WELCOME TO THE WARGAMORIUM BLOG

Welcome to the Wargamorium Blog.

The Wargamorium is situated in a sub-terrainean location north of the Waterloo battlefield.  The table is 16 foot by 6 foot making it suitable only for historical games (i.e. no gollywobblers!).

The Poteshnyi in the tag line above is a reference to a group assembled by the young Tsar Peter the Great to play out wargames so that he could study the art of war and fortifications. See post below.

At the moment I have armies for

10mm Medievals 1300 to 1493.  Generic forces suitable for a number of nationalities
Franco Spanish War 1635 to 1659 (French and Spanish),
War of the Spanish Succession (French and Allied),
Seven Years War (French and Allied),
Russo Turkish War 1787 – 1792 (Russians only so far),
French Revolution (French, Austrians, Russians),
Napoleonics (French, French Allies, 1805 Russians, 1805/09 Austrians and both 1806 and 1815 Prussians),
Crimean War 1854-56 (French, British and Russians),
Franco Austrian War 1859 (French and Austrians),
Franco Prussian War 1870 (French and German States),
World War One 1914 (French, BEF, Belgians and Germans) and
World War Two 1940 (French and Germans).

5 new additions to the WARGAMORIUM commissariat.

 

 

A gift from my loyal descendants.  Tea has never tasted so good.

A step towards equality among the attendees.

MEDIEVALS – POLES versus MONGOLS

 

Last night saw our second attempt at a medieval game using the Kallistra Hordes and Heroes Medieval rules which can be downloaded for free from their website. This time though we used 15mm Poles versus Mongols, (all supplied and painted by Martin) although the bases still fit neatly onto the Kallistra Hexes so it was not a problem.

The Mongols dictated the game from the beginning moving very quickly and unleashing deadly hails of arrows into the slower moving Polish ranks.  The Mongol light cavalry could also evade if the Poles came too close although there were melees with the Mongol heavy cavalry who were also armed with bows. On one occasion one of the Mongol generals got too close to the Polish cavalry who charged and eliminated him but the Mongols were able to manage just as well with one general especially as he could move 5 hexes per move (20” or 50cm) and then had a command radius of a further 5 hexes. The Polish generals had 3 hexes movement and 3 hexes command radius so were cumbersome and slow by comparison and when the Mongols eliminated one of the two  Polish generals the entire Polish right flank was left immobile. All of this reflected the historical reality.

In the game the Mongols easily outmanoeuvred the Poles who split their line into two separate wings to deal with the two attacks but their left both wings with exposed flanks which the Mongols quickly exploited.  Both wings were surrounded and the entire Polish force, including both generals were swiftly eliminated.  The Poles did put up a brave fight but to no avail.  There were few survivors.

Next week we plan to play the same game but with the players reversed so it should be interesting.

A few photographs

 

 

 

 

 

12mm MEDIEVALS on HEX TERRAIN

Last night saw our first medieval game and our first game using 12mm figures.  These figures are all from Kallistra in the UK.  Not only have they a great range but their mail order service is second to none.  We chose figures from their 100 Years War range because they can be used for a wide variety of armies across a number of conflicts and I did not use any national symbols or emblems so that they can represent French, English, Breton, Burgundian, Flemish, Gascon etc.

In addition the game is played on Kallistra’s own hex terrain which has a number of advantages (no measuring being the main one) but take a bit of getting used to.  I have to say that painting 12mm figures is a whole new experience for me and I painted 984 figures in only 6 weeks.  That would take me a year in 15mm.

The rules – Hordes and Heroes Medieval – are free to download from the Kallistra website together with a comprehensive set of army lists and other rules support backed up by an active forum.  They also have a free set of siege rules and sell castles and other fortifications to scale.  That is for another day however as we focused on learning the basic tabletop battle rules first.

