Napoleonic & ECW wargaming, with a load of old Hooptedoodle on this & that


Tuesday 6 April 2021

Wargame on Thursday - Sorauren

 On Thursday, Stryker and I will play a Zoom-based Napoleonic game. This one is a scenario snappily entitled "Sorauren (French Left)", which neither of us has played before, and is taken straight from the commandsandcolors.net scenarios. It looks like a slugfest, and I noticed after it had been chosen that there is no cavalry on either side, so Stryker and I are going to be wondering how to spend the first 15 minutes of the game, if there are no cavalry units to throw away.

I spent this evening setting up the field, while listening to a football match which I shall not mention again. There is something quite liberating about using someone else's scenario; whatever happens, it will not be my fault. I think these things probably do matter. It is different from my usual scenarios, since the field is quite bare and there are far fewer units than I'm used to. I may learn something here.

 
Initial view from behind the Allied left flank

 
And from the Allied right


 
From behind the French left. There are bonus Victory Points for possession of the ridge just above the centre of the picture (with Spaniards on it). The French had better get cracking...

On the scenery front, I am delighted to announce that I've finally found Wellington's Tree (yes, it was in the wrong box), so it will be appearing, as is required by the terms and conditions of my franchise, and I was also delighted to find the missing top for one of my Iron Age Merit fir trees, this time in a box which has nothing to do with scenery at all. I have superglued the tree-top into place. 

Ha.

 More on Thursday - rural broadband permitting, we have a 10:00 start.


11 comments:

  1. Those French dispositions look almost like a Fredercian attack in oblique order.

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    1. Yes indeed - it's actually slightly worse than it looks, since, though the stream is a splash-through, the hills behind the French left flank are impassable. Frederick probably wouldn't have done that, but we are speaking here of Soult the Average.

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  2. Napoleonics! Wonderful. A fine looking set-up Tony. It sounds like you and Ian are similarly adept as I regarding commanding cavalry?!
    Regards, James

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    1. Yes - my motto is get the fun over quickly, and then do the footslogging. All our ECW battles atart with cavalry mayhem on the flanks, but that may be historically accurate, I guess.

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  3. I shall look forward to your report as usual.

    You mention it has less units tha. You are used to - in terms of your CCN experience, how many units do you feel is a “good” size? I ask as I co template my painting table and organisation requirements...

    Thanks

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    1. This obviously has a lot to do with my personal preferences, megalomania and other things. Because I like big games, and because my Ramekin add-on to CCN makes it rather easier to carry out a little strategic movement, I like battles around the 30-a-side mark, but I usually add an extra table section to get the playing board up to 17 x 9 hexes when I'm doing that.

      If I had the room space, I'd like to go up to the full double-size format, but at that point at Chateau Foy I would have to put up a marquee in the garden. Mind you, I know a very reasonable marquee supplier...

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    2. 30. Wow! Ok, I’d best get painting...

      Or start small. I’m a long way off 30 odd with my embryonic Minifigs collection

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  4. The recovery of Wellington’s tree is a good omen, I have been worried about its disappearance for some time! The table is looking interesting even without the 15th Chasseurs.

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    1. Hi Ian - yes - the tree has been missed. It has a long list of battle honours, including its occasional days as Moore's Tree, Bessière's Tree, Cromwell's Tree etc.

      I think it was once a Britain's plastic farm tree, until it lost all its foliage bits. Respect.

      I'm not sure, but I think the 15th Chasseurs may have been at Sorauren (French Right)...

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  5. Great looking set up, sometimes it’s good to play a scenario you wouldn’t normally do if you were to organise a game it can put a different emphasis on the game play, I remember doing a series of Punic war scenarios from the C and C stable- some of the smaller non standard engagements were far more interesting and challenging the larger battles. Enjoy.

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  6. Looks great, Tony! Perhaps you could offer positions in the gallery?

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