SEPTEMBER GAME NIGHT: PRUSSIANS V FRENCH SHAKE DOWN GAME

This last Friday was our club's September game night. As usual, there were three offerings, mine among them, a reprise (on a larger scale) of the game I had run at my place in my Friday Night at the Fights Post.  More on that in a bit. First, the general bits as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX...

...early arrivals indulging in some pre-game night banter. Warren (front left) and Dave (front right), would be running another game. Mark (seated rear left), of Mark D's Gaming Site, Pete (reading book--probably looking at pictures), and Bob (blue shirt) were in my game.  I didn't get very many shots, so this won't be a comprehensive report.  First, I'll share what I have on the other two games...
  
...Phil returned to the group's roots with a 28mm American War of Independence Battle of Bennington (August 16, 1777) game using the original (blue book) Volley and Bayonet rules:

...Dave ran a Yanks Up the Yangtze 28mm game that featured a Hollywood film crew being held for ransom, warlords, US infantry in campaign hats (among others), and of course, a gunboat!

My game was a reprise of my earlier Napoleonic game, as I've mentioned. I am going to be putting on our club's Game Day game, which will be a large Napoleonics game using a modified version of our group member Charlie's Napoleon's Rules of War.  This game was one of a series intended to get players familiar with the rules, the mods, and the forces before the big event. Interest was looking like it could be strong, so I packed extra troops...

...game prep this week.  Getting labels on the figures and configuring them to travel. Above right: 2/3 of the Prussians I brought to the game.  

One thing I'm working on for the final big game is the troop:space ratio.  I think I got a good feel for the limits:  in this game, 10 players pushed a total of 57 battalions, 24 cavalry squadrons, and 6 artillery batteries  in  a 7.5 foot x 6 foot playing space (probably will be a bit more spread out on Game Day, I'm thinkin'). There were three Prussian brigades vs 2 French divisions, plus a Young Guard brigade and a French cavalry brigade--all told. The aim of the scenario was mainly to have everyone just get stuck-in for practice, and this turned out to be the case.  Once things got rolling, I was mainly engaged with running the game, so didn't get very many shots (of my game or the others in progress)...

...Bob (left) and Mike (top left of shot), part of Team Prussia, look on as part of Team France (Robert, in blue shirt, and in order, Mark, Ralph, and Earl) bring in their first wave of troops in their half of the first turn...

..Byron (orange shirt) and George of Team Prussia keep an eye on Earl...

...still early in the game. The lull before the chaos.  Very quickly after this shot, things got very loud and very involved (which is why this is the last picture). 

It was another mix of gaming and joking, and lots of dice rolling.  I gained some good insights that will influence the Game Day event and will help me to fine tune the one last prep game in late September.   I must send a shout out to Charlie who, despite being among the French players, helped to facilitate the game as well.  Thanks to the players, as usual, for their good humor and indulgence.  It was another good night out among friends playing with toy soldiers: a great way to end a very busy week. 


Excelsior!