Trying times

The past few days have been very trying as I am sure you all understand, but I just wanted to post to say a sincere "thank you" to all those who have sent emails expressing their concern and best wishes.  We really appreciate it.

I lived for a good fifteen years in the region that was struck by both the quake and the tsunami.  Nine of them were spent in Sendai and in Ishinomaki, which- along with other communities situated along the coast- have been hit hard.  

Many people I know and care about are still unaccounted for, and with upwards of 450,000 people without homes in evacuation centres, it will be a while before I can find out whether they are okay or otherwise.

Ishinomaki as it is now.  I lived not far from the hill where this photo was taken.

Things are still chaotic here in Tokyo with train delays, cancellations, and power cuts, and probably will be for a few weeks yet.  But in time life will get back to some kind of normal rhythm here, and I may even find myself in a state of mind to start thinking of toy soldiers- but not quite yet.

I did come across this quote in this article online, which is why I am confident that Japan will recover, even if takes a long time and even if it is never quite the same again.

"Some workers showed up on Monday at a factory in Kuji even though it had been destroyed. Asked why he was there, a young worker smoking a cigarette outside the skeletal remains said: "Because it's a work day."

They've been down before, and they'll get up again. 

The French Victorious!! Battle of La Tour Sanglant

At last, good news for the authorities in Paris- French arms emerge victorious!  Vive l'empereur!

 

The "same old style"- that did just fine at Austerlitz and Jena- did just fine on Sunday as well!

This past Sunday at the monthly gathering of the West Tokyo Wargamers saw us playing Game #5 using the Black Powder rules, and it was a most exciting game, the decision being in doubt right up to the last few moves.

Other good news was that Achilleas has been accepted for his Phd program, which means that he will be staying on here in Japan for another three years.  Congratulations Achilleas, and we are glad that you will be with us for some good games to come!

On to the field of honour.  Achilleas and I were the French as usual, the army being led by General Tallon and his sizeable bureaucratic entourage.   Matt and Peter had the Brunswickers, British and some Russian artillery, all under the command of the Brunswicker General Schwartzotter.

Given physical limitations as a result of my recent -ahem- "indisposition", I was not able to sit down to finish anything new in time for the game.  Fortunately though, Achilleas could add a unit of cuirassiers, as well his recently-completed 57th reg. de ligne ("Le Terrible").  

For the Allies, Matt could boast his first unit of cavalry, a really attractive regiment of British 14th Light Dragoons.  These were some wonderful miniatures out of the Perry stables. 

This time there were only two units of unfinished miniatures on the table, so our games are starting to look serious affairs!

Turnout at the club was high, with upwards of twenty people taking part in games as diverse as 15mm ancients, D&D, boardgames and of course our own Napoleonics game.  Unfortunately, the club was only able to book one of the smaller rooms at the centre this month, so table space was at a premium. This meant that there would not be a lot of open flanks, so this would have to be another hard-pounding slugfest.

Both sides were pretty evenly matched.  Although the French had larger battalions, the Allies had rifle-armed units.  The 14th Light Dragoons- while not getting the Marauder rule- got the Ferocious Charge bonus.

It was decided that the French would once again try their luck as attackers.  Bien sur. The allies would benefit from the cover of the Tofusky Redoubt.  This time however, each side took turns to place a piece of terrain down on the table, and the Allied army- being the defenders- deployed first.  

We ended up with a layout and initial setup that looked like this.

click on map to enlarge

Note that the French decided to deploy their strength on the right flank, leaving the left relatively weak but with the cavalry in a position where there was at least some open ground. 

Previous games saw French advances grind to a halt due to unsupported units with inadequate reserves being shot up one after another as they approached the enemy line.  This time, we were going for an attack in depth along a narrow frontage in a relatively confined space. It was a plan that paid off- just!

The next post will see how the action unfolded.  Lots of pictures! Until then, here is a bit of subdued- yet dignified- humility in victory, First Empire style. 

Piling it on...

