Hard pounding at Ligny

Ligny is one of those famous battles that I knew "of "but not "about" - i.e., I knew the broad outlines of situation and outcome, but not really any details of the course of the battle itself. That was rectified by Mark's game this week.

Many readers will know Ligny well, but for the rest of us, here's the situation. It's one of the pair of battles that are the prelude to Waterloo, the other being Quatre Bras. Napoleon is trying to beat the Prussian army thoroughly and drive it back to Namur, away from Wellington's Anglo-Allied army, before turning on Wellington. His plan relies on frontal assaults pinning the Prussians in their defensive line along the Ligne stream until Ney can descend on them from behind their right flank. As Ney is unavoidably detained at QB, it doesn't quite work out like that. Most famously, d'Erlon's corps yo-yos between the two battlefields as both Napoleon and Ney send increasingly urgent messages demanding his help. In the end, although Napoleon earns a tactical victory in that the Prussians are pushed back, they are still in the game and able to rebound at Waterloo.

Let's launch straight into the photos of the game, then offer some Reflections at the end. Only five pics of the battle as it was such an intense fight.

So intense, in fact, that I awarded myself a stiff one of these afterwards! (I'd spent the day running a WWII game, Izbushenskiy, so you'll appreciate the battle fatigue was setting in by the time I fought Ligny the same evening.)

I commanded the main body of the French, facing Crispin (Mark just handling the French right wing against Dave W). Here's what I was up against: a Prussian force about 50% stronger, with some of its guns set up waiting for my advance, and ensconced in some tough defensive positions. The village on the left is St Amand; on the right, the eponymous Ligny. Normally in BBB villages are worth 1 level of cover, but in this scenario they rate 2. Likewise the steep-banked Ligne stream with its thick vegetation is double the usual stream obstacle for both movement and combat. (hence the hedges).

Figures are Baccus 6mm, all from Mark's collection, as is the terrain.

Plan view of the battle. Apart from the Prussian garrisons in St Amand and Ligny, all the troops in the foreground, south of La Ligne, are French. More will arrive but not until Turns 5+. Meanwhile, I had the tough task of trying to take some of those white Objective counters and fight across the stream. I was not optimistic, and when a few dice went wrong on the first turn or two I suggested we swap sides and start again ... but it was more a wry aside than a morale failure and we soldiered on.

Neither the time nor the space for subtlety, so in go two big assaults on the main villages. We boot the Prussians out of the southern half of each. Over the next two or three turns, with dogged determination and a bit of luck (plus superior troop quality) we get all of St Amand, but the Prussians hang on exchanging volleys with us in Ligny for most of the game.

What you can't see is some serious action left of pic. Committing so much against St Amand left my artillery somewhat exposed. Crispin took advantage by flinging a couple of cavalry brigades and a strong infantry brigade across the Ligne. He battered my one small infantry unit there and overran some guns. My reserve artillery was lucky to bring him to a halt.

Out of shot right of pic we, weren't having much luck either, as Grouchy's cavalry fought themselves to exhaustion (and then evaporation) pinning the Prussian left.

The arrival of our reserves changed things. In this pic, the Prussians still hold Wagnelé (left edge) and St Amand la Haye (next village to its right on the Ligne) but have fallen back elsewhere (that line of troops at top of pic). Those Prussians top left, heading leftward, are reacting to the arrival of a single French division (Durutte) from the Grand Old Count of Erlon's corps, which had crossed the Ligne. Durutte then unilaterally fell back again (rolled snake eyes while Passive) but he had done a useful job.

More importantly, the Imperial Guard joined in. The Old Guard (bottom right) didn't fire a shot but didn't need to. Their presence was enough to keep some of the Prussians at a safe distance and embolden my lads who'd crossed the Ligne to try and storm St Amand La Haye. It didn't work - Prussian artillery saw us off - but never mind, we could win elsewhere.

Note the Young Guard, the unit centre foreground in the Hameau de St Amand. Note also the cuirassiers, bottom left, eyeing the shaken Landwehr in Wagnelé.

The last act. As dusk falls, I mount a massed assault on Wagnelé. The Young Guard go in. They get some useful fire support from the infantry in the foreground. Crucially, although the cuirassiers failed to charge, the Horse Grenadiers of the Guard - who were out to the left of the previous pic - get the full move they need to avoid those Prussian dragoons (top left) and fall on the Landwehr's flank. That was enough to outweigh the tough defensive position and force the Landwehr out, giving the French the sixth Objective we needed for victory. Vive l'empereur!