The first thing I have to say is that the rules appear to be very simple on first reading but in fact they are far more subtle than they seem. Kallistra say they are working on a second version and I hope they will produce some rule numbering, cross referencing and more examples of play.  Indeed the examples could be separate at the end of the rules so that the size of the rulebook could be reduced for playing.  These are all minor criticisms however.  The basic mechanisms are easy and fast flowing and we finished our first game in an evening.  Familiarity with the rules will speed up future games.  We did encounter a few issues which we felt were not clear and we devised a few house amendments to deal with these.  However, as our understanding of the rules improved with play, we found that the need for such amendments diminished and I suspect that they will disappear altogether after a few more games.

The first test game consisted of a flat open plain so as not to complicate matters and the army lists produced a French army of mounted knights with some units of crossbowmen versus an English army comprised mainly of knights on foot and the legendary longbow men complete with their protective stakes. With thoughts of Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt in mind the English formed up in a defensive line while the French mounted knights left their crossbowmen trailing behind while they charged forward to glory.

The outcome however was not as feared.  The longbow men proved to be not quite as lethal as their historical counterparts and although their stakes did provide some advantage it was not enough to stop the knights.  Obviously the secret is to combine the fire of a number of longbow units each time which is not always easy.  We liked the two part melee process but we did find it a little confusing in places however the dice decided most cases. The use of Generals was more advantageous to the defence and their participation in melee proved very decisive every time.

We learned a lot from our test game and will apply those lessons to our second game which is scheduled for next week.  I will however have to add more infantry other than knights regardless of their historical accuracy as the proportions in my current forces are too strong.

Below are a few photographs to give an idea of the test game.

French knights start their advance

French knights break through the first line of defence

English longbow men prepare to defend their stakes

French knights continue

Mounted versus foot knights

French crossbowmen trailing behind never reached the combat

FRANCO SPANISH WAR 1635 to 1659.

 

Mounted Arquebusier 1643

 

Last night we decided to take a break from Napoleonics and to have another game set in the Franco Spanish War of 1635 to 1659 using the brilliant Tercio rules from Liber Militum.  I have posted links to these already.

Once again we were really impressed by these although we have confined ourselves to the basic rules and have left out the Commanders’ characteristics. All the figures are from Totentanz Miniaturas and they are truly splendid.  The photographs definitely do not do them justice as I am  rubbish photographer and the lighting is overhead fluorescent strips.

We did not create a scenario as such so it could be called an encounter battle.  The Spanish have 6 Tercios and are facing 9 French ‘Reformed Battalions’ which are smaller  but more numerous.  The amount of cavalry and artillery on both sides is equal.

The rules mechanisms are simple and yet subtle and with careful study provide a great game.  The main emphases however are on the initiative and above all the order system.  This consists of order cards which have to be allocated to each unit at the beginning of every move and this not only commits that unit to a specific action but also lists their possible reactions to any enemy movement. It is a well thought out system and we have not felt the need to make one single amendment or house rule of our own. The only addition we made was to create a better playsheet than the one provided which we felt was essential.  The rules are so simple that we use only the playsheet for most of the time.

Although by the time of the Franco Spanish War the Tercios were losing their dominance of the battlefield they were still very formidable formations both in offence and defence and could see off both enemy infantry and cavalry with ease. They are of course slightly less manoeuvrable and more vulnerable to fire which is the only real way to defeat them so the French player will have his work cut out for him. All of these elements are well reflected in the rules.

The game is confined to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 moves so decisions have to be made quickly unless the player wants to lose by default.  This stops games from dragging on to the last man and we thought it is a good idea.

Some photographs below:

French cavalry squadrons on the move

Spanish Tercio awaiting orders

 

 

An aerial view of the Tercios on the move. Each Tercio has a total of 32 figures all on one base!

Tercios in chequer board formation.

Spanish battery in action

The Spanish Commander in Chief with his staff.

French ‘Reformed Battalions’ – smaller than the Tercios but more numerous in the game.

A French battery in action.  The rules restrict the number of guns and they are not very powerful.

The French Commander in Chief – the Great Condé – and his staff.

A move counter specially made for the game.

