First Foray into Franco-Prussian

This was a modest sized game set in the Franco-Prussian War, 1870. A French regiment with three battalions had to defend a hamlet and ridge line against a Brigade of 6 Prussian battalions. Both sides had supporting artillery. The primary objective was to test the club rules variant to ensure a relatively authentic battle and outcome.

The French held on stoically, but were eventually overrun by the advancing Prussians, who deployed in a combination of line and attack columns, with skirmish screen. Nevertheless, the heaps of Prussian dead at the end of the game, attested to the superiority of the Chassepot rifle.

With regards the rules, I think that the Prussian Krupp guns need to be improved to align with their prowess in the period.

Mamluks v Mongols

A 13th century paring of the Mamluk Sultanate against the Mongol Ilkhanate using Lion Rampant wargame rules.

The two large cavalry forces faced off against each other on one flank, the infantry on the other. The mounted Mamluks eventually got the better of their opponents, even though they lost their commander. Likewise the Mamluk infantry was victorious, primarily due to their superior archery.

This is a very colourful period, with interesting troop types, little gamed by wargamers.

The Osprey rules were probably tested to their limit in this game, as they aren't really intended for larger battles, such as this. The shooting did appear to be overly powerful, which skewed the game somewhat. That said, everyone had fun, which is the main thing.