Reflections

Quality Tells. The early turns were mutual attrition and not much progress. However, the French veterans could absorb casualties better than the trained or raw Prussians. The blue cubes in the pics above betray the growing number of Spent Prussian units. Thus, the tide turned, the Prussians getting significantly weaker while the French were reinforced.

Learning by Doing. As I said at the start, Ligny is a battle I knew of rather than about. Mark's game has now given me a good appreciation, not only of the shape and course of the historical battle, but also actually of the sheer intensity of the combat. That's quite a tribute to his scenario design.

Ligny will be added as a bonus scenario to Mark's "Napoleon's Bloody Big Battles!" BBB scenario book pdf edition, about to become available from SkirmishCampaigns ~February 2026.

Italians in Russia, 1942

Fancied a change from the 19th century so I dug out my WWII collection and revisited a scenario we last played a decade ago: "l'ultima carica", the last cavalry charge, carried out by the Italians in Russia in 1942. The charge was by a regiment, but the game covers the larger action by roughly one Italian composite division vs three smaller Soviet rifle divisions and a tank brigade. I'll get straight into the action with photos: a few scene-setters, then two or three each for the first and second phases, and a climactic one.

The mighty Italian armour! On this sector the Italians had a battalion of Semovente 47/32 and a few L6/40 light tanks, backed up by Bersaglieri motorcyclists. Tanks are Heroics & Ros from my collection. Bersaglieri by Dave W.

It's a big battlefield, 36km x 24km, and the game covers several days of action. It's pretty flat country. The hills are gentle rises. The green patches are balkas: steep-sided ravines with woods and villages in them. Soviets have crossed the Don at north table edge and are exploiting south. Italians are a mix of remnants from the river defence, plus reinforcements rushed up, and are trying to counterattack and shore up the line. White counters indicate Objectives: the line of hills across the centre of the table, and the two main villages in the balkas in the foreground.

Soviets have three rifle divisions: 197th top left, 203rd top centre, 14th Guards top right backed up by 652nd Tank Brigade. Against these four formations, the Italians have three: "Yagodniy Group" around the lefthand village, "Chebotarevskiy Group" around the right, and a Bersaglieri battlegroup moving up to plug the gap in the centre.

View from the Italian left, where the Semoventes are approaching to support Yagodniy. The 197th (top centre) is ignoring the solid Italian line on the hill in front of Yagodniy and has shifted across to help the 203rd (top right) contest the central hills against the Bersaglieri.

Lots of bloody and confused action in the central sector, including an overrun attack by the fearsome L6/40s. 100mm howitzers add beef.

Chebotarevskiy sector was quiet initially while the Soviets focused on tidying up the remnants of the CCNN "Tagliamento" Legion on the hill top left. These were dug in so they resisted the Soviet armour for a surprisingly long time.

The valiant CCNN blackshirts being assailed by mixed battalions of T34s, T26s, and Lend-Lease American tanks. 14th Guards divisional artillery trotting up in the background.

Mid-game: Soviets have finally cleared the blackshirts off their hill. The tanks and the Guards Rifles can now combine to attack the tough Italian position around Chebotarevskiy.

In the central sector, 197th and 203rd Rifle Divs have driven back the Bersaglieri with loss.

My Soviet infantry are from Irregular Miniatures. (I think this range is currently out of production but hopefully back soon.) I do like my command stands keeping the red flag flying.

The Italian Yagodniy group HQ musters its reserves to head off and try to help the Bersaglieri. The unit in the foreground is XV Guastatori assault engineers. Their flamethrowers and the Semoventes will wreck the 197th, which has already taken losses against the Bersaglieri.

The climactic assault: tanks and SMG shock troops converge on the Savoia dragoons in Chebotarevskiy. If the Soviets can take this, they will have enough Objectives for victory.

The weight of Soviet numbers and fire would have been too much for the Italian cavalry, except that Mark had a wild card up his sleeve (each side got dealt an event card each turn, to use as and when they wished). This let him re-roll their saving roll, needing 3 or less on D10, and they squeaked it.

Reflections.

Brain Pain. The luxury of playing BBB roughly every other week for 15 years is that we all know the rules backwards and can concentrate on strategy and tactics. We forget how hard it can be to wrestle with unfamiliar rules. My brain hurts!

Rediscovering WWII. But the brain pain was worth it. WWII is up there with the late 19th Century as my two favourite wargaming periods. In both, the trinity of infantry-cavalry/armour-artillery is in reasonable balance and the battles can offer a lot of maneuver, which is what generates decisions and makes games interesting. We all enjoyed the game enough to persevere with the rules. I expect I'll knock up a better QR sheet, refurbish some old scenarios and work up some new ones, and get more WWII on the table occasionally from now on.

Tatty Old Troops. In this and a couple of other recent games, I've had to improvise by putting figures on my old card sabots. If this WWII ruleset sticks (and it looks like it will), at some point I ought to get round to actually basing the tanks and troops properly for it. Likewise the ACW collection I inherited from a friend. Decent bases make a difference both aesthetically and functionally.

Zulu War: Second March on Ulundi

This will just be a brief post: time is too short for a fuller one (plus I only took two photos), but this game was too good not to record.

Last week Anton gave us his "First March on Ulundi" scenario that encompassed both the disaster at Isandlwana and the heroic stand at Rorke's Drift. This week he followed it up with "Second March on Ulundi".

This second march was the expedition mounted four months after Isandlwana that culminated in final Zulu defeat at Ulundi. It involved two British columns: Brigadier Sir Evelyn Wood's "Flying Column" approaching from the west and the main column under Chelmsford invading from the north.

Historically, the Zulus waited outside the Royal Kraal at Ulundi, hoping to negotiate peace. (They were disappointed.) Anton's scenario explores a more aggressive what-if option in which the Zulus advance to take on the separate British columns before they can rendezvous and combine.

Here are the two photos. Sorry they aren't the best and I didn't take the usual full-table shot to orient you better.

The Flying Column (left of pic) has a lot of ground to cover. The Zulus' Left Horn comes to meet it. Note the small unit upper right: that is Wood's cavalry, which in this game managed to slip through the Zulu army to rendezvous with Chelmsford. Top right corner, you can just see the long mountain that Chelmsford's column is moving down.

 This time the Zulus had some rifle-armed units, which added variety to the tactical interactions (even if they didn't actually hit very much). No redcoats because I don't possess any, sorry - my Balkan Wars Greeks had to stand in for the Brits. Virtues of 6mm scale!

The main British column, moving south along a mountainside, turns to face the Zulu Right Horn intercepting them from the east. This was slow progress with much carnage.

Anton, Phil and I played this game through twice in a short afternoon. In the first, the Zulus were very aggressive, managed to overrun some NNC and capture a gun battery, but exhausted themselves in assaults so that the British were then able to proceed through the wreckage with relative ease. In the second game, the Zulus adopted a more patient strategy, feeding impis in gradually to keep the British pinned down and play for time. This produced the same result in the end, but the end came a bit later and with fewer British casualties.

Reflections

Never Charge Zulus! In the First March game, Mark J charged a Spent Zulu impi with part of the 24th, then came to grief when more Zulus charged his disordered line that had come off its cosy hill. In this one, Phil charged a Zulu impi in the flank with his colonial cavalry and NNC, then came to grief when more Zulus charged his disordered lines ...

The Death Star. As in the First March, the scenario special rules for squares or laagers were overpowered: British troops in this formation got 360-degree arc of fire, and a bonus when assaulted, and no penalty on movement to compensate. Anton and I discussed a few possible ways to mitigate this and I'm sure he'll hit the sweet spot.

Choices, Choices. The scenario structure is simple but brilliant in giving both sides several strategic options, hence multiple possible ways the game could go. It puts the Zulus in a Bonaparte-style central position where they can concentrate against one or the other column and potentially give it serious grief. Other approaches are also possible. Our two games were quite different and both were good fun and thought-provoking. That alone would be enough to make it a Saturday well spent ...

Victuals. ... but the post-battle phase is important! Going for a curry afterwards was the icing on the cake. If you see what I mean.

That's All, Folks. For today, that is. More soon, though: tomorrow I'm hosting one game at home during the day, then going to the club the same evening for another. You may expect reports on these too.

Zulu War: First March on Ulundi

I thought my pre-Christmas game of Marengo was going to be my only game in December and my last for the year. But no! Not only did I get to push space marines around with a young relative the day after Boxing Day - yesterday, at short notice and unexpectedly, I played a terrific Zulu War game through twice!

