Yorktown II PBEM Matrix Game, Turns 9 - 15, game over

Turn 9 (8:16 PM)

Thank you all for such amusing orders. I chuckled or laughed at least three times as I read all of this. I hope you are all equally amused.

Redoubt 9 Lt.Col. McPherson

ORDERS: Fire! Knock them down the hill yet again! Make them feel like they're a middle school soccer team being forced to run wind sprints at practice by an unsympathetic coach!

ARGUMENT: The French have -1 on their melee roll

SUPPORT:

- The French are exhausted from a prolonged advance, having been delayed at the fraises, sprinting up this hill twice already and been repulsed each time. This third charge is exhausting them too much to be effective with bayonets.

- This repeating pattern of a third identical charge makes it even easier for the British to defend, having had their defences tested twice already and any weaknesses revealed to be accounted for in this new wave.

- The dice have been unfair, unfairly advantageous to the British. Feeling how they have been smiled upon the British found a new religion based on the divine hexahedron. They fashion a sigil for it, essentially flying box kite with dots on each side above the redoubt. The French momentarily mistake the white fabric for a flag of surrender, causing them to pause momentarily in their attack, losing momentum. But once they make out the dreaded black spots of the die that clearly hates them, they are demoralized further. They have the numbers, so why can't they persevere? History wasn't supposed to go this way!

Amusement value: 3, although I do not think you should call on false gods.

Argument strength: average

Argument die roll: 1, argument fails

Fire die roll: 4, the French are further shaken.

General de Viomenil

Orders: Up  my men and over the Top!

             Effect: French Melee with a +1

             Rational: 1-The British are still out numbered.

                              2- in the wake of French persistence the Brits are in awe 

                                and a flaming chariot blind their eyes!

Amusement value: 1, whose flaming chariot?

Argument strength: weak. The British have being doing very well, thank you.

Argument die roll: 5, argument succeeds

Turn result: the French fall back as the British firing is so effective that their morale points are exhausted and, therefore, they are stopped before they close. They are professional soldiers but enough is enough. Mutterings of merde and scheisse are heard from the French troops but they fall back in good order. A ragged cheer rises from redoubt 9 and McPherson turns back to his port with a sigh of relief.

Redoubt 10 Major Campbell

Orders fire (yells Campbell as he scrambles back into the redoubt)

Argument close range gives +1 to fire die roll

Enemy is very close

Enemy is in deep formation 

Enemy is bunched in gaps in fraise

Argument strength: average

Argument die roll: 2, argument fails

Fire die roll: 6, the Americans are shaken and take further losses but they close. The losses are counted before the melee commences as they result from the British firing.

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: Charge again and engage in melee.

Argument: The British suffer a -1 to morale because: 

1 - Despite their best efforts, they have been unable to stop our advance. Knowing the end is nigh, their courage fails them.

2 - We have numerical superiority and their defense last turn did nothing more than shove us back a few feet.

3 - The mournful screech of the Owl of Minerva fills their hearts with dread.

Amusement value: 1, although do all owls screech?

Argument strength: average

Argument die roll: 1, argument fails

Melee die roll: 1

Melee and turn result: the odds start at 3-1 and drop to 2-1 as the British are behind the parapet. The Americans are repulsed and take yet further losses.

(Blog host comments) The French assault has failed, Hamilton is struggling but still in the game. Even if he fails, he is the default Allied winner for staying in the assault longer. McPherson is the British winner for having driven off the assault. Campbell (me) will not win even if Hamilton is beaten back.

Turn 10 (8:18 PM)   Thursday June 25

Redoubt 10 Major Campbell

Orders: fire (yells Campbell as he scrambles back into the redoubt)

Argument close range gives +1 to fire die roll

Enemy is very close

Enemy is in deep formation 

Enemy is bunched in gaps in fraise (entertainment be damned!)

Argument: average

Argument die roll:  3, argument fails.

Fire die roll: 1, the shots whistle overhead. This is one undisciplined group of professional soldiers. It must be their background as Yippies.

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: Charge again and engage in melee 

Argument: We gain a +1 modifier to our action this turn because

1 - The enemy just a few feet away and even if they fire a successful volley, given our numbers, those in the rear will be able to charge over those who are hit to make contact and engage in melee.

2 - The enemy is confined within the redoubt and thus unable to avoid our charge.

