Tuesday 27 September 2016

Game 47 - Again with the Hexes, Fame at Last, and 1689 and all that...


So time is in short supply until Christmas (it's a real day job/course/lecturing kinda thing...and it's pretty hectic).

With that in mind, we opted to go adventuring with the hexes again as it keeps set up minimal and arguments few.

I've looked at Command and Colours options back in the day, and my eldest daughter was a big fan of Battlelore when she was eight. She's eighteen now, and of course too cool for such trivialities (her Dad is not)...and yes folks, it's been 10 years since Battlelore! Where the heck did that decade go?



Anyway...to the point! The Prometheus in Aspic blog has a fantastic version of C&C Napoleonics, complete with cards, BUT designed for the English Civil War. A few tweaks, and it became 1689 with hexes...(Check out the blog. It's excellent.)

Now as MSFoy also mentions, there are some relevant links for other people doing the same thing, and while perusing the latest issue of Miniature Wargames (Henry's final issue sadly ), I noted that the famous Arthur Harman has also got a nice set of rules called Memoir 1643 (see what he did there?) in the magazine. So we'll be returning to this style of game.

And now the fame; I noted with interest that this very blog gets a mention in Henry's 'Blogs of the Month' in his last MW issue (402). Thank you kindly sir (and I promise to fix the title text)...no really. (last minute edit - New title block by youngest daughter - clearly she is better at this stuff than the old man.)


The battle was a minor affair - some Dutch and some French, a few Irish and English brigades mixed in, victory to the first side to eliminate five enemy units, five command cards each....and FIGHT!

A couple of small forces, ready to roll the dice...I mean draw the cards.

Early French mercenary (Irish) attempts to break the centre...end badly.

Cavalry battle, which would last all day, developing on the Dutch left.

The first French assault.

'Give it to 'em lads!' English brigade first fire.


"Pour la Gloire mes amis! Pour La Gloire!"

A lot of focus on the French left. Swiss Guards and French elites in action.

...while they ignore the elite Dutch guards making inroads on their right ...

 ..as the cavalry is kept busy in their own fight.


 But by this time Allied fire has worn down the French, and they only need one more stand to win. A few vollies and it's over.

Great game, great timing. Really intuitive set of rules - with no time lost with movement/measuring. Hexes trump tape measures.

The 'Chaunce' cards add really nice random elements too. Inspired system, with an inspired adaptation for 17th century.






15 comments:

  1. Congratulations upon the mention of your blog in MWBG!

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. Henry did mention some work to the title block...hence my recruitment of 'she who wants to be a graphic designer when she grows up'.

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  3. So many splendid minis...congrats!

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    1. Cheers Phil. Some of them were painted a decade ago and might need a touch up here and there.

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  4. Thanks for the mention, M Le Duc! - appreciated.

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    1. No problem Sir. Love those rules. Hope you don't mind me tinkering with them and keep up the good work.

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  5. Congrats on the well deserved fame sir! Also, welcome to the "dark side" in regards to the CC series. One of the best of the Grand Tactical sets. I am definitely hooked on CCN and it's only a matter of time before I try Battlelore, as well as the Medieval variant coming out.

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    1. Cheers Steve. That Battlelore was the first edition and it really only seems like yesterday when we were playing it. At the time it was a medieval game with fantasy elements, and some of the expansions were pure medieval battles/troops, so I might have to revisit that option some time.

      I haven't actually tried the new Fantasy Flight version, or CCN for that matter, but I need to rectify that.

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    1. Cheers Geordie. They're not quite as good as the plastic commercial types, but they work ok.

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  7. I am sