FRONTIER BATTLE 1866: REDUX

 

Austrian Cuirassiers Moving Up Past the Division Command Post

Greetings, dear reader(s).  Renewed interest in these parts for gaming the Post Napoleonic (pre-20th Cent) period has prompted me to pull out my other rules set, my Volley and Bayonet (Battalion Level) Post-Napoleonic variant. Full details and notes on this variant (mutation?) can be found on the 19th Century Volley and Bayonet Resource Page.  This is the system that pre-dates my Chocolate Box Wars (CBW) rules system. There are two versions of this VnB variant, one that uses single stand units and one that uses two-stand units--the latter being interoperable with the basing and unit conventions of Chocolate Box Wars. This was the two-stand variant, done in part to show players who had CBW armies another use for their collections--and just to have another game. As usual, in this post, you may clix pix for BIG PIX.

This was a four player game representative of the so called frontier clashes of the 1866 campaign. The lead division of a Prussians force is emerging from a gap in the mountains in order to deploy and facilitate the advance of the rest of the force, and an Austrian division (two brigades: the Austrians didn't actually have "divisions") is arriving along converging paths to try and push them back and guard the gap. This game was a replay, the scenario details being available in the April 6, 2022 post. 

Each brigade had two regiments plus brigade units.  The lead regiments started on-table, with the second regiments arriving on turn two. In the case of the lead regiments (examples above), I made them "advance guard" like, adding a few non standard elements to the regimental structure (cavalry squadron, jager half battalion, and in the case of the Austrians, a grenzer battalion--a bit of variety and they just looked good). I also wanted to have a good mix of unit types in the game to familiarize players with the range of units and special abilities in the system. 

Side set-up counter with follow on elements organized 

Prussian reinforcements (left) and Austrian (right): two follow on regiments (one per brigade), each in its own box. The follow on regiments were organized per base historical tenets (3 infantry battalions plus a supporting half battalion of jagers). 

In addition, each side had divisional units that would arrive on turn 3: An artillery battery and cuirassier regiment (for both), and a grenadier battalion for the Prussians and a volunteer Freiwilliger Jager battalion for the Austrians. 

Each of the players had a side table with player reference, OOB, markers, dice, measuring device, and doggie treats (to keep the pups happy during the game). Above right: my game referee station ready to go at the end of the table: my high chair, my own small table with references, and other game detritus within reach on the cabinet. 

A few handy reference cards are placed on the table to help players with unit special effects and the game is afoot. 

The Prussians (left), AJ (foreground) and Bob, pushing their lead regiments forward while the Austrians (Charlie, right) look on. Robert, the other Austrian player, is out of picture to the right: unfortunately, I didn't get any shots of him, so he will remain a man of mystery. 

A collection of shots showing the battle developing, with moves and counter moves. 

The heart of the action: both sides have moved up and you can see two opposing lines ranged against each other, with a cavalry clash picking up steam in the foreground. Characteristic for its time, units were committed and mutually ground each other up along this line. 

Eventually, Bob (on the Prussian left) managed to push around the Austrian right flank, forcing the line back here. And out on the other wing, after much back and forth, the Prussian cavalry prevailed against the Austrian horse, forcing the Austrian left wing back. Meanwhile, in the center, both sides were still hammering away, with losses mounting for both battle lines. The Austrians, after several promising assaults that came close to breaking the line, got turned back, and were starting to get the worst of it. 

Austrian Brigade Commander and his trusty revolver, momentarily the only thing holding a gap in the line. 

And so, at that point, we called it a Prussian victory. It was not a romp, though. The game was not decided early on, and we had a full day of gaming, starting at 10:00 a.m., breaking for lunch, and then wrapping up at around 3 p.m.  

Final shot of the table after the fact (cleaned up). 