The story is this. My good mate Anton (author of the fine collection of BBB Boer War scenarios as well as several more obscure African WWI actions) recently commissioned a ready-painted 6mm Zulu army. He wanted to blood these. Turned out he and I and a couple of the other guys were all free yesterday. Also turned out Anton had crafted a scenario for the ill-fated British invasion of Zululand that famously came to grief at Isandlwana.

We'd previously used BBB for a conventional Isandlwana scenario with Bruce's beautiful 28mm figures. (See report here.) Anton's game was a more radical zoomed-out one that encompassed both Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, covering ~20x15 miles and including some days of pre-battle manoeuvre.

I've enthused before about how such higher-level games that draw the frame wider can present more interesting decisions and provide additional insights beyond what we can obtain from simply fighting a straight battlefield clash. This was no exception. I offer a number of Reflections at the end of this post. First, though, as is now traditional, let me give you some photos to look at.

What it's all about - Zulus! Figures are Anton's Baccus 6mm. This is just a fraction of the Zulu army. Those card sabots are 15-year-old veterans, first used while we were still developing the BBB rules ... each sabot is 3"x1" and represents 3 BBB bases; Zulu units (impis) all start 6 bases strong (two sabots); the Zulu force numbers 16 impis in total = 96 bases. These are organised into Left Horn (4 impis), Right Horn (3 impis), Chest (5 impis) and Loins (4 impis). The Loins are in reserve and only enter when triggered by 4 impis becoming Spent.

The impudent invaders. These are figures from Mark Smith's collection In the foreground is Number 2 Column: Natal Native Horse, some Natal Native Contingent, and a rocket battery. Behind them is Number 3 Column: two companies of the 24th, more NNC, Imperial Mounted Infantry and some other regular horse, and a battery of mountain guns. Top right is the garrison at Rorke's Drift. This mighty total of 17 bases means the British face 6:1 odds.

The theatre of operations. The lichen-lined Buffalo River at left is impassable except at Rorke's Drift and Fugitive's Drift (marked with discreet bridges). Isandlwana is the small hill in the centre nearest to the British. The Brits all enter from the left (west) edge at Rorke's Drift. Zulu Horns enter on the eastern half of the top and bottom (north and south) edges); Chest and Loins, east edge.

This was the first playtest of Anton's first draft. Unusually, the victory conditions don't include any objective locations. Instead, it is all about how many British units march off the east edge towards Ulundi, versus how many Zulu units march off west to invade Natal.

The first three turns are all marching and no fighting. Most Zulu units cannot enter before Turn 3 and only on a die roll thereafter. The British force therefore makes good ground unopposed initially. Our British commander was Mark J, up against me, Anton and Mark S as the three Zulus. MJ has opted to have his whole force bear north initially, wide of Isandlwana, onto the North Heights. (Superstitious, maybe?)

Contact! Turn 4: Chelmsford's cavalry scouts spot the first Zulus (one impi from the Right Horn; two more from the Chest beyond it). This shot gives a good impression of the sheer amount of manoeuvre space we had.

First volley! The British cavalry finds the Zulus lurking beneath the steep slope of the North Heights (indicated by the green pipecleaner). Note the British bases formed back to back: BBB doesn't normally bother with squares as a formation, but they're rather necessary for colonial actions, so Anton has a scenario special rule for them.

Wider view of the situation on Turn 4. At top of pic you can just make out three impis of my Left Horn who got lucky with their arrival rolls. Much good it would do them.

The battle develops. More Brits arrive at the eastern end of the North Heights and pin down the approaching Zulus with fire. (White smoke = Disrupted.) The NNH move south onto the plateau above Isandlawana.

Meanwhile, my Left Horn presses towards Fugitive's Drift, intend on crossing there and heading for Natal.

Almost all of the Right Horn and Chest have now arrived. Impis surge forward to confront the British on the North Heights. Note the impi top left that is charging up against a square of the 24th and the gun battery behind it. This charge will be repelled by fire with the loss of a second base, rendering the Zulu unit Spent (black smoke marker) ...