3 - The Lord of the Chipmunks, mistakenly believing the British were behind all of the sacrifices earlier in the game, launches an attack against redoubt 10, but coming up the rear and sides of the redoubt (so as not to come underfoot of our charge). The chipmunk army viciously gnaws at the boots of the British, causing mild discomfort and annoyance, as well as unsightly bite marks on the boots themselves. Our charge and then hand to hand combat with the enemy are bolstered by the chipmunk onslaught

Amusement value: 3

Argument; average. I was tempted to treat the entire argument as impossible but there are two actually valid reasons.

Argument die roll: 1, argument fails.

Meele die roll: 4

Melee: Starts at 2-1, drops to 1-1 because the British are behind the parapet. Both sides take losses and the melee continues at the parapet. The British have not yet been pushed back from the parapet.

Turn 11 (8:20 PM) Friday June 26, the forever year

Redoubt 10 Major Campbell

Order: Bayonets! Claymores!

Argument: The young musician starts playing "Scotland the Brave" on his bagpipes, British morale goes up 1 point

- T'is a lovely air

- And it stirs the Scottish blood

- if ye dinna believe me, listen to this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eDNvfhCmz0

Amusement value: 3+. One of my favorite airs. You can see what a sentimentalist I am that the video and music gave me chills. My only quibble is do we know that the troops are Scottish? Campbell must be, but also the troops?

Argument: weak

Argument die roll: 1. Argument fails.

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: continue with melee 

Argument: enemy suffers -1 morale because

1- they’re outnumbered 

2- they took losses last turn

3- they’re discouraged by the ineffectiveness of their firing last turn

Argument; average. 

Argument die roll: 2. Argument fails.

Melee die roll: 1.  Melee: Starts at 2-1, drops to 1-1 because the British are behind the parapet.

Turn result: The Americans are repulsed yet again with losses. Jeering breaks out among the British. Cries of “Go back to your farms you pathetic colonials (more colorfully expressed of course)” are heard floating over the battlefield.

Turn 12 (8:22 PM)      June 27, Year of the plague

Redoubt 9 Major Campbell

Orders: Fire! Campbell pauses to kick a chipmunk away

Argument: British morale increases 1

- the continuing wail of Scotland the Brave raises the spirits of the Scottish troops, since the garrison is the 71st, as Dear Umpire informed us on the first turn of the game

- the Continental Light Infantry have been thrown back into the ditch for the third time 

- the growing enemy losses are evident in the dead and wounded strewn about the ditch, the fraise and the forward slope of the parapet

Amusement value: 2, the chipmunk is a nice touch. Perhaps this all should be named Yorktown, the Attack of the Killer Chipmunks

Argument strength: average

Argument die roll:1, argument fails.

Fire die roll: 3, the Americans are shaken.

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: Charge again and engage in melee 

Argument: the enemy suffers -1 morale because 

1- we viciously taunt them for their off-key singing last turn

2- they are frustrated by their inability to stop us 

3- they are weary from battle 

Amusement value: 1, the singing point is well taken although how the singing can be heard over the bag pipes is beyond me.

Argument strength: weak

Argument die roll: 6, the argument succeeds and the British are shaken. I have deducted the morale point prior to the melee because the way the argument is written implies that the British are feeling the effects of the fighting before the melee even commences.

Melee die roll: 3.

Melee result: the odds start at 2-1 and drop to 1-1 because the British are still behind the parapet. Both the British and the Americans lose men and the Americans are now at the parapet BUT the British have not yet recoiled.

Turn 13 (8:24 PM) June 29

Redoubt 10 Major Campbell

Order: Fight on! Drive them back from the parapet!

Argument: Campbell leads three cheers to rouse the troops, +1 to morale

- the enemy must be getting tired, climbing out of the ditch 4 times, driven back 3 with losses each time

- it is clear that the critical point approaches

- bellowing is good for the soul

Amusement value: 1, how can there be three organized cheers when desperate hand to hand combat is going on? Still, the image is wonderful. The melee stops while the British give three huzzahs. How sporting.

Argument strength: average. It does seem that the Americans must be getting tired and the British encouraged but there is only one solid reason to support the argument.

Argument die roll: 5, argument succeeds. I am treating the British morale as having risen prior to the melee being concluded for Turn 13.

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: continue melee

Argument: we have +1 morale because 

1- 🤖

2- 🐿

3- 🚭

Amusement value: 3, although I do not understand the robot head emoji and what it means. Plus having a squirrel stand in for a chipmunk seems cheating. As to the no smoking sign, again I am mystified.

Argument strength: very weak as I discern no reasons in support of the argument.

Argument die roll: 5, argument fails.

