Monday 16 January 2023

Tabletop Titivation



I figured it was about time I revisited the block armies and also to make use of one of the small sized Axis and Allies maps. 

It has been quite a while since the block armies made an appearance and so I decided to cobble together a small action just to get a game in. The battle itself has yet to be fought but I wanted to post this to help with the motivation to actually get it done!

I shall be using a variant of the rules found in Battle Cry - the ACW Command and Colours game by Richard Borg - that Bob Cordery came up with and that predated the Portable Wargame. They are suitably generic and so would work readily for what I have in mind. I will explain the details in the battle report.

Setting the Scene

The action pitches a Blue reinforced infantry brigade against a slightly smaller Red force. In each case the light companies have been taken from their parent formations and have formed combined skirmish battalions - the Blue force using theirs as a screen for the regiments of the line whilst the Red have theirs deployed in the wood so as to harass the approaching columns.

The Red force are defending the town and for a variety of reasons are required to spread themselves across the whole frontage. The only real reserve is arguably the cavalry currently supporting the light infantry ensconced in the woods. 

The Blue force are relying on a quick attack against the Northern end of the town where, it is hoped, they are able to make the most of their numerical advantage. 

The battle report will follow shortly, certainly in the next few days.


4 comments:

Donnie McGibbon said...

Block wargaming interests me a lot so this is a good post for me, looking forward to seeing the battle report, I have yet to jump into the world of blocks but it is one of my "to do" in 2023.

David Crook said...

Hello there Donnie,

I am a huge fan of using blocks and I fully intend ‘pimping’ mine to take them to the next level. If you look back in the folder called Games on the blog you can find all manner of block based games covering everything from the French and Indian war to WW2.

Hopefully these will serve to inspire you to have a go sooner rather than later!

All the best,

DC

Steve J. said...

I'm well and suitably titivated david! Great to see the blocks all set up and ready for action and as you know, I'm a big fan of block armies. It also reminds me of my current 2' x 2' games, which are so easy to set up and play through in a few hours. I'm even contemplating making some balsa wood blocks inspired by the chap on Facebook in you last post.

David Crook said...

Hello there Steve J,

I must admit that even getting these few out and placing them on a map was a real boost to my somewhat flagging spirits! They are long overdue some games and some work to take them to the next level.

The balsa wood armies looked excellent and I am very tempted to try something similar.

All the best,

DC