BLACK POWDER NAPOLEONICS

at Cullison's Cards & Games, Jonesboro AR

 

HAPPY 201st Anniversary of Waterloo!

During the disastrous retreat from Waterloo, a French rear guard force of an infantry brigade, a cavalry brigade, and 2 field guns prepares to sell their lives dearly to allow Napoleon to escape the clutches of their enemies.  The force takes position for a delaying action and fighting withdrawal to the two bridges across the river to their rear.  The infantry and field guns are on the French left with the narrower and more restricted avenue of advance on their right covered by Hussars and a Horse gun.  A Legere and Dragoon unit remains in reserve.



The forces of William, Prince of Orange, are in pursuit!  If his loyal chief of staff can keep "Silly Billy" from forming everyone in square, that is.

On the Allied right, a Nassau infantry brigade with 2 field guns in support advance against the main French infantry positions.

The Dutch-Belgian Infantry and Cavalry brigades, with 2 field guns in support, come up the Allied middle and their left to advance on the French Hussars and Reserves in the center.

A valiant Legere unit, deployed to the front in skirmish order, continues to be disordered by enemy fire and cannot retreat.  They stubbornly pass saving throws and morale throws to hold their position against overwhelming enemy forces!  The field guns behind them fire in support and the Ligne units, ordered to advance, disgracefully "fail" their order tests to do so.  For shame on them!

A desperate attack by Dutch-Belgian cavalry on the exposed French horse gun is forced back by point blank closing fire.  THIS IS MY BOOM STICK!

Knowing that doom is closing in on them from advancing Dutch-Belgian skirmishers on their right, the horse gunners wade into the fight, enfilading and destroying a Dutch-Belgian militia unit and keeping another on the road at bay in a desperate bid to hold the line.

 

The French army commander... otherwise known as ME.. commits a grave tactical mistake of having my cavalry out of position.  The rapid reaction of the Dutch-Belgian cavalry commander, my buddy Karl, makes me pay horribly!

 

After running afoul of an ill advised charge against Cuirassier last time, Karl owes me a cavalry beat down and he DELIVERS!  After dispersing the Legere, his rampaging light cavalry destroys both the Dragoons and the Hussars which are all the French have on their right flank.  The path to the bridge to their front is clear and the Dutch Belgian cavalry move on to victory!

 

A valiant defense of the French left flank by our new friend Thomas finally falls to Mike's advancing Nassauers and the Allied victory is complete.  Huzzah to "The Young Frog" and his troops!

 

FLAMES OF WAR

EARLY WAR TOURNEY

 Diecon, Collinsville IL

 

Had a most excellent time throwing down with my buddies this weekend at Diecon.

 

 

 

 

 



NASHCON 2016
Franklin, TN
 

I got to spend some long anticipated time with friends at the HMGS Mid-South group's flagship convention, NASHCON, in Franklin, TN this weekend.  Had a most excellent time!

There is historical as well as science fiction / fantasy / board gaming at the convention, a nice dealer's area, and flea market tables full of sweet deals.  It's held at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin and is always a fun weekend there throwing dice and enjoying people's company.  Highly recommended!

 

I hit the dealer's area first and picked up some Napoleonic British flags from my favorite flag vendor, "The Flag Dude".  My buddy Rob did me a big solid presenting me with some Black Powder casualty marker sets to try out, custom made 53rd Welsh Rifle objectives for Flames of War, and a really neat objective with my bully, Winston Churchill, defending his porch!  Thanks Rob.. those very cool objectives brought me great luck all weekend. :)

 

Plenty of great looking tables and miniatures and fun game rules to please anybody.  This was a nice looking WW II set up for 15mm skirmish.

 

 

Napoleonic naval action is always a favorite.  These ships were gorgeous!

 

 

This was an award winning Civil War game setup in 28mm that looked like a LOT of fun!

 

 

 

I played in a Black Powder Napoleonic game on Friday night commanding a Saxon force of two infantry brigades, a cavalry brigade, and supporting artillery.  I was the extreme left flank of our army.  

 

My cavalry and horse guns moved up fast to cover the rest of my Division as it moved forward to the tree line in the distance.  I pulled my cavalry back behind the infantry as they approached but left their guns forward to mass firepower on the enemy.  My brave Saxons moved forward screened by their light units and under fire of the enemy's "grand battery" seen at the upper right. 