... whereupon the British invite calamity upon themselves. MJ decided to follow up his success by having the 24th come out of square to charge down at the Spent Zulus, hoping to complete their rout. He only pushed them back and was left in Line and Disrupted. The third impi of the Right Horn arrived, charged, got lucky and wiped out the 24th and the battery beyond, ending up atop the North Heights. Those NNC who also descended onto the plain are regretting it.

"They don't like it up 'em, sir!"

"No - but neither do I!"

Durnford responds by leaving the NNC to their fate, pulling back his remaining two regular units to form one large square with him in the middle of it. At this point MJ gave up on any idea of getting troops off the east edge for victory.

"And what of the Left Horn?", I hear you ask. Well, this was stymied by the British Wunderwaffen: the rocket battery. Anton's special rule for this was that it would automatically panic any Zulu unit it fired at, forcing it back 12" Disrupted, and also Disrupting other Zulus nearby. With some NNC also firing on my troops from Isandlwana, this made it virtually impossible for me to get across Fugitive's Drift. My troops basically just yo-yoed for the rest of the game.

The game was nominally 12 turns but we called it a draw on Turn 9 so we could reset, tweak the scenario, and play it again. This is the final situation when we stopped. The NNH (right edge) had actually snuck through the Zulus and had a chance of exiting, but no other Brits were anywhere near the east edge, nor were any Zulus likely to get close to the west edge.

For the second game, we changed a few things but the game structure was still essentially the same. This time, Mark S took command of the British. Benefiting from MJ's experience in game 1, MS kept his force concentrated and took the whole lot over the North Heights. This worked, in that he managed to get three units off the east edge on the last turn. The Zulus did likewise off the west edge and earned a point for threatening Rorke's Drift, but since we were awarding the Brits 2 VP per unit exited and the Zulus only 1 VP, the Brits sneaked a win. I don't think the Brits lost a single base, while decimating the Zulu army, but it was a much tougher challenge than that makes it sound and it was certainly a different and entertaining game. We still weren't happy with the victory conditions, though, so that will be the focus of our post-playtest attention.

Reflections

The Narrative. As MJ said, it's good if the game tells a story and if episodes within it can be rationalised in a persuasive narrative fashion. These characterful games certainly achieved that. In particular, when his company of the 24th charged down off the heights and incurred disaster, we could all picture the scene and imagine the excitable officer giving the order while veteran NCOs gritted their teeth and muttered "Gawd 'elp us".

Nothing Is Guaranteed in War. The special rocket rule was too much. Being able to guarantee that it could automatically drive off a Zulu unit with every shot made for some gamey play and didn't feel right. Besides, virtually nothing else in BBB is guaranteed success, so why should this be? We'll definitely change that so that the rockets can still be scary but can also fail to produce an effect.

Not Just a Thin Red Line. Although there was no shortage of the stereotypical Zulu War tabletop fare of Zulu charges foundering in the teeth of British volleys, there was far more to both games than that. The fact that the British needed to traverse the length of the table and also try to stop the Zulus doing so meant it was a game of manoeuvre, rather than just buckets of firing dice - the benefit of zooming out, as already mentioned.

The Big Picture. It was nice to have both Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana on the same table and to appreciate the larger situation - another advantage of zooming out.

What's the Mission? Both the big picture and our struggle with the victory conditions had us chewing over what Chelmsford was really trying to do and why he split his force. I think we have a better idea of that now and (hopefully) some better ideas for how to define the objectives for the game to give players the right historical incentives. We'll see.

New Toys on the Table! Anton's new army of massed Zulus did look good. New troops, a conflict I haven't dabbled in much, and a new scenario, all keeps the games fresh and fun.

More to Come. Anton is already working on the next scenario, the Second March on Ulundi ...

Update: Second March on Ulundi report is here.

Marengo: who needs Desaix?

For probably my last wargame of 2025, Malcolm kindly laid on the battle of Marengo for us.

Many readers will be familiar with this as one of Napoleon's most famous victories. Still, for those who aren't, a brief scene-setting: Napoleon's crossing of the Alps in May 1800 meant a large Austrian army was at risk of being cut off in northwestern Italy. The Austrian commander, Melas, concentrated his forces at the fortress of Alessandria. The French were spread out to cover several possible escape routes. On 14 June, Melas attempted to break out eastwards via Marengo. Despite the difficulty of debouching through the marshes surrounding the fortress, the Austrians achieved a degree of surprise and initial local superiority. They were able to take Castel Ceriolo on the French right, then Marengo. The French fell back on San Giuliano; Melas thought the battle was won. Then Desaix arrived and led a ferocious French counterattack that broke the Austrian army, though Desaix himself did not survive to see the victory completed.

