1870 somewhere in France at a fictional fortress town ...

... 10mm, Franco- Prussian War, fictional, set at the end of the imperial phase, with a little bit of snow onset befitting the first game of the year 2025 in the club.

... Bart, Campbell and Gordon were fighting for the French emperor while Alisdair Andy and Tim were fighting for the last Prussian King.

The French army was beaten and herded into the illusional safety of a fictional fortress town, while the Prussian war machine was following  on their heels to encircle the army and end the war. Crucial for the win would be to occupy all streets for the Prussians and one only for the French to escape. Unit losses would be secondary.

The Prussians were fast, but not fast enough, their attacks were piecemeal, which is always a sign of dithering, which prevented them to block all streets. The rest of their actions were confined to try to block or attack that crucial road and were futile because the Krupps weren't in the right position to reach.

At the end the town was untenable but the French were able to retreat through a free road, to fight another day.

Vive la France!

The French fleeing into town

The Prussians on their heels

The only escape route is quickly crowded

The Prussian are near the road ...

The Prussians coming in from the east ...

But the French managed to built up a defense line to the road

And on the otherside they send in troops ... to die ...

While the town gets pounded ...

Especially Alisdair with a complete Brigade was content just to block

At the end of the time, the French had secured a rescue road out of the siege.

The Battle at Miracle-Ville 1870 - FPW - Big Sunday Game!!!

This Sunday it was 10mm, Franco-Prussian War, Valour & Fortitude PLUS some amended army sheets in the valley of all the most famous wines in the region. Mike was this time fighting for the Prussian King and I was defending Napoleon III.

We played Scharnhorst, the Intro game for Sam Mustafa's game Bluecher to prepare the positions and intros for our little fictional battle. I must say it worked quiet well, first Mikes Prussians were too far too quick into the (mini pre-)game, so he had points more than me, but we didn't played for a campaign. So then I choose the battle field quite wisely thus cancelling out 1 complete Prussian division to enter the battle at all!!

Then I had only 2 colonna on the field while Mikes Prussians had 3, but I outnumbered him 5 to 4 AND my colonnas came in quite quickly and through an outflanking (I had achieved on "Scharnhorst") he had to give up a village already and try to focus on his left flank.

It was a spectacular experience as the size of the table (8x6) really forced us to manouver and to think how we march up to battle. Despite he mentioning multiple times his lack of understanding of the tactics of this particular era, he managed to allocate to me 3 black spots. The overall unit losses were also more on the French side. BUT he could not take the first village on my left flank and would probably have no troops to defend the last village either. 

The French just pressed onwards and fired a withering storm of lead into the Prussian lines. The overal transit state of the Prussian tactical position was especially in the centre a mess! Even when the Krupp guns on the hill would take out piece by piece of the French, he lacked the second division to press his advantage.

So after a long fight he conceded defeat - The French would have  encircled the Prussians, mon dieu!

Who would have thought that? And I was delighted to prove my point that indeed the French (even with a shitty command system) can win.

The initial set up ... a difficult position indeed!

The Prussians advance ...

And try to refuse the flank ...

But lose the village "Chablis" ...

The cavalry tries to plug the gaps ...

And the Prussian attack on "Moselle" begins ...

But the curse of the Chassepot ...

Continuos firing ...

Forces the Prussians to overcommit in the centre ...

While the French defender fall with Moselle ... too slow ...

Even the Death Skull Hussars can't turn the tide ...

Mosell is becoming a fragile position ...

But the centre becomes a killing field ...

A strategical resounding victory for the French! Vive l'Emperor!

Somewhere in France between some grapes - 1870 - Franco-Prussian War

Let the 10mm out! Time for a fictional battle and Valour & Fortitude FPW testing! And I also slaughtered my bathing mat.

Bart, Campbell and Gordon were defending the ailing Emperor and some good wine villages, while me, Mike, Peter and Time were fighting for the soon to be Emperor with the shitty wine villages. Scenario principles were easy V&F rules plus every BUA 1 VP. some Infantry brigades/ Divisions were on table, some Infantry and cavalry would come later in as reserves.

