There is still most of Sunday left in this particular weekend, but I've a discussion forum post to work on for school and the usual domestic chores to sort out.
Yesterday was my clubs' Games Day down in Springfield Township. I brought my small ships, 1:600th scale ACW ironclads, for a pick-up game, as the game I was hoping to get into wasn't scheduled until 1pm.
Fortunately, the GM, John M., decided to run the game early as there was enough interest. So, along with Don M. and Ed M., I sat down for a game of "Hold The Line: Frederick's Wars", which was put out by Worthington Games as a board game that could be used for miniatures, like their American Revolution game, which I am now regretting I sold off at the flea market at Cold Wars.
Why the regret? Because we played not one, but two very fun SYW games in a total of four and a half hours, including a lunch break.
Da Roolz (as John the OFM would say)
John M.'s homemade turn record clock for FW. Bits from a DIY hobby store. Brilliant, really.
(The barrel at the top sits on a pin which fits into the holes above or below the turn numbers)
For Mollwitz, John and I teamed up to play the Austrians. Don and Ed took the Prussian side. I thought I had played the Hold the Line rules a few years ago when I bought the American Revolution edition, but I did not exactly remember. In any event, John had a cheat sheet ready for all four of us.
The final act, my Austrian cuirassiers charge into a slightly damaged Prussian infantry unit and scored three hits, thus wiping them out and putting us over the top for Victory Conditions. Huzzah!
The game played fast, with enough abstractions to keep the game moving quickly, but enough decisions for me as a player to keep me interested and make linear warfare seem interesting. I like it as a game. The five inch hexes have given me pause to think about halting my current WAS project and remounting them on a single base for the whole unit and using hexes instead of squares... more anon on those thoughts...
After Mollwitz, John and Ed dashed off for a quick bite. I had brought my own lunch, so I looked through the rules and John's figures.
For Round 2, John gave us Chotusitz, the next scenario after Mollwitz. Don and I faced off against each other again, while Paul replaced Ed as Don's partner and John stayed with me for a second time as the Austrians.
John and I were significantly less successful in this outing. My cavalry on the left flank died a quick and spectacular death from Don's cavalry and infantry. But my flank hung on gamely. Still, we just couldn't stand up to the darn Prussians (boo! hiss!) and eventually they wore us down.
Overall, it was an excellent time. I do like the 18th century and this was a fun set of rules I would be willing to play multiple times. I like the short duration of the games, the mechanics are easy to understand, and the investment in figures isn't large. A hex mat of 13 long by 9 wide, with five inch hexes is quite reasonable and the terrain is minimal, but easy to understand.
I should like to try these with my 25mm figures for the AWI, based for Volley and Bayonet.
Interesting. I have Frederick's War as well as the AWI and F&IW games. Bought as I have toyed with going down the Commands and Colors route - so far only AWI and Jacobites although SYW rumoured.
ReplyDeleteI have 4" as well as 5" or 6" hex cloths. If I did it, it would be 80mm bases on 4" ( 100mm) hexes.
It's going to come down to trial and error which gets adapted, but want option to try both.
Neil