How did our game go? Spoiler alert: Desaix was not required! Here are some pics of the action and a few post-battle reflections.

Initial confrontation: d'Herimont's brigade of the Austrian 'Right Wing' (perversely deployed on the left) prepares to assault Castel Ceriolo. All figures and terrain from Malcolm's collection. Fine brushwork. I believe the figures are 3D printed Turner Miniatures. First time I'd encountered these, and very crisp and smart they are too.

Overview of half of the battlefield. (The action all happened here - my Austrians never made it any further up the table.) Apart from that advance guard facing Castel Ceriolo on the left, all the Austrians have to enter along that road through the marshes in the foreground. Fortunately, Victor's French around Marengo are surprised and don't get to move until Turn 2. Castel Ceriolo is worth 2 VP; Marengo on the right is worth 1 VP; Spinetta (top right), 1 VP; San Giuliano (out of shot top right), 1 VP. Whoever has 3 VP at game end wins.

On Turn 1, d'Herimont attempts an assault on Castel Ceriolo, only to be greeted by Malcolm rolling 11 on the firing dice. D'Herimont's jaegers die and his attack is repulsed. Never mind, my cavalry are pouring across the stream ...

... though there is a horrendous traffic jam behind them.

Turn 2 and d'Herimont goes in again, this time with cavalry support. Another roll of 11 by Malcolm kills another of d'Herimont's bases and his infantry reel back spent. My hussars drive the French back but are then caught in disarray when the French counterattack. The hussars lose a base, flee into the marshes and are out of action for about the next 5 turns.

Surely things will go better at Marengo, where I have 3:1 odds and a cavalry charge onto the flank? Well, yes and no. Now Malcolm conjures up a 12 to kill a base and stop one of my infantry brigades. Consequently, although we do smash the first French brigade back with the loss of two bases, our exploitation into the second is not nearly so impressive and bounces off. I am left in possession of Marengo, but the ensuing French counterattacks again catch my cavalry in disarray. The Austrian heavies lose two bases, flee back across the Fontanone and do not feature significantly again.

As both sides bring up more troops around Marengo, the lines firm up and push to and fro for a couple of turns. However, further deadly French firing dice soon kill off nearly all my jaegers. Also, Murat's cavalry has arrived (top centre).

The French cavalry's turn to be deadly. As the French infantry assault frontally, Murat sweeps around my right to pounce on a large but disrupted brigade. What you can't see is the Austrian grand battery I had established in the centre, whose guns can play on the French cuirassiers - however, to no effect, and they sweep away my hapless infantry.

In fact, my guns that were supposedly my big advantage on paper were singularly ineffective in practice. I think they killed just one base all game, despite regularly getting shots on the 9 or 12 or 16 columns.

Once that right rear brigade was gone, the French cavalry was free to smash into the rear of the rest (ignoring my feeble artillery fire). That includes the two remaining bases of my once-mighty grenadier brigade that has just had its own charge into Marengo repelled and gone Spent because of another French musketry dice roll of 12 ...

All of the Austrian right is now wiped out and the French tide is lapping against the flank of the remaining couple of units on my left. I have finally had some small consolation: top left you can see the Austrian hussars and Advance Guard, who have just overrun a French brigade next to Castel Ceriolo and exploited into the rear.

Thus, had we played another turn, Castel Ceriolo might have been sandwiched and fallen to me again (briefly). As it was, I was saved from the ignominy of being swept entirely from the table by the broken clock in the village hall. This fooled us into packing up early when there were still two or three turns to play.

Oh, and did somebody mention Desaix? He was scheduled to arrive on Turn 8, but it was so obvious by then that he wouldn't be needed that Malcolm didn't even put him on the table.

Situation before the final French turn. I have Castel Ceriolo sandwiched, but a superior mass of French forces is bearing down on me from Marengo. Those Austrian guns with the red low ammo markers are about to be driven off by a French charge. My heavy cavalry have deigned to return to the battlefield (top right) but declined to charge.

