen; Friedrich Ursprung. 

Schutzen: Ernst Stripsenjoch

Schutzen: Dieter Pillersee

Landsturm:  Franz Dienstag 

Landsturm: Luis Donnerstag

Tirolese Wooden Gun: can be added to any one command

Light Artillery,:DD4, CD8, 

Short range or less only.  1 UI

Possible Tirolese Starting positions:

(10; at least one unit MUST start in each location)

Hofbrau

Brennersberg (must be over 12” from starting positions of CoR)

Mittleschmertz

Greissenberg

Dreibruck

Zweibruck

Fierbruck

Arlberg

Schpaz

Achenfuss

Tirolese troops never count as being out of Command solely because of distance from their Command Group Leader.

Each Tirolese unit, if desired by the controlling player, may be activated to move on a MOVE or Sneaky Heathens card.

Die Sturmglocke:

Tyrolese start with 2 Bells. For each Tirolese settlement that is burned, they gain another Bell. On any Leadership card, they may play one bell to ring the Sturmglocke. This will either allow a destroyed Tirolese unit to be returned to the game at ANY of the above starting locations as long as the terrain they start in is more than 12” from any CoR troops (such new troops are immediately visible), OR add 1 Morale point to their total

Sneaky “Heathens” (2 are added to the CoR deck): acts as a free Move card for any Tirolese units.

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Rhine Confederation:

Start deployed in the area shown on Deployment Ma:

C-in-C, Tolle Wurst  LD 12
19 units, 19 Morale points
Skilled Sequence deck, BUT replace One Move One Command card with a MOVE card, and add two "Sneaky Heathens" cards to their deck.

1st Brigade: Maximilian Trunkenheit LD 10

1 Bavarian Light  DD 8, CD 12

4 Bavarian Line  DD 6, CD 10

2nd Brigade Friedrich Fehler LD 10

1 Baden Light DD 8, CD 12

3 Baden Line DD 6, CD 10

3rd Brigade: Karl Klopfen LD10

Bavarian Chevau-Legers  DD 6, CD 10

Bavarian Artillery  DD 6, CD 10

Wagon Train: Langsame Räder LD 8

Wagons. DD 6, CD 6 (no modifiers in combat)
2 UI each {MUST remain on the roads, move at Infantry speed)

At Bierstein Fortress
(* = cannot leave fortress, others can leave only once friends are spotted within 36")

Commander: Otto von Sitzmark  LD 8

1 Wurzburg Line*  DD 4, CDS 8

1 Baden Line  DD 6, CD 10

1 Baden Artillery*
(deployed as 2 sections, one in each tower, measure fire from the entryway).

1 Baden Light Dragoons  DD 6, CD 10

The table set up, with the Confederation of the Rhine troops deployed near the village of Rottenberg.

The table is 12 feet x 5 feet, the foot on the far left of the table is not used. The Brennerberg mountains overlook their deployment zone. 

View from the opposite side of the valley - Achenfußus at the far left, Schpaz and the Arlberg are in the near middle, and the mountain top village of  Hofbrau is is in the upper right.

The choke point - the Greißenberg mountains to the left, the village of Mittleschmertz at the bifurcation of the roadway, and the Zweibruk bridge over the Sebastienbach river.