Campaign Eckmuhl 1809

[Marshal Lannes]

So - I have learnt that you can only attach 10 files to an individual thread post. Hence the new one. .

After going for some groceries ; I popped into a homeware store and lo and behold ; an exact size dice rolling wooden tray was found- at least that is what I am using it for. I can now make my very own, bespoke, plush velvet lined dice rolling tray.
My motto is ,... Only the best for the best ...

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1815 Campaign - Ney vs Wellington

" All is in readiness, Sire ; the map-sheets have been gummed down, units have been bagged and individually labelled. We await better weather conditions and your orders !".

100 + small plastic baggies for Quatre- Bras; 200 for Ligny and 200 for Waterloo - a logistical quagmire.



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1815 Campaign - Ney Vs Wellington

Headquarters at Frasnes - night 15th June - morning 16th June

Along with the artillery, using small 6mm metal figures ; I will also be using Italeri 1/72 figures for the main commanders in the 1815 Campaign to give it a cool 3d feel. Fortunately the French Imperial General Staff figure box have Napoleon and as shown; what is a dead ringer for Michel Ney and even a hatted Grouchy. I forgot I also had the Allied General Staff which has Wellington , Blucher and other Prussian officers to choose from to represent Thielemann at Wavre or whatever. Will have to be painted up eventually. These little things add to the immersion and experience.

There is also no reason why the Battle of Quatre-Bras cannot start an hour or two earlier. We know that three written orders were given by Soult between 6.00 and 11.00am, with one verbal order direct from Napoleon via Flahaut of which the content is unknown but can be inferred to have arrived well before 11.00am.....regardless; Ney could move out from Frasnes at 10.00am to take the crossroads and begin formal battle at around 1.00pm or slightly before without being too ahistorical. " La " !..............

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Winter's Victory - New England Simulations.

Acquired..............the Deluxe version which contains above accessory pouch and is slightly more pricey than the regular version but since there is a total print run of only 500; I am guessing that this version is only 100 copies which worldwide makes it more coveted in value terms.

Nothing to whine and whinge about here.........a luxury treat for Nappy fans. I take back what I said earlier about the woods graphics. With an actual copy and close up examination - they are fine. Some will whinge about the thin paper maps, especially if you have big stubby fingers which would make a cave troll proud. Respect the game and it's contents and it will respect you......

Similar to the 1815 Incredible Courage games - the buildings graphics are top down roof views which I prefer to hobbitown building graphics. The counter colours are very good and stand well to the maps bluish and white snow-scape hexes.

Game system based on the original Frank Davis - SPI Wellington's Victory - this is definitely the supercharged version...........with extensive modification; skirmish companies have 2 steps as with artillery , so , no stupid one hit wonders or over reliance on large stacks.
Weather and wind play a strong part and lots of extra goodies packed in.

The overall map is big.........a bit bigger than I thought it would be..........so a small dining room table is a no go..........Good production value and very nice to have.......worth the dough. Happy Bunny times!..........I hope another battle is covered.... Aspern-Essling will do.............?

( P.S. - the back of the box lists counter content of 2592 counters which is a misprint ; there are 11 counter sheets with a total of 2300 counters ).
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Addendum - Clarification - I swear these goobers read my posts and deliberately update/change the info on their website - the print run is possibly 800 based on sticker label on a box cover. The deluxe edition could still be 100 though.

There is also an errata of counters sheet on the Boardgame geek website ........ Not too extensive but a bit naughty nevertheless.

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Evening in southern Belgium countryside....................................................................................................................



( Dbl Click to enlarge ).

Evening of 15th June 1815. Frasnes. 6.00pm.

General Lefevrse- Desnouettes approaches the town of Frasnes from the south-east heading along the main road towards the crossroads at Quatre-Bras. He is in command of 5 squadrons of The Imperial Guard Lanciers. Initial scouting shows some Dutch - Belgians still occupying the North-eastern section of the town with a further enemy force arrayed in line before the Balcaque farm further north. This initial scenario is 7 turns long- 6.00pm t0 7.00pm. The Dutch - Belgians have to defend the Delsot farm which is a mile further behind their main line while the French have to take the crossroads at Quatre - bras for a Decisive Victory.

In your dreams- my objective is to cause maximum casualties to the Belgian turncoats. .

I still have to reread the rules for the umpteenth time and find out from this scenario how effective lancers are and what is the best force weighting to use......i.e. ; how much damage can a single lancer squadron inflict relative to 2, 3 , 4 or 5. With new system rules - you have to learn as you go along. I also get to use Fog of War in the first turn by using red counters until I have a unit next to the enemy or attack them.

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Rorke's Drift Hospital Building - assembled. The furry effect/thatched roof is worth it's weight in gold....it looks really cool. ( If you want to set it alight - it will burn realistically ) . I do not like the outer staircase edging in the other store room building but it can be modified. It also has second level roof space for the evacuation by ladder from the side; which is historically accurate. There are also delineated wall sections inside that were cut through by the defenders and bullet holes in the outside walls. Also looks like the brickwork facade needs to be redone in light grey or sandstone colour for a more rugged look......................... Coming along nicely !. .




As for terrain - I have a shoe box full of the trees above which are more than adequate. You can buy different colour undergrowth in any hobby shop. Unfortunately the cows I got are a bit small and do not have horns and will have to be painted light/dark brown and considered juveniles. I do have 3 sets of wagons that are pulled by horned cattle and they are bigger ; so it will be a mix. .





Got some rocky terrain; and will probably need more for Isandhlwana recreation. I managed to buy some odds and ends Napoleonic cavalry and infantry in a job-lot bag very cheap, simply because I wanted to use them for testing paint colours and coverage. Found the above early Russian Imperial officer amongst them who will stand in nicely for Lord Chelmsford - he had a big hat at his side which I cut in half and will have to be chiselled down and replaced with either a white pith helmet or a map. ( although it looks a bit like a map at the moment from the front ). .






" Yoose reddneks had bitter skidaddle owt ........ov heer. ......Zooloooos !.... ......... thousands of em; .... hedding diss waay..........if you staay,.....yeel be fur.......... der chop . !..."..


I have an actual 1879 Henriy Martini rifle bullet that was used at Rorke's Drift. ( hence the missing lower cartridge ). Cooool !........my middle name. .


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Adding some map sections from The Ligny game so I do not feel hemmed in. Unfortunately , I cannot join them properly as they need to slide under the Quatre- Bras maps which are gummed in place.

I have only checked the components of the Ligny game and will only bag and label the counters when I have finished the Quatre - Bras playthrough.
The good news is that I can fit the entire Ligny map space on my table or Quatre- Bras and two thirds of Ligny. Lots of ahistorical options available with the extra battle space. .