Waterloo Games Day - an overview

 

This Sunday, the nearest to the 18th June, the Wollongong Wargamers held a Waterloo Games Day.

This has become something of a habit for both our club and the Campbelltown mob up in SW Sydney. An example using Blucher rules linked below:

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com/2017/06/blucher-waterloo-202.html

Our finest hour was a massive Black Powder 5 table recreation of Waterloo with every unit represented:

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com/2015/06/waterloo-200-megagame-to-limits-of-glory.html

I would argue that this Waterloo 200 game of 2015 was the biggest 'played', rather than 'staged', wargame of modern times. Anyhow, we have some skin in the game!

This year however a consensus emerged around a series of individual games using a variety of scales and rules.

Three 28mm Black Powder games were organised by Terry and Bryan, seen above nearest the camera briefing the scenarios. These games all used 28mm figures.

The 52nd (Ox and Bucks) LI lead the way...Front Rank 28mm goodness!

The main theme here was ahistorical, supposing that the Prussians had indeed routed home, so the Anglo-Allies would be forced to defend the whole Waterloo position, including out east to Frischermont, thus stretching their line. 

Stuart orders a General Advance of the Mont St Jean ridge...

For the two Lasalle II games, however, the orbats were historical. On the smaller table, Zels as Marshal Lobau had to fend off the Prussians...

long enough for D'Erlon's Corps to take the Allied Ridge. More on D'Erlon's adventures in a later post...

A mix of Eureka and AB minis in 15/18mm. Yes Eureka do have a small Naps range too!

Both the Lasalle II games happened to be in 15mm, but there is no reason why we couldn't have also played BP in 15mm or Lasalle in 28mm, and indeed we might next year!

Vic's lovely 28mm Hougomont building complex was the centre piece of one of the BP games. Unsurprisingly, the action was dominated by skirmishers...

Under Terry's tutelage, two of the Campbelltown younger set fought hard, the game emerging as a marginal French victory, 28-27...

My La Haie Sainte model, hand made by Fons Libert, formed the centre piece of the next BP game...

This game was presided over by wargaming celebrity and tea connoisseur Philip...

And the fight was as hot as his tea... 

The farm complex, originally bravely defended by 2 KGL, was taken by the Old Guard, re-taken by HM Foot Guards, then wrested back again for a French victory by plain old French line doggies!

Bryan presided over the third of the BP games, which, remembering the Prussians have shown Grouchy a clean pair of heels in this alternate history, featured the Anglo-Allied defence of the Papelotte - Smohain area. Here the Anglo-Allies just managed to hold the French.

Alejandro pins all on a killer roll...

The smallest table in the room was a mere 4 x 4 foot but was pretty action packed!

This was one of the two Lasalle II games, and in this timeline, as mentioned above, the French had to fend off the Prussian advance with a smaller force...

but with the terrain and topography hampering Prussian deployment.

The French cavalry initially did their best to slow down the Prussians by forcing them into square. 

However some Reserve Regiments didn't get that memo about always forming square when faced by cavalry - and got away with it!

Eventually Prussian firepower and weight of numbers told...but Zels had held Gary's French for long enough to claim a draw!

Which meant that the outcome of the Lasalle II game of D'Erlon's attack might decide the outcome of the day! More to follow....