Wargaming from Hertfordshire & Beyond!

Friday, 8 November 2024

Games Marathon, 7th/8th Nov

 During the latest of Dave’s excursions South, we mounted 3 games;

  1. 1.      General d’Armee 2, Battle of Gilly, 1815
  2. 2.      Never Mind the Billhooks, Battle of Stoke 1487
  3. 3.      What an Operator/Zombie

Very briefly, these games went as follows;

General d’Armee 2, Battle of Gilly, 1815: Napoleon’s attempt to brush Prussian rearguard aside, prior to Wavre & Waterloo. The French mounted a rapid & bold two pronged assault, first against the village around the road river crossing, closely followed by a push to secure the ford on their left flank and so open the path for the cavalry division reserves.


The French mounted two frontal assaults on the village, but both were brushed aside by the Prussian defenders. OK, we got the rules wrong on the assaults on a garrison, but likely balancing out the garrison skirmish fire Unforming the attack column, against the support provided by the flanking French columns.

Over on the river ford flank, the French boldly pushed an infantry regiment across the stream, but a timely use of Prussian Artillery Assault & devastating infantry volley fire, completely wiped out the French Grenadiers.

This left two French divisions Faltering and Napoleon’s hopes in tatters.

Never Mind the Billhooks, Battle of Stoke 1487: The Yorkists shuffled up to the crest of the low hill commanding their side of the field. The Lancastrian forces mounted a cavalry sally on their left, only to be met by a few Irish Kerns chucking sticks! Surprise, surprise one knight unhorsed by a javelin through his open visor! The knights closed their visors and trotted forward to a stand-off with the German Mercenary pike block on the hill, while the kerns withdrew, laughing!


Over on the Lancastrian right, Chris pushed his combined Longbow/Men at Arms company forward, against the extreme Yorkist left. A vicious exchange of arrows left the Yorkist archers flowing to the rear, but most of the Lancastrian archers lying in the field. However, the Lancastrian morale held and the Lancastrian Men at Arms marched over the bodies of their archers and up the hill and into a vicious melee with the Yorkist billmen, seemingly getting the upper hand.

Sensing victory, the Lancastrian centre surged forward. A brief exchange of fire and the Lancastrian Men at Arms pushed up the hill, smashing through a unit of Yorkist Billmen, but suffering significant casualties in return. The Yorkists rapidly moved their Men at Arms across, to cover the gaping hole in their lines. The Lancastrian Commander, realising that he would be unable to shift this fresh unit, challenged the enemy leader to a dual. But, the underhanded Yorkists had not put their Commander in the centre of the line, but some lumbering brute of a man, who despatched the Lancastrian Commander in two sword blows! Game over!

What an Operator/Zombie: A first try-out of Phil’s version of John Savage’s “What an Operator”, but with Zombies! Four Russian Spetsnaz and four British SAS were racing to recover a vital new vaccine package. The vaccine package was located in one of two vehicles, that had been involved in a unfortunate road traffic accident, in a zombie infested suburb!

The Russians rushed forward, seizing forward positions, but also drawing the zombie herds onto them. However, Sergei rapidly chopped the first Zombie herd down with his AK74 and all the racket somehow not drawing any further herds!

The SAS went more slowly, with two men moving down the road, toward the target vehicles, while one flanked right and the fourth sought to take up an overwatch position in some flats.


The Russians had other ideas, with two men proving covering fire, a third rushed the vehicle wrecks (the forth playing around with the 2nd Zombie herd!). The Russian quickly searched the vehicles, while simultaneously exchanging fire with the SAS (Bonanza tokens all round!). Vaccine case located, the Russians excited ‘stage left’ (4 movement dice does help!). All the SAS could do, was to chase after the Spetsnaz, but failed to get any clear shots.

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