Since the Corona SARS-CoV-2 induced lockdown I had it on my mind to go through my old stuff boxed away in the cellar and in the garage. Several boxes with old books, old magazines, and old paints await a selection process – a veritable triage – of staying or beeing removed for good. Today is the first day that I have the spare time to take a look into these boxes.
In March 1943 Army Group South’s operations led to the Third Battle of Kharkov. This scenario takes us to the town of Graiworon some 40 km northwest of Kharkov during a German attack on 12 March 1943. The forces involved are elements of Soviet 305th Rifle Division and 3rd Tank Corps opposing the advance of armoured elements of the Großdeutschland Division.
Oliver commanded the Germans and I had the task to come up with an defensive operational plan for my small Soviet force.
Having played the new Last Eagles: Ligny 1815 I wanted to compare how the battle plays with Napoleon’s Last Gamble my first game from the The Library of Napoleonic Battles series. The game has been dwelling in my shelf for some time and now its about time to give it a go.
As for rules I am quite comfortable with the OSG Version 7.33 rules by Kevin Zucker. But I wanted to find out how the alternative Last Battles of Napoleon by Markus Stumptner work. So I use the structure of the original rules with the movement rates, the command rules, the combat, and the morale blended in.
Today Sven and I went for the smaller version of the Battle of Monocacy respectively scenario 4 in MMP’s TO TAKE WASHINGTON ~ Jubal Early’s Summer 1864 Campaign. I played the Confederates and he took the Union defenders. Our main aim was to get into the rules and see how we would like the game. And off course to have a pleasant day with a friendly game.
As I mentioned I want to see the counters on this beautiful map of the Ligny battlefield. So there it is in its full splendor. The red cubes show the 7 Objective Flags each worth 10 VP at the end of each turn. Losses and the exits to the lines of communication of each army are taken into account via VP as well. Killed and captured leaders count too, and should Napoleon get himself killed, well this war wouldn’t be Napoleonic any longer no matter how the outcome of this battle might otherwise be.
Probabely every wargamers has a spell of time of being fascinated by the Napoleonic period. The colourful uniforms, the wide spanning strategy, the epic battles, the cultural and legal effects on Europe all make for a very intersting historical study. I am no exception of this. I have painted miniatures, taken part in several smaller and larger Napoleonic wargames. The more memorable ones were two occasions of large teams playing the battles of Katzbach and Quatre Bras. I recollect having attended to an one week Napoleonic Spanish team campaign in a lodge in England.
Today a long-held dream came true for me. A group of seven ASL enthusiasts gathered in a near-by town only one hour’s drive from my home. Our host Oliver invited us to his home where he has established a wargaming room in a rededicated old barn. Here we played ASL all day, talked shop about other CoSims, and in general had a good time.
from left to right: Moritz, Sven, Matthias, Thomas, Michael, and Oliver