ESR2 – WERTINGEN 1805

 

French Dragoons charge at Wertingen 1805

Last night in the Wargamorium we had our first proper game using the second edition of Et Sans Résultat or ESR2.  The rules are set at Corps level and are quite different to what we are used to and so it took some time and discussion to get going.  We did not have enough time to finish our first game so we have left it set up until next week.

The game was chosen from the campaign booklet for 1805 called ‘Roll Up That Map’ which contains scenarios for 5 battles in the Ulm phase and another 6 battles in the Austerlitz phase of the campaign. The first is Wertingen in October and this was the initial clash between Napoleon’s Grande Armée and the Austrian Army.  The author says that this is an ideal battle for two players at beginner level which is us.

I cheated a little by increasing the size of the Austrian Force and I gave them some artillery but this was so that we could try out as many elements of the rules as possible rather than worrying about who wins or loses this test game.

The main emphasis is on the Command Phase and we found out quite quickly how important the Order system is.  In fact the Command Phase requires most attention as the subsequent phases – Movement, Fire and Close Combat are very streamlined and move quite smoothly after some practice. We did encounter some minor problems but these did not stop the game. The author operates a Yahoo group for the rules and answered my queries within a few hours.

The game started with an Austrian ‘Force’ which had just arrived at the village of Wertingen in Bavaria north east of Ulm. Their commander – Auffenberg – did not realise the French were so close and was surprised when 2 French  Dragoon Divisions appeared across the stream east of his position. The French had attack orders and immediately started towards him bypassing the village and heading for his cavalry behind.  It was obvious that they were going to try to separate the Austrians inside the village from the rest of their command.  The French have overrun two isolated Austrian batteries already and are moving at full speed towards their target.  The game continues next week.

The first requirement. I made this and screwed it to the table as it is important for the different scenarios.

The two French Dragoon Divisions cross the stream. Their commander is Exelmans.

The village of Wertingen lightly garrisoned by the Austrians. The French Dragoons can be seen in the top left of the photograph.

A bird’s eye view of the village and the attacking Dragoons. Austrian cavalry and infantry can be seen behind the village nearest the camera.

Another view of the French Dragoons. There are two Divisions comprising 20 squadrons.

Austrian cavalry and to their right  Grenadiers awaiting the assault.

More Austrian reserves on the hill behind the village.

Another bird’s eye view of the combat.

Some markers made especially for the game. These are not essential but we prefer to reduce paperwork to a minimum.

 

ET SANS RÉSULTAT (ESR) Napoleonic wargame rules review

ET SANS RÉSULTAT  (ESR) is a comparatively new and exciting ruleset from The Wargaming Company designed to reflect Napoleonic battles at Army and Corps Commander level.  The title comes from a quote from Marshal Ney after the slaughter at Eylau in 1807 –  “Quel Massacre! Et sans résultat!”

Each player is a Force Commander (Corps or equivalent) and controls a number of Formations (infantry and cavalry divisions, together with relevant back up such as engineers or pontonniers etc.).

Each Corps Commander activates an ‘Objective Order’ from the Army Commander and he in turn issues ‘Directive Orders’ which are activated for each Division under his command. The Corps Commander can intervene to ensure that the Divisional components carry out their orders to his requirements. This is done through a system called ‘leader actions’. This is a key factor in the rules as the Corps Commander can choose from a range of 10 ‘leader actions’ such as taking personal command of a unit, calling up the engineers, creating a grand battery (if he has the ability to do so) rallying units etc.

Divisions can be either ployed (in column of march) for speedy movement or deployed (in battle formation) to fight. The commander’s skill is in deciding when to deploy for battle as the length of time to do this is unpredictable. These are the only two formations as columns, lines, squares or loose order are all below the scope of these rules.

Each move comprises 4 steps – COMMAND, MOVEMENT, FIRE and COMBAT.  Three such moves represents an hour.  Movement is simultaneous and there is a choice of ground scales to suit your armies or table size.  Infantry battalions, cavalry regiments and artillery batteries are each represented by one base.

COMMAND. This is the main emphasis of the game – the orders you give, their activation and the way they are carried out.

