Details matter: arrival of reenforcements

The Napoleon's Battles Leipzig scenario includes a detailed list of arrival troops, times and locations.

defining the arrivals for the Leipzig game

I have copied that list and now added a 'letter' designation for each of them, with the intention of having that same letter designation on a tag next to the troops to be deployed and use that same letter on a control board and have my wooden letters be used on the tabletop.

   

the 'flat' letter "W" seen at the cross-roads here

I have a full set of these little letter stars, that I have used a few times on the tabletop.  For such a busy game anything that simplifies the organizing process will be of value.

the matching "W" in the upright version
seen here with the "Z" and "Y"

 

They have not had a lot of uses on the tabletop, yet, so it will be a good run this time around with so many troops and players.

Leipzig toolkit

 I am making further use of the metal pin & cubes stands I did up for the ACW games.

 

I was always planning on them having more uses, this is as good a time as any to put them on the tabletop.

 

This time around they will be used as location names and point values as well as control markers for the locations in the coming Leipzig game.

 

It is very likely that at least one of my 15mm buildings will also get out on the tabletop this time around.

Basing for Napoleon's Battles

 Just a little primer on the basing needs for 15mm Napoleonic soldiers when setting up for Napoleon's Battles:

the core of any army would be Infantry

Cavalry are the 'tip of the spear'

the man-killer, artillery

This is to prepare for the coming Leipzig game, on 15,16, 17, 2026.

Prelude to Leipzig

    Napoleon soon realized that his bluff had been called.  Far from driving the enemy apart and defeating him in detail, it now behooved the French Emperor to move every available man to Leipzig with all speed to forestall the arrival of two large enemy army groups from opposite directions.  From this moment Napoleon was without any doubt compelled to adapt a complete strategic defensive and to curtail even his tactical offensives.  As early as the 12th  he had sent Marmont with the VIth Corps toward Taucha near Leipzig in readiness to sustain Murat, who was still fighting south of the city; the Guard would be hard on his heels.  "All my army will be putting itself in motion; all of it will have arrived [near Leipzig] by morning of the 14th, and I shall be able to fight the enemy with 200,000 men."

  At three in the morning of the 14th , Berthier received his master's definitive orders for a general concentration on Leipzig.  Four hours later, Napoleon was writing Macdonald: "My Cousin, I hope the you will arrive here [Duben] in good time today.  It is necessary to cross the river at once.  There can be no doubt that during tomorrow - the 15th - we shall  be attacked by the Army of Bohemia and the Army of Silesia.  March with all haste, therefore, and if you hear a cannonade make for the sound of the guns.  The Army of Silesia is debouching by way of Halle and Zorbig."  This letter reveals that Napoleon had abandoned almost all hope of keeping his two major adversaries apart.  

 

However, the indications were that Bernadotte was still dragging his heels well to the rear of Blucher - although regrettably the Crown Prince had not, after all, fallen back over the Elbe - and the Emperor still hoped that his concentrated army would prove strong enough to defeat Schwarzenberg before Blucher could make his counterbalancing presence fully felt.

   ~ The Campaigns of Napoleon, Dr. David Chandler, 1966, pp. 919-922

 

The Battle of Nations
 is scheduled for May 15, 16, & 17, 2026

Nanaimo, BC, Canada 
There will be an After Action Report (AAR) here
at Murdock'S MarauderS 

more NEW game books (okay new to me)

 a fast trip to Vancouver recently allowed me the time to pick up two rules books I had meant to acquire for a while now, and also a new version of one I have had the older one of for many decades

first the new one:

version 3.0 from 2014

 

I have been doing DBA since the early 1990s, introduced to it by gamers in Winnipeg and Minnesota.

I have had versions 1.1, 2.1 and now 3.0.  Giving the quick glance at it, I think I will need to make a new measuring 'fork', otherwise all my minis will still work with the system - neat part is that DBMM stuff is also covered in this rules set (it looks like - I haven't read it all the way yet).

 

hardback Brigade Fire & Fury

 I have been playing this rules set, using others books most of the time and have been busy building my own game set of the full armies for Bull Run 1861 and Shiloh 1862; now started on the battle of Gettysburg 1863 armies, with the aim of having a full campaign set for 1863 (with all of the cavalry for both sides) and the intent to use games like Bobby Lee and Sam Grant for the strategic setup, then transition to an operational system (of my own devising), then to the tabletop - most likely with BF&F, thus the need to finally have my own copy.

softcover P&S

While "Black Powder" might have worked out as well, I chose to pick up Pike and Shotte, as Rob has been using these rules for many of the English Civil War games that we have run and many of the minis I have are from the Warlords set, it was time to have the rules set to go with them all.

Leipzig Game approaches!

 At long last the dates for a multi-player Leipzig game have been set, May 15,16,17 (a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday affair)

Looks like at least 6 players per side (possibly more).

Some of my 15mm buildings will take part on the tabletop, as will my Napoleon's Battles rules set, as it is always good to have many copies on hand.

my Shako & Baton cards

 

I designed some "Shako & Baton" cards for use in the many 200th anniversary games played from 2006-2015 and now they will get a fresh run, as discussion about the need for 'free roll' controls began.

I have also suggested possible other cards, and maybe have some extra free rolls in a mix of cards to be drawn each turn?  Dunno there's a discussion to be had about it all.

more of the cards options

I have also put forward the use of a chess clock in order to introduce a time limit to the game activity.

The intention is to set a 'total time' for game actions/decisions/movement etc for each side and then stick to it as a possible game loosing element - for those who take too long to make decisions and move the minis ought to have something to get them going on with the action (even if it is a poor decision or other problem with it - just make a decision!) since we will only have so much time to run the game and we would really like to have the action happen.

the chess clock I have had since 2007 (?) 
will get another outing on the tabletop

The rules for Napoleon's Battles really do lend themselves well to a clock timer, since the overall game time has a limit, the turns have a limit and there needs to be something to help 'push' the slower players to keep the game action moving.

It might only account for a part of the victory conditions, yet I see it as vital to the simulation since real commanders would have less time to make the decisions (and less information often) than we do at the games table.  

The use of the time limit will also encourage everyone to stay focused on the game at hand since many other players (myself included) will be traveling some distances and taking hotel rooms in this multi-day event!

Paperwork

 re-setting games activities from many decades is no straight forward task

I have been involved in the organization of my own little table group and a number of convention organizations from the Comox valley to Halifax and many places and sizes in-between

 I stumbled upon this character sheet today in the process of re-packing and preparing to move on items and it reminded me of the blog today

the TOON character sheet

 I did some TOON games back in the 1990s and ran a few at convention events, something quick and silly to find friends with active imaginations.

The boys did some TOON games at the library, in the 2010s, now I have moved on the paperwork and only have the main rule-book (I think) and plan to get this heavier weight paper sheet included with whatever remains of the game set.