I need a scenario to play test Bolivar’s Very Bad Day, my Liberators variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day. John Fletcher’s Alternative Chacabuco (13 Feb 1817) is my go to scenario for trying out rules for this period. This is my conversion of John’s scenario to Bolivar’s Very Bad Day.
Mission
Setting: Chacabuco Farm, Chile; 13 Feb 1817
This scenario poses a What-if. The premise is that after crossing the Andes from Argentina, the patriot army advances more cautiously giving the royalists time to bring up reinforcements from Santiago.
Map/Terrain
Key features:
- The table is 6′ x 4′.
- The small hill (3 x 4 TUM) is gentle.
- Los Tauretes hill is 12 TUM x 4 TUM, steep so counts as difficult, and is impassable to cannon.
- Tahuilaca hill is huge at 12 TUM across, steep so counts as difficult, and is impassable to cannon.
- The fields (which include vineyards) all count as difficult.
- The fields surrounded by walls count as a fortification for shooting and melee
- The farm is treat as a small village (3 x 4 TUM) so is difficult terrain.
Pre-game set-up
There is not much to do here as most of it is given by the scenario:
Pre-game 1. Agree game size – Big
Pre-game 2. Recruit army and organise commands – given by scenario
Pre-game 3. Scouting – the results of scouting are factored into the scenario
Pre-game 4. Determine attacker – Patriot
Pre-game 5. Place terrain – given by scenario
So you start here …
Pre-game 6. Deployment
Pre-game 7. Bombardment
Royalist Player (Defending)
Deploys first and takes second turn.
Objective
Defeat the Patriots and hold the Chacabuco farm.
Forces Available
The Royalists have Maroto’s Division, which was facing the Argentine army as it came over the Andes. This division is based on his order of battle at the historical Chacabuco. As a what-if, Alternative Chacabuco assumes Mariscal Marco del Pont marshalled troops in Santiago to reinforce Maroto. These are combined into the Santiago Division.
Royalist Order of Battle
- 1 x Commander-in-Chief [Mariscal de Campo Marco del Pont] (Poor, Low Initiative, Inexperienced, Despised)
- Santiago Division
- 1 x Commander [Unknown] (Average)
- 1 x Ordinary Battalion [Chillan Regiment1]
- 2 x Ordinary Regular Squadron [Frontier Dragoons]
- 2 x Inferior Regular Squadron [Concordia Hussars]
- 3 x Light Foot Battery [4lb]
- Maroto’s Division
- 1 x Commander [Brigadier General Rafael Maroto] (Poor, Low Initiative; Inexperienced)
- 2 x Ordinary Battalions [Talavera Regiment; Chiloe Regiment1]
- 1 x Ordinary Battalion or 2 x Skirmishers [Valdivia Regiment plus light companies from Talavera and Chillan]
- 1 x Inferior Regular Squadron [Carabineros de Abascal]
- 1 x Light Foot Battery [4lb]
- 20 bases; 69 Pesos; 7 break point
Notes:
(1) Fletcher (2006) gives the Royalist battalions unequal sizes e.g. Valdivia 240 men, Talavera 500, Chiloe 600, Chillan 700. I have averaged these out to 500 men.
Commander Attributes:
Despised[-]: Command rally is not automatic and depends on the result of a Command Check by the attached unit
Low Initiative[-]: (only relevant for C-in-C) Before initiative roll, enemy chooses either -1 or +1 modifier for the commander with low Initiative; if both sides have Low Initiative, they cancel out
Inexperienced[-]: (only relevant for C-in-C) Is reflected by the inflexible command composition; Del Pont gets the troops he brought from Santiago.
Deployment
Deployment sequence is: (1) O’Higgins; (2) Royalist Army; (3) Rest of Patriot Army. The Royalists deploy south of the red line on the map.
Reinforcements
None.
Patriot Player (Attacking)
Deploys second and takes first turn.
Objective
Defeat the Royalists and/or capture the Chacabuco farm.
Forces Available
The Patriots have two divisions: O’Higgins’ Division and Soler’s Division. These are the troops that fought at the historical Chacabuco.
Patriot Order of Battle
- 1 x Commander-in-Chief [General Jose de San Martin] (Good, Strong Strategist)
- Soler’s Division
- 1 x Commander [Brigadier General Miguel Estanislao Soler] (Good, Experienced Officer);
- 2 x Ordinary Battalions [Argentine 11th Regiment; Mixed Cazadore and Grenadier Battalion1]
- 1 x Ordinary Battalion or 2 x Skirmishers [Cazadores de los Andes Battalion]
- 2 x Superior Regular Squadrons [Granaderos a Caballo; Cazadores a Caballo de la Escolta del General]
- 2 x Light Mountain Battery [4lb]
- O’Higgins’s Division
- 1 x Commander [General O’Higgins] (Poor, Brave, Impetuous, Reckless)
- 2 x Ordinary Battalions [Argentine 7th Regiment; Argentine 8th Regiment1]
- 3 x Superior Regular Squadrons [Granaderos a Caballo]
- 20 Bases; 79 Pesos; 7 break point
Notes:
(1) Fletcher (2006) gives the Patriot battalions unequal sizes e.g. 7th Infantry Regiment 468 men, 8th 450 men, 11th 750 men, Mixed Cazadore and Grenadiers 450 men, Cazadores do los Andes 500 men. I have averaged these out to 500 men.
Commander Attributes:
Strong Strategist[+]: Unlike the original scenario, San Martin can deploy his forces anywhere in the Patriot deployment zone. He deploys both attacking divisions after the defenders deploy all their troops.
Brave[+]: Hit on 3-6 in melee not 4-6
Experienced Officer[+]: Hit on 3-6 in melee not 4-6
Impetuous[-]: If attached to a unit that can charge, then must declare a charge.
Reckless[-]: O’Higgins, his stand alone and none of his troops, must deploy before any Royalists.
Deployment
Deployment sequence is: (1) O’Higgins; (2) Royalist Army; (3) Rest of Patriot Army. The Patriots deploy north of the blue line.
Reinforcements
None.
Victory Conditions
Either side wins immediately if it destroys 1/3 of the enemy army to break it.
The game starts at 08:00 hours. Each turn is 30 minutes. The Patriots win if they capture Chacabuco Farm within 10 game turns (on or before 13:00 hours).
Notes
References
Fletcher, J. (2006). Liberators! Supplement 1: The War in the South. Grenadier Productions.