It was good to get a game on the table again at my place after a long hiatus.  It was well received, and everyone had a good time. At least one player has been looking for a system to use with a Franco Prussian collection of his, and he will be adapting this for that purpose, so we have more to look forward to. I will add a final note: although this is a very modified version, this is still a game system rooted in the Volley and Bayonet model--a school of rules employing the much maligned (nowadays) "Igo Ugo" structure, the criticisms of which I find much more a matter of fashion than substance. This game (and all others like it I've played or facilitated) developed along what I would call authentic lines, which is the mark I use to determine whether a rules set is viable or not, and the players said that it was both an enjoyable and satisfying game experience, which is the most important metric.

Excelsior!

OF BROKEN FINGERS and ABSENT FRIENDS: A NON-UPDATE

 

Whacked finger in splint.

Having announced my return to blogging after a lull, and currently in a subsequent lull, I thought I should provide an update of some sort just to show that I've not yet tossed in the towel on blogging.  Generally, I like to keep this blog about the hobby and hobby related items, and so don't drop anything here unless it's "on topic." Unfortunately, circumstances of late have conspired to keep me from posting much (both figuratively and literally...see above digit in splint). So this will be a wordy, image-poor, update. 

It has been a busy time, hobby wise, for the last few months, but they have been consumed with long term projects that have not been suited to multiple posts. Specifically, organizing and running our recent club game day and before that, planning for and running games at the Mayhem Convention. 

One thing I haven't brought into this blog is the fact that one of the members of our gaming club, a close friend and a central fixture in all of our club events, passed away quite suddenly last fall. Although none of us is getting any younger, and we have witnessed the passing of some of our comrades, his loss was a punch in the gut to us all, and we're still collectively dealing with it. His widow got in touch with a fellow club member afterwards, at a loss over what to do with his collection, and for the last few months he and I have been coordinating the effort to inventory and organize his collection, arranging for a take-away day at the end of May. This turned out to be a successful operation: the club members came together and cleared out the lot, helping his widow move on and providing closure for us as well. And no less so for me, personally. It was the last, and most fraught, of the major projects that I had been dealing with. With the closure came a sense of being able to move on, hobby wise, again...

...and so it was until I managed to slam the car door on my finger (the weekend of the take-away, no less--how's that for timing?). Now, as the picture shows, I've beaten up the digits of that hand plenty over the years (fooling around in and around armored vehicles during an Army career has provided plenty of opportunities), but I must say that this was a new one: breaking the tip of the middle finger of the right hand (my dominant hand). In all the previous instances where I've whacked digits, I I've been able to compensate, but there is virtually no functionality, I found, that does not involve the tip of the middle finger. 

Happily, it has been almost two weeks since the injury, and although still on the mend, I can remove the splint and do things that were out of the question until recently, like tying my own shoes, writing checks, and keyboarding....

...and on that note, I think I'll bring this bit of keyboarding to a conclusion. So that's what's been (not) going on 'round here. 

Excelsior!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING (A BIT) DIFFERENT: BRETWALDA

 

Bretwalda, from Phalanx Games.

The game is set in Dark Ages Britain, 796 A.D. with up to four players vying to be named Bretwalda, the supreme ruler of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms.

Being about a board game, this will be a bit an "out of the box" post for this blog. However, it is probably no less "hobby adjacent" than my posts blathering on about swords or books, so I'm hoping still within the scope of interest--and it is, after all, a blog with the term "Meanderings" in it. But enough apologia. On to the stuff.  What this won't be is a review or an exploration of game play: I only recently acquired this game, and have yet to get it on the table.  By way of summary, this is a "Dudes on a Map" game (a term of lingo I've now heard among board gamer afficianados), and it is the aesthetic of this game that will be the subject of this post (superficial creature that I am). For those interested in more substantial information, I would direct you to the following link on Board Game Geek .  So...good reviews and subject matter aside, what attracted me to this game was its aesthetic (as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX in this post)....

