Lest anyone who drifts by these parts miss out, I finally wrapped up the first of what will likely prove to be four installments of a travelogue covering my recent trip to the battlefields of 1809.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/feature/adventures-in-napoleonicisms-teugn-hausen-battlefield/
Friday, August 30, 2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
I May Have Been Triggered.
I started writing this as a blog post, but it just kept going, and going, and going...
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/feature/cyranos-pulpit-a-defense-of-my-formative-years-against-the-imprecations-of-professor-marco-arnaudo-et-al/
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/feature/cyranos-pulpit-a-defense-of-my-formative-years-against-the-imprecations-of-professor-marco-arnaudo-et-al/
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Saturday Night Fights for August 17, 2019 -- A De-brief of Sorts
Fresh back from Bavaria/Austria, I dove back into the Saturday Night Fights with the Armchair Dragoons. Originally planning to wrap up our Teugn-Hausen "Black Powder 2" game, an audible was called and Doug and I returned to Aspern-Essling to see if we could not finish up our "Blucher" game which, I believe, is now in its 10th hour or so. Neither of us would apologize for that over-much as a good bit of the early going was taking up with rules-learning.
That last bit has got me thinking about trying to learn a few sets of rules well, rather than piling on set after set and never mastering any. One thing is certain is that our "Blucher" game moved much more quickly now that we have most -- note I say most -- of the rules down.
First, as usual, here is the whole video:
And a few observations:
*We screwed up corps activation in two ways. First, you can only activate units from within the same CORPS. Sounds fairly obvious, but I managed to mess that up. I do not think it changed the game over-much, particularly as we usually had more than enough MO points to go around. Second, a unit may only be the subject of a corps activation when it is within three inched of an activated unit. We used six inches for reasons that evade me at the moment.
*The French are in real trouble. With both Aspern and Essling in Austrian hands, and an 11-5 morale disadvantage, I will have to claim one of them back. The problem is I have little margin as the loss of only five more units would result in total morale collapse.
*Related to the above, and I confess as much in the latter going of the video, it dawned on me far too late that the way Ross set up this scenario places the French firmly on the defensive. This is, honestly, their battle to lose, particularly if the Austrians are at all timid. I have successfully managed to give away this advantage.
*This is a long scenario -- 37 turns on Day Two -- and that, more than anything, is what, at least now, has the French on the ropes. Live and learn, I do suppose.
Not entirely sure what next Saturday brings. We may have another go at finishing "Teugn-Hausen". Plus I have got to start putting together a few more "Blucher" scenarios, notably Eggmuhl.
That last bit has got me thinking about trying to learn a few sets of rules well, rather than piling on set after set and never mastering any. One thing is certain is that our "Blucher" game moved much more quickly now that we have most -- note I say most -- of the rules down.
First, as usual, here is the whole video:
And a few observations:
*We screwed up corps activation in two ways. First, you can only activate units from within the same CORPS. Sounds fairly obvious, but I managed to mess that up. I do not think it changed the game over-much, particularly as we usually had more than enough MO points to go around. Second, a unit may only be the subject of a corps activation when it is within three inched of an activated unit. We used six inches for reasons that evade me at the moment.
*The French are in real trouble. With both Aspern and Essling in Austrian hands, and an 11-5 morale disadvantage, I will have to claim one of them back. The problem is I have little margin as the loss of only five more units would result in total morale collapse.
*Related to the above, and I confess as much in the latter going of the video, it dawned on me far too late that the way Ross set up this scenario places the French firmly on the defensive. This is, honestly, their battle to lose, particularly if the Austrians are at all timid. I have successfully managed to give away this advantage.
*This is a long scenario -- 37 turns on Day Two -- and that, more than anything, is what, at least now, has the French on the ropes. Live and learn, I do suppose.
Not entirely sure what next Saturday brings. We may have another go at finishing "Teugn-Hausen". Plus I have got to start putting together a few more "Blucher" scenarios, notably Eggmuhl.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Well, That Was Fun...
It is an incredible privilege and opportunity to take a two-week vacation, but, my goodness, it can take a good deal out of you. As I try to sort out the whirlwind and prepare to write a fair amount about what I think I have learned, a couple images from the lovely HO-scale diorama of the Battle of Aspern-Essling housed in the granary that played such a big part in that battle.
It bills itself as the largest in central Europe and who I am I to judge? And the keeper of it is an all together capital fellow who really seems to love his job, even if he practices it only from 1000-1200 Sundays.
More soon.
It bills itself as the largest in central Europe and who I am I to judge? And the keeper of it is an all together capital fellow who really seems to love his job, even if he practices it only from 1000-1200 Sundays.
More soon.
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