What with work and the hobby, I have been spending a lot of time at the computer and painting table over the last few months, not to mention spending hours on end sitting in planes and trains over the course of a number of business trips.  Mealtimes have been irregular and often I've found myself eating on the run. 

The result is that I have developed a severe case of the same ailment that Napoleon so infamously suffered from on the day of Waterloo.

Suffice to say that I have new-found sympathy for the man.   If I say it is a real pain in the butt, that would be true in every possible sense of the term. 

It's one of those things that can be found amusing only by those who have never suffered from it.  Concentration powers tend to go out the window, as does patience and the ability to sit in one place for any length of time. I am just grateful that I don't have to travel anywhere by bicycle, let alone on horseback.

So painting has to be done in very brief shifts, as does working at the computer.  Still, I have been able to do a bit here and there in preparation for our next game, and I have also gotten around to putting up a report on our last Black Powder game, which you can read about here.

Not a good day for the French, but the Brunswickers are no doubt making plans for world domination as we speak.

Now where is that cushion?  Hopefully this will soon all be behind me, so to speak.

The 1/28e Légère: "Souham's Landsknechts"

Finally, a completely finished unit!  This one was only seven years in the making.  

The 1/28e Légère advances towards the foe.

We had another Black Powder game on the 23rd, which saw the 1/28e Légère make its debut as a full six-company battalion.  

The weeks prior to the game were a mad rush that saw me having to deal with a number of short-notice projects at work, a nasty flu-like viral infection, and almost all the housework as my wife has been working major overtime almost every night as accounting deadlines need to be met.  

On top of that, I was putting in marathon painting sessions that almost had me breaking the paintbrushes in frustration at slower-than-expected progress and stupid, medication-induced mistakes. 

But I managed to get a lot done despite everything.  I made major inroads on a light cavalry regiment, another artillery piece is well on the way to completion, and I was able to finish and completely base a six pdr. gun and of course the 1/28e Légère.

The voltigeur company rallies against circling Cossacks.  The fellow shooting wearing the colpack was a conversion, and the headgear was made of epoxy putty.  Of course, just after I did this Front Rank released proper light infantry voltigeurs wearing colpacks!  Ah well, at least it's unique.

The battalion in line.  

The 1/28e in column, proceeded by voltigeurs and supported by a 6 pdr. gun as Général Bouillon-Cantinat looks on.

I learned a number of lessons after painting these.  First, a black undercoat really speeds things up.  Secondly, paint the crossbelts first, and block in the colours around them carefully to save time and unnecessary painting.

Next time I'm going to tone down the contrasts a bit, and use a less varied palette for each battalion.  

When I started out painting the 1/28e I decided that it would be multicoloured as a result of campaigning and supply shortages- not to mention flagrant disregard for regulations by its proud and eccentric colonel, Col. H-P Debroullier.   All well and good, but using fewer colours will not only mean faster painting, it will also be less of a kaleidoscope to the eye.  For my next unit of infantry I want to work more on varying tones rather than varying colour.

Thus for good reason, the 1/28e will be given the nickname of "Souham's Landsknechts" by the other, more soberly dressed regiments in the 8e Division!

La Bricole recommissioned!

As some of you may already know, there has been a change of stewardship over at  La Bricole.  
 

La Bricole is a forum devoted to wargaming the Napoleonic wars, and has a small- but dedicated and very friendly- membership.

Over the past few months Iannick Martin, the forum's founder, has been finding himself with more and more demands on his hobby time.  By late December having to deal with a new job and various other commitments led him to the conclusion that he would not be able to keep on running the forum given the little time he had available, and that he would probably be forced to shut it down in the near future.  

On learning this, I offered to take over the management of the site myself, rather than to see it fade into oblivion.  

Iannick readily agreed, and as the old site was a real pain to use in many ways, we decided that this would also be a good opportunity to move the whole forum over to a more user-friendly format.  