...the presentation, from end to end, is nothing short of amazing--having period styled playing pieces that would not be out of place on the Lewis Chess set and equally impressive period graphics for everything else. Quite immersive, to say the least. 

Speaking of the playing pieces, splendid period shapes aside, I found the contemporary plastic appearance jarring.  And this brings me to the point of this post. I decided to tart them up a bit. The concept was not to paint them to look like medieval miniature wargame figures, but to make them look like playing pieces carved from bone, ivory, or some other organic material--with some wear and age on them. In other words, to make them look more consistent with the rest of the components. Here is how they came out and how I went about it...

                                             The Four Player-Kingdoms:

                                        Northumbria                                 East Anglia

                                              Mercia                                          Wessex

                                       The Dreaded Danes (aka, Vikings)

                                                   The Neutrals

I was intending to not go beyond washes with a highlight of paint and a bit of drybrushing to render a monotone but textured look. As it was, I was particularly pleased with the how the Neutrals (above), came out with just a wash--looking very much like what I was after: ivory or bone (remember that these began life as stark white plastic).  However...

...no matter how I tweaked them, it was difficult to distinguish between the Neutrals and the yellow Northumbrians (seen side-by-side above).  Originally, the Neutrals did not have the black details.  To get some differentiation, I painted the bases of the Northumbrians yellow, which helped, but not really enough. Then I painted the bosses: black for the Neutrals and a stronger Yellow for the Northumbrians, but that still did not do it.  Distinguishing them side-by-side on a painting table was one thing, but quite another when on a crowded playing board when players are focused on other things. I knew that the differences needed to be more distinct. So I added the black shield edges to the Neutrals.  If they were to be sitting on their own on display, I would certainly have left them as is, but form and function took precedence. As far as the painting process...

...I'm not one for acrylics, but I used them given that these were plastic figures that would not be primed.  I first washed them in soapy water, and after letting them sit and dry, I used Warpaints washes on them: Strong Tone for Mercia (blue), Soft Tone for Northumbria (yellow), Wessex (red), and East Anglia (green), and Sepia Tone for the Neutrals. I then highlighted them with a lighter shade of paint base color, brightening them up. I didn't use any wash on the Danes: just a drybrush of gray. 

I then drybrushed them with gray to bring up details and to give them a bit of age and wear. 

I didn't add any paint to the neutrals other than drybrushing them with white, which on top of the Sepia added to the look of bone or ivory.  

I then finished all the figures with a coat of satin acrylic varnish, not only to seal them but to  gave them a touch of shine. I had experimented with gloss, but that was too much. Satin turned out to be the better option, bringing out details and reinforcing the impression of aged, carved playing pieces (that's my story and I'm sticking with it).  

 

My playing pieces on the game board. 

You can see in this image how something extra was needed to separate the Neutrals (top and bottom) from the Northumbrians (center).  If in practice it turns out that they are still not distinct enough,  I'll probably paint the bases of the Neutrals black. For now, I'll hold off and see how this combination works out. 

I hope to gather a few likely lads and get this on the table in the near future!

Exceslior!

CLUB GAME DAY: MONGOL INVASION OF HUNGARY (LION RAMPANT II)

 

The Club 2026 Game Day Game In Progress: a Lion Rampant II mega game..

Following up from the previous post, here is the report on our club's 2026 Game Day game. We've had a team of five club members working to put this together since January. I was the coordinator, responsible for the overall scheme and structure of the "big picture" connecting and regularizing action across the tables, and the logistics on the day (the room layout, the rules briefing, the catering, and helping out game masters to facilitate play as needed). As usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX in this report.

