Copyright © 2011-2024, Paul Scrivens-Smith

Copyright © 2011-2024, Paul Scrivens-Smith

All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the creator.

Tuesday 27 August 2019

Battle of Vimeiro 1808 using Command and Colours


I thought it would be good to spend a day with long time gaming buddy Steve when I was back in the UK and he is usually free in the week so we planned a game on the Monday I was 'oop norf'.

Steve has been a big fan of using the Command and Colours Napoleonic set as a figure game on a custom hex mat from Deep Cut Studio


Steve has long had a large collection of French, Russians and Austrians in 15mm but the Peninsular British are a new addition to his collection, some only having been completed before the game.

Steve had setup the game before we arrived using the Battle of Vimeiro scenario.


At the outset it was just Steve, Nick and myself but others were due to arrive as the game progressed. Nick took the French, myself the British & Portuguese, while Steve jollied things along.

Early successes for the British saw the French thinned out considerably in the centre, but they were pushing up on our left flank, capturing the objective on our left flank.


Tim arrived and joined with Nick playing the French as the action progressed in all sectors of the battlefield.

Things were looking decidedly dicey on our left with the British and Portuguese on that flank pushed back and under heavy attack. We continued to consolidate our position in the center hoping to move against the French left and were in an good position when we were joined by Martyn and broke for lunch. 


Martyn declared for 'Team France' and Steve joined me in leading the British.

Soon the hammer was falling on our right around the town of Vimeiro with the strong French forces on that flank committed while the push continued against the British and Portuguese on our left.


On and on came the French in a relentless attack and soon we would lose at the start of the next turn, but a counter attack on our left captured the objective and both sides had one point of morale left each.

A British battalion on the right that had been reduced to one stand, rallied back up to three countered against a similar sized unit of Frenchmen, in a do or die moment we broke the French unit and took of the last morale counter. Victory to Wellington, but only just!

I enjoyed it so much I've ordered myself a copy myself from the P500




12 comments:

  1. Interesting game with great looking figures. One of my local buddies has a collection of CoC games, including the Napoleonic one. I may have to give it try someday.

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    Replies
    1. I think playing with figures really enhances it.

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  2. Nice looking game and always good when both sides are in it right to the last!
    Best Iain

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    1. Cheers Iain, I'd not played Command and Colours before but Steve had said that they typically go to the wire.

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    1. Cheers Michal, all Steve's doing, I turned up and threw dice :)

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  4. All the Command and Colors Ancients, Medieval and Napoleonics are great fun when played with figures. Great looking Vimeiro

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  5. I have C&C but never played it, always looked like a great pick up & play game.

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    1. It does seem rather good. Looking forwards to getting my own.

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  6. Great looking game! I'm a fairly recent convert to C&CN and when using figures instead of blocks it's almost the perfect wargame when time is limited and nearly always ends in a close finish.

    See our recent refight of Albuera
    https://hintonhunt.blogspot.com/2019/03/albuera-near-run-thing.html

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    Replies
    1. I'm really looking forwards to doing this myself. Your game looked great.

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