Waterloo, in an afternoon

Saturday saw Martyn, Bill, Steve, Nick and myself joining up at Martyn's to refight Waterloo using the Command and Colours Napoleonics rules using the Grande Battles additional rules.

All the terrain and figures were provided by our host Martyn, all are 28mm scale from his own collection.

Nick and I would play the Anglo-allies, me on the right holding Hougoumont while Nick took the left from La Haye Sainte. 

Bill commanded the French left, Martyn the centre and Steve the right. Steve and I also took on the c-in-c role determining where the command cards would be played.

It's difficult to keep track of everything in a large multi-player game like this, but initial attacks against Hougoumont were fended off while the French did an initial bombardment in the centre, but the follow-up infantry attacks were seen off. The French then built a five battery massed battery in the centre forcing the Anglo-allies to retreat from the ridge.

The Prussians then arrived on our left and after some initial success with the cavalry screen routing their opposite French numbers somewhat stalled while the Young Guard took Papelotte farm and had to be ejected.

The old Guard were committed against La Haye Sainte and the French made a decisive push to the west of Hougamont, but after some tough fighting their final victory token was taken and the battered and bloodied Anglo-allies took the day.

A brilliant days gaming in excellent company. 

I'm now tempted to get a giant hex mat of my own to use my own Hundred Days Campaign collection for some Command and Colours figure gaming.

Apologies that there are not too many photographs, I was just having such a good time to remember to take many.

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