MOVEMENT is very simplified to speed up the game. This includes ploying and deploying your Divisions.

FIRE  and COMBAT resolution is also simplified and has the effect of inflicting Fatigue points on opposing Divisions. This can result in Divisions retreating or even breaking.

Overall each player is required to make Corps Commander decisions rather than getting mired in the minutiae of formations, fire and combat. Forward planning and anticipation are the main skills required. This, together with the simplified fire and combat resolution, ensures a fast moving game.

The rules come complete with plenty of examples and a very comprehensive playsheet which alone is sufficient after a few games. There is also a very complete glossary and a section called ‘Raising and Army’ which explains the organisation of the main armies of the period together with a very detailed lists of Commander ratings and Troop gradings.

The rules are available in Europe from Magister Militum and are backed up by a Facebook Page and an active Yahoo Group where the author – David Ensteness  – will very promptly answer any rules queries.

1918 EXTENDING THE BRIDGEHEAD

 

SECOND MARNE GERMAN BRIDGEHEAD 1918

Our latest game was set in the Marne bridgehead in 1918 which the Germans had established and consolidated before attempting to push farther into France.  This was all part of the great German 1918 offensive and was the nearest they got to Paris and to victory. This offensive was stopped and driven back by the French armies under Foch with the assistance of American, British and Italian contingents not to mention hundreds and hundreds of FT17 tanks..

The game was played using house rules and 20mm old IT Figures which I bought over 25 years ago and which have remained forgotten ever since.

The game started with the French deployed and visible to all but not a German to be seen.  They had the advantage of hidden movement having taken up their positions during the night ready to launch a surprise dawn attack.  The German player therefore had to note the location of his forces on a map and place them on the table only as they became visible. Of course they were hidden in the woods nearest the French lines so that shooting started in Move 1 and the casualties mounted quickly.

Not knowing where to expect the enemy the French defence was spread out across the width of the table but of course the Germans concentrated their attack and after 5 or 6 moves the result was clear and after losing over 50% casualties the French commander pulled back leaving the ground to the victorious Germans.

No trenches in this area at this time as the fighting took place in open country.

The rules were simple and fast moving and overall gave a very good game and an enjoyable evening.

Germans emerge from the woods

Stormtroopers occupy a building.

A French platoon defending a walled area.

A French platoon in a wood awaiting orders.

French defending a ruined building.

More Germans emerge to turn the French left.

A complete German company waiting orders to follow up.

 

GENDARMERIE DE FRANCE DURING THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

Gendarme de France

SEVEN YEARS WAR  –  THE GENDARMERIE DE FRANCE

During the Seven Years War the Gendarmerie de France ranked immediately after the Maison du Roi. They were always placed in the first line to the left of the Maison du Roi

The Gendarmerie de France consisted of 16 companies – 10 Gendarmes and 6 Chevau-légers. They were grouped into 8 squadrons based on the distinctive colours of the sashes worn over their left shoulders.

The Gendarmes de France fought as a ‘regiment’ in Germany during the Seven Years War and comprised 1240 men plus their officers.

The composition of the 8 squadrons and the date of their creation was as follows:-

1^st Squadron – Gendarmes Écossais (1422)  and Gendarmes de Bourgogne (1690)

2^nd Squadron  – Gendarmes Anglais (1667) and Chevau-légers de Bourgogne (1690)

3^rd Squadron  – Gendarmes Bourguignons (1668) and Gendarmes d’Aquitaine (1669)

4^th Squadron  – Gendarmes de Flandres (1673)  and Chevau-légers d’Aquitaine (1690

5^th Squadron  – Gendarmes de la Reine (1661)  and Gendarmes de Berry (1690)

6^th Squadron  – Chevau-légers de la Reine (1664)  and Chevau-légers de Berry (1690)

7^th Squadron  – Gendarmes du Dauphin (1665)  and Gendarmes d’Orléans (1647)

8^th Squadron  – Chevau-légers du Dauphin (1663)  and Chevau-légers d’Orleans (1655)

Each company had its own distinctive guidon.  These can be seen in the photographs below and were purchased from Maverick Models UK. The figures are all 18mm Eureka SYW French from Fighting 15s.

