Sunday 23 September 2018

Old School Outing

Good Afternoon!
Sorry that I have been neglecting you but I just haven't had any big games this year. Just to let you know- I have still been having my regular evening games with friends so I will post some pictures from them. I currently don't even have another game planned as I am busy writing and 'being academic'!
Anyway just for a change of pace we have been doing a bit of what I shall call, for want of a better term, Old School Gaming. That is to say we used simply painted 30mm figures with a version of the 1960's ruleset 'Charge or How to Play Wargames'. I always enjoyed the Charge rules having been introduced to the m by Dad when I was a nipper; he believing there should be some regulation to my games of soldiers thus starting me down the slippery slope! However, when using the rules recently I found them to be a bit bloody and I felt that for French Revolutionary battles they needed to cover morale so I wrote my own version. As it turned out I hadn't really thought them through very well (this happens a lot with my own rules) and the game was a bit hit and miss but here are some pictures:


In homage to the source material we played a version of Blasthoff Bridge - this is towards the end and the allied commander has deployed his guns in a rather nasty grand battery - teh resuot was messy!


Electoral (actually British) Guards advance over the bridge.


The same... but closer! '28mm' Figures from Irregular Miniatures - Bridge by Italeri. These figures were painted extremely quickly (in batches of 50!) for a re-fight of Hondeschoote at a friend's house and look quite reasonable - might gloss varnish them to enhance the nostalgic vibe!

The opposition - Foot Gendarmes of Paris- 30mm this time (almost no difference in size) also from Irregular.


The cavalry lie in wait for any Hanoverians foolish enough to attempt th eford!


Chasseurs by Spencer Smith - too small a unit to be effective they covered the flanks and were later decimated by the grand battery.


That battery! Guns by Irregular and Hinchliffe plus some Foundry gunners.


So - the game wasn't great and I do prefer the feel of a big battle for which you can't really beat 20mm (1:72 call it what you will) but I did quite like the idea of this kind of game and will persevere with these rules... though I might try 'Black Powder' .

2 comments:

  1. It's fun to play at different scales for a change of scene. They look marvellous Phil, especially those large units. I was unable to see any simply painted figures, they all look grand to me!

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  2. My continued association with Mr Kay of Irregular Miniatures is my downfall - continual temptation - They don't look bad do they and not a highlight in sight - Am thinking of starting a crusade against over detailed, over painted figures!

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