So here it is!  You can find the new forum over at:

 http://bricole.46.forumer.com/

The emphasis at La Bricole has been on discussing Napoleonics very much from a wargaming perspective and with a love of eye candy in mind, but of course any contribution or question about the Napoleonic Wars would be welcome. We are a very laid-back bunch, with (so far!) none of the rancour that some Napoleonic discussion has seemed to generate.

Thanks to Iannick for his hard work with the forum over the years! It is much appreciated.

*****

So for anyone who enjoys talking about wargaming in the Napoleonic period, please feel welcome to come over and visit the new site.  We would be glad to have you participate, or even just to lurk there from time to time.  But of course the old saying still applies; what we get out of a discussion very much depends on what we put into it!

Hope to see you there.

The Battle of El Río de Lágrimas

Some more pictures from December's game.  As I mentioned, a victory for the British and their Russian allies this time.  No doubt things would have been different had Gen. Bouillon-Cantinat been in overall command; but on this occasion the Tofusky Redoubt- manned by both Russian and British artillery- proved impregnable, as you can read here.

Rules used were Warlord Games' Black Powder, and as we are still building up our armies not all units are fully painted- especially the cavalry. Purists may want to avert their eyes from the photos, but in our defence we are making excellent progress so that in a few months we will have no more need of work-in-progress miniatures.  At this point, we just want to get on with gaming. 

The scenario called for the French to seize a strategically significant ford that allowed easy passage across the Lágrimas River.  To do this they would have to take possession of the Tofusky Redoubt, which had been constructed by the Allies to cover the approaches to the ford.

The Tofusky Redoubt was a strongly defended fieldwork, manned by a joint Anglo-Russian gun battery.  It was further supported by a brigade of British and Brunswick infantry, billeted nearby under the experienced command of the brave- if somewhat befuddled- General Graham Stuart MacDitherer, 6th Lord Ayrehead (Matt).

 click on map to enlarge.

The French were under overall command of a long-serving veteran of the Grande Armée, the pleasure-loving GdD Alphonse DeSpicable (Achilleas). 

French light cavalry piquets had determined that the far bank of the Lágrimas was defended only by a single battalion of Brunswick infantry, so a small detachment under GdB Bouillon-Cantinat (yours truly) crossed the river further downstream by night, and marched along the river so that by daybreak they would be in a position to overwhelm the Brunswickers.  This force consisted of a 6pdr gun, the veteran 28e Legere, and the 7e Chasseurs au Cheval.

After having dealt with the Black Brunswickers, they would then cross the ford and take the redoubt by storm.  Meanwhile the main French force would both hold the British at bay and draw the fire of the redoubt while Bouillon-Cantinat made his move.  When the far bank was cleared and Bouillon-Cantinat was crossing the ford, they would then join in the assault by attacking the redoubt from the opposite flank.

 

View of the battlefield.  The Casa del Cuspidoro in the foreground with the Lágrimas river flowing just behind it.  On the left on the other side of the river can be seen the Tofusky Redoubt, menacing any approach to the Lágrimas ford. 

 

Who put that pen there?  The French line from the left. Bouillon-Cantinat's detachment ready to move against the Brunswickers, with the rest of the French force on the other side ready to move in concert with the flanking advance. Or so was the plan...

The 7e Chasseurs au Cheval look painfully naked here, but since the game I've been beavering away steadily on this regiment, and the next time they see combat they will be fully clothed.

The Allied line from the right flank.  Brunswickers prepare to defend the ford at all costs. Very nicely painted Perry miniatures from Matt's collection. "Verdammt, unser General ist awfully far avay, is he not, Herr Colonel?" 

After scoffing a pre-battle breakfast of grilled pork slices and a few fortifying glasses of fine Bordeaux (or rum/ champagne/ vodka/ schnapps, according to taste, rank and inclination), the action started with the French being given the initiative. 

And what happened?  The flanking force advanced according to orders; but the main French army under DeSpicable decided to use a brigade order to advance en masse- and he promptly failed his command roll.  And I mean failed- double six, command blunder. Result- the whole force retreats off the table, and has to dice to come back.  

