Unfamiliar Ground, Me Boys - Fire and Fury

 I've just returned from a most pleasant weekend trip; I travelled to visit Baron Stryker and his lovely wife on their Northern estates. Apart from the quiet surroundings and splendid hospitality, I also enjoyed an ACW game - unfamiliar ground indeed for me these days. Although this period was the context for my very first involvement with wargaming, it has been a long, long time. I estimate that my last ACW miniatures game must have been in 1973... 

If you weren't around in 1973, you may find this difficult to visualise. Rest assured that you probably didn't miss much - especially as far as my prehistoric wargames go.

I think that Ian may put together a post on his own blog, so all I'll do here is present some of my own photos, just to show what a nice game it was. 15mm figures, and an OOP version of Fire and Fury's brigade level rules - I was the Confederate commander; this was all new to me. The rules are reassuringly straightforward, and Stryker made an excellent job of guiding me through.

 

Troops in my centre at the start; lovely armies - it's some years since I've been involved with 15mm, and I have to say I approve very much

 

My cavalry makes an inauspicious entry on my left. The rules put Confederate cavalry at a disadvantage, but these fellows exceeded my expectations...

 

Troops deploying in the early stages. Both armies were waiting for reinforcements around Turn 3 or so

 

I spy Tigers - I recognised these fellows from an Osprey book I haven't seen for 50 years

 

Enemy approaching, looking worryingly brisk and professional

 

Partly because I wanted to see what would happen using F&F, I launched an enthusiastic but wildly optimistic attack with my right flank infantry. This worked much better than I had any right to expect, wrecked two opposing brigades and captured two limbered batteries...

 

...Crikey!...

 

One of my successful right brigades - still amazingly fresh [official F&F terminology] moved across to threaten the Union centre

 

As the reinforcements came into play, it seemed likely that both armies would win on their respective right flanks, but things started to balance out, and towards the end of our day I had regained control on my left (I think so, anyway)

 

My thanks to Ian and Sharon for their kindness and my appreciation for a most enjoyable trip and a stimulating (and thought-provoking) game are supplemented by my sincere apologies for outrageously lucky dice-rolling. Can't understand that at all...