Reflections

The 'Principle of Destruction'. How very Clausewitzian. Ultimately, possession of locations matters less than destruction of enemy forces. Sadly, my artillery let me down and forgot that Clausewitz says it is the main destructive arm. Meanwhile, Malcolm's dice were just lethal. Killing off my jaegers so early then made his firepower all the more relatively potent for the rest of the game.

The right flavour. Malcolm was rightly happy with how historically the scenario played out: the Austrians struggling out through the marshes, labouring to storm the villages, eventually managing to do so but then expelled and defeated by French counterattacks. At the tactical level it had the right feel too: lines forming up and pushing and shoving until something gives; sweeping maneuver on the flanks.

Season's Greetings! I'm glad I got this game in as it gives me a chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. May 2026 bring you and your loved ones much joy (and hopefully plenty of good gaming).

The game of the battlefield tour: Petersburg

What a wonderful Thanksgiving week! I just had an amazing trip visiting Scott in the US. Scarcely stepped off the plane and we were straight into it, wargaming Petersburg. This was to prepare us for the next three days, which we spent touring battlefields:

- one whole day exploring the Cold Harbor operation (not just the Cold Harbor battlefield itself, but also Totopotomoy Creek and some of the other smaller actions leading up to Cold Harbor);

- one and a half days visiting all the most important sites from the nine months of operations around Petersburg (the Dimmock Line, the Crater, Jerusalem Plank Road, Reams Station, Peebles Farm, White Oak Road, Five Forks ...)

- and half a day walking the Muleshoe at Spotsylvania.

The entrance to the mine that the Union laid under Pegram's battery to create the Crater at Petersburg. The skyline depression upper left tells you where the Crater itself is.

Then, when we got back, we fought Petersburg twice more. (Having wargamed it twice in August as well.) Our three games produced one Confederate victory, one win for the Union, and a draw. Each of the games went very differently. Here's an in-depth photo-AAR of one of them, followed by some reflections. If you decide you've seen enough pics of gorgeous 15mm figures and skip to the end, I won't be offended.

The tabletop battlefield, looking north. Rebels all start in the fortifications around Petersburg, upper right. Grant's Union army starts in a quarter-circle of siege works around the east of Petersburg. Behind the works is the long and vulnerable Union line of communications (LOC), depicted by limbers and dismounted cavalry pickets, running back to the US supply base at the port of City Point via that railroad exit top right. This is balanced by the equally vulnerable Confederate supply lines that converge on Petersburg to then run north and feed Richmond (Richmond railroad not depicted as it is out of play north of the Appomattox river). The red markers on the Weldon Railroad, Boydton Plank Road, White Oak Swamp Road and Southside Railroad indicate that these are Union objectives, with bonus points available for cutting them early. Petersburg itself provides an instant US victory if it falls.

Close-up of the defenders of Petersburg. Figures mostly Old Glory 15mm from Scott's collection. Surprisingly, as Grant confesses in his memoirs, Confederate morale was significantly higher than in the Union army, which had rather lost its stomach for the fight after the Overland campaign.

US left wing poised for the standard opening gambit, an advance to cut the Weldon RR.

The dice are kind: both the lead US corps manage to cut the railroad, while a third moves up on their right to protect the LOC.

Two Confederate divisions surge out of Petersburg to open the railroad again. They drive back Hancock's II Corps with serious losses (see the casualty figure in foreground) but Wright's VI Corps hangs on. The US will claim the maximum two Objectives here.

Situation at end of Turn 2. At this point I called the end of Phase I. The game is divided into three strategic phases, each of 2-4 tactical turns. The US player decides when to end a phase. In the interval between phases, both sides get to extend their fortifications and US LOC, receive reinforcements, and strategically redeploy all their troops. Redeployment is tied to fortifications and LOC.

Turn 3 gets wild and woolly out west. I committed two reinforcement contingents to push beyond the Weldon RR to the next objective line, the Boydton Plank Road (red counter on it, top left). My successful advance in Phase I had restricted where the Confederates could build their works and place their troops; conversely, it had allowed me to build my works reaching out towards the objective. I seemed well placed for another maximum 2 points here.

But determined Confederate resistance and the broken country held me up. At the end of Turn 4, I was still short of the Boydton Plank Road. As the turn clock clicked over for Turn 5, I decided to call the end of Phase 2.