The sixteen companies of the Gendarmes de France divided into 8 squadrons.

The Gardes du Corps of the Maison du Roi with the Gendarmerie drawn up behind.

The Gendarmes de France – a side view showing the different guidon for each of the 16 companies.

The Gendarmes in column.

The Gendarmes with the Gardes du Corps of the Maison du Roi behind.

The Gendarmes together with the Gardes du Corps of the Maison du Roi

 

CAVALRY CLASH AT RAMILLIES 1706

 

Last night we played another War of the Spanish Succession game using the slightly tweaked house rules – Big Wigs. This time we did the great cavalry clash at Ramillies with 25 Allied regiments (100 squadrons) versus 23 French regiments (92 squadrons) in the biggest cavalry game I have ever seen on a wargames table.

To make up the numbers I had to use all of my Seven Years War cavalry as well (Old Glory and some Eureka) but they blended in quite well with their WSS counterparts.

The two villages of Taviers and Ramillies were also represented on the table and separate infantry battles also took place over them as otherwise the game would have been just one continuous dice throw for the cavalry melees.

There was little room for manoeuvre as both sides lined up in an impressive array. The allied cavalry won the day however as they used all of their elite cavalry in the front line whereas the French kept their best regiments in reserve.  All of the initial clashes were therefore won by the allies and as French numbers dwindled the Army Morale Test mechanism went against them and the French cavalry withdrew having burned their dice.  There is a lesson to be learnt there.

Some photographs below.  I have included one or two of the infantry as well. (I am a rubbish photographer).

French infantry have fortified the village of Taviers on the French right.

French cavalry drawn up between the villages

French cavalry before the start of the game.

The Allied cavalry in all its splendour

The French cavalry in all its splendour

The Gardes du Corps of the Maison du Roi in reserve.

The cavalries converge.

Danish and Reichsarmee brigades advance towards Taviers

The first cavalry clash took place on the French left

Allied cavalry charge disorganised French Dragoons

Prussian and Dutch cavalry versus French – this time the odds are equal.

Allied cavalry moving up.

WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION The day is won by the Pontonniers!

WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION

The day is won by the Pontonniers!!

After the victory.

Last night we played another WSS games using house rules and 15mm Roundway figures.  To make up the numbers I had to use some Seven Year War figures on both sides.

The scenario was inspired by a Seven Year War battle at Vellinghausen in 1761 with a few amendments to make it a little more exciting.

The table was essentially divided into three by the Lippe river, which was impassable, and a large stream with marshy banks.  In addition there was a second stream, perpendicular to the first,  also with marshy banks just to make things more difficult.

This effectively cut the Allied force into three – right on one side off the stream, centre between the stream and the river and left across the river and cut off from the rest as the only bridge had been destroyed.  The French on the other hand were divided into only two wings – the left wing on one side of the stream and the right wing between the stream and the river.  They had no forces across the river but the Allied player did not know this.  The French player kept throwing dice for reinforcements across the river forcing the Allied player to deploy his artillery just in case.  That was all a French bluff but it kept the Allied player on edge.

The French therefore thought they had a very good chance of destroying the Allied centre with a massive blow thereby separating the Allied left from the Allied right.  The plan was sound but there were some difficulties. The centre was quite narrow and the French could not deploy their superior numbers there and also they did not realise that the Allies had a full pontoon train across the river which was ready and waiting to replace the destroyed bridge.

The second problem for the French was that the left wing failed to activate orders to advance nearly every move.  The French left was formidable and posed an enormous threat to the Allied right but they advanced only once during the entire game.  The outnumbered Allied force realised this after a while and started to move reserves over to the centre.  This was a bizarre situation but this is what happened in the actual battle so it was realistic.

