Hebrew/Israelite Infantry

Back to the Biblicals!  With a late fall push of putting more troops into the field for the Assyrian Wars project, one last unit remains to add to the project before my attention diverts to other projects.  This time, a dozen Hebrew/Israelite infantry march off the painting desk to join the growing pile of units for this project.  Figures are Newline Designs.  Sculpting is a bit more rounded in nature than Foundry but still quite good sculpting.  I plan to use these as additions to either Assyrian or Egyptian armies.  

I have more 28mm figures on the painting desk to work through before turning my attention back to 18mm projects.  Early research on an OB for Trebbia 1799 shows that more Russians will be needed for the battle.  Russians needed will consist primarily of fielding more combined grenadier battalions.  Seems Suvorov brought a good many of the combined formations with him to Switzerland and Italy.  Three such battalions will be under work soon.  A resupply from Eureka will be needed before any more battalion can be thrust into the painting queue.  Before those hit the painting queue, more early French in bicornes as well as one more battalion of Polish Legion will see activity at the painting desk.  I have yet to assess the cavalry needed for Trebbia.

Battle of Telamon, 225 BC with TtS!

With the Society of Ancients (SoA) planning the Battle of Telamon for its 2019 Battle Day, my interest was piqued.  It might be fun to stage this battle and compare our groups' results with the other participants.  Even without the advantage of having SoA's Slingshot describing the battle yet in-hand, Scott jumped at the chance to field his Romans and Gauls in a test of To the Strongest!.  Scott quickly rebased his troops and set upon creating an Order of Battle and layout for the game.

On game day, we arrived to see the battle laid out with scenario and OB presented.  The table showed a large Gallic force surrounded on three sides by Romans with a low hill and woods hindering the only avenue of escape.  The Gauls were trapped!  Look at the beautiful brushwork on Scott's Gauls.  Wonderful check and plaid patterns.  The Gauls comprised two forces.  I commanded the van while Scott took command of the rear.     

The Gauls

Gallic van

The Roman commands were divided between Austin's northern blocking force and Kevin's southern blocking force.  The Roman cavalry and light infantry harassing the Gallic rear were split between the two Roman generals. 

Regulus' command on the north

As the battle begins, the Gauls are slow to shake out from their columns.  The van under my command was particularly challenged to turn anything over that was not an ace for the first few turns.  The exception to this lethargy was the cavalry in the van.  They head off to take the high ground before Regulus' northern force could gain a foothold.  The Romans waste little in harassing the rear column.  Roman cavalry attempts to outflank the Gallic column before it can deploy.

Roman cavalry envelope the Gallic rear

Roman cavalry attack!

The Gallic cavalry in the van reach the hillock first.  The Romans counter with hastati but are driven off by the Gallic horsemen.  As the Northern and Southern Roman pincers begin to close on the Gauls, the Gallic van finally snaps into action.

Gauls begin to scatter in all directions

Gauls turn to face their enemy

The Gallic cavalry in the front tease the approaching Romans but withdraw to safety before the Roman heavy infantry can close.  As Regulus' infantry chases the Gallic cavalry off the hill, they expose their flank.  The Gallic cavalry turn and strike as the Gallic van closes.  One legion is destroyed and a second badly mauled. 

Romans expose a flank while the Gauls expose even more.

Gauls close

The Gallic rear column has not been idle.  Splitting their force, all opposing Roman cavalry are chased off.  Hastati fall to the Gauls.  With the Roman cavalry in the Gallic rear now showing signs of wavering, the Gallic warbands press on.  These cavalry are scattered to both north and south.  In the pursuit, Regulus' camp is taken. 

Gauls pressuring the Romans

Back to the action in the van.  The Gaestatae warband facing the south and buying time while Regulus' northern force is pressured, is hit in front and flank.  Miraculously the Gaestatae hold. 

Gaestatae hit front and flank repel their attackers

While the Gaestatae are keeping the southern Roman army at bay, the warbands and cavalry attack Regulus.  One Gallic cavalry unit crashes into part of a legion from the flank, destroying it.

Gallic cavalry overruns a Roman legion

Two more Roman units succumb to the ferocity of the Gauls.  One unit is lost in tough hand-to-hand combat; the other overrun by cavalry.  The Roman armies have reached their break point.  The battle is over.  A Gallic victory! 