My works and LOC now extend over the hills behind the Globe Tavern (foreground) while the Rebs' works run in front of part of the BP Road. Both sides' cavalry corps have arrived. Sheridan attacks Hampton on the Rebs' right wing (upper left), hoping not only to get the Objectives for the BP Road, but also to break through and reach the White Oak Road beyond it (out of shot upper left). Meanwhile, my infantry upper right and out of shot beyond that is threatening the Southside Railroad.

With so much of my army busy out west, Scott decides it is time to strike in the east. He takes advantage of the redeployment after Phase 2 to put his best troops back in Petersburg and assault the easternmost sector of my lines (historically known as Fort Stedman). Baldy Smith's men hold firm and Mahone is repulsed.

Unfortunately for me, so too is Sheridan. My infantry attacks make no ground either. Time is running out and so are my activations. (The Union is only allowed to activate its infantry units 30 times in total, then the game ends. This reflects Grant's necessarily more cautious and patient approach after the bloody mass assaults of Cold Harbor.)

A rebel's-eye view for a change, from behind the Confederate right wing. There's a lot of bluebellies!

Turn 6, my last chance to get a reward for cutting the Boydton Plank Road. Sheridan and three infantry corps go in.

This time, numbers tell. Hampton's cavalry are driven back; a Confederate division is severely mauled; the BPR objective is taken and the White Oak Swamp Road (top left) lies open.

Lee makes another desperate attempt in the east. His two best divisions attack again. One falters under withering fire (there is Union artillery enfilading it, out of pic) leaving the other to go in alone. The empty case shows that Smith's defenders are now Low on Ammo.

A most sanguinary fight ensues, lasting three rounds of combat. Both sides lose two bases before the Rebs finally expel Smith and his Spent corps from Fort Stedman. The Union LOC is exposed!

Each turn that the LOC is exposed costs the Union an Objective. Fortunately, Burnside's IX Corps is prepared to react to just such an eventuality. Unfortunately, not prepared enough (2 on the dice = No Move).

Turn 8. This will be the final turn as I use up my last activations. Trying to break through to the Southside Railroad, I detonate a mine under the Confederate works - The Crater! - but to no avail.

Back at Fort Stedman, Lee tries to consolidate his success. He pulls his damaged division back to defend Petersburg and sends his stronger one to push Smith back further.

Just west of Petersburg, I am about to brush aside a few spent defenders and cut the Southside RR.

The whole battlefield just before the climax. Top left, I have broken through past the Confederate left and cut the Southside RR. I also cut the White Oak Swamp Road (out of pic to left) unopposed. Top right, Burnside has swung into action and launched a flank attack on the enemy cutting our LOC. This is looking good for a Union victory.

Rebels in the west are now being pretty much overrun.

Burnside goes in and destroys a Confederate division, retaking Fort Stedman and securing the Union LOC.

Confederate half of Turn 8, the last turn of the game, and the Rebs are staring defeat in the face. Rudely ejected from Fort Stedman, the Petersburg garrison attempts one last desperate sally - effectively an attempt at breaking out to reach North Carolina, since all routes west are now cut - and storms the Union siege artillery in its entrenchments on the south side of the city. Can the guns' firepower fend off the Confederates? No! The Union LOC is interrupted once more, the US loses an Objective, and US victory is turned into a draw. 

Reflections

Knitting together the Tactical and the Operational. I have now done several BBB ACW scenarios like this that cover a longer period than most tabletop wargames can accommodate, and do so by having designated strategic redeployment phases. The others include The Seven Days' Battles, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor, none of which is longer than a week, whereas Petersburg covers nine months, but the same principle applies. We do seem to have hit on a formula that not only makes this large and protracted operations feasible as tabletop games, it also introduces a whole new level of rich decision-making.

Wargaming the American Civil War. Like any conflict, some wargamers find the ACW fascinating, others find it dull. It's true that the blue and the gray lacks some variety, as both sides are using essentially the same weapons and tactics. However, the opposing armies can still have very different characters (as they did here at Petersburg), which can make for different tactical challenges. Furthermore, with so many battles in four years of war, there are plenty of unique and interesting situations to reenact on the wargames table. I'm learning a lot from designing and playing these ACW games and thoroughly enjoying them.

Battlefield visits. There are several different ways to learn about battles and wars. Reading history books is one. Playing wargames is another. Walking the battlefield and following the course of the action across the ground is another. They reinforce each other. Wargaming Petersburg immediately before and after visiting its various battlefields was a rare luxury and a wonderful experience.