General Wargaming

Our Ligny

Posted by Ochoin on 01 Sep 2015, 10:53

For the 200 year anniversary my pals & I gamed Ligny 1815 in a two day show in our local area.

Some 2000 figures made an appearance & although the Prussian commanders gave an outstanding & aggressive response to the French attack, overwhelmed by numbers & superior quality, finished the battle pretty much where Blucher found himself in the real battle: forced to retreat or be destroyed albeit his army in reasonable condition.

Overview of the battlefield:

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The French advance
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The key to the battle was the mostly unfordable rivers:
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Assaulting a defended ford:
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The topography was a challenge as well:
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The French possessed considerably more & larger artillery:
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Not to mention their cavalry:
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Fighting in the towns & villages intensified:
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Villages were burnt, assaulted & captured:
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The Prussian counter-attack:
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A truly epic game made possible by the efforts (& great company) of my pals: Daniel, Glen & Mal.

donald
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Ochoin  Scotland
 
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Posted by Ochoin on 01 Sep 2015, 11:19

BTW 1/72 & 20 mm figures, of course.

donald
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Ochoin  Scotland
 
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Posted by Benno on 01 Sep 2015, 11:33

Truly beautiful! What rules do you use?
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Benno  Netherlands

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Posted by Mr. Andrea on 01 Sep 2015, 12:11

SBAV, SBAV (that translated from Italian jargon is "drool, drool") :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: . All my congrats to the four commanders, for the battlefield, the figures, and the pictures. It sounds like Black Powder, doesn't it?
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Posted by Ochoin on 01 Sep 2015, 12:30

Benno wrote:Truly beautiful! What rules do you use?



They're called ELAN. An expanded version of the old WRG rules. I think we're probably the last gamers using these rules in the world but we have a sentimental attachment to them.


donald
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Ochoin  Scotland
 
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Posted by Benno on 01 Sep 2015, 13:05

Thanks :-D
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Posted by Peter on 01 Sep 2015, 13:59

Thanks for sharing these pictures with us! Looks like it was a great game! :thumbup:
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Posted by vellek on 01 Sep 2015, 15:50

Great post!
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Posted by C M Dodson on 01 Sep 2015, 16:05

Hello.

I have studied this battle and it's topography extensively over the last few years and your layout, especially the run of the watercourses reflect the geography well. To do this, along with the undulating terrain, that was so important to the battle in a wargame over two days, with the attendant scenary is no mean achievement. It is always nice to see wargaming in the 'Grand manner'.

C M Dodson
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Posted by Ochoin on 01 Sep 2015, 20:59

C M DODSON wrote:
I have studied this battle and it's topography extensively over the last few years and your layout, especially the run of the watercourses reflect the geography well. .

C M Dodson


Thank you.
Supposedly Wellington said to Blucher, prior to the fighting, that it was an awful choice of battlefield.
And having created this & gamed it, he was right!

Also interesting that the battle played out much like the real thing. I think there's a lesson there that the geography has a huge impact on a commander's choices.

donald
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Posted by junij on 01 Sep 2015, 21:03

great game looks fun :-D
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Posted by C M Dodson on 01 Sep 2015, 21:57

Hi Donald, you are very welcome. I do not know about Wellington, although he commented about troops in view of the French guns, but Von Clauswitz in his On Waterloo analysis of the campaign was not impressed.

The most weirdest thing I found was the haphazard deployment of units. Ie Jagows Brigade was in St. Amand and also outside Ligny, a command nightmare. Having a Pirch 1 and 2 would probably not have helped either!
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Posted by Ochoin on 01 Sep 2015, 22:59

Blucher, probably a little drunk, certainly wasn't at his best and command factors in our game favoured the French (more & better leaders).

However, those redoubtable Prussians took a bit of beating both in the real & the gamed battle.

As Napoleon himself said (albeit about the Russians) you not only had to shoot them, you then had to push them over.


donald
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Ochoin  Scotland
 
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Posted by Beano Boy on 02 Sep 2015, 03:15

Very impressive layout. All I can remember of the battle is the stream had four bridges ,the Old Guard went in,routed the Prussians ,and the whole place was set ablaze.Is this one on You Tube? It would be interesting. BB
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Posted by Ochoin on 03 Sep 2015, 08:09

I pointed out, on a forum that deals with more conventional metal figures, that apart from 4-5 muskets that lost paint (small thing) not one figure came out of the weekend with any damage.

So much for flaking paint on plastic figures.

donald
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Posted by Kekso on 06 Sep 2015, 11:36

Thanks Donald... great battle report
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Posted by Rosbif on 10 Sep 2015, 05:50

Absolutely epic! Well done to you all.
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Posted by Wheeling Turn on 10 Sep 2015, 09:07

Great battle report. It is great to see other Oldschool wargamers....and wonderful pics of a game in full swing
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