The best laid plans of mice and men…..
So I was having a birthday in late August….so organised a game on a saturday…..my partner Anita had already organised to be away for 3 days that weekend with her high school girlfriends for their annual drinking session…this year in Raglan.(all NZers would be thinking..Raglan…whats in Raglan?)…we were all excited…Anita got to drive up in her mates new Maserati…..daughter at home was moving out prior weekend…so Terry is home alone for 3 days……woohoo…
and then…..daughters flat move delayed 2 weeks…..an outbreak of the plague happens in Auckland so some the girls can’t make Raglan…so they cancel it……I don’t get why a handful of plague victims shuts down a whole country…..I am assuming part of Governments re election plan……keep everyone scared s***less……
So on with the game…..instead of playing in garage moved it to lounge…..scenario loosely based on Sheveradino Redoubt battle….the day before Borodino…..
So the Russians would be defending redoubt with 3 brigades of infantry(each of 4 bttns)…2 being musketeers and 1 Jager. The redoubt on the small hill had a position battery in it and the 2 musketeer brigades also had a battery added..
The French players each started with 5 bttns and they had 2 batteries in total.
At some stage Poniatowski’s Poles would make an appearance on the southern flank of the French….various reserve formations would make an appearance…infantry and cavalry and then towards the end of the game, I would get 5 Russian Cuirassier regts to play with, cause its my birthday!
Game started at 9am and finished at 3pm with refreshments break 12ish.
Pictures below tell the tale…..
Da Boyz! French side to left of table…..Russkies on the right
Redoubt with me to the rear…thats Bagration! Massed French advancing…..
Russian right….a number of Russian commanders started facing firing squads……Pauls Musketeer brigade meant to be holding vollage with Nicks Jagers adding skirmishing cover…..yet Roberts brigade has thrown them out…..my Combined Grenadiers arriving to the left……
From bottom to top……French have taken village….Pauls been pushed back to table edge…cavalry brigade has arrived on table in support…..beside redoubt my combined grenadiers have obliterated 5 bttns and moving onto next 5…..which they would soon also obliterate….on the otherisde of the redoubt…French columns advancing behind skirmish line…and at far end of table…Russian Hussars are trying to ride through a non-existant gap between village and woods. Steve was ordered to use them to force advancing French into square so guns/columns could take care of them…. such ineptitude has not only resulted in him being shot, but he has been transferred out of my Russian 2nd Army in Borodino refight to the 1st Army! Russ looks like he is thinking up an overly cunning plan….
A bit further into the game….of the 15 French bttns sent against my 5 combined Grenadiers….this is whats left….my 5 untouched…am awarding myself a medal….elements of 2nd Grenadier Division have now arrived so Paul has something to play with…he’s lost everything else…. Roberts French still intact…just.
So Steve and Nick have lost their initial brigades, and I have sent them the last 2 brigades of the 2nd Grenadiers. The Hussars are sitting in far corner disordered and getting shot to pieces by infantry. The NKVD is trying to catch up to Steve and shoot him. French played very patient controlled battle on this side. Lots if attacks going in…French Cuirassier’s now on table and closing in, and Poles starting to come out of southern woods.
End of game on Russian right…..French have a ring of cavalry…infantry all gone…..and I have 5 regts Cuirassiers on table!
On Russian left not so good…the Grenadier brigades taken a battering…I had sent 2 regts Cuirassiers to assist…..but we would be withdrawing….but a Russian victory as the French hadn’t even assaulted the redoubt..the aim of the game! By this stage Nick had joined me and we were enjoying a scotch.
terrysgaragegaming 