Wargaming Plans in 2021

The plan for 2021 is to try and get some wargaming done and in parallel to get through some of my unpainted Napoleonic 6mm collection.

I still favour my rules of choice, the Neil Thomas Napoleonic Wargaming Rules. This time I will use the One Hour scenarios scaled up to the 8 unit armies specified. I also have my activation and command event rules, which I find give me all the friction and unpredictability I need in a solo game.

Of course I will also continue to have the attention of the cat to help me out!

 

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.