Sunday,14th February was the inaugural Blucher 6mm game for me using my re based French and Austrians. I possess very large numbers of 6mm Napoleonic's, representing all the nations that fought in the war. However it is several years since I last used any of them, so Sunday was a milestone for me, as I returned to the scale.
I had invited Paul Brown over for a game, with Neil and John Reidy, who both know the Blucher rules well, which came in handy, as Paul and I blundered our way through the game.Unfortunately for me, I was not at my best physically, and probably mentally due to a man flu thing, but I was determined to still enjoy the game. Neil and I took the french, Paul and John the Austrians. I opted for a 500 point game, which involved five corps per side.
As a wargame, it looked very nice, as a try out for the Blucher rules and fighting on a grandscale it also worked very well, however it became clear as we progressed through the game, that I had miscalculated the armies, and caused an imbalance, favouring the French. I can assure anyone this was not deliberate, but having to use the entire pack of French Blucher cards in order to do the refight, I hadn't realised the big difference in the cost of the early and late French forces, which allowed the French to field more units cheaply.
Surely if both armies were equalled points if the game was imbalanced that is clearly a major flaw in the points and card system rather than the actual rules? The old WRG points systems have this issue even today
ReplyDeleteDrew,
DeleteI think the error lies with me here, not the rules. I had to use the late French cards to be able to field additional Corps. These troops are a lot cheaper pointswise, and allowed the French to field more units, than the Austrian equivalent.
That's a cracking looking game.
ReplyDeleteI've been guilty of making the old 'too many troops' error, myself, so I can't really say anything. To my embarrassment, I really should have noticed that I had a football team of 15 miniatures, instead of the correct 11.
Roy,
DeleteWe all do it now and again, we just get carried away.
Looks superb. Sorry I had caught your man flu so wasn't able to attend :-(
ReplyDeleteGreat looking game Robbie!
ReplyDeleteHopefully the next one will have a more historical context. I still have boards I made for Aspern Essling, and Wagram. Both have interesting problems for the French and Austrians.
DeleteHaving played blucher extensively since release my own groups feeling is that the points system is very suspect which is why we play with historical formations. traits such as skirmish and shock are way too cheap, never the less they are our rules of choice right now and we still thoroughly enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
DeleteAs I have stated, I think it was my inexperience, this was only my third game with the Blucher rules.I do really enjoy the system, and feel it captures the period well.