Internal Byzantine Strife

This was a scenario taken from the Lion Rampant 2nd Edition rule book. The figures are mostly from the excellent Fire Forge range. 

Monday Night Games

Napoleonics dominated this evening. In the main scenario, the French cavalry managed to charge across the bridge and rout their Prussian counterparts. The Prussians had difficulty in deploying their infantry, due to congestion on the road, providing the French with more time to ford the river and drive the Germans from the field.

WWII - Canadians in Normandy

In this well-balanced scenario, a Canadian force had to defend a number of villages against Germans who were attempting a counter attack some days after D-Day. The scenario comes form the Rapid Fire! website, which provides a number of freely downloadable scenarios. These have clearly been well play tested, as they always seem to provide a close game.

In the end, the Germans managed to secure a win. Principally this was because an entire battalion of Canadians defending one of the villages failed a morale test - after their HQ was KO'd - and desert their posts, leaving the village to the Germans! That said, the arrival of 5 Panthers also helped decide the day.

Franco Prussian War - Krupps Reign Supreme

In this blistering encounter, the Prussians secured a convincing win against their brave French opponents. In a race to secure control of a village, both sides had two infantry regiments, with accompanying artillery, although the Prussians benefited from larger battalions, a battalion of Jaegers and two regiments of cavalry, rather than one. They also could rely on the power of a number of 4pdr and 6pdr Krupp batteries.

The French reached the village first, but were unable to make much of a defensive position of it. The Prussian right flank emerged from the woods, but decided to retire back into the cover when they were raked with Chassepot and Mitrailleuse fire. On the Prussian left flank, the Cuirassiers managed to get the better of the French Chasseurs d'Afrique in a flanking manoeuvre.

In reality, the game was probably won in the centre where two well positioned Krupp batteries were able to decimate a number of exposed French line battalions and a battery of French artillery. The poor French weren't really able to make the most of their deadly Chassepot at longer ranges.

The Franco-Prussian War offers a lot of scenario opportunities and, with the differing troop type classifications, coupled with the respective advantages of the weapons carried, this provides the wargamer with lots to think about.....