Cue look of horror amid cries of "Nous sommes trahis!" from French left flank, and Allied gunners drooling in unseemly expectation of a jolly good few turns of target practice ahead.

By the time the French recovered their composure and came back on the board, the Allies had managed to stop laughing themselves silly, and the artillerymen on  both sides had begun their devilish work.

One of the first French shots landed amid the Brunswickers, causing them to receive a disorder marker.  Then the Allied guns in the redoubt opened up on the French left.  The Russian Horse Artillery are quickly gaining a reputation for accuracy and effective fire, and managed to disorder both the French artillery and voltigeurs.  

The French artillery replied, and in contrast to the efficiency and skill shown by their Russian counterparts, managed to defy the laws of statistical averages for the remainder of the game by steadfastly rolling a succession of "ones".  But what else should one expect of a newly painted unit?

Under fire from the fearsome Russian Horse Artillery, the left flank French 6pdr battery acquires itself an unenviable collection of hit and disorder markers.

On the British side, the 60th Rifles were ordered forward to do some ineffectual skirmishing with the (depressingly tardily) advancing French columns of the main force, while the 78th were ordered to the centre in anticipation of the coming assault.  

This required all of Lord Ayrehead's attention, while the Brunswickers on the flank traded shots with French voltigeurs, both sides inflicting disorder and casualties.  

Meanwhile, the 7e Chasseurs au Cheval moved steadily ahead.  

They would have moved a lot faster had I remembered that French light cavalry get to use the Marauders rule, meaning that they don't need to modify their command rolls for being out of command radius.  This was not turning into a banner day for the 1er Empire.  

Still, they managed to work their way up the far side of the Casa del Cuspidoro to outflank the Brunswickers.  The Germans, being engaged with the voltigeurs to their front and suffering from disorder, were unable to reply. C'était un moment très délicieux.

Meanwhile back to the centre and right of the French battle line, where GdD DeSpicable had ordered forward the French en masse in mixed formation, battalion columns screened by skirmishers.  Sound the Pas de Charge!  

Here the 9e Legere, closely supported by the 18e de Ligne, ploughs into the 78th Foot.

The 78th yet again failed to write its name in glory across the history books,  and it didn't do nearly as much damage as it could have at this range, and given its first-fire bonus.  In fact, the next turn at the first break test they all decided to high-tail it back to the rear again, as they did last game.  Matt wasn't pleased!

But while all this was taking place, the 88th Foot, blatantly disregarding any threat posed by the  French cuirassiers,  boldly wheeled towards the French attack and poured a nasty fire into the exposed flank of the 18e de Ligne.  

And as luck would have it, this was one really devastating volley- it sent French soldiers down like nine-pins, more than decimating the hapless regiment, which soon broke under the pressure.

Lord Ayrehead knew he could afford to take the risk of exposing the flank of the 88th by wheeling.   The French cuirassiers, despite their ferocious appearance, posed less of a threat than they looked.  They were in a poor position to deploy effectively, a situation made even worse by poor command rolls.

Note Achilleas' great casualty markers. 

Time was running out for the French, and the Allies still had the 45th Foot in reserve.  But most importantly, it was becoming clear that the French would soon not have the strength to take the redoubt, for their centre had begun to crumble away.

While the attack of the 9e and 18e was being beaten off,  the 45e de Ligne, as the photo below shows, had been slowly advancing directly into the teeth of the crack gunners in the Tofusky Redoubt.  During its painstakingly slow advance, with many stops to reform its tattered ranks, it had taken hit after hit from both Russian and British guns.

After too long having had to endure considerable punishment and mounting casualties,  the unfortunate soldats of the 45e de Ligne finally vote with their feet;  the regiment duly fails one break test too many, and routs. 

Clearly its largely unpainted state had resulted in a detrimental effect on unit morale.  