The final clash

Based on my limited reading of the historical accounts of the battle, goig into gthe game, I figured the Gauls had not much of a chance.  the actual outcome was a big surprise to me.  The Gauls showed tremendous power against the two Roman armies and defeated one in detail before the other could close.  The Gallic cavalry cut through several legions while the Gallic warbands repulsed the Roman cavalry.  The northern Roman blocking army lost four out of his five units in battle.  The Gallic cavalry, alone, scattered three of those units.  Decisive!  For the Gauls, it was a fun and decisive day.  The path home to the north lays open for the Gallic warbands.  We look forward to fighting Telamon again and I am energized to get some Gauls into the painting queue. 

The battle was fought on Sunday.  On Thursday, SoA's Slingshot 322 with the Telamon Battle Pack arrived in the post.  I look forward to reading the material and applying this new information to our next battle of Telamon.  It looks like a good issue.  Several more Telamon battles await!

Austrian Infantry for 1799

After nearly a month of focusing on 28mm figures, work briefly returns to 18mm.  While 2018 saw most painting production concentrated on churning out 15/18mm figures, the year ended with a small flurry of 28mm figures.  More 28mm figures are in work but for now a small 18mm distraction.  

Off the painting desk are two, 13-figure battalions of Austrian infantry in the early casquet.  These two battalions muster out as Infantry Regiment #11.  Foot figures are Lancashire Games with mounted officers from AB Miniatures.  The Lancashire Austrians in casquet do not carry the same level of detailing or proportions as the equivalent AB Austrians in casquet but these are solid figures.  The head seems a little undersized to my eye but that may simply be a matter of taste.  I do like the rather agressive march attack pose.

Now, work returns to fielding 28mm units with an emphasis on ancients as well as the refit/reorg of Napoleonic cavalry.

Impetvs 2.0 Arrives!

A glimpse of my Carthaginian Army

Motivation to bring the Punic Wars collection out onto the gaming table has returned.  Impetvs 2.0 arrived in my mailbox this week from Italy. The wire-bound book's layout is superb with a large, easy to read font, lots of diagrams, tables, and plenty of photos of beautifully painted and based figures.

While there are a number of changes made in the Second Edition, many changes seem to be cross-overs from either Basic Impetvs 2.0 or Baroque. Not all changes are direct translations from these two rulesets, though.

With only time for a cursory glance, things have changed in Impetvs 2.0.  Welcome changes, I think.

Lorenzo Sartore, as designer and editor, lists the following changes on the Impetvs Forum (http://impetus.darkbb.com/):

Summarized Changes to 2.0 from 1.0

• Measurements are now in H (half base widths, same as BI2).
• Troops move the same as BI2, but with S moving 3H instead of 2H.
• More flexibility on maneuver. Troops can move oblique/side without disorder provide it is the last move of the activation.
• More troops can evade and evasion will be not as easy.
• War chariots can move basically with other troops (no need to take half move before wheel) but with some limitations.
• FL and Mounted (with exception of Chariots, EL and W) can wheel and move straight in one move (but as last action)
• Leaders are based apart so can be attached or unattached. Command Range is present so it is very important to have the Leader in the right place.
• Leaders can be customized with some characteristics. For example, a leader can upgrade to Brave with more dice in melee if attached but easier to become a casualty.
• A Group can be Fragmented (Group having some Disordered Units). So a Disordered Unit doesn't break the Group. You can perform actions (with some limitations) with Fragmented Groups, you can also rally by Group. Fragmented Groups bring armies to respect more the line of battle. Probably this will be the part that need more exercise to understand how to deal with, remembering that if you start activate a Group you must conclude as a group.
• Reaction rules are similar to Baroque. No Opportunity taken in advance but you can try to react (with some limitation) with a Discipline Test.
• Some changes on how ZoC works. Automatic reaction if in good order and with a Discipline Test if in Disorder.
• Terrain placement is similar to BI2. Some changes in Troops deployment.
• Firing Table changes. No more Close Range and entering the ZoC to shoot will not give advantages.
• You can always roll 1 die on shooting (like for melee).
• Some changes for screening troops (shooting through S, CL, Art).
• New modifiers for the Cohesion Test. Some of them allow shooting weapons to have more differentiation.
• Impetuous troops works differently. They are not forced to charge but when they charge by Group they can lack coordination (Frenzy Test).
• Changes to melee modifiers. Among them an A class troop fighting a C class troop will have +2 for the difference of Disciplines.
• Impetus bonus will be lost later. For many troops with one loss the Bonus will drop to 1. For CP, CGP, CF and EL the bonus will be kept full until the Unit is Exhausted.
• Some changes for depth bonus. Among them Warband LU will have a +1 in melee with Mounted.
• Among reaction Foot can close ranks if charged by Mounted (getting some bonus).
• If both Units miss all hits, both Units get Disorder (and if already disordered, a loss). When a Unit loses the melee and retreats in Disorder, the Supporting Unit does the same. If the Supporting Unit is already in Disorder, then it takes on loss.
• Changes in Victory Conditions.
• Advanced rules like Flank Marches, Ambushed and Reserve included.
• There are 6 Strategic Cards and 12 Tactical Cards. Each Tactical card cost 3 pts and you can change 2 TC for 1 SC. You can dedicate 12 pts for card. You can choose 4 TC before each game and you can also change 2 of them for a Strategic Card.

