ALY MORRISON'S "BUTTERFLY" ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD OF WARGAMES AND TOY SOLDIERS

Sunday 5 August 2018

From my side of the table... Action dans la vallée de Platteville... 1870

Greetings...


My lovely daughter came over on Saturday for a game of toy soldiers...
We decided to get the Franco-Prussian collection out and play Action in the Platteville Valley from Donald Featherstone's War Games... Using Black Powder.




This was one of the first wargames books I ever owned and still one of my favourites... I thought it was about time Mharaid was introduced to this scenario...




The table set up ... with sunbeams dancing across the meadows...




The initial deployment... Mharaid... aka...Von Rust took command of the Prussians... to the left of this picture... and I... Malchanceux... took the French...of course.




Rust's advance guard made a dash for the hill...




I blundered...



Throwing a one...




Sends me back off the table... a classic start!




Rust also blundered... but rolled a six...




Which means that her next brigade charges on to the field of battle... sigh!








The rest of the Prussians move forwards...




My beautiful cavalry make a dash for the bridge...




My infantry head towards the field and hopefully on to Platteville...




Our forces move towards each other... even my advanced guard have got onto the field of battle...




My infantry continue there advance... somewhat slower than I would like...


 
As Rust moves forward at a good pace... My Light Infantry/Advance Guard refuse to deploy into open order...


But still manage to inflict the first casualties... Hurrah!



 In her turn Mharaid proved that she too can roll bad dice.... or is she luring me into a false sense of security....


I sadly forgot to take the pictorial evidence ... but this is the aftermath of me stomping all over Rusts light horse...






This is how things looked when we popped out for a bit of lunch at my local...
It doesn't look to bad for the French...



Rust appears to be out of luck as I charge her infantry in the flank... Hurrah!
 


As Rusts centre spreads out... unlike my Advance Guard... my Infantry seem to have problems getting across the field... maybe its the fresh brambles in the hedges or the carrots in the ground they just wont move forward...


As my infantry make like fish in a barrel waiting to be shot...



My beautiful cavalry give some of Rusts infantry a good kicking... I like my beautiful cavalry.
Alas in the background you can just see my Advance Guard buggering off for good... sigh!



I new it was going to well... my Chasseur d'Afrique Blunder their way back to the bridge...


This is the dice roll for my men in the field firing... the black dice is of course Mharaid's save for the only hit I got...


This is Mharaid's return fire in her move...


Ha!... Saved them all...


And again...


Ha! I say Ha!

Unfortunately this is as good as it gets...


 
My men stubbornly refuse to charge or even advance forward towards the enemy...
I failed all of my activation rolls... I had no intention of retiring voluntarily... where would the fun be in that!
Mharaid continued to roll high and shot all those fish that I had so kindly put in a barrel for her...

Another victory for my daughter and another excellent day in her company... which is really what it is all about...

Till the next time...


I can always dream of my beautiful cavalry doing glorious deeds...

All the best  Aly


26 comments:

  1. Aly, you may certainly dream of victory on the battlefield. Maybe your beautiful cavalry will perform up to your high expectations next time?

    Good show for getting your daughter to take you on at a wargame. You have lived well!

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    Replies
    1. Jonathan... I think next time I should have more beautiful cavalry...

      It’s great fun playing against Mharaid... so far I have only beaten her once... and that was by shooting her general in the head...... :-)

      All the best. Aly

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  2. Lovely images of a beautiful game. Love everything about your collection and terrain. Thanks for sharing these.

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  3. It looks and sounds like a wonderful afternoon by all counts.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    Replies
    1. It was indeed a splendid day.

      All the best. Aly.

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  4. Beautiful table, classic scenario, Donald Featherstone would approve!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you...
      I think Donald would certainly have approved of Mharaid’s determined playing style... but I suspect he would have laughed at my dice throwing... I certainly did.

      All the best. Aly.

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  5. Wonderful classic battle Aly - very well done. Absolutely love my old wargaming tomes.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Carlo...

      I always enjoy looking through my old wargames books... I am especially fond of War Games because Donald signed it for me...

      All the best. Aly

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  6. Bugger Aly - I thought to start with, you might actually have a victory over your daughter for once - but I see normal service was resumed! Anyway, as I have commented before, you are exceedingly lucky to have a daughter that will even talk to you about toy soldiers, let alone spend all day playing with them when she could be out getting her nails done or something!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Keith...
      It did look promising at the start...
      I am indeed fortunate... Mharaid and I also share similar interests in music,art and film...
      I suspect that she might get her nails done if sharpening or steel tips were available.... ;-)

      All the best. Aly.

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  7. Most splendid, but much too temptiation to go shiny.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Phil...
      As I recall you started off in the shiny... it would be like returning to your roots...

      All the best. Aly

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  8. Classic gaming at its best.

    Next time dont stop for Lunch when you are ahead.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Mark...

      Face the gods of dice on an empty stomach.... that would be madness sir... :-)

      All the best. Aly.

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  9. A genune vicarious treat. Thanks for the engaging report and pix—splendid toy soldiers indeed!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ed...
      It was an excellent day and a pleasure to write about.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  10. A glorious defeat! We can all empathise with that I feel! Grand AAR report there Aly!

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  11. Excellent, definately after my own heart. 😀

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  12. Brilliant! Beautiful figures and a beautiful table.

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