To the People of Texas and all Americans in the world Fellow citizens and compatriots I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans
under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for twenty four hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country. Victory or Death William Barret Travis Lt. Col.
Battle of the Alamo Miniature War Game rule book
CAN YOU DEFEND THE ALAMO, OR WILL SANTA ANNA ACHIEVE VICTORY?
table of contents introduction and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 alamo mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 playing groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mexican Army Morale Check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Ladder Placement by Mexican Army. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Ladder Knockdown by Alamo Defender . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 UNIT TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 CANNONS AND UNIT CARDS. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 MELEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Mexican Casualties AND RESURRECTION . . . . . . . . . . . 17
ALAMO WARGAME – NO SMALL AFFAIR (Created and developed by Ronald D. Elizondo – June, 1987 – Revised Nov. 2016)
INTRODUCTION
The game can be played with two to nine players. The game is played on a detailed diorama of the Alamo Mission as it may have appeared on March 6, 1836, with 25mm hand painted lead figures that represent the Alamo Defenders and the Mexican Army. These lead figures are referred to as Alamo Defender Units or Mexican Army Units in the instructions of this game. Historical sources differ in the number of participants that took part in the final battle, but it is estimated that there were 189 Alamo Defenders and approximately 1,200 Mexican soldiers involved. When the battle ended, all 189 Alamo Defenders were dead and approximately 600 Mexican soldiers (50%) were dead or wounded. To make the game easier and quicker to play, the number of playing units has been cut in half, so that the game requires 94 Alamo Defender Units and 600 Mexican Units. However, there are only 300 Mexican Units available, therefore fallen Mexican Units are resurrected at the end of each TURN. This will be explained in Section VIII. – RESURRECTION OF FALLEN MEXICAN UNITS.
PLAYER OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Mexican Player is to eliminate all the Alamo Defender Units within 11 TURNS and with less than a 50% loss of all Mexican troops. This would give the Mexican Army a respectable victory. The objective of the Alamo Defender Player is to eliminate more than 60% of the Mexican Army Units and to have at least five Alamo Defender Units left after the end of 11 TURNS. This would be considered a Glorious Victory. To achieve an Honorable Victory, the Alamo Defender must eliminate 50% of the Mexican Army Units before all the Alamo Defender Units are put to the sword.
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the Alamo (Map of the Alamo mission during the time of March 6th, 1836)
n
chapel
s
Long Barracks
wooden Palisade
Center of compound
Dirt ramparts x x x
Wooden Palisade
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PLAYING GROUPS
Alamo Groups: Mexican Army Groups: - Alamo Chapel - General Cos - North Wall - Colonel Romero - South Wall - Colonel Morales - West Wall - Colonel Duque - East Wall - Mexican Reserves* The ten PLAYING GROUPS shown above are written on square cardboard chips and place in a bowl. At the beginning of each TURN, a player will blindly select the cardboard chips one at a time from the bowl, while another player will list the various GROUPS in the order they are drawn. This will determine the order that each GROUP will follow during the various phases of each TURN. *RESERVES – Once a Mexican figure Unit has entered the Alamo Compound, a die is thrown by the Mexican Player to determine how many TURNS the Reserves must wait before they will be allowed to join the attack. (NOTE: a six sided Die must be used for all die rolls mentioned in these instructions.) DIE ROLL: 4, 5 or 6 ……… join the attack after 2 TURNS 1, 2 or 3 ………. join the attack after 1 TURN The placement of the Alamo Defender Units and the Mexican Army Units is determined before the game begins. As the Alamo Defender Player strategically places his Alamo Defender Units and cannons, the Mexican Army Player must not be present to observe the areas of strong and weak defenses. The Mexican Army Player at this time must be documenting on a sketch of the Alamo diorama where he intends to place his attacking columns. After the Alamo Defender Player announces that he has completed his placement of Units and cannons, the Mexican Army Player can begin his placement of the attacking columns in the manner documented on the sketch. The sketch must be shown to the Alamo Defender Player to ensure that the Mexican Player does not make any last minute changes to his attack orders. (NOTE: all Alamo Defender Units and cannons must be placed within the Alamo mission.)
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PHASES PER TURN I. Mexican Army Morale Check II. Movement III. Ladder Placement by Mexican Army IV. Ladder Knockdown by Alamo Defender V. Firing VI. Melee VII. Counting and Recording Mexican Army Casualties VIII. Resurrection of fallen Mexican Units
I.
MEXICAN ARMY MORALE CHECK
After an attacking Mexican Column (GROUP) has lost 50% or more of its troops, then a morale check needs to be done at the beginning of each TURN. The Mexican Player rolls a DIE to determine the morale of the attacking column with a 50% troop lost. DIE ROLL:
5 or 6 … Morale OK …… Normal movement for current TURN 3 or 4 … Morale Poor …. No Movement for current TURN 1 or 2 … Morale BAD …. Retreat 2” or if there are troops from the Mexican Column within the Alamo, then NO Movement for current TURN.
