From My Side of the Table… Shiny Napoleonics… The first Game.

Greetings…

While my old friend David was visiting over the Partizan Weekend we had game to christen my Shiny Napoleonic Collection/New Wargames Table/New Wargames Room…

We were joined by Alan Perry…

Alan and I commanded the beautiful French while David took command of the workmanlike Prussians/Hanoverians/British…

Believing the Allies to be outnumbered they went on the Defensive (It turns out that we were wrong about this, much to the frustration of the beautiful French)

The Allies were to defend the three villages across their half of the table and the beautiful French were to Attack/Capture them…

The beautiful French threw themselves at the Allies defences but after fighting until both sides were effectively broken as dictated by our rules … Black Powder…we actually decided to play beyond this as we were having so much fun. 😁

So we decided that we had fought ourselves to a very bloody draw…

Later in the weekend David and I decided to set up both sides and just charge at each other to see what happened… this was when we discovered that the Allies actually outnumbered the beautiful French by three battalions…

We were mystified… 

Clearly the French were so overwhelmingly beautiful that it looked liked there were far more of them 🤣.

So here are some pictures… Hopefully Blogger with put them in the correct order 🤞

The very beautiful French…

Every Shiny French figure I own was out on the table… All of them in danger of suffering’New figure syndrome’ 😳

The Allies in there defensive positions…

Once again… All the toys out on the table… Including The Glasgow Wellington.

As the Central Brigade ( Encouraged by Napoleon himself) makes a push for the centre… my Light Brigade attempts a flanking move on the right of the line.

Alan throws his troops at the village on the left flank of our line…

The French ( Very beautiful French) Cavalry mass in the centre…

As the Prussian Guard and the Russo- German Legion brace themselves my Hussars break out and chase the Prussian Fusiliers of their hill… Hurrah!

A Blunder…

I did a few of these 🙀

Fortunately this blunder sent me forwards…As the Centre Column pushed on supported by the Hussars.

Alan’s men break into the village and start clearing it of defenders…Hurrah! Hurrah!

The Glorious and Beautiful French push forward crashing into the Russo- German Legion…

Beautiful French Hussars… Looking beautiful 😁.

Workmanlike Prussians and… Well… I suppose I have to admit Hanoverians looking beautiful 😁

Napoleon eyes up Glasgow Wellington… Or maybe just his hat.

Wellingtons falls back as the Beautiful French push into the Allies flank…

Just one more look at the lovely Beautiful, Glorious French Hussars…😆

Although the Beautiful French Light troops have defeated this Allied flank and look to taking the village the rest of the army is in no fit state to carry on… The Allies are in the same state…

So a draw is declared…

What a fun game…

As I said we set everything up later and had a straight stand up fight… It was quick and dirty and David won… Those extra battalions made a difference.

Here are a few pictures… Chosen because they are pretty.

Time for some painting I think…

All the best.  Aly

From my side of the table… The French in Egypt and the Fog of War.

Greetings…

Last week myself, Adam, Matthew, David and Michael gathered at Alan Perrys house for a wargame set during the French invasion of Egypt…

Michael, Adam and Alan took the part of the French…

Matthew and David were the British…

While I took the Turks… My choice of commanding the Turkish force was down to a couple of reasons…

The main one being that I am still suffering from a flair up of Blepharitis which has made the vision in my right eye somewhat fuzzy…  Hence the Fog of War reference in the title.

The Turks were in defensive positions so all I really had to worry about was the enemy to my front .

Also the Turks are very pretty…

I was to hold out as long as I could against a large French force while the British marched to my rescue.

The field of battle…

I was defending the (slightly incomplete) fieldworks at the top left of the table and a smaller fort with a big gun on the little island…

My brave defenders watch on as the sappers try and finish the defences… Wondering what that big cloud of dust is on the other side of the town… And wondering where their British allies are.

Eeeeeeek!

That was a bl*#@y big dust cloud… And fast moving…

I must say though… They are also rather pretty.

The French cavalry came charging down the Waddi hoping to sweep away my Well Below Average Light Horse…

They didn’t….

On the other flank my Mamelukes didn’t do so well…

Basically the dice gods took against my left flank…

The incredibly brave action by my Well Below Average Light Horse gave the Heroic if a bit Slow British time to advance…

Unfortunately the French kept advancing as well…

Meanwhile on the island….. 

Hmmmm…

Apparently these guys are really good…Just who you would want to defend your little island against the French hoards…

Wherever they might be…

My well defended Island/Fort allows more glorious British troops to land in safety from the unseen French hordes…

Yup!…

I know where the French hordes are…

Point blank artillery… In the face… And guess what…

Yup!…

I missed…. Sigh!

My brave men made a tactical withdrawal…

Go Away! ….

My new position proved to be quite good for a while… A number of French units came a cropper charging through the gap in the earthworks…

Sadly not enough…

The Glorious British have now landed in force…

But there seems to be endless numbers of French….

My pretty boys hold out for a bit longer…

But…

Unfortunately the casualties add up… And it’s ‘ Run Away’ time all of a sudden…

On the other side of the table/battlefield/ fuzzy vision the British do quite well…

In the end I would say it was a ‘bloody’ draw…

I held the French off for as long as I could… Sadly the British were too slow to save me but just fast enough to catch the French right flank and put the boot in…

It was a lot of fun… Even with the fuzzy vision.

I don’t think Adam and Matthew had ever seen so many toy soldiers in the one place so they were delighted.

All the best    Aly