Little Wars and Borodino

I attended Little Wars Friday and Saturday this year. The show looked great with lots of attendees, many really great looking games, and the usual solid vendor area support.

I ran my Borodino game on Friday night (5pm - 9pm) and Saturday (10am - 2pm).

FRIDAY
Friday night's game was fully attended (6 players + 1 last minute add-in). The battle started in the south between the Russians and the Poles near Utitza. The French player was very aggressive and pushed the Russians back with heavy losses.
They then opened fire with the grand battery on the fleches, and launched a large-scale infantry assault in the center led by Davout.

The French attack quickly overran the first two fleches, but the Russians immediately counter-attacked and re-took them. The French then fed in more troops and drove the Russians back out. The casualties mounted, especially for the Russians. It started looking like the French players were going to break the Russian army quickly.

The Grand Redoubt (Reavsky)

The only unit on the table that I painted and based from scratch.

The Russians then launched a massive counter-attack capped by a 'Glorious Charge' card. The two units that charged were Dragoons and Cuirassier. They drove back the remaining infantry and over-ran the entire Grand Battery. This startled the French players, who thought that they were going to cruise to an easy victory. After a few more turns, the French were able to win, but the final score was 14 Russian units eliminated (14 needed for the win), and 11 French units eliminated (out of 13 needed).  Very close game and fun. All players seemed to have had a good time.

SATURDAY
The game on Saturday was both similar and very different from Fridays. The French team started out by inflicting many casualties on the Russians and opened up a huge lead that looked insurmountable. However, the fighting raged on both flanks instead of the center. The Cossacks led by Uvarov in the North charged across the stream just West of Borodino and were violently repulsed. In the South, the battle swayed back and forth around the Utitza mound, but the Russians took the lion-share of the losses.  By the time that the action died down and the two sides separated from each other to regroup, the French only needed to inflict 2 more unit losses on the Russians to win, and the Russians still needed to inflict 10.
Then things started to turn around:
An artillery dual began in the center with the Russians getting the best of it. Their guns were nestled safely in the fleches and on the high ground behind them while the French Grand Battery was in the open.
The French commander decided that it was time to launch his attack up the middle to finish the battle. The stream running in front of the fleches slowed the advance down just enough to allow the Russian artillery to rake the French ranks and break up the orderly formation.
The French pressed on, sensing that the Russians were bled white and on the verge of collapse. In truth, however, the Russians were ready and waiting with a powerful counter-attack. As the French attack flowed around the fleches in an attempt to close with the Russians, the Russians met them with a powerful combined-arms attack that drove the French back and crushed their will to continue the fight. The Russians had pulled off a miracle comeback and won the battle!

Credits:
Figures are Perry, Front Rank, and Foundry

Painting:
Russians by the esteemed Scott MacPhee
French: Mostly Fernando, some by Paxx88 and Artmaster Studios, and a few by me
French Allies: Paxx88, Artmaster Studios, Roger Murrow

Basing: Scott MacPhee, Paul Niemeyer, me

Assistant game judge: Paul Niemeyer (Thanks Paul!)


Here are a few of the highlights from Friday's games (My phone ran out of power on Saturday before I could snap some more...The Alamo and Omaha Beach games were unbelievable!):

Little Wars was fun as always. I am so thankful that there is a show like this so close to home.

Grand Duchy of Warsaw

Here are the units that I have for the Grand Duchy of Warsaw:

 Fusiliers
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

 Voltigeurs
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

 Fusiliers
Front Rank Miniatures
Painted by Artmaster Studio

 Fusiliers
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

 Grenadiers
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

 Chasseurs
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

 8 lb Gun
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

 12 lb Gun
Front Rank Miniatures
Painted by Paxx88 (Darren Smith)

 Hussars
Front Rank Miniatures
Painted by Paxx88 (Darren Smith)

 Uhlans
Murawski Miniatures
Painted by Roger Murrow

Uhlans
Front Rank Miniatures
Painted by Artmaster Studio

I really like the miniatures from both Murawski  as well as Front Rank, and these sculpts make excellent units.

The paintwork on them is excellent as well. All three painters do an incredible job.

New Commission

My main Austrian army is being worked on by Paxx88, and should be ready for combat early in the new year. Meanwhile I had a few units done by Artmaster Studios. They always do such fine work!

Here are the units that they finished:

2 Units of Austrian Chevaux-Leger produced by Perry Miniatures:

2 Units of Austrian Cuirassier by Perry Miniatures:

 2 units of Austrian Grenadiers by Perry Miniatures:

And lastly, just because I need a few more British Infantry units, 3 units of British infantry firing. These are from the great new line of Front Rank Reinforcement sets:

I should have them in the next week so I can base them and get them on the table.

Borodino in 28mm

I've been working on the Borodino Project for quite a while.  It required units of French Allies including Saxons, Bavarians, Poles, Italians, Wurtemburgers, and Westphalians, as well as the main French army and Russian army.

Well, after more than a year of planning, buying buildings and terrain (Total Battle Miniatures); figures (Perry, Foundry, Front Rank, Paul Hicks, Calpe, Elite, and Westfalia); and contracting with some of the best figure painters currently working (Scott MacPhee, Artmaster Studio, Roger Murrow, and Darren Smith [Paxx88]), the game is finally ready to see the table.

Here are some pictures of the setup (though I am still waiting for a few units to arrive).

The town of Borodino is at the bottom of the picture, and the view is south. The Grand Redoubt is just south of Borodino, and the Fleches are at the top of the picture facing the massive French deployment.

The French forces south of the river (Ney, Junot, and Davout's Corps) prepare to launch the initial attack on the Russian Fleches.

The Fleches.

Poniatowski's Polish Corps prepares to move through Utitza on the way to attack the Russian left flank.

The Russians wait for them on the mound.

French Chasseur skirmish line in the woods north of Utitza.

Russian Opolchenie Militia wait behind the woods.

Another look at the French massed for attack.

And their Wurttemberg allies.

The center looking at the Fleches and beyond.

Vive le' Emperor!

Davout wishing he could re-direct the attack to his right.

French Cuirassier ready to go.

The French left looking at the Grand Redoubt and Borodino.

The cannon's muzzle in the Grand Redoubt.

Eugene's Italian troops on the French left.

Bavarian Infantry wasn't at Borodino in any numbers, but I've added them to Eugene's Corps.

The Russians wait for Eugene past Borodino in Gorki. Note: Uvarov and Platov's cavalry north of the River.

Russian artillery prepared in front of Gorki.

Kutusov and his staff watch the battle unfold.

Skirmishing flares up as the French attack begins.

Russian Hussars.

...and Cossacks in echelon behind them.

Russian Dragoons.

Russian Cuirassier.

Pas d' Charge!  The attack begins!