Tucuman – A Bolivar’s Very Bad Day Battle Report

Tucuman-338 Centre - Patriots encircle Royalists - Banner

Adam and I play tested Bolivar’s Very Bad Day using my Tucuman Scenario. We wanted a small game to test my variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day for the South American Wars of Liberation.

Summary: Good little game with the Patriots strong in cavalry and the Royalists strong in infantry. My Patriot cavalry stripped off the weak Royalist cavalry and encircled the Royalist infantry columns. Then we had a hard grind with repeated cavalry charges against the staunch Royalist infantry. Eventually Adam accepted he couldn’t win and conceded.

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Tucuman – A Bolivar’s Very Bad Day Scenario

Table - Tucuman - Map 1c - Bolivars Very Bad Day - Banner

Feedback from the guys was that Battle of Sipe Sipe (29 Nov 1815), although a good game, was too big for regular play testing of Bolivar’s Very Bad Day. So they asked for a smaller scenario with less terrain. The Battle of Tucumán (24-25 September 1812) seems perfect for this. Although the deciding battle in the War of Argentine Independence, it was a small scale affair with, in game terms, only 11 units on each side. It also features the a wide range of troop types and troop quality. And it has Gauchos. This scenario is based on my write up of the historical battle and how to wargame the battle. Bolivar’s Very Bad Day is my Liberators variant of Tilly’s Very Bad Day.

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Alternative Tucuman – A Liberators HOTT Scenario

Liberators HoTT - Alternative Tucuman Scenario - Banner

This is a “What-if” Liberators HOTT scenario related to the Battle of Tucuman 24-25 September 1812; the deciding battle in the War of Argentine Independence.

Belgrano was expecting the Royalists to march directly on Tucuman so initially deployed where the road from the north entered the plain. As it happens Tristan chose to outflank Tucuman and approach from the south-west. What if Tristan had marched south down the direct road to Tucuman and straight into the Patriots waiting for him.

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Tucuman – A Liberators HOTT Battle Report

Tucuman-143 Patriots left pivots backwards - Banner

Chris Harrod and I played my Tucuman Scenario for Liberators HOTT. I was the attacking Royalists trying to reach Tucuman. Chris had the Argentine Patriots. Nice little game let down my a bit of incompetence on my part. Victory to the Patriots.

The game also saw the christening of my new wargaming table and my new 1815 Liberators armies.

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Battle of Tucuman 24 – 25 September 1812

Liberators - Tucuman - Banner

The Battle of Tucumán was fought on 24 – 25 September 1812 near of the Argentina city of San Miguel de Tucumán, in the War of Argentine Independence. The Northern Army, commanded by General Manuel Belgrano, defeated a Royalist army under Brigadier Juan Pío Tristán. As a result the outnumbered Patriots halted the Royalist advance into northwest Argentina. Along with the Battle of Salta (20 February 1813), the Battle of Tucumán confirmed the area that would remain under Argentine control at the end of the war.

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