A Victoria Day of GAMES

May 18, here in Canada, was Victoria Day and my boys did not have school that day.

So it was all setup as a tabletop games day.

First up was a SHAKO game with my youngest:

table lay out ... we were using a smaller than normal table - mom was busy with the big table - this left our forces at canister range!

the black uniforms of the Brunswick force

Italians take the fild

on turn 2 the Brunswickers formed a column to rush into the town

field on turn 3, by this point the Allied cavalry had melted away and now the town turned into a hand-to-hand match

flash on with the town battle in front of the lens

 In turn four the battle continued in the town, with the Brunswick force being eliminated taking five casualties, this put the score at 3:0 with the French leading!

Turn five saw the French flank cavalry arrive, though the wise (young) commander of the Allies had already formed square to meet these light horsemen

artillery barrage continued, though still not having any effect

French on the left flank covered the woods exits ... no red coats were going to come out of the woods without facing volley fire

Turn six field view

The square of the second rate Brunswickers HELD!  fending off two charges by light cavalry ... though not enough to keep the Allies in the field, for other Brunswick troops had been killed in an Italian charge and a force of British line troops had been shot to pieces by French line troops on the hill facing the woods.

Final score:  French 6 kills, Anglo-Brunswick 0 kills.  

Result Decisive French Victory.

Our next game was with the three boys and I in a busy game of "Conquest of the Empire"

just before the 'double-cross'

only two players left ... big forces in North Africa and a last ditch effort in Rome ...

I held off two of the boys and ended the game with a thin force catching my middle son's Caesar in a 3v2 battle in Rome.  Neat ending.

Next game was a Squad Leader battle, scenario one again, as my eldest is still learning all the details.

Squad Leader, setting up

we called the game at this stage as it was pretty clear the Soviet Guards were going to take the second building with minimal losses, while the Germans were taking a pounding

Dinner and some clean up and finally the game of Dominion with everyone ... even mom.

We were really late in the day, so we played only a very short game.  My middle son, the one who 'won' this game box at Salute a few years ago, was the winner with the most provinces.

Game of Dominion on Victoria Day

All in all the day was a great way to re-connect with my boys and challenge their minds with something other than video ...