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| Prussian form up in front of the burning Zorndorf |
The purpose of this battle pictorial is to set the visual scene and whet an appetite for the upcoming clash between Frederick and Fermor on the fields of Zorndorf. Zorndorf represents a big battle with about 1,500 figures on the table.
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| Battle Deployments |
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| Battle lines are drawn Prussians (left) Russians (right) |
- Pull troops from their storage boxes and verify that the historical dispositions would actually fit into the confines of the tabletop battlefield. They did!
- Focus on hammering out details of scenario design with an emphasis on troop strengths and ratings and leader ratings. That "rough-in" was accomplished too!
- Verify that all troops needed were present and accounted for. For the Prussians, I discovered that one more command stand and a few more hussars are needed to complete the OB. For the Russians, a handful of Observation Corps infantry are all that remains.
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| Russian First Line |
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| Prussians arrayed for battle |
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| In the background, a view of the long Russian lines |
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| Manteuffel, Kanitz, and Marschall on Prussian left |
This is going to be quite something and the culmination of a lot of work. I always spend a bit of time looking at your Battle Deployment photos - good presentation. Looking forward to the clash!
ReplyDeleteNorm, this should be a fun exercise for everyone. Jake did a terrific job in fielding his Russians in eight months. The long lines of troops on display at the gaming table are a rewarding sight.
DeleteA great "appetite whetting" Jonathan - looking forward to the main event with bated breath!
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteSplendid looking setup for the game and very impressive with all those troops.
ReplyDeleteAll of those troops lined up for battle is an impressive sight to me as well.
DeleteImpressive set up there Jonathan, looks like it will be a cracking game!
ReplyDeleteThanks! We are hoping for a closely contested battle just like the historical version.
DeleteVery, very impressive, Jonathan! Best wishes on the anniversary refight!
ReplyDeleteZorndorf looks like the battle outcome could go either way.
DeleteHow very Age of Reason: a stately deployment and then the clash! Looks rather alot for two players to swallow. Are you going to have others involved?
ReplyDeleteThe deployment does look stately, no? Long thin lines of troops spanning a large battlefield.
DeleteFour players will likely participate but since Honours of War only activates one formation at a time, two players will work without trouble.
Looking great as always :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it Michal. Is Zorndorf a battllefield you have visited?
DeleteThe spectacle is even more impressive in real life. I admit that part of the 'long conversation' part was my reticence to leave. I just enjoyed taking in the breadth of the completed project.
ReplyDeleteWe will need to a few iterations of the game for no other reason than the fact the Russians are entirely comprised of freshly painted, unblooded models. Under the rules of fate that govern such thing that leaves them doomed to defeat for their first outing. Unless we can break the curse?
The Thin Red Lines of Russians is, indeed, an impressive sight. You have about 13 linear feet of Russian infantry deployed on the table. That is an impressive feat in eight months. That total does no count your artillery or cavalry either. With those added in, doubly impressive!
DeleteI look forward to fighting this battle multiple times.
It is more impressive in person!
Delete13 feet... not a good sign for breaking the curse. I just finished reading he Osprey book on the battle. So many different interpretations on the same battle. I may find myself coming back to this one a few more times over the years.
DeleteWe will have time to try out many what-ifs! The historical decisions and outcome always make more sense to me after having recreated it on the gaming table.
DeleteAnd with all the troops you need, it may be a bopon that you could explore various permutations and interpretations using the same terrain!
DeletePeter, "bopon?" I think I need a translation before I can respond!
DeleteI looked it up. It is the accusative form of the Esperanto term "bopo" which means "Uncountable" It may be a reference to the infinite possibilities within infinite permutations available to us based on the size and disposition of the troops available.
DeleteThat or his auto-correct is a bigger pain the @#$% than mine...
That is really funny!
DeleteThe workings of my auto-correct are troublesome too.
LOL! Just a simple typo this time; drop the "p" and it is a "boon". :-)
DeleteMost impressive Jonathan! That's going to be one heck of a fight!
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Impressive, for sure! As Dartfrog says above, it is even more impressive in person.
DeleteA lovely looking set up Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteIt looks a fun game... looking forward to seeing the action...
All the best. Aly
Thank you, Aly. Win, lose, or draw, it will be fun and challenging.
DeleteGreat looking set up, that's an impressive amount of Russians in such a short time!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Jake did a superb job cranking out the Russians but I knew he would. He is always a motivated partner in a group build project.
DeleteThis is a superb looking set up. Looking forward to future posts on this.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Ross
Although I had examined the Russian OB, I was still surprised by the number units pulled out of the boxes and plopped into long lines on the table. I expect many more posts with respect to Zorndorf.
DeleteThat all looks superb, and it will be great watching how all this plays out.
ReplyDeleteStay tuned, Lawrence!
DeleteA truly splendid looking table. A mjkr tip of the tricorn toNaje for getting all of these Russians done on time!
ReplyDeletePerhaps some tweak of the rules allowing one activation per player or some such might be worth considering for such a big game?
in order for such a big game?
Yes, Jake did great work on his Russians.
DeleteLet me give your activation idea some thought...
Yikes- typing comments on a cell phone made even worse typos than usual. I don't know the rules you use enough to be able to say how such a change would affect the system.
DeleteI have the same problem when responding via iPad. Autocorrect is sometimes more hindrance than help!
DeleteOw, wow! That is HUGE!
ReplyDeleteIt is! Should be fun challenge.
DeleteWait, are you able to leave a 12 x 6 table up until the end of the month?!!
ReplyDeleteMarvelous set up. I did not appreciate how big the scenario was. Quite an accomplishment!
Yes, I have a dedicated game room where a 12x6 table is always present. Games can remain on table as needed. The Foz d'Arouce scenario had been on display for three months. The table is a permanent fixture to the room where troops or hobby clutter are always on display.
DeleteA grand looking table Jonathan. A large game always makes a worthy target for a project compketion.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark. A large game is a great project motivator.
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