Before I can properly assess the new version, I have much reading and a few games to get in to see how it all works.  For now, I will comment on only four changes that strike me as progress.  

• I like the simplification of changing movement rates from cm over to half-base widths.
• I like the separation of leaders from integral to a unit to independent.  We played with these individually mounted leaders as attached before, now we can detach if warranted.
• A big improvement for me is the maintaining of Impetvs Bonus passed Fresh Status.  Unit status is now classified as Fresh, Worn, Exhausted, or Routed.  Reminds me a bit of Fire & Fury classifications.  Fresh units maintain full Impetvs Bonus.  Worn units maintain an Impetvs Bonus of one, and Exhausted units lose all Impetvs Bonus.  Heavy cavalry, chariots, and elephants maintain their Impetvs Bonus until Exhausted.  Much better than before and provide these formations a bit more durability.  This will change tactics.   
•  Adding the minimum number of dice to roll in shooting from zero to one is another big improvement.  We talked about this rule when playing the current game more often than anything else.  Well, we talked about the sudden loss of Impetvs Bonus too.    

Items not seen in the new edition are Army Lists.  Perhaps, I have overlooked them in my quick glance through the rules but how can one play the game without at least a pair of Army Lists?  Of course, Army Lists can be found on the website but at least a mention of that is needed.  Impetvs 2.0, another inspiration for getting all of the Impetvs-based collections out onto the gaming table in 2019. 

Another glimpse of some of the Carthaginian contingents

Cavalry Refit and Reorg: British Lt Dragoons

The work refitting and reorganizing the cavalry for the 28mm Peninsular War project continues.  Today the two British light dragoon regiments muster off the painting desk having one additional trooper per regiment added and rebased from two-figure to three-figure stands.

The troopers today are from the 14th Light Dragoons (orange facings) and the 16th Light Dragoons (red facings).  These two units join their brethren hussars in the completed pile.  Remaining to refit and rebase for the British are four heavy dragoon regiments: two British and two KGL.  Once the British heavies are finished, attention will return to refitting the French light cavalry.

Project Plans 2019

As has become routine in the first days of the New Year, time to consult the crystal ball to see what may lay ahead in 2019 for the Palouse Wargaming Journal.

Historical Battles to Fight
I enjoyed the notion of fighting "monumental" battles presented in 2018 whereby several battles were selected and staged for prolonged play.  Mollwitz, Foz d'Arouce, and Zorndorf were the three battles tackled in 2018.  While 2018 had four such battles penciled in on the calendar, only these three made it to the gaming table.  From these repeated playings, I gained considerable insight into the battles and quite enjoyed the experience of research, set up, and recreation.  

Given the enjoyment drawn from these 2018 ventures, 2019 will see a similar set of goals.  The twist for 2019 is that all battles selected will be commemorating notable anniversaries in 2019.  The monument battles under consideration for 2019 are (drum roll, please):

Trebbia 1799 in 18mm
While I was prepared to slot Rivoli into the gaming rotation for 2019, the allure of having a set of anniversary battles was too great.  In keeping with the concept of an early Napoleonic battle to replace Rivoli, Trebbia will get the nod.  Trebbia provides an opportunity to field a combined Russo-Austrian army against the French.  There may be painting needed once an Order of Battle is drawn up.  

