Battle of Cordoba - February 2008

This game was fought on 8 February 2008 as part of the club campaign.

King Joseph is leading the French army south to capture Seville. The Spanish have concentrated at Cordoba to stop them at the river Guadalquivier.

The French enter the table from the right. They crossed the river on all three bridges, but were driven back on their left and centre, with heavy cavalry casualties. They held the right bridge until late afternoon, then were driven back by a Spanish counter attack

The Spanish held their left hill with their weakest division. Artillery drove the Polish back across the river. The two best divisions held the centre, and suffered heavy casualties. They held the bridge and supported the counter attack on their right. It was a poorly coordinated counter attack, but still managed to drive the French back across the river.

Spanish victory with 13 casualty point to 53 French casualty points.

Table setup. French enter from the right, Spanish from the left. The French have to drive the Spanish off the table to win the game. The Spanish only have to hold their side of the river to win.

Spanish Left. This was the weakest division, but their artillery kept the Poles from crossing the only bridge available on this flank.

Spanish Centre. The two best divisions hold the centre. The French have concentrated their artillery either side of the bridge and inflict heavy casualties, but the Spanish hold until nightfall.

Spanish right. The Spanish counter attack. One battalion, on their right, is routed. But the remainder drive the French back over the river.

Its Cats Play

Like most kittens, Buster loves to be the centre of attention. And he particularly like to get involved in our wargames. We don't have a door on our wargames room, so we can't keep him out.

If left alone he steps over the soldiers and does no harm. But if you try to lift him he suddenly becomes all legs and tail, sending everything flying in all directions. Left alone he walks backwards and forwards until he gets bored. Then he casually flicks the dice off the table. He always seems to pick the average dice, of which we only have two, rather than the 6 sided dice of which we have dozens. They make an interesting noise as they bounce off the tiles and end up under the table. And he thinks its great fun to follow me under the table as I try to get them back.

It makes for an interesting, if not a very satisfying, wargame.

Battle of Valladolid - January 2008

This battle was fought on 25 January 2008. It was another of our weekly club games, and was part of a campaign. This game was set in Spain in 1813. Wellington has started his push to drive the French out of Spain. He is approaching Valladolid when he is met by the French who have marched from Burgos.

By now our LFS rules were suffering from being tested each week. They are not designed for my numbers and types of figures, and are best suited for games up to corps size. I had adapted them, and that always leads to more problems than it solves. I was coming to the conclusion that I would have to start work on a new set, designed for what I have and what I want to do.

This photo is sent out before the game, together with an order of battle and game objectives, so that players can plan their game before they arrive to play. The British will enter from the left, the French from the right. There are nine scenic squares on the table and the player who controls the most at the end of 12 moves will win the game.

Battle of Hemlstedt - Decembr 2007

Fought on 14 December 2007 this was the last wargame of the year. This was another of the campaign games designed to be fought in one day. Still using LFS rules with house amendments.

Napoleon is advancing towards Berlin and Blucher has deployed at Helmstedt to stop him. Napoleon lost, Berlin was saved!

The table at the start of the game. The French enter from the left, the Prussians are already in position in the centre of the table.

French Left - Polish division move through the woods to attack the Prussian flank

French Centre - the main French attack on Helmstedt

French right - The Guard advance

Battle of Amberg - December 2007

This game, fought on 7 December 2007, was the second in the Leipzig Campaign. The Bavarians are advancing towards Pilzen trying to locate the enemy. The Austrians must occupy Bamberg in order to link up with the Russian army further north.

The game was fought using 28mm figures as one of our weekly club games, and the rules used were our amended LFS rules. The game was finished within the allotted 6 hours (with an hour for lunch). The Austrians won.

The battlefield of Amberg before the armies arrive. The Bararians will enter from the left and the Austrians from the right

Austrian left flank

Austrian centre

Austrian right flank

Bavarian left flank

Bavarian centre

Bavarian right flank

Battle of Jena - November 2007

This is not a historical refight of Jena, it is a fictional battle fought as part of our ongoing club game. The game was played on 27 September 2007 using 28mm French and Russian armies.

The game was part of a Leipzig campaign. The French were advancing towards Leipzig, and the Prussians on Jena to hold the river Saale. It would be an encounter battle, with both sides entering the table from opposite sides.

The first photographs is the one sent to all players, together with the campaign setting, game objectives and order of battle, so that they could plan their game before arriving to start.

Table ready to start play. Russian will enter from the right, French from the left

Russian left flank

Russian centre

Russian right flank

Spanish v French - October 2007

This was a campaign game played on 27 September 2007 as one of our weekly games with Phil. It was loosley based on our earlier game and involved some hidden movement. The revised LFS rules work well with Spanish v French battles. Because of the large element of luck regarding the dice throw, it means that the Spanish are not always doomed to lose. However the odds are rightly in favour of a French win. So a limited Spanish success regarding the game objectives means a Spanish win.

Battle of Terreul - Setpember 2007

This 28mm game was set up on 10 September 2007. The aim was to see if we could play a Spanish guerrilla v French infantry type wargame using our amended LFS rules. The objective of the game was for a French division of 4 infantry brigades and a battery to rescue a single infantry brigade which was surrounded by Spanish regular and irregular troops.

The French had to make their way along the road, with Spanish troops hidden on and behind the hills. To spot the Spanish, the French had to climb the hills, this would delay them reaching the isolated brigade which was under attack from the start of the game.

The whole table at the start of the game. The cards might, or might not, indicate the location of Spanish regular or irregular troops. The isolated French infantry brigade is at the far end of the table on the right. There is a support brigade at the far end on the left. The relief force is in the village front left, the rear guard front right will hold the bridge and road so that they can all retreat.

French left at start of game. The isolated brigade is in the village beyond the river, the support brigade in the nearest village. The Reinforcements will come from the right. The red markers indicate possible Spanish troops.

The French right at the start of the game.The two infantry brigades, plus the artillery, in the nearest village are the relief force. The third brigade in the village on the far side of the river is holding the road open for them all to retreat.

The French left in the middle of the game. Three Spanish brigades are attacking the single French brigade holding the road the French will retreat down.

The French centre in the middle of the game. The French in the foreground have tried to storm the hill, but have been routed. More French have crossed the river and are approaching the hill.

The French right in the middle of the game. The brigade holding the bridge and retreat route have been routed towards the divisional headquarters. The Spanish now control the road and the whole French division has been cut off.

The French right at the end of the game. On the Spanish side of the river all available troops are holding the bridge. Behind them the isolated French brigade continues to rout to safety.

The French right at game end. The French division have stormed the bridge and opened the road again. The defending Spanish troops are all in rout, except for the field battery who are trying to hold the bridge.