 

 

We crushed the Prussian Regiment emerging from the woods and forced them back!  My units moved up into the woods and into position to roll up the enemy battle line that was being held in place by my comrades to my right.  But, by then it was midnight and everyone was sleepy, so peace broke out and we turned in.  :)

 

 

In Saturday's Flames of War tourney, Late War forces at 1420 points from the Western Front campaign books battled it out over 3 rounds.  I had a Rifle Company from the 53rd Welsh Division with 3 short platoons of infantry with Ram Kangaroo transports, a Universal Carrier recon platoon, a Breaching Group of flail tank Shermans and Churchill AVRE's, Achilles tank destroyers, and Limited Air Typhoons.

 

Here the company's all piled up in mass, attacking under the cover of darkness, to destroy two German MG/Panzerfaust platoons and one six gun 75mm anti-tank gun platoon to seize an objective in a No Retreat mission.  The Welsh list played VERY well all day long!

 

My Breaching Group's flail tanks and the company 2iC in his UC are having to be sneaky and hide until they can get on the flank of some advancing enemy Brumbars!

 

I had a GREAT day of gaming against 3 very good opponents, gentlemen gamers all, and was lucky enough to come away with the top score for the tournament and awarded a very nice commemorative "Field Marshal Nashcon 2016" goody.  Wooohooo!

 

Thanks to my buddy Rick who was our tournament organizer, his lovely wife Jennifer who assisted him, and all of the other local guys who helped with tables and such to make our Nashcon tourney a lot of fun!  Already looking forward to next year.

 

BLACK POWDER NAPOLEONICS

International Tabletop Game Day

Cullison's Cards & Games, Jonesboro AR

 

Sometimes you just have to make one up!  I'd completed getting a new brigade of British ready to fight, and had a Regiment of Prussians at the ready, and wanted them to jointly take on a small Division of French in The Hundred Days.  Sooooo.. we played a "what if" scenario using the lots of fun BLACK POWDER rules.  :)

 

 

During the twin battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny, two days before Waterloo, the Allied armies fought separate battles, never quite managing to link up.  Our scenario has a Regiment of Pirch's Corps, marching towards Ligny, hearing the guns at Quatre Bras and mistakenly heads that direction instead.

 

 

D'Erlon's French Corps, which countermarched back and forth between the battles that day due to conflicting orders received, never took part in either fight.  In our scenario, he uses some initiative and sends one of his Divisions headed North to try to flank the British position at Quatre Bras.  The British, seeing this, extend their line to the left while that lost Prussian Regiment shows up off to their east.  The stage is set for our fictional battle of Sart-Dame-Avelines!

 

 

The forces starting positions and the French's planned axis of attack to the north.

 

 

The British have their Rifles holding a road junction to their south while the rest of their Brigade emerges from the woods.

 

The French Brigade on their flank deploys and moves up to meet them.

 

A Legere battalion in skirmish formation attacks and pushes the Rifles from the huts they'd been sheltering in.  The Rifles fall back behind the friendly lines.

 

The French Cavalry, attempting to push north between the Prussians and British, is forced to fall back by the Allies wisely concentrating fire on the advancing horsemen.  MERDE!

 

A Hannoverian Line battalion attacks, disperses the Legere, and seizes the huts.

 

On the opposite flank, a French assault column covered by Legere in skirmish push back the Jagers and are threatening to turn the Prussian's left flank, but their attack is ultimately dispersed by concentrated fire that, even disordered, smashes the French column.

 

A French Ligne battalion moves up and threatens to push the Hannoverians out of their cover, but a KGL Line battalion advances to join the melee.  The French break and the battalion to their right, that had provided a flank support bonus in the fighting, rolls the dice and also breaks.  MERDE again!

 

 

The French left is in ruins, their cavalry center is forced back, and their right will be overrun by the advancing British.  They French commander wisely decides to withdraw his remaining forces to the south, the Prussian and British allies have linked up in the center and are in firm control of the field.  Victory to the Allies!

 

Good game, guys!  Glad everybody enjoyed it.