In the centre the French launched their attack from move 1 as they could see the pontonniers setting up and realised they had to drive the Allied centre off the hill before Allied reinforcements could march across the bridge and tip the balance against the French.  The Allied commander immediately started to move the British Brigade across from the right to  increase the Allied defence in the centre. This turned out to be a decisive move in the game.  The Danish Brigade, supported by numerous artillery, pounded away at the advancing French lines while the Austrian Brigade moved around the left flank of the hill to meet the advancing French.

In the meantime the French had deployed their heavy artillery on the road to bring the pontoon bridge under fire in a effort to delay its construction but this met with limited success.

The French lines lost heavily as they approached the hill and in fact they did not reach  it before they started to crumble under the weight of allied fire. Firefights broke out all along the front and the allies, supported by regimental guns and all of their artillery, prevailed.  An Austrian Brigade came around the hill and attacked the French right while a British brigade did the same on the other side of the hill. The French right was eventually shot to pieces and the heavy guns had to be abandoned.  The centre brigade also collapsed under the weight of fire leaving only the French Gardes Françaises to hold back the British while the French survivors fell back.

It was a humiliating defeat for the French.  Their artillery was wasted on the pontoon bridges and they had no room to deploy their cavalry.  The Danes proved to be dogged in defence and the Austrian and British Brigades not only stopped any outflanking attempts by the French but the Austrians actually drove them back and captured the heavy guns.

The heroes of the day however were the Allied pontonniers who worked frantically under fire to build and repair the pontoon bridge so as to get the reinforcements across in time.  Once the Hessians appeared on the bridge the French knew the game was over.

All this time of course the huge French host on the left did nothing and withdrew from the battlefield in commendable order with flags flying.

It was a great game, very exciting and played by two players in one night.

Next week – Battle of Ramillies.

Before the game started. Not the best photograph but you can see the way the table is divided in three by the river and the stream and the perpendicular stream as well. The Allies are on the left and the French on the right of the photograph. You can also see the Allied left across the river and the broken bridge. The fortress in the distance is only for show and was not garrisoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The French left drawn up for battle.

 

The Allied centre moving into position before the battle.

The Allied cavalry on their extreme right.

The Danish Brigade in the Allied centre. Their dogged defence of the hill would play a key role in the battle.

The Allies moving into position to defend the hill in their centre.

The broken bridge over the Lippe river which separated the Allied centre and left.You can see the road here going off the French side of the table.  The Allies were never sure if there were French on that side of the river.  In fact there were not but the chance could not be taken when their force was strung out on the march toward the bridge.

The pontoon train arrived at the broken bridge.

The pontoon train marching up to the river.

Behind the pontoon train the Hessians and British.

British Grenadiers marching towards the pontoon bridge.

The French right started its attack on the Allied centre.

The armies come to blows. It proved to be a bloody contest.

The Austrian Brigade starts it advance in three lines around the hill against the French right.

French heavy artillery set up on the road to fire upon the pontoon bridge in a effort to slow its completion. They had limited success and in fact caused little delay.

The British Brigade cross the stream to reinforce the Allied centre.

Despite the French artillery the pontonniers have nearly completed their work.

The Hessians move up ready to cross the pontoon bridge as soon as it is completed.

In the meantime the Danish Brigade continues to defend the hill against repeated French attacks. They are supported by the Reichsarmee Brigade behind.

A brigade of French Dragoons hovered around the flanks looks for opportunities which never came. There was no scope for cavalry in this game.

A major clash between the Austrian Brigade and the Irish Brigade in the French service. The Wild geese were driven back by the Austrians and the French heavy guns visible here had to be abandoned.

The pontonniers worked frantically to repair damage from the French heavy artillery.

The British Brigade stood like a rock defending the side of the hill.

While all this was going on in the centre the French left eventually advanced and then stopped!

Allied cavalry started to move over to the centre when it was obvious that the French left was no longer a serious threat.

The British Brigade faced off against the Gardes Françaises. By this stage the French had collapsed and the Gardes were really only covering their retreat.

The pontoon bridge is now finished and the Hessians have started to cross. The numbers are now against the French anyway.

An overview of the completed pontoon bridge. The pontonniers were the heroes of the battle.