Kunersdorf 1759 in 18mm
Kunersdorf (by special request) represents another chance at an anniversary battle in August.  Like Zorndorf played on the 260th anniversary in 2018,  Kunersdorf allows another opportunity to field Jake's Russians on the field of battle.  Facing off against Frederick again, this time the Russians will be joined by an Austrian army. 

Abensberg-Eggmuhl 1809 in 18mm
Napoleon vs the Archduke Charles battling it out in Bavaria along the Danube.  Having visited the Eggmuhl battlefield in May 2018, staging one or both of these engagements for the 210th anniversary provides an opportunity to share a bit of my battlefield walk near the village of Eggmuhl.  Recreating one or both pair of battles in 2019 coincides with the 210th anniversary of the battles in April.  An anniversary game; I like the sound of that.  The massive collection of Napoleonics suited for the 1809 campaign have not been out of their storage boxes in years.  Eggmuhl would be a good chance to see this venerable collection back in action.

San Martino-Solferino 1859 in 18mm
The battlefield of San Martino I visited during the 150th Anniversary commemorations in 2009.  A return to this battle in 2019 seems a fitting time to see this battle back out on the gaming table in an encore, 160th year, anniversary performance.  While the battle will likely focus on the major action around San Martino, I may expand the battle to allow the inclusion of nearby forces.  Broadening the scope of the battle may force a different decision matrix from the first outing ten years ago.

Developing and fighting four protracted battles may be too much to ask in 2019.  Perhaps, picking three of the four is prudent but which three?  In addition to the monuments detailed above, what other games might see action on the gaming table in 2019?  Topping the list of collections to get out onto the table are the Great Italians Wars and Assyrian Wars armies.  Perhaps a mix of games using To the Strongest! and Impetvs in a matched pairing?  If other gaming opportunities arise, that is fine.  These goals provide a reasonable nucleus from which to plan.

Figures to Paint
With no new project(s) planned for 2019 (yet) and no pressing need for projects needing vast quantities of figures, I set the painting goal at 900 figures and will prepare to paint what inspires me.  Perhaps 2019 will see the start of an 18mm Prussian army for either 1866 or 1870?  Perhaps, 2019 sees the beginning of a Hittite army to face either the Assyrians or Egyptians?  Of course, these would not be considered new projects; simply expansions to existing projects.  See, it is quite easy to justify such actions.  Perhaps something new entirely?

More 1799, 1859, and SYW troops in 18mm are planned to cross the painting desk in 2019.  If the Battle of Trebbia is fought, the Russians will likely need augmentation especially in the cavalry arm.  Expect more 28mm figures seeing activity at the painting desk than in 2018.  With 15/18mm dominating production in 2018, a more balanced approach is likely to be seen in 2019.  Regardless, The Lead Pile needs to experience a reduction in 2019 so I ought to buy less, paint more.

With the Society of Ancients choosing Telamon as its Battle Day battle and the expectations of following all of the assorted Battle Reports in the coming months, I am inspired to push some 28mm Ancients lead into the painting queue.  It has been a long time since any ancients of the 28mm variety crossed the painting desk.  A quick check of the Paining Log confirms this recollection.  The last 28mm Ancients unit passed off the painting desk in 2017.  A large number of Celts/Gauls and Germans have remained untouched for years in The Lead Pile.  Perhaps, some activity on the Ancients front?  To exacerbate the problem with Celts, last week I placed an order with Northstar for a few Crusader Celt collections having a couple dozen figures each.  What can I say, they were on sale!        

Scenarios to Design and Development
Scenario research, design and development are rewarding aspects of the hobby.  Scenarios are needed for Kunersdorf, Trebbia, and Abensberg-Eggmuhl.  San Martino will need a scenario update as well to expand the scope of the battle.  Plenty of work with just these four battles.

