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| The two armies drawn up. Red is the aggressor. |
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| End of turn two. I decided at this point to take a photo at the end of each turn, more for my own pleasure than for blog. |
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| End of 4. First blood to blue army. |
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| End of turn 5: red has lost 3 infantry and 1 cavalry to blue's loss of 1 infantry and 1 cavalry. |
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| Turn 6, action picks up. It's a bad turn for red; they lose half their cavalry |
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| Turn 7 for red: I do something I have never done in a game. I spend red's turn consolidating their line and try to bring up reinforcements. |
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| Blue gathers their forces to launch an attack on their right. |
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| Turn 10: blue's attack on the right is devastating. Red loses three infantry units. |
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| Turn 11: Red launches a counterattack on the blue cavalry on their left. The red battery eliminates one cavalry unit, another is force to retreat. |
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| The blue's artillery fire on the strong red artillery and infantry with great effect. 2 infantry units eliminated and the 2 artillery batteries are forced to retreat. |
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| The beginning of turn 12. Red has lost over 50% of the army. I had decided a turn 8 to have 12 turns in this game (so I could go back to bed!) Red could continue to fight and maybe do a little more damage to blue, but then would've been exposed to blue's return fire. They chose to retreat. This game has me thinking of starting a campaign game. I have already started to work it out in my mind: now to start putting it to paper. |
If one HAS to endure a little insomnia, there are few better ways to make use of wakeful hours than to manoeuvre mighty armies upon a stricken field... I seem to recall making nocturnal campaign moves in my Kavkaz Campaign two or three years back...
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ion
I have woken up several times and debated with myself whether to get up and play a game or toss and turn. Last night's game has me pulling out several books to plan a campaign.
ReplyDeleteI must look up the Kavkaz Campaign. I do enjoy your campaign reports and have thought of using your ideas for a campaign. Byvthe way, have you ever considered doing a Lulu book of your campaign, like Bob Cordrey's The Portable Wargame? I,for one, would buy it.
Bob, a good while ago, sort of suggested that I publish 'The Blacklands War' as a Lulu or Amazon book. I have consolidated the thing into a WORD file, and, I see, a PDF file, but it has come to over 200 pages. I have a feeling it would be extremely expensive to publish, and to buy would cost one's first-born as well as the usual arm and a leg.
DeleteHaving said that, interspersed with the campaign narrative, I included material on how the campaign was set up, and a chapter on the building of navies, to go with the occasional diversions into the war at sea.
I really would like to publish it, but I think the practicalities would be prohibitive. It might be worth looking into, perhaps.
The Kavkaz Campaign narrative begins in October 2022. I kinda 'ends' rather abruptly the following February. I have in draft the beginnings of an epilogue which will bridge that campaign and the Hyrcanian Theatre of the Little Great War. Once I get a roll-on, the thing should pick up the pace...
Cheers,
Ion
Would it be possible to break it down into several books; perhaps one would be a rule book and another following the actual campaign? I really don't know how lulu works. I bought a couple of The Portable Wargame on Kindle, then turned around and bought the printed copies. I have been thinking of buying the Kindle editions, so I could print out specific portions to use with games. I will have to try to set down and look up the game. I have been thinking of using your Napoleonic campaign with my 2mm figures. I bought 200 miniature dice with this game in mind.
DeleteNapoleonic Campaign -
DeleteI guess my 'Retreat from Moscow' series of battles qualifies as a campaign, but they were intended as a prequel to my projected War of the Nations. To be honest, that is the one I REALLY should be doing now.
I've just remembered my 'playtest' of Bob Cordery's Portable Napoleonics, a fictitious campaign set alongside the main campaign in Belgium, 1815. That progressed from Brigade, through Division to Army Corps. I followed those over time with the four actual battles, but not in chronological order. The order played was Wavre, Quatre Bras, Waterloo, Ligny. Later on I did General Rapp's battle in Alsace - La Souffel - against a large force of Austrians.
I reckon your 2mm armies would be great for the type of 'Map Game' I've been looking at from time to time. I've 'done' Hundred Days, Jena campaign and Eckmuhl. The last I intend at some point to redo, as the first time was not a 100% success.
Cheers,
Ion
It is your map games that I find would be good with 2mm figures, although I really like the Gettysburg battle in one of the Portable Wargame books where you use Airfix figures. I noticed that you table to in these games are 12 x 15, which if I make using smaller hexes, would still fit on my desktop.
DeleteYour overview battle report makes it easy to read and follow. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIf I took the idea farther, I would use different colored dice and use the pips to show the order of activation. I would also use the Risk arrow game pieces to show movement on the board.
DeleteAnother nicely done battle report ⚔️⚔️ Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that just occurred to me - when the artillery is in “firing mode” you position the figure strip with the gun pointed at the enemy, yes? So, presumably, when the artillery is moving forward the horses are facing forwards (with the gun towed behind).
Campaigns are definitely the way to go, even if it’s just a series of linked battles. That way the “Generals” (you) have to consider the need to carefully manage their forces and be aware of the consequences of their actions.
Cheers,
Geoff
You are right about the facing of the artillery. With the artillery it is either move or fire in a move. I painted the barrels gold so it's easy to see which way it's pointing.
DeleteI started writing down some ideas for a campaign, and how to factor losses and how it will effect the next battles.