Tim was our CinC and IF we had a plan it was so cunning I totally forgot about it. we marched forward until we reached the usual range of the chassepot and stayed clear of them. Then our flanks advanced and tried a pincer movement. Our Artillery wasn't that good and concentrated as we wished it would be, but due to some real Napoleonic Grognards in the leadership style of our enemy, their actual plan TOTALLY FAILED. We put pressure on them, or shot their efforts to pieces. Campbells flank attack was a desaster and Peter blocked them successfully. Gordone Cavalry attack was successfully bottlenecked by Mike and me.

In the end we won by minimal margin, 1 VP, IF we would had more time it would have been a French disaster, but the Prussians were wise and hesitant this time. ;)

The Rules seem to be a wonderful quick and easy/dirty solution for a multiple gamer club night - BUT the army sheets needed a bit of amending (prone; gun ranges accurate but not all that were effective etc...)

But we had a lot of fun,

Initial deployment

Gordons Garde cavalry get stuck between les bois ...

Campbells French advance as well ...

Quite frank in the open - the French line ...

Peter comes to block the French ...

Bart relative unusual defensive centre ...

Amassing chassepots and mitrailleuse as defense ...

Battle of the Bois de chateux de pleurre ...

The Prussians advance ...

Peter was able to block the advance ...

Mikes Cavalry was able to even bypass Gordons guards ...

We would have free range gun shooting before Mikes charge BUT that was the last turn ...

1870 - FPW fictional fortress town not in French hands - but almost!

10mm, Franco-Prussian War again this time the Prussians, outnumbered, had to defend a town and two small fortresses agains the French Guard corps and another division. We used/tested my new rules "Second Empire" for that. Bart was with Gordon and Alisdair on the French side and me Andrew and Tim were fighting for Prussians Glory! The collection of miniatures (Pendraken) was mine.

The scenario was impossible to win for the Frenchies simply because of the time restraints, but they came pretty close. The 3rd corp was sitting on a road / and a small town surrounded by hills with a few fortresses, that needed to be cleard for the retreating French army. The Guard corp just got half a corps as auxilliaries to do the task! Allez!

The advance was a bit slow (NOTE: and I really should think of introducing multiple moves!! including faster moves for skirmisher!). Gordon and Bart Came down from the left with heavy artillery and loads of infantry, while Andrew, in charge of the Prussian cavalry division, and Tim in charge as CinC and commander of the hill fortress and the other division faced the cavalry of the guard of Alisdair and the cavalry reserve on our right flank.

First we peppered them with some gun shots, but my dicing was abysmal. Then Alisdair invoked THE cavalry battle which turned into a major slaughter on the right flank, but Tim in exchange for the complete division of cavalry held the line (NOTE: to upgrade the cavalry a tiny bit, they were fragile, but no eggshells either!).

Then finally Bart centre attack was coming down, his troops stayed outside the needle gun range and raked my lines. The most devastating effect had the conservative flanking attack from Gordon, he just annihilated my left and the gate for occupying the left fortress and the small town would be achievable in the next three turns. BUT thanks to the time out, that did not happened.

49 Prussian bases vs 38 French bases "killed" speaks a clear message, the moral victory definitively belongs to Napoleon III! Congratulations, Bart, Gordon and Alisdair!

I have to tinker a bit again with the rules for the next time, but it goes smoother everytime...

The initial set up

Alisdairs Imperial Horse Guard

The Prussian centre

My left flank looks thin already

The French commanders, Gordon, Bart and Mad Alisdair!

We got to the road and the order to defend it

All quiet on the hill

The French are coming!

On the right ...

and in the centre...

slowy they come nearer and the shooting starts ...

unfortunenately out of range of my needle guns

BUT in range of the chassepots ...

The town defended by Krupp guns ... that did not hit this time ...

The Prussians are going prone!

The French left flank crosses the (minor) river ...

Leve en masse!

The attack begins and my Prussians start melting away ...

my few guns are silenced ...

and complete regiments are wiped out ...

The attack on the centre town only begins ...

Less and less Prussians on the map...

On the right the cavalry clashes!

A massacre the casualties are running high!

The left Prussian flank ceased to exist...

But the centre and right hold ...

49 Prussian losses

38 French losses