Rules to Design, Develop, Test
After playing Risorgimento 1859 and Wars of Coalition from QRS' exclusively for a couple of years now, 2018 2019 may finally be the appropriate time to begin codifying the rules into a coherent body of text. The nucleus of game engine for these rules began as a heavily modified version of Whitehouse's Ironsides and Old Trousers.  Today, Howard's originals would barely be recognizable.

Solo Wargaming
Certainly!  Solo gaming in both miniature and cardboard will likely consume a chunk of my allocated gaming time.

Boardgames to Explore
A number of boardgame group sessions were shared in 2018.  Hopefully, these sessions become a trend in 2019.  A couple of batches of board wargames came in house in the latter stages of 2018 due to several Black Friday sales.  Other games came in infrequently from eBay purchases.  Some of the titles were old and out or print but a number of new and recent releases too.  No commitment as to what should see action on the gaming table in 2019. 

Tackling either a new or old monster game sounds fun.  A step in this direction would be to learn or relearn at least one new monster.  My shelves are full of these monsters, many having not seen action in years or decades.  Expect to see some MMP titles and perhaps a Europa game on the table.  For MMP titles, Squad Leader/ASL, OCS, BCS, SCS, GTS or other three-letter acronym systems all look very interesting to try.  Since I have yet to play either a BCS or GTS game, 2019 may be the year to try.  Maybe strike out on a follow-up GMT 1914 title while that system is still somewhat fresh in mind?  The Serbian front looks interesting.  A number of magazine games are on my RADAR for consideration including some very old S&T and Vae Victis games.  Too many interesting choices!  Difficult to foresee which of these may see time at the table. 

Blogging

Expect to see blog updates average two to three posts per week.  I find that pace comfortable and seldom run out of material to share.  Expect wargaming topics to be broken up by my occasional ramblings on cycling around the Palouse and travels around the world.  A big backlog of travel stories still awaits to be committed to paper including a short battlefield walk of Eggmuhl and more travels around Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.  Likely a few Mayan ruins' posts linger somewhere from my New World adventures too.

Once the Napoleonic cavalry refit is completed, photographing the collection will be in order.  Updating the Photo Gallery which was not undertaken in 2018 could see some progress in 2019.

For planning 2019, that is a wrap on a look ahead.  Planning is an iterative process; expect change!

Kushite Egyptian Chariot and Crew

After arraying the Biblical armies on the gaming table, it may come as a surprise to few that the spectacle motivated the fielding of another Egyptian chariot and crew.  Certainly, I am not surprised!    

I bought several of the wonderful BTD Egyptian chariots when on sale a long time ago.   Even though Jake fields a large Egyptian army (see some of Jake's Egyptians in battle here), I figured another chariot or two may be useful.  With the arrival of this chariot, I can now field three such units.  As expected, the BTD figures are nicely sculpted with horses tending toward the larger end of the 25/28mm size.  Beautiful figures!  One more of these beauties remains in the The Lead Pile.

In other news at the painting desk, one more BMU for the Assyrian Wars project is seeing activity and nearing completion.  That unit is a second stand of Israelite/Hebrew heavy infantry from Newline Designs.  The refit and reorganization of Napoleonic cavalry continues as well.  Six more cavalry units are back in maintenance to paint and refit one additional trooper to each regiment.  This process requires rebasing of the cavalry to three figure stands vs two-figure stands.  Still more cavalry to refit and rebase but I see the light at the end of this tunnel.  Finally, two more Austrian infantry battalions for the 1799 are in work.  Have I missed anything?  Oh, yes!  A regiment of ECW horse for the 30mm ECW project is getting a workout on the painting desk too.  It is a busy place...

Assyrians and Kushites Take to the Field

Assyrian King leads his army into battle

Finally!  After watching a seemingly, non-ending stream of Assyrian units march off the painting desk, the Assyrian Army took to the field of battle.  Pitted against the Assyrian Army was the flower of the Kushite Egyptian kingdom fielded in a similar endless parade of units off my opponent's painting desk.

With a newly marked grid and Army Lists in hand, To the Strongest! (TtS!) was chosen as the rules of engagement for this first contest.  Since TtS! suggests a battle of 130 points as a good evening-sized battle, we drafted two army lists to fit these criteria.  The lists produced yielded about a dozen units per side.  The Rule of Twelve at work!  With labels affixed, the two armies were deployed for battle.

