Hold the Line: Battle on Snowshoes 1758

A recent jaunt into the French and Indian War courtesy of the Hold the Line game by Worthington.

Beautiful components and pieces to play with.

Here the Rogers' Rangers are arrayed in a defensive position before trying to escape.

Hold the Line gives a good simulation that's quick to play and fit a game in. Particularly important when the cat is making demands on your attention.

Heroquest Adventure: Quest for the Spirit Blade

We decided to have a family game of Heroquest last weekend and decided to play the Quest for the Spirit Blade which I augmented with a few modification to reflect the play balance and incorporate a little more excitement.

There were five players so I used the additional character I'd developed before - the Knight. I also gave them a selection of equpment cards to distribute among themselves.

The game delivered a lot of excitement and fun. It really is an exceptional design.

The cat occupied a strategic position watching over the adventurers' escape route.

 

Command & Colours Napoleonics: Hougoumont Scenario

I like the idea of recreating famous small battles which involve a struggle over a contested fortified position. One such conflict is Hougoumont which would be a nice miniatures project but I also thought it would be enjoyable to setup a scenario for C&C Napoleonics.

One exists on the website that supports the rules system.

 

Recreating this involved going through my expansions and pulling out the walled gardens. I was short of orchards as these are in Expansion 6 but substituted some fieldworks with forests which did the trick.

I think it looked good. Pity I didn't have time to play it as I needed to use the table for homeworking. With the current pandemic restrictions I've been working from home since March and this will continue indefinitely. This puts a limit on how I can setup and play any wargames or board games which is a bit of a shame. I need to get smarter at using the time better.

The cat agrees. 

 

War and Peace: Austerlitz Scenario

I had a run through of the War and Peace rules mechanics the other day. It looks like the game has got a new lease of life with a recent re-boot with nice graphics, mapboard and counters.

I used a video showing the game played out asa tutorial for my understanding of the 1980 rules.

I still like the look of the old design which is nice and clean and for me captures the period.

The cat wasn't impressed.

 

 

Napoleonic Game using the Neil Thomas Napoleonic Wargaming Rules

I wanted a large setup for a Napoleonic game with around 15 units per side. 

Set in 1812 this had French and Allied combined force arrayed against a determined Russian defender.

The village would prove a highly contested feature sucking in Russian defenders as the battle played out with a bold French envelopment proving to be successful in the end.

The cat was not that interested. I think she prefer blocks and usually tries to eat my 6mm figures.

 

Memoir'44: Pegasus Bridge June 1944

This always remains one of my favourites. A simple, straightforward scenario but with it's own element of tension and charm.

I like to play the British paratroopers under Major Howard.

The cat was busy checking out the rules so that she could exploit the German defensive tactics to the maximum. 

Command & Colours Napoleonics: Schleiz (9 October 1806)

I received the Prussian Expansion as a Christmas present but hadn't had a chance to play a scenario yet. 

I had used my Battle Cry Napoleonic variant for the first battle Schleiz so I thought it would be a good idea to setup a proper C&C game and see how this played out using the C&C rules.

I had a lot of fun with this scenario where the Prussians countered the original orthodoxy and went on the offensive. All was looking good and the Prussian blocks were all setup when the cat decided it was time to intervene.

 

My Collection: The Game of France 1940: German Blitzkrieg in the West (1972)

This was a special addition to my collection. Again bought from Boardgame Geek, for a very reasonable price and in great condition when it arrived. 

The reason I was particularly pleased was that it was a repurchase from when I had it back in the late 1970s. I had to sell some of my game collection when I was a student and this sadly was one of them.

The components and map are just superb. A real pleasure to have this one back on my shelves.

The cat preferred pretending to command a tank in Patton's Best!

My Collection: The Civil War 1861-1865 (1983)

This was a great addition to my collection which I got for a very reasonable price on Boardgame Geek. 

It was in very good condition with all components intact. There were a lot of counters which took some time to sort and bag.

The game is quite an epic representation and satisfies my aim to have a definitive Civil War game in my collection.

The cat shared my enthusiasm.

Battle Cry: Pickett's Charge 3rd day of Gettysburg

This was the pivotal moment in the Civil War where Lee made his greatest gamble. As a scenario it looked a tall order for the Confederates from the start with a considerable distance to cover before they could engage.

 

I decided to take on the role of the Rebels and formulated a plan to concentrate forces in the centre to obtain the objectives of the fenced hexes and thereby snatch victory with a combination of unit attrition and a couple of flag markers. Easier said...!

Intitially it was going to plan with a fortunate draw of a forced march card, which allowed a rapid advance of units up to the fence line, however, the Union defenders were able to pour on a withering fire and the attack was repulsed.

There followed a lull which allowed the Confederates a little time to deploy troops from the flanks which in the end proved decisive in forcing the Union from the fence line, allowed the capture of a couple of flags and the destruction of enough units to achieve a 7-6 victory.

It was an exciting game - so much so that I delayed my lunch. 

The cat observed from the sidelines oblivious of the momentous historical counter-factual that had occurred.