This now opens up wide vistas of fire for the elated Allied gunners, who are not slow to take advantage of the situation.  They soon direct a hot fire onto the vulnerable flanks of Frenchmen both to the right and left of them. Merde!  

On the Allied right flank, all is not well as the Brunswickers get charged in flank by the 7e Chasseurs au Cheval, who have now deployed into line.  "Sonnez la charge! Vive l'empereur!"

 

They survive- barely- but take many hits, are disordered and cannot form square.  While the French cavalry reform for another charge, the voltigeurs open up on them again.  Not a good day to be wearing the black, but they behave gallantly.

Again, Matt did a great job on these Perry Brunswickers.

At this point Bouillon-Cantinat, standing on the rise at the base of the castle sees that the Brunswickers are neutralized and about to be charged again by the indefatigable 7e Chasseurs.  Seeing the French attack in the centre in dire trouble, he decides to risk all ,and to order the veteran 28e Legere- the last French unit at full strength and not suffering from disorder- to advance across the ford and directly assault the redoubt. 

Meanwhile the French gunners on the left light up their pipes and rue their generals while continuing to see how many "ones" they can keep rolling up.

But alas for France, time had now run out; GdD DeSpicable remembered that he must take his leave shortly if he was to meet his mistress as arranged for an evening of gastronomic fulfilment and agreeable feminine companionship.  What is more, the British 45th Foot was about to see off the remnants of the French attack in the centre, and the Tofusky Redoubt still commanded the crossing with its well-served guns.  

So the French call it a day. But who will tell the Emperor of this failure....? 

Another fun game, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.  We are still having to get ourselves fully acquainted with the rules, but a few more games under our belts, and things should start moving a lot faster.  As it was, we got six or seven turns in over four hours of gaming, which we consider pretty darned good.  

The only truly annoying thing was the discovery that Achilleas had these in his box, but didn't use them in the game!  

Sure they were Guard, but as this was the Peninsula, they would have come in handy as converged grenadiers.  Certainly they were just too pretty not to have out on the table.  Miniatures as good as these should not remain hidden in their carrying cases, for shame!

Another Black Powder game in January, and this time we need to see some Allied cavalry on the table.  Some Russian dragoons to go with those horse artillery would be nice.

River of Tears!

For the French, anyway!  

The West Tokyo Wargamers had their monthly games day this past Sunday, and Matt, Achilleas and I had our second game of Napoleonics using Black Powder.

Brunswickers in trouble; disordered and unable to change formation, while out of view at the bottom of the picture are the 7th Chasseurs au Cheval busily forming line for a charge on their flank! 

It was a real blast- almost literally, as the Allies (Russians, Brunswickers and British) were aided by the redoubt I built last week, and which was ably crewed by Russian and British artillery.  But ultimately it ended in a French defeat, as les crapauds failed to take the redoubt which protected the river crossing.  

At least it was certainly no walkover; both sides had their share of heroism- and of craven cowardice!  

Suffice for now to say that the 8th Russian Horse Artillery Battery managed to perform wonders again, while my new French 6pdr- painted just in time for the game- put in an overwhelmingly underwhelming performance.  

My very-much-unfinished unit of the 7th Chasseurs au Cheval, on the other hand, behaved most gallantly; wiping out the stain of their most shameful behaviour in the last game.  They have now earned their place in the front of the queue on my painting table, and will be awarded the privilege, unique among French light cavalry units, of being able to carry their eagles on campaign.

Once I get some more pictures of the game, I'll put up a full report.  No apologies for not having everything fully painted, but we are in the early days of Napoleonic gaming here, and the number of painted troops is growing steadily.  We find that nothing inspires painting quite so much as does playing a hard-fought and enjoyable game with good company.

***** 

I was lucky to be able to get anything painted at all this month, as work has been really eating into my time.  But tomorrow marks the beginning of almost three weeks vacation, and I'm itching to take up the brushes and to get painting.  My first task will be to finish off the almost-painted miniatures on my desktop, and clear the decks for some new units.