Armies arrayed for battle

With this being only my third game of TtS! and Jakes' first, we kept the battle situation and rules simple while we came to grips with the rules.  The battlefield was laid out devoid of terrain.  Ammo limitation and resupply were not considered and no Stratagems were in play.  Each army was divided into roughly three, equal commands.

Playing cards flew fast as the two armies maneuvered to close on their opponent.  Notice that spearmen and warriors were often supported by a unit of bowmen in the same box.  Having the Assyrian bowmen in tandem with a unit of heavy spear would add punch to a clash as the bowmen could fire at a target before the spear engaged.  A sound tactic, I thought.  The Kushites ascribed to the same tactic but a number of skirmishing bow were also included in the Kushite OB.  These skirmishers caused a number of harassing hits on the Assyrian army before it could close.    

Battlelines close

Coming to grips did not take long and soon casualties were mounting on both sides.  With most units only capable of sustaining two hits before elimination, the battle was bloody.  The Assyrian King, in his heavy chariot, drove deep into the enemy line.  Unfortunately, many of his supporting troops were repulsed by counterattacks.

Melee in the center of the battlefield as Assyrians attack

Having Victory Medals of eight each, the conclusion to the battle was reached quickly.  Kushite attacks were fierce.  Elements of the Assyrian Army began streaming from the field as first the Assyrian right and then left collapsed and scattered.  In less than one hour of play, the battle was over.  Victory to the Kushites!       

Assyrian Army in deep trouble

With a quick decision in Game 1, the contestants were brought back to their starting lines and a second battle began.  Unfortunately for the Assyrian King, the lessons in the first battle proved elusive to grasp.

Kushites on the attack

As in Game 1, the Kushites delivered a series of potent attacks and fended off repeated Assyrian counter punches.  Quickly, the Assyrians lost their eight Victory Medals.  Could the Assyrian Army regain enough momentum if the Victory Medal count was increased to ten?  No, the Assyrian Army quickly lost two more units to the deadly combination of missile fire followed by melee.  Another quick end to Assyrian aspirations.

Kushites dominate Game 2

Both games were bloody quick.  That is, bloody and quick!

While rules' mistakes were made during the game and I missed several of the Saving Throw modifiers.  Nothing likely to tip the balance of the final outcomes except one.  The Kushite light chariots deployed on both flanks should have had only one hit vs the two we allowed.  That may have brought the sweeping flanking maneuvers to a halt and saved both Assyrian flanks from completed destruction.  But then, maybe not.  Without doubt, my Assyrians were manhandled by their Kushite foe.

Having most units capable of sustaining only two hits, actions were decisive.  Only the Kushite warriors maintained the ability to absorb three hits before scattering.  The difference between taking two or three hits can be decisive.  To allow more unit resiliency, I may recommend increasing the Army Point total for the next games.

The games were a lot of fun even in defeat and played quickly even though the rules were questioned and consulted frequently.  That frequent consultation is expected when learning a new game.  TtS! helps in this learning process with a well laid-out rulebook and superb Index.  Questions were answered with a quick thumb through the book.  Note that both armies were originally built and created under Impetvs Army guidelines.  We found creating a TtS! army based upon Impetvs did not always translate into one-for-one matches.  We may need to tweak the TtS! lists to conform more precisely to our existing organizations.  

I look forward to a rematch! 

Reflections on Gaming, 2018

Time to reflect and reconcile the objectives set out at the beginning of 2018 (see Project Planning 2018) against my actual progress.  Figure painting has already been addressed in an earlier post so I will skip that and dive into the 2018 gaming goals and how those survived the test of time.

Historical Battles to Fight
On the gaming front, my primary plan was to develop and game one "monumental" historical battle per quarter.  Each monument was meant to be fought multiple times before moving on to the next monument.  How did that work out?  Let us see.

2018Q1 - Mollwitz 1741 in 18mm
Following the initial contest in late 2017, the ground at Mollwitz was fought over twice more in 2018.  Frederick managed to go 3-0 in these battles but the victory was within Austrian grasp in two.  An interesting yet tough fight for the poorly trained Austrian infantry.  The Prussians had challenges of their own.  Mollwitz comes down to the Austrian cavalry clearing the flanks of Prussian cavalry and defeating the Prussian infantry juggernaut before the Prussian infantry can reach the outclassed Austrian infantry standing in front of Mollwitz. Some tense moments in each of the three battles but the historical result prevailed.