Melee die roll: 2

Melee result: The melee starts at 2-1and drops to 1-1 because the British are still behind the parapet. The Americans lose men and are repulsed. 

Turn 14 (8:26 PM)   July 2, coronavirus time

Will the Americans defeat the British before they break? History truly is at one of its turning points. If Hamilton wins, his and his men’s names will live in glory forever.

Redoubt 10 Major Campbell

Order: Fire!

Argument close range gives +1 to fire roll

- They are within 10 yards, for crissake

- They are milling around in a deep crowd

- They are pushing through gaps in the fraise

Argument strength: average

Argument die roll: 6, argument succeeds

Fire die roll: 3, modified to four because argument succeeds. The Americans are shaken. Again, I am taking the morale loss into account before the melee starts.

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: charge and then melee

Argument: the enemy suffers -1 morale because a superstitious private in their ranks sees a owl (perhaps the owl of Minerva!) fly overhead. Taking it to be a bad omen, he immediately begins bemoaning the fact that they are doomed and that the colonial troops will overrun their position. Word spreads quickly among the ranks, leaving them disheartened by news of the harbinger’s sighting and its foretelling of their demise.

Amusement value: 2

Argument strength: weak. How can anything be heard over all the firing and shouting? 

Argument die roll: 5, argument succeeds. The British are also shaken. I am taking the morale loss into account before the melee starts.

Melee die roll: 5

Melee result: The odds start at 2-1 and drop to 1-1 because the British are STILL behind the parapet. Both the British and the Americans suffer losses and FINALLY the British are driven back from the parapet. The Americans swarm over the parapet and are inside the redoubt. 

Turn 15 (8:28 PM)   July 5, the year of social distancing

Redoubt 10 Major Campbell

Orders charge! Regain the parapet 

Argument an immediate counter attack catches the enemy celebrating. British get +1 for any dice of to determine who charges first

- Campbell and his troops know they must regain the parapet 

- Campbell's of King George rallies the men

- Campbell leads the way. What is that white stuff on his sleeve? Could it be... owl poop?

Amusement value: 1

Argument strength: average

Argument die roll: 1, argument fails.

Charge die roll: 5

Lt. Col. Hamilton

Move: charge and melee

Argument: we gain +1 morale because we are heartened (a) at having finally entered the redoubt and (b) because despite the losses we’ve sustained, we still greatly outnumber the British. 

Argument strength: strong. It does seem to me that the Americans will be greatly heartened by gaining the interior of the redoubt and seeing clearly how they outnumber the British,

Argument die roll: 1, argument fails.

Charge die roll: 4

Melee die roll: 1

Melee results: The British are the attackers as they rolled 5 and the Americans rolled 4. The odds start at 1-2. The British lose men and are shaken and fall back further into the redoubt. 

(Umpire’s note to players) Shall we adopt Vincent’s proposed rule change and decide that the British retreat out of the redoubt? I believe I had said I was not adopting this rule change but it seems foreordained now that the British will be defeated. But I leave it up to Campbell and Hamilton.

Campbell: We flee. The boys have put up one hell of a fight. Best to save them from an early grave or the lush accommodations of a Continental POW camp. Congratulations, Andrew on one dogged slog.

Umpire: It seems to me that the allies still carry the day overall. Redoubt 9 has been flanked by the fall of Redoubt 10 and seems to me to be in an unsupportable position. I suppose there is some prospect of a British counterattack on Redoubt 10.

Game result: Lt. Col. Hamilton (Andrew) is the Allied winner. He was as soon as the French attack was repulsed. Lt. Col. McPherson (Carl) is the British winner as he repulsed the French attack. I was just hanging on to see how long I could hold Redoubt 10. In retrospect my guys will be prisoners soon enough, but it might have been difficult having one’s surrender accepted in the midst of a hand to hand fight. This way we march out with the bands playing and all.

The French battalion lost 40 troops (10%) but their morale tanked after 16 minutes of combat and continued effective platoon volleys from the Crown troops in Redoubt 9. The garrison lost 40 troops of their initial 130, morale was down to 6.

Hamilton’s battalion lost 110 men and morale was down to 2. Hamilton also sports a scar on his forehead, proof of his devotion to the cause. Major Campbell (me) and the garrison of Redoubt 10 lost 30 of the initial 80, morale was down to 3. The Yanks had come over the parapet and outnumbered us 290 to 50, time to call it a day. The fight lasted just under half an hour.

Hamilton went on to a meteoric rise in American politics, until he made the mistake of challenging Aaron Burr to a duel.