VBCW: The Defence of Dorstone!

I joined Giles and JP for a VBCW game in Hereford  last week. It was a Big Game in every sense of the word with fifteen players, including some old familiar faces and even a few new ones. 

I was fighting with Lord Robert Grover, nephew and heir apparent to the Duke or Farnham, for the Royalist Course. My fellow Royalist JP found himself besieged in the rural village of Dorstone by the dastardly brigand Sir Gilbert and his hired thugs, along with their depraved Anarchist allies. 

Sir Gilbert, devious rogue and reputed head of a huge smuggling and organised crime network, needed to capture Dorstone to allow him unrestricted access into the heart of Herefordshire. JP's men had barricade their village and prepared to resist until relieved by Lord Robert Grover. Lord Robert's men were to enter from the East, over the hills and fields (which made my decision to bring armoured cars instead of a tracked light tank a bit foolish as they could hardly mover in the muddy English fields).

Our Battlefield. The village of Dorstone, Hereford

Some odd locals- not all that friendly

Sir Gilbert- The dastardly rogue!

Anarchist gun truck attacking the Royalists barricades

JP's men braving enemy fire to man the barricade!

Lord Henry Flashthorpe (Lord Robert's cousin and renowned big game hunter turned Anarchist hunter for the day, and his valet, Brown)

Lord Robert's men to the rescue!

A Royalist Armoured Car!

In another part of the county Anglican League use rocket batteries to pound Royalist positions in the village of Kinersley 

Lord Robert's forces arrive in strength in the East of the village and prepare to drive Sir Gilbert's bandits from the gardens of the village. 

Lord Robert Grover- Dashing as ever!

Royalist soldiers take up positions to hold the eastern side of the village

Anarchist cavalry are driven off, protecting Lord Robert's flank

Mad Wullie, Sir Gilbert's terrorist leader, bombs JP's armoured car, the last line of defence in the western portion of the village

Sir Gilbert's roguish hirings scramble like rats across the Royalist barricade, but without more support were they too little, to late? 

 Sir Gilbert's attempts to drive JP's Dorstone Royalists from the barricade were partially successful, and in the last turn of the game he managed to get four men over the defences, but for the most part his force was spent, and his casualties had been high. In contrast Lord Robert's casualties had been light and he was poised to retake the barricades with ease. The Anarchist had proved they lacked the moral fibre to go toe to toe with brave English Royalist and had sulked in the hedges and orchards. Their casualties were low too, and had they have tied a more offensive tactic then they might have been able to push the Royalists harder.  In the end we decided it was a draw, as Sir Gilbert lacked the men to hold the village and push home the attack, by the Royalists were by no means successful in driving off the attackers, and indeed JP's force was significantly depleted. Lord Robert's platoon suffered a total of ten casualties, mostly groundsmen and Royalist soldiers. The most tragic loss was Cornet Albert 'Binko' Binksley who was killed by a mortar shall while acting as a liaison with the Royalist defenders of Dorstone. He was just eighteen years old. 

RIP Binko.