Mollwitz

2018Q2 - Albuera 1811 in 18mm Combat at Foz d'Arouce in 28mm
The second quarter battle of Albuera was replaced by another Napoleonic Peninsular War battle.  Rather than Albuera, the Combat at Foz d'Arouce was fought.  Instead of 15mm, it was fought in 28mm.  Foz d'Arouce saw action three times on the table.  Wellington was victorious in all three actions.  Again, the historical result prevailed and the battle featured my new church!

Foz d'Arouce

2018Q3 - Zorndorf 1758 in 18mm

Zorndorf was recreated on the gaming table four times.  The decision was split.  Two victories for Frederick  and two victories for Fermor.  Since the historical outcome was inconclusive, a 2-2 record supports the historical outcome.  Zorndorf remained on the table for about four months leaving no time in fourth quarter to stage a fourth monument.

Zorndorf

2018Q4 - Castiglione 1796 or Rivoli 1797 or Trebbia 1799 in 18mm

No monument battle in Q4 due primarily to holidays and scheduling challenges.  Instead, the Assyrian Army took to the field against an Egyptian Kushite Army in a pair of To the Strongest! battles.  Rivoli will be saved and presented another time.

Scenarios to Design and Development
Scenario research, design and development were completed for Zorndorf and Rivoli but that was it.  No new scenarios to go with Norm's Two Flags - One Nation rules.  Over the Winter Break, I did manage to replay my Fox Gap scenario using Norm's latest amendments to TF-ON.  Presentation for that replay is in work.  

Rules to Design, Develop, Test
2018 plans included moving from QRS to codified rules for a couple of works-in-progress.  No movement on this front.

Solo Wargaming
Yes, plenty of solo wargaming including miniatures, blocks, and hex and counter games.

Boardgames to Explore
The wargame collection grew significantly in 2018 due to eBay purchases and several publishers' Black Friday sales.  Not as much time spent on boardgaming as planned but I did get in one, long-term game of GMT's 1914: Offensive a Outrance via VASSAL.

Another highlight of 2018 was the development of a cooperative campaign game on the French & Indian War.  I ran the strategic/operational aspects of the campaign via VASSAL using Markham's Montcalm & Wolfe DTP boardgame while Peter at Grid-Based Wargaming resolved the tactical battles generated by the campaign engine.

Campaign map AUG 1758

That experience was great fun.  I think Peter may have fought out 16 individual battles before the British won the war.  

Other Boardgames Played

Commands & Colors:
A handful of Commands & Colors games using the Ancients, Napoleonics and AWI versions saw action on the table both in block and miniature.  No Samurai Battles but maybe in 2019?







Bey's Jours de Gloire 
Fuentes de Onoro 1811 from Vae Victis saw action and was the inspiration for the Combat at Foz d' Arouce battle.  This series is huge and a number of the early Napoleonic battles look very interesting to replay.

Triumph & Tragedy
Played this a couple of times as a three player game.  I recall being attacked and beaten both times by my ally!

Squad Leader
After roughly a 35 year hiatus, I made a return to the WWII tactical combat game that started it all, Squad Leader.  Only a few games were played (only one FtF) but my interest has been rekindled in this classic. 


In general more games saw action in 2018 than in recent memory.  Likely a few more have been overlooked as memory of games played fades.  A good mix of miniatures vs board, FtF vs PBeM vs solo, two-player vs multiplayer, period, and scale.  Quite a good diversity of gaming and an enjoyable re-entry into boardgaming.

Blogging
I managed to stick to the 2-3 posts per week goal for a total of 135 posts.  Content rotated between games played, units painted, travel, cycling, plus some miscellaneous content.  The average number of comments per post increased which is most welcome.  Reader comments are always appreciated!

No progress on updating the Photo Gallery.  The galleries are even more out of date now than at the beginning of 2018.

Looking Ahead to 2019
With a retrospective completed, the next logical step in this progression is to put plan to paper for 2019.  Those plans are still formulating.  Until next time.