THE SCHEME

We set up the game with action on three fronts, each on its own table, but the fronts were connected, so there was a mechanism to transit units to an adjacent front (incurring some delay). The concept was a Mongol advance towards a frontier capital. Table 1 would be the main approach, with a conventional pitched battle on a 12 foot long table with the Western/Hungarians defending and the Mongols trying to drive them back. Table 2 represented another front, with a key position on the approach to the objective, the loss of which would seriously compromise the Western/ Hungarian posture in the region and open the way for a Mongol advance. Table 3 represented a raid/foraging operation, with the defenders trying to gather in food and supplies to stock the defense of the city ahead of the Mongols, who were trying to capture the material for their own use or to burn it to deny it to the defense. The OOBs and victory conditions on each table were left to the assigned game masters. At the macro level, the decision would be simple: victory would go to the side that won on two tables out of three (or all three, if it was a sweep). 

SETTING UP

The Game Masters Arrive.

Setting up their tables: upper left, Charlie, Table 3; upper right, AJ, Table 2; and  Ralph, Table 1...

...Phil, the club secretary, also arrived early, setting up the all-important coffee and donut station. 

THE MUSTER

Club members arrive and take in the proceedings, and the coffee and donuts...

...after the situation and rules briefing, players picked sides and took up positions at the tables. There were eight players on Table 1, five players on Table 2, and four players on Table 3. 

TABLE 1 (THE PITCHED BATTLE)

Ralph giving the game briefing. 

Left: The Mongols, from left to right, Byron, Earl, and Jordan (not pictured off camera to the left, Phil). Right: the Hungarians/Westerners, from left to right, Scott, Michael, Rob, and Gregg. Being the main effort, the Great Khan (Earl), was on this table, as was King Bella of Hungary (Michael). 

This was the largest of the games, with eight players and 40 units on a 12 foot table. It was a hammer and tongs affair all day long, winning being a combination of taking ground and eliminating units, with the decision going to the Mongols.  At the far end of the table (in blue and white shirt), Mike C can be seen, who was co-game master, taking care of business at the far end of the table. 

TABLE 2 (THE KEY POSITION)

AJ giving the game briefing, the key terrain being control of the large hill complex and the river crossing. 

Left: the Mongols (from left to right, Buddy and Mike). Right: the Hungarian/ Westerners (from left to right, Greg, Dr Dick, and Bob).

The action on this table was a mixture of head on combat and sweeping maneuver by the Mongol light cavalry to seize a late opportunity to capture the bridge. In the end, this went to the last die roll of the last turn, with the decision going to the Hungarians/ Westerners. 

TABLE 3 (THE RAID/FORAGE EFFORT)

Charlie giving the game briefing. John Mac, seated at right (club president), played on the Western side along with George (not pictured). The action on this table involved seizing and escorting livestock and other targets off the table edge (or preventing same), as well as whacking a few of the opposing forces, of course. This was the smallest of the games, with four players. 

The Mongol raiders: from left to right, Chris and Gordon. 

In the later stages of this game, both sides decided to march one of their warbands off to the center table (Table 1), where they essentially arrived late and negated each other, not influencing the outcome there. However, the thinning of units on an already open table opened the door for a Hungarian/ Western comeback, leading to a series of chess like moves between John and Gordon in the closing stages of the day, with another nail biter going down to the last turn, with John being able to keep moving the deciding herd just out of reach of Gordon's pursuing Mongol light cavalry unit, exiting the board at the end and pulling out a Western victory by 2 points here.  

CONCLUSION

For those who have been keeping score, the final result was a Hungarian /Western victory, gaining a winning decision on 2 of the 3 tables, thus turning back the Mongol incursion. We were prepared for a larger turn out: the wing tables were capable of handling 6 players (and were flexible by design so we could adjust, as was the case, with 5 and 4 players). Even with a few members having family and other issues that kept them away, we still had 19 players (and 5 game masters) in attendance, so I think we can count it a fine club showing, regardless--enough to support this large game without any compromises. Sometimes, it's easy to take such things for granted given that there are gamers who can't even find others to game with on a regular basis, let alone engage in multi-player games. And of course, it was grand day out, with a room full of friends and guests among tables loaded with toy soldiers. 

Excelsior!