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| The Emperor has personal command of his reserve of the Imperial Guard |
This weekend I was honoured and delighted to be invited to the celebrations connected with the coming of age of the esteemed Baron Von Stryker, which featured a splendid wargame. I was especially honoured to be asked to assume the role of the Emperor Napoleon, a man I have not seen on the battlefield since I was stretchered from the grounds of Hougoumont, almost exactly 201 years ago.
The event was especially notable for the fabulous cast of vintage Hinton Hunt figures, and will certainly be featured in more worthy blogs than this one - I note that Matt has already put some fine photos up
on his. I felt I should take the opportunity to thank my comrades on the day for their company and - especially - to thank our most generous hosts for their hospitality in setting up a very enjoyable occasion.
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| Wall-to-wall Hinton Hunt - initial French view of our right flank... |
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| ...and our left. |
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An eclectic mix of Coalition forces - the valiant Silesian Landwehr, a
mixed unit of British marines and sailors, some Swedes... |
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| Massive cavalry attack on the left flank, in which we did well |
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The battle for the churchyard, in which we were rather less successful - I am
delighted that this picture could have been borrowed from Charles Grant's
"Napoleonic Wargame" |
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The final assault in the centre, featuring the Guard - if this failed we did not
have a lot to fall back on, as you see |
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| ...since we were rather stuck at the church... |
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...but, as a result of flawless scripting, the Old Guard defeated the British Foot
Guards and just about secured a victory which had looked much more of a
forgone conclusion a few hours earlier. Now, Maitland - where the blazes are you? |
Excellent work there - you're right about stepping off the pages of a Charles Grant book. The whole setup looks lovely. Also birthday congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the Baron will read your congratulatory message - personally, I don't do birthdays any more. It did look good, didn't it?
DeleteThe game does look like it could be perfectly Grantian, does it not? Marvelous troops sporting the same green, unadorned basing technique as your own, fine Napoleonics.
ReplyDeleteSplendid indeed!
Thanks Jonathan - the difference in the plain green bases approach is that Stryker chooses to do this because it is correct for his deliberately Old School approach - in my case, the armies just became Old School because I was stuck with conforming to what i aleady had, and because I dare not introduce flock into the Chateau's dining area...
DeleteI must confess to a moment of deja vue when I looked at this post not to say downright confusion until I realized that you and Matt must have been at the same game! Its almost even more disturbing to find evidence, however flimsy, that some of the digital entities known as bloggers can exist and interact in a non-digital environment or at least (now that I think of it) make it appear so.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the game and figures look marvelous as well as nostalgia inducing and it sounds like a great day all around.
Matt's photos are better than mine - your confusion is understandable - I get the same issues when a load of guys report on the same wargames show. As one who doesn't get out much, the opportunity to emerge from my twilit digital existence was most welcome.
DeleteJust the thing to start of a Monday morning! Looks like great fun.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Hi Stokes - yes, it was a lot of fun! (Happy Monday for yesterday)
DeleteStunning photos, Foy. Congratulations! Are you feeling tempted to leave the Peninsula yet?
ReplyDeleteDo you think I should? One possibility I have thought of is using some of my new Spaniards to enact Romana's expedition to Germany and Denmark...
DeleteI'm not doing Leipzig though - I've had the operation to stop me doing Leipzig.
It was a marvellous day!
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed - it was also great to meet and put faces to familiar bloggers - my thanks to you, Matt, and my compliments on your silver medal...
DeleteIt was an honour to serve the emperor!
ReplyDelete(Prince Poniatowski)
Thanks again for everything, Poniatowski - ref previous reference to Leipzig - did I mention that wearing your waterwings under the cloak is not a great look?
DeleteSplendid indeed! As a keen follower of Ian's blog, from afar, it's great to see the figures and game celebrated elsewhere—along with the b'day. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteHi James - from afar is exactly how I follow it, so it was a great treat to be there.
DeleteWonderful looking game and great to see you getting together.
ReplyDelete