Andrés Ferrari suggested I have a look at Live Free or Die: Tabletop Battles of the American Revolution. Not because I play the American Revolution, but because he thought these could be adapted to the South American Wars of Liberation. So I got the rules and now I have to figure out how to play them with my kit. The big question are my Big Bases but there are a few other points worth touching on so, where appropriate, I compare Live Free or Die to Liberators QPR because this is what the scenarios refer to. Using the concepts discussed here I have I’ve also written a Alternative Chacabuco Scenario for Live Free or Die.
Liberators QPR
The supplement to Liberators (Liberators! Supplement 1: The War in the South) includes a set of Quick Play Rules (Liberators QPR). John Fletcher knocked them up quickly for a demonstration game at a show. That means they are quite raw but definitely playable.
Semi-Official errata for Liberators QPR
The Liberators 1810-1830 Yahoo Discussion Forum included Errata for Liberators QPR in the files section. With the demise of Yahoo forums these have disappeared. Since I refer to them in my Clarifications of Liberators QPR, and John Smith asked about them on the Liberators Facebook page, I’ve reconstructed the errata here based on the handwritten edits to my copy of the rules.
Steven’s 1815 Argentine Army on Big Bases
I thought I’d show off my 1815 Argentines. I my thoughts on Using Big Base Liberators Figures of 1817-18 for 1815 I highlighted a few gaps that I needed to fill before I could refight Sipe Sipe. I could use some figures from my 1817-18 Argentineans but I had to get a few more.
If you are interested in the other side, I’ve already posted on my 1815 Royalists.
Liberators Scenarios I’d Like To Play
I was talking to John Fletcher and he mentioned most people who play Liberators choose the 1817-18 campaign of the War in the South, like I did. So I’m determined to refight other battles, hopefully all of them eventually. But to start with here is a catalogue of the scenarios.
Wargaming the Battle of Tucuman
Having written up the an account of the historical Battle of Tucuman (24-25 September 1812) it is time to consider how to recreate the battle. I’ve come up with three options: (1) historical (2) alternative and (3) grand tactical.
Liberators Maps at Different Ground Scales
Different rule systems assume different ground scales. So I thought I’d show one scenario map, a Liberators scenario by John Fletcher for the Battle of Ica, at different ground scales. And suggest which Wargaming Rules suit each scale.
Steven’s 1817-18 Chilean Army on Big Bases
When I rebased my Argentine army I also transferred my Chilean army to Big Bases. This is the Chilean element of San Martin’s Army of the Andes from my 1817-18 Chilean Project.
Steven’s 1817-18 Argentine Army on Big Bases
I have rebased my Argentine Army of the South American Wars of Liberation on Big Bases. All infantry and cavalry on 80mm x 40mm bases. 12 figures per infantry base; two bases to a battalion. 6 figures per cavalry base/squadron. Guns stayed on 40mm x 40mm bases; one gun per base.
Converting from Liberators QPR to March Attack
I gave March Attack a go for Liberators when I fought Alternative Chacabuco. March Attack are a battalion level set of Napoleonic rules from Crusader Publishing. They appeal to me for a variety of reasons, not least because each unit is two stands, just like my big base armies.
But to do the refight I had to translate the orders of battle from Liberators QPR, the game I’ve used most for big battles in the Liberators period, to March Attack. The main issues are Troop Quality and Commander Ratings.
Wargaming the Battle of Gavilan 5 May 1817
John Fletcher has published a scenario for the Battle of Gavilan (5 May 1817). I’ve got supplementary notes related to wargaming that scenario in various places and this post points to them.
Alternative Chacabuco – Liberators QPR Battle Report 2
Chris Harrod, Robin Doran and I played the Alternative Chacabuco scenario from Fletcher (2006) using Liberators QPR. This is the third time I’ve played the scenario; the first time was Liberators QPR, the second was Liberators HOTT. I was the Royalists / Spanish. Chris was San Martin with Soler’s Division. Robin was O’Higgins. This was Robin’s first historical wargame.
Summary: Another good game. Went faster this time. We got to a conclusion in 4.5 hours including set up. The direct tactics of the Patriots helped with that. These tactics also led to the rout of three squadrons of Elite Argentine Horse Grenadiers.
House Rules for Liberators QPR
The supplement to Liberators (Fletcher, 2006) includes a set of Quick Play Rules (QPR). This page covers how I vary from the published rules. I’ve distinguished between new rules (
) and clarifications of existing rules(
).
Maipo – A Liberators QPR Scenario
Maipo is a scenario in the Liberators book (Fletcher, 2005, p. 66-67). These are my notes for playing the scenario with the Liberators Quick Play Rules.
Musings on Liberators QPR rules
A few possible optional rules for Liberators QPR.
Cancha Rayada – A Liberators QPR Battle Report
Chris Harrod and I played the Cancha Rayada scenario with the Liberators Quick Play Rules. A great game. Really fun. On the down side it was a bit long and revealed some flaws in the scenario.