Post Napoleonic Wing Scale Volley & Bayonet

Had a really good time at Ed's house yesterday playing a game of Volley & Bayonet in Wing Scale.  They rules have been used in our club for many years and they really have passed the test of time.  We tweak them, but in many cases we return to the base rules when something different does not work out.

The scenario we played was the Hungarian Uprising against the Austrians in 1848.  Ed has become quite the expert on the time period.  He has researched and painted an extensive set of forces for both sides and the armies are a sight to behold!  The scenario we played was challenging for both sides and ended up being well balanced.

I played one of the Hungarian divisional commanders.  My forces consisted of three balanced brigades of two infantry battalions, a light infantry battalion and a squadron of cavalry.  My mission was to defend two ridge lines in front of a town that we had to defend.  If the Austrians could take our town under fire, we would lose the game.  Large numbers of Austrians under George and Ralph attacked my positions and eventually wore my units down.  I had to give ground but I was reinforced by another division similar to mine under Charlie and we ended up holding the line.  Meanwhile, Byron entered the table on our right flank and crashed into Mike C. scattering his units and making for the Austrian town which were tasked with taking under fire.  Due to Byron's ferocious attack, we ended up squeaking out a victory.  Here are some photos of the game with Ed's great terrain and even better Hungarian and Austrian armies of 1848.

The first attacks from George come in.  Note that I established a reverse slope defense in the hopes of staying away from Austrian artillery fire and a coordinated charge.

My initial dispositions with Charlie as the last line of defense.

Heavy pressure on my center number one.  George and Mike had a well coordinated attack 

Heavy pressure on my center number two.

The Austrian juggernaut pushes us back.

The Austrian are forced to react to Byron's attack from our right and Ralph and George pull back to save their town.  The Hungarians are victorious!

Overall, I had a great time and being with good people over the fields of friendly strife is always a great way to spend the day.  Thanks to Ed for an excellent game!

Napoleon's Rules of War

   Played a game of Napoleon's Rules of War a great set of rules developed by fellow NC Penguin, Charlie, and refined by our club over the past several years. With the basic unit of infantry battalion, artillery battery and cavalry squadron, this game is fast paced and very realistic.

   We played a great game of French vs. Austrian of several Austrian divisions attacking several French divisions during a club game day.  It was a huge game involving the equivalent of two corps + on each side.

   Here are a couple of shots of the battlefield at the end of the day on our table.  This represented about 1/4 of the entire game!

The French on the left have crushed an Austrian Division and the center and right have stabilized after being pummeled by well coordinated and executed infantry and cavalry attacks. 

The Austrians push hard on the French Right Flank.  The Hussar Regiment at the bottom center of this photo especially covered itself in glory destroying no less than two French battalions and threatening to completely break into the French line of communications.

The Carabiniers go into the attack, supported by a battery of Horse Artillery.

I had a really good time playing this game, even though I did not play especially well.  On our side, Robert R. did such a great job that he won the Legion d'Honneur as the best French player of the day.