It's not about winning - it's just losing I can't stand

I realise that in last night's post about Spicheren I neglected to update my running tally for the year. I was just a referee/observer in the first game, but in the second I commanded the French left. I feel I should take credit for my part in competently frustrating the invading Teutons. The fact that I entirely forgot to note this yesterday clearly shows that the pleasure to be had from BBB is about far more than just winning or losing. (He said, piously.)

But it is nice to win!

My total for 2015 so far, not counting games I referee, nor 'tutorials' like Montebello or the Jets Over the Reich game from earlier this month:

Games played to conclusion - 18.
Won - 10.
Drawn - 3.
Lost - 5.

Spicheren! (x2) A most excellent Franco-Prussian wargame.

What could be a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than 4 hours wargaming in the company of friends, followed by a beer and a curry? (Keep your smutty answers to yourself, thank you.) At shortish notice I still managed to muster four of the guys. The plan was, rather than the usual one big battle, to play a medium-sized one twice, changing sides at half-time.

Our chosen game was Spicheren. This is something of a classic battle, well documented and well known, and important in setting the tone for the Franco-Prussian War. However, because the French force fell below my threshold for size of battle, I had not covered it in the initial 9-scenario FPW campaign in the BBB rulebook. But popular demand from BBB players for some smaller games, including specific requests for Spicheren, led me to create the scenario for it. This has been played once before - see my February blog post about it here - but I hadn't had a chance to see or try it myself.