II. MOVEMENT Standard Movement Compound
Outside Alamo Compound
Inside Alamo
Foot ………………………………… 6” ………………………………….. 10” Mounted …………………………… 10” …………………………………. 15”
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MOVEMENT MODIFIERS Deduct from Standard Movement: 2” …. Going over a short wall. Wall not higher than the figure unit. 3” …. Going in and out of a ditch. 3” …. Going up or down stairs. 5” …. Going up or down a ladder. 5” …. Climbing over a barricade or wooden palisade. 5” …. Jumping off a building or wall – Also see Jump Table below JUMP TABLE DIE ROLL -
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 level ………. NE
NE
NE
S/ 1-T
S/ 1-T
S/ 2-T
2 levels ……… NE
S/ 1-T
S/ 2-T
S/ 2-T
casualty
casualty
NE: No Effect S/ 1-T: STUNNED for 1 turn, all movement deducted for current turn S/ 2-T: STUNNED for 2 turns, all movement deducted for two turns.
III.
LADDER PLACEMENT BY MEXICAN UNIT
A Mexican Unit carrying a ladder must be against the Alamo wall for a ladder placement attempt. The Mexican Player must roll a DIE to determine if the ladder placement attempt was successful. DIE ROLL: 1, 2, 3, or 4 …………. Successful Ladder Placement A Mexican Unit cannot advance up a ladder into the Alamo if an Alamo Defender is directly in front of the ladder. The Mexican Unit must remain on the ladder and melee with the Alamo Defender. Melee (Hand-to-Hand Combat) - discussed in Section VI. If a ladder bearer becomes a casualty during the siege, then the Mexican Player can roll a DIE to determine if the ladder was lost or recovered by another Mexican Unit. To recover a ladder, the other Mexican Unit must be within 3” of the ladder bearer at the moment the ladder bearer became a casualty. DIE ROLL: DIE ROLL:
1, 2, 3, or 4 ………………. Ladder Recovered 5 or 6 …………………….. Ladder Lost or Damaged
A Mexican Unit carrying a ladder cannot fire his weapon while carrying a ladder. If the Mexican Unit lays down the ladder so that he can fire his weapon, then the Mexican Player must roll a DIE to determine if the ladder was lost or recovered. Use the same DIE ROLL indicators described in the previous paragraph.
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IV. LADDER KNOCKED DOWN BY ALAMO DEFENDER After the LADDER PLACEMENT PHASE, an Alamo Defender Unit can be moved to a ladder that has been successfully placed. The Alamo Defender Unit must be within 3” of the ladder and already on the same wall. The Alamo Player must roll a DIE to determine if the attempt to push off the ladder was successful. DIE ROLL: 1, 2, or 3 ……… Ladder is Pushed Off If the Mexican Unit was on the ladder when the ladder was pushed off, then the Mexican Unit becomes a casualty. A pushed off ladder can be recovered by a Mexican Unit if the Unit is within 3” of the ladder when it fell.
V.
FIRING FIRING TABLE
Range Weapon (inches)
Chance DIE ROW of a Hit No Cover Behind Cover
Rifle/Tenn Rifle/Tenn
12 – 20”
33%
1 or 2
1
0 – 12”
50%
1, 2 or 3
1 or 2
Rifle
12 – 20”
17%
1
n/a
Rifle
0 – 12”
33%
1 or 2
1
Musket
7 – 12”
17%
1
n/a
Musket
0 – 6”
33%
1 or 2
1
Pistol
0 – 3”
33%
1 or 2
1
Notes on Firing Rifles and Muskets: 1.
Rifle/Tenn is a Tennessean Sharpshooter. This Unit will have a blue stripe painted on the edge of its base.
2.
Rifle is a Unit whether it is an Alamo Defender or Mexican figure unit that will have a red stripe painted on the edge of its base.
3.
Each weapon can be fired only once per TURN.
4.
A Mexican Unit firing up at an Alamo Defender Unit on a wall must be at least 2” from the base of the wall..
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5. An Alamo Defender Unit on a wall firing down on Mexican Units that are clustered against the base of the wall (within 1” from the wall) must lean over the top of wall, making him an easy target for the Mexican Army below. If the Alamo Defender Player decides to fire at the Mexican that are clustered at the base, then he must roll a DIE after firing to determine if he survived leaning over the wall. DIE ROW of 1, 2 or 3 --- Alamo Defender Unit is OK DIE ROW of 4, 5 or 6 --- Alamo Defender Unit is Killed Mexican regiment unit TYPES Colonel Douque Blue Jacket Blue pants
Colonel Romero Blue Jacket White pants
Colonel Morales White Jacket White pants
General Cos Blue Jacket Green plume
ALAMO DEFENDER UNIT TYPES Rifleman
12
Tennessee Sharpshooter
Musket
vi.
CANNONS CANNON FIRING TABLE
DIE ROW Cannon Range / Hit Zone No Cover Behind Cover 18 & 12 pdr..
10 ½” stencil
1, 2, 3 or 4
1 or 2
6 & 4 pdr.
7 ½” stencil
1, 2 or 3
1 or 2
NOTES ON FIRING CANNONS: - When firing a cannon use the appropriate stencil to cover the hit zone area. Row a DIE for each figure unit within the stencil hit zone area. Refer to the CANNON FIRING TABLE above to determine the number of hits. After the number of hits are determined, a deck of cards is used to determine which player, the Mexican Player or the Alamo Defender Player will select which figure unit was hit. If a MEXICAN PLAYER card is drawn, then the Mexican Player will select the figure unit to be eliminated. If a DEFENDER PLAYER card is drawn, then the Alamo Defender Player will select the figure unit to be eliminated. (See page 14 for card types) EXAMPLE: There are six figure units within the hit zone area of the stencil for a 12 pounder cannon. The player that fired the cannon rolls a DIE for each figure. The figure units are “IN THE OPEN”, therefore a DIE ROW of 1, 2, 3 or 4 will result in a hit. The DIE ROWS were 2, 5, 4, 3 , 6 and 4, therefore there were four hits (2, 4, 3, 4) and two misses (5, 6). Now four cards are drawn from the deck. Three red suited cards and one black suited card are drawn. The Mexican Player selects three of the figure units in the hit zone area to be eliminated and the Alamo Defender Player selects on the figure units. -
Each cannon can only be fired once per TURN.
-
If an enemy Unit is within the Alamo compound and within 3” of the firing cannon, then the Player firing the cannon must roll a DIE to determine if the cannon is ready to fire in that TURN.
DIE ROW of 4, 5 or 6 ---- CANNON IS NOT READY TO FIRE.
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CANNON MOVEMENT Only within the Alamo Compound can the cannons be moved - up to 4” with three figure units assisting during the Movement Phase. The three figures that are moving the cannon cannot fire their personal weapon during this time. Once a cannon is moved it can only be fired once, since all the necessary items i.e. cannon balls, gun powder and instruments would not be available, unless the cannon is moved to a location that has these items on-hand (crate / barrel / bucket). DIE ROW of 4, 5 or 6 ---- CANNON IS NOT READY TO FIRE.
unit cards MEXICAN PLAYER CARD
ALAMO DEFENDER PLAYER CARD
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VI.
MELEE
After the firing phase, if there are opposing UNITS within an inch of each other, then Hand to Hand combat can be initiated by either the Mexican Player or the Alamo Defender Player. MELEE MODIFIERS: Add to DIE ROW: +1……If you are the Alamo Defender Player and the Alamo Defender Unit involved in the melee is an Alamo Leader: Travis / Crockett / Bonham / Dickenson. +1 ...... if you are the Mexican player with an officer sword unit. +1 .......if you are the Mexican player and the units involved are within a 2 inch radius of a Mexican flag bearer. +2 ……If you are the Alamo Defender Player and there are 2 or more Alamo Defender Units within an inch of the Mexican Unit involved in the melee. +2 ……If you are the Mexican Player and there are 2 or more Mexican Units within an inch of the Alamo Defender Unit involved in the melee. Subtract from DIE ROW -2 ……If your Unit is involved in the melee is on a ladder. -3 …….If your Unit involved in the melee is a stunned Unit. See Section II, MOVEMENT – Jump Table. DIE ROW of 4, 5 or 6 ---- CANNON IS NOT READY TO FIRE.
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VII.
COUNTING/RECORDING MEXICAN CASUALTIES
At the end of each TURN the Mexican Player must count and record the number of casualties each Mexican Column (Group) obtained during the TURN. The number of casualties must be added to those obtained in the previous TURNS and totaled. The total casualties will be used to decide the morale of each Mexican Column at the beginning of the next TURN.
VIII.
RESURRECTION OF FALLEN MEXICAN UNITS
Since the game requires 600 Mexican Units and there are only 300 Mexican Units available, fallen Mexican Units are resurrected after the counting and recording of casualties. The fallen Mexican Units will be resurrected and replaces with dead/wounded Mexican markers. One marker will be used for every five Mexican casualties. The resurrected Mexican Units will be placed behind the Mexican Column they were initially assigned to at the beginning of the game. The number of Mexican casualties that can be resurrected will depend on the total number of Mexican Units assigned to the Mexican Column before the game started.. BEGIN THE NEXT TURN … Explanation of the title, NO SMALL AFFAIR; After the battle, an officer in General Santa Anna’s staff said to his excellency that the battle was “Una Gran Victoria!” (A Great Victory!). The General’s reply was “Solo Una Pequena” (only a small affair). However, it was no small affair. The 13 day siege bought precious time for General Sam Houston to rally his army. 7 weeks after the fall of the Alamo, Santa Anna was defeated by Houston’s army at the Battle of San Jacinto. An army driven by the resounding cry, “REMEMBER THE ALAMO!”
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