Continuing my post convention reporting, the Saturday night, I filled my table with Napoleon in Europe, by Eagle Games.
the gigantic Napoleon in Europe by Eagle Games
The game covers the whole of a 4'x8' sheet of plywood set over the tables, with room to spare for laying out the extra troops.
Not a full slate of players as we have had at the Dak-Kon events in the past, yet a lively group that got into the 'spirit' of the international banter back-and-forth with only a few 'ruffled feathers'
as usual the central European position was difficult to hold
the game parts are clear for what they depict
We ended up with a strange coalition of French, English, Spanish going against Austria and Russia
Much laughter resulted in the four hours the game was played through and we were the last group out of the game hall at midnight.
I have been examining the game play options going forward at the local and nearby regional conventions.
None of them include strategic or what I would call campaign level games. Plenty of single battlefields, from Hausen-Teugen to Waterloo in the Napoleonic era and others.
There are some that have boardgames, and while this does include the strategic element, the miniatures 'feel' of the tabletop is completely lacking.
My first thought was to put out a call to those whom I knew had the minis to support multiple games and see if they would be willing to stage a 'campaign' or perhaps a 'mini-campaign' to try it all out at the coming year's Salute convention.
Then an even bigger idea came ... what about reaching out to the Napoleonic tabletop community that I have contact with world-wide, via this blog, and see what the appetite was for an online version of a campaign style game? Where they could take command of troops in hand, with their local players or via such remote means as Skype or old fashioned e-mail? Though the Skype options allows for near real-time battlefield adjustments.
The idea being to re-create the convention-like game experience without having to travel, or haul all our minis and terrain?
There you have it dear reader ... tell me what you feel you could do? - or what pitfalls you see this having?
A conference call was arranged with five players in four time zones on three continents, thank you Skype.
Primarily the purpose of the call was to lay out the situation for the Noble Monarchs and to decide the next major task in the campaign, while doing so 'in character', if you will for the particular monarch (Alexander, Fredrick William or Francis) or field commander: Schwartzenberg and Blucher all present at the same space at the same time in the campaign.
I shall not give away any details, only say that the 'alliance' is not as unified as might have been hoped and that a new strategic set of goals has been decided upon ...
Have any of my readers done such a 'wide-range' of campaign? What were the results? What would you have done differently?
For Campaign Command in an 1813 Leipzig based campaign - possibly others.
Solo game players with Napoleonic forces are also welcomed as there will exist plenty of potential for proxy battles (there is no way a single player or even a few table tops could game out all the battles that have the potential for play)
Top command structure and historically minded players needed for: Tasr of Russia, Emperor of Austria and King of Prussia.
Senior command positions for Army of Silesia & Wing commander, Army of Bohemia & Wing Commander and Army of the North and wing Commander.
Tabletop commander with a significant Napoleonic collection willing to take on the vitally important task of French Command, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
Experienced Napoleonic game players sought for the positions of the French Wing Commanders (at least 2)
The plan is to have a 'warm-up' session using some Cyberboard tools in November and December of 2012, then get into active campaign and put the troops into action by March of 2013.
Those wishing to partake may either leave an email contact here in the comments, or send email to: viperbbb@gmail.com
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Long Live the King I am hip deep in the preparations for a Long Live the King game planned for the coming Dak-Kon convention in Courtenay, BC.
In two weeks I will get a last chance at a playtest then go live on February 28 at the event.
Following the playtest I will have some comments for all of you here.
If you know of any play aids from the web please enter a comment regarding them and I will try to bring them into use. I have a word document one that I am working with right now.
Cheers
Friday, June 27, 2008
Significant Video
About two years ago I wrote elsewhere that it was the interpreters in Afghanistan who held the real combat action power as it would be up to the interpreters to be the most essential link between the military force and the ordinary people.
This video clip by Guardian Flims, from The Real News is the most significant piece of film documenting what is really happening on the ground there.
When you watch this clip, think of what the village elder is really saying with is allegorical story, then understand that the translator DID NOT TELL ANY OF THE ELDER'S STORY! The sergeant is angry with the old man because of what he thinks the man said, yet the translator was the power broker in the entire exchange and this most essential trust is totally broken.
In my mind the translator is lying, and if the sergeant knew this I think he might just break the translators nose, if not something more drastic and permanent.
If anyone seeing and reading this knows anyone of the troops in that clip from 'charlie company' then please forward all of this to them! Please, for the sake of everyone involved, the old man and his village, the military troops, the rest of the populace here in Canada, North America, Australia and the world, since this is a monstrous criminal mistake that is going on in the 'name' of us all through NATO and the UN.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Diplomacy is done. For now I have resigned from that little Diplomacy game.
The first difficulty came in one player not understanding the orders issuing proceedures, then missing the very first move of the game.
The game moderator did the right thing and put the player's nation into civil disorder and left the pieces where they started.
The player then whined and got a 'do over' that was bolluxed up and was in any event a totally wrong-headed decision in my view, though only three other players spoke up and to my knowledge only two were in favor of allowing this.
Then we completely re started, well not really 'completely' we were supposed to go on with prior things negotiated, but since the player's nation was NOT COMMUNICATING at all during the first phases of the first try this was not the right thing to do. Moreover I thought that we should have randomly 're-set' our nations, but the others just wanted to get on with it. Sigh, the first decision was the right one and I stand by the moderator for making it.
The crap that followed just started to piss me off and rather than become difficult I resigned from the situation, as this way I reduce my stress and do not hand over any to anyone else.
The game is still a good one and in my humble view best played "IN PERSON".
Monday, November 05, 2007
The lack of recent posts has been because I have started an interesting little game of DIPLOMACY.
Played via an internet engine:
http://www.floc.net/dpjudge/
Worth checking out.
I shall not say more as the game is 'blind' and some of my opponents may be reading this blog.
In a uniform from the age of 13 to 30, learned much of 'military life' and after a decade of travel have settled down to start a family. Started with boardgames and RPG's in the 1970's and added tabletop miniatures in the 1990's. Now with a family of three boys, seeking to turn this sometime hobby into more of a lifestyle.
