Miracle at Philadelphia

by on May 29, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Books

Bowen’s history of the Constitutional Convention is a great read, and makes what at the time would have been endless debates nicely accessible. It breaks into two nearly even parts, where the first is a fairly chronological account of the first half, and the second instead goes topic-by-topic for the second half.

This was deliberate, and Bowen uses the adjournment of the Convention at the end of July as an opportunity to take a look at the overall condition of the states, and then picks up the by-topic narrative after reconvening on August 6. It makes for an interesting structure, and one that works out well, though I found myself enjoying the first half more (which shows my low tolerance for going into the nitty-gritty).

Naturally, there is also plenty of scene-setting, with the crises besetting the government under the Articles of Confederation leading to a convention to amend the Articles to make the new government less unwieldy and incapable. A whole new constitution was not part of the original program, but speedily became its object once in session. At the end, Bowen naturally also goes into the process of ratification, and the political fighting in the various states over the new Constitution. This part is a bit of a whirlwind in comparison, but still takes up three chapters.

This is very much a readable history, and quite good at its job. Bowen doesn’t try for any real ‘re-interpretations’, but works with the exiting materials, and references to the notes and letters around the Convention, and spends a lot of effort to set the scene and get the atmosphere down. Instead long analyses of arguments pro and con, there is reference to the weather, to the physical world around the delegates from the states, to help understand the conditions they were working in. It does a great job as a look into the place and time, and leaves the hair-splitting to much dryer reads.

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Two Rounds of Clastidium

by on May 25, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: CC:Ancients

Patch and I’s latest ‘between bigger games’ round of C&C:A was the third of the ‘early barbarian’ scenarios from Expansion #2 at the end of April. The Battle of Clastidium gives the Gauls a bigger army (12 to 8), the Romans have three leaders to one, and more Command. With such small armies, the battle is only to four banners, which I think is lower than any other scenario I’ve seen.

Patch had the Romans the first time, and started by calling I Am Spartacus. However, the dice gave him a single medium to order one of his MC, who did two hits and a banner to an Aux, and then finished it off with momentum. I Ordered Mounted to bring up my two MC against his Lights, who evaded without loss. Patch did a Coordinated Attack with his MC, driving mine with the leader with one loss, and then hitting a Light with momentum, who took two blocks, but then did two in return to the MC. He then killed the other MC for no losses, and finished off the Light with momentum.

I Ordered Lights to bring up a line of Auxilia, finished off the weak MC, and drove back a second with one loss. Order Mediums let Patch envelop my left, killing an Aux at a cost of one block to a MC. 1-4

I opened the second game with Order Two Right, and lost a block to a First Strike before driving them to the Gaulish baseline in my second attack, and momentum merely had us trade blocks. Patch Ordered Two Center to rearrange a bit, and I did a Coordinated Attack, and did a block to a Light, lost a MC completely attacking an Aux before driving it off on a second attack, and finishing it with momentum.

Patch Ordered Mediums, and surrounded my forward MC and leader, destroying the MC, but the leader successfully evaded to a Light. I Counter Attacked, trading a block each on two units per side. Patch Ordered Lights, to reduce a MC to one block with ranged attack, and then finish it off with a Light (I figured a pair of 1/6 chances to hit was worth sticking around for a die battle back). I Ordered Mediums (with only two left…), and finished off a Light, then got an Aux with momentum, and then did two hits to an Aux in return for one hit on what was my only full MC.

Patch Ordered Two (…one) Right, and I evaded the Aux. I Ordered Two Left, forced back his Aux, and then finished it off with momentum. 4-3

Afterword

I was not helped in the first game with two cards (out of four!) being Order Left, and the first thing Patch did was nearly eliminate my left. Even with a larger hand, the second game wasn’t much better, since it’s too easy to not having anything meaningful except in the center in these small battles.

Overall, it’s a fun little scenario, and will certainly be over in a hurry, but it’s size does mean its going to very swingy, and prone to bouts of lopsided luck.

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Roman Centurions 31 BC-AD 500

by on May 21, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Books

The second volume of Osprey’s survey of Roman Centurions is a bit better than the first. Most likely, there’s just more source material to draw from. There is less of the individual career profiles, so if you thought that was a nice touch, you’ll miss it here. However, I’m sure those were just there to provide examples when the evidence was otherwise sparse, so the lack here only points up the overall better knowledge of the period.

The art and photographs continue to live up Osprey standards, though with only three full pieces this time. The photography concentrates more on depictions of particular gear, instead of needing to find anyone who was a centurion at all, again pointing up the better sources for the period.

There is a very good outline of centurion positions inside a legion, and the gradings between them. Things get less certain for detached appointments (assigned to non-legionary units, on a governors staff, etc), but there’s good discussion there too. The selection of centurions is also gone into, along with other general details. The last section is the typical (for Osprey) dive into equipment. Naturally, there’s a lot go over, which is done at Osprey’s usual level of detail, so it’s quite long.

Overall, this is a notably better book than the first one, mostly because everything said is much less nebulous and uncertain. I have a feeling that it gives a greater impression of stability than is deserved, but that comes down to the nature of the sources again.

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FB16 Crossing the Bloody Meadow

by on May 17, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: ASL

Patch and I returned to Budapest for our latest ASL game. We’re approaching the end of the set, and dealing with the final desperate days for the Axis defenders. In fact, this one is something of a direct sequel to FB15, with the final Soviet attempt to take the Central Rail Station. This time, the German defenders are completely cut off, and all the way down to ammo shortage level 5. However, there’s a relieving force on the way, that needs to cross a large, open, park to get there.

This is one of the more prominent features of the FB map, and we’re just now getting to see it used. The Germans (SS) in the Rail Station set up first (five squads, three guns, a single wounded leader, and wire, mines, fortified Locations), with the Russians setting up in two groups around it. Five squads set up in the area directly east of it (with eight “?” as well, which made it look a lot tougher to me), and another ten squads (with all the heavy weapons, including a FT and two T-34/85s) set up to the west. The Axis gets to set up the rest of their forces after them, with three SS squads (each with a MG) setting up SE of the action, and other ten squads (some German, some Hungarian, and including three Hungarian assault engineer squads) get a more extensive set up area that includes the area east of the Field of Blood. These guys are only at ammo shortage level 3. And on turn 1 a Hungarian StuG enters. The Russians need to take all but one Location in the Station in six turns, but the Axis can trump that by getting one or more of the squads from the Station out and off the east edge of the map by the end of the game.

I had a hard time figuring out a defense… or what Patch’s offense was going to look like, so I completely muffed my initial set up. I was more worried about the guys in back than the ones with the heavy weapons, and all my guns were pointed the wrong way. The wire was set to slow down an attack up the rail line, which Patch promptly didn’t do (to be fair, I think that was generally a good idea, as letting him get close under the cover of rail cars would be nasty. The fortified Locations were on the north and south ends of the building, and probably should have been grouped (possibly 3 in one corner and then the fourth separated just to force a split of attention). Most of the mines were visible in SS16/TT15, and it wasn’t until we started that placing them in the exterior building hexes occurred to me. As it was, it helped channel things, but mining the front side of the building would have been a lot smarter.

Patch set up a platoon under the turntable in NN14 (just barely in his area, and I didn’t think of that either). And a special assault force in UU16 with the FT, a DC, and a T-34 to cross the visible mines. All the last set of Germans went in close contact with the eastern Russian force to try and stop them and advance on the Station, while the Hungarians all set up to cross the Vermezo with cover from shellholes, gliders (from a resupply effort), and smoke grenades.

Patch’s first shot was a 8FP ‘2’ to reveal a dummy and ELR/reduce a 658 when they rolled 12. The FT also did well to reveal and break the other 658. Then the T-34 rolled across the mines and broke through the fortified Location and bogged in the hex now that its job was done. The rest of movement was him creeping forward, and I didn’t bother to respond to  most of it, but a squad moved into the open street, and I revealed a 20mm AA to break them.

To my surprise, most of the big stack under the turntable stayed in place, but Patch wanted to know more before committing them. Final Fire did nothing other than put my AA under a Low Ammo counter. Advancing Fire didn’t do anything, but he revealed PP14 as fortified in advance, and got into CC with the AA crew, killing them easily.


Situation, Russian Turn 1, showing the full board, and hidden elements.
↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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Aetius: Attila’s Nemesis

by on May 13, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Books

Ian Hughes’ books on the period where the Western Empire dissolved into nothingness have been very good at providing a clearer picture of the process. I think this volume might be the best one of the lot.

Like his earlier book on Stilicho, this traces the career of one man, who many with the barest of knowledge of the period will know of because of his commanding the Roman side at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains against Attila the Hun.

The early section looks at Aetius’ early life, and positions him as part of the Roman upper class. He was traded to the Huns as a ‘hostage’ during his teenage years; Hughes is at pains to talk about the actual nature of hostages as political insurance in the pre-modern world, something that needs looking at more often. At any rate, this part informs a large part of his thesis. The Roman military had become very conservative with manpower and emphasized sieges and the like to set-piece battles. The Huns and other tribal confederations still emphasized combat and set-piece battles of various sizes, and Aetius’ career shows the same pattern, so Hughes assumes that much of his military training and style comes from his period with the Huns.

Aetius also relies on support from Hunnic factions, particularly early in his career. Hughes also figures this comes from friendships formed in his time with them. This is important during some early maneuverings, which could easily have ended up with Aetius dead as a rebel, but after stong-arming the other faction, ended with him working quite effectively inside and with the system for the next two decades.

It can reasonably be said that his use of Hunnic troops during his internal fight against Boniface was part of the downfall of the Western Empire. Hughes doesn’t go too much into that, but does spend a good amount of time and thought on various settlements of barbarians inside the empire. This too he sees as not necessarily destructive of the Empire as it had successfully been done before. In his concluding part though, he talks about the various methods by which this was done, and points out that the Goths in southern Gaul had been allowed to settle with their leadership intact, instead of it being sent elsewhere, generally as leadership in a different section of the army. This put people used to politics and power with a built-in power base inside the Empire, and that is what Hughes points to as the dramatic step towards the dissolution of the western Empire.

Often what is known of Aetius comes straight out of Gregory of Tours, and Hughes does a good job here pulling together the sources, and giving the outline of his character. I think Hughes may have trended towards being too sympathetic to him, but his conclusions are reasonable.

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