Blucher - British versus French

Game of Blucher today against Stephen using his recently painted British with my 1813/14 French arrayed against them.
We had planned to try the Scharnhorst campaign system but with Rugby World Cup final on we decided to just plow on with simple set up (although we did use one of the Scharnhorst maps).
We also use two base in lieu of 4 base units (has no effect on game play)
Great game with my Guard Corps getting right into British from get go.
My Guard Cavalry mugged 2 British Heavy Dragoon brigades (although we both started off on 8 dice per unit) and turned British left flank.
However my Guard Infantry despite being tough succumbed to a barrage of shot and shell with 3 Brigades destroyed.
On my left my Cavalry Brigade held a British Foot Brigade at bay whilst I moved up a Conscript Corps.
Wellington is a very good Commander with the Intuitive ability allowing him to roll his own Momentum dice meaning he knows exactly what he can do each turn.
Combined with his Mobile trait he has great flexibility.
Napoleons Legend status means his army is tough to break but often the French are left with unused units as unknown Momentum level means they cannot plan as well.
A really slick and fun set of rules even with the inherent abstractions of this level of force representation (not many Volleys fired compared to Skirmish Fire).

And hearty congratulations to the greatest team playing the greatest game on the planet and winning (kudos to Australia for making it a great final)

Lock N' Load Band Of Heroes game played

I managed to pick up a copy of the 2nd Edition of Band Of Heroes game (the one without the 'haloed' hexes) and played a scenario with my Dad.
A good system this being sort of Squad Leader lite with excellent graphics.
I had Yanks racing against Fallschirmjager to take a crossroads and nearby building.
Did not use my mobile/armour assets well enough (in that I forgot to mount any Infantry on them) and my foot sloggers took to long to get to crunch areas.
Still great fun with a decent game system

L'Art De La Guerre - Romans versus Selecuid

Played another LADG game this time facing Stephens Selecuids with my Romans.
Another superb game with us trying Ambushes, Pikes, Cataphracts, Allies, Elephants & Impetuous types.
Roman Legions are decent against Pike (well except for my Elite Legion !!) but Roman mounted have no real answer to Cataphracts (other than to try to avoid).
I had a Pergamene Allied command which of course was Unreliable at start (first of usual deluge of rolls of one !!!!!!!!).
However their inactivity was a boon of sorts as they held up two enemy commands who were reluctant to close and activate them until later in game.
In LADG once you commit troops it is much harder to extract them due to lower Pip levels than in DBMM or FOG.
Romans fought valiantly but eventually succumbed to Antiochus and his army.
Great stuff again and this set has really awakened our interest in Ancients.
Goodness knows when I will get 'To The Strongest' or 'Sword and Spear' rules in action again !?







Impressive Phalanx

Elite Legion awaits

And Standard types

Subject Gallic troops who were run over by Cataphracts before getting to grips with Pikes

Oncoming Phalanxes

Supporting Thracians

Roman Skirmishers advance to delay

Cataphracts bearing down on the Celts

Pergamenes emerge to engage Greek right

Pike and Pilum clash

Elite Legion in trouble

No Retreat: The Russian Front

Played this excellent board Wargame with my Dad again and a T12 (Spring 1943) loss for the Germans. Initially the Germans made good progress into Russia capturing 6 cities including Leningrad but the Ivan's made good their losses and began to recover several cities to auto win the game.

Hugely enjoyable game as ever.

L'Art De La Guerre bug keeps biting......

Another game with LADG !

I used Maurikian Byzantine and Stephen use Abbassid Arab slightly out of historical sync but not jarringly so.
Byzantines have a mighty Command value of +6 allowing to simulate high organization of their forces.

Another enjoyable and bloody game (my ability to roll a one when opponent rolls a 6 remains unfettered !)

We did have a fairly major brain teasing session with rules over Group Moves and ZOCs but think we got it sorted in the end.

Several Dbmm 'legacies' creep into our thoughts which we need to unlearn I suspect.

Every time we play a game we are specualting on which army match-ups to try next which is always a good sign.
We both feel LADG is a sort of Dbmm/FOG hybrid in many ways but with enough uniqueness for us to enjoy.
Both love the lesser number of PIP points available and how single element/unit moves are less key (no 'hard' flanking here), indeed the game plays how we originally thought DBMM was played with much more group movement and less of those fiddly micro moves.
This reduction in PIP allowance allows means harder to do the DBMM 'parting of the Red Sea' effect with Regular types or watching armies constantly marching from flank to flank.

L'Art De La Guerre another game

Managed to squeeze in a game of LADG with Stephen this weekend.
I used Avar against his Carolingian Franks (with Charlemagne in charge).
Another interesting game and use of 'shooty' type armies requires a bit of thought especially light cavalry (a different beast from DBMM)
I did manage to use a successful flank attack which can appear anywhere on designated flank edge not just the enemy half.
Once units get into combat we are finding things get bloody and decisive but in a good way.
Impetuous troops and uncontrolled charges require a bit of careful reading especially for PIP costs.
In LADG if troops charge uncontrolled they count a -1 in combat due to disorder so care required getting such nasties into combat especially as they usually count as Furious in charge meaning they inflict double damage if they win.
LADG has certainly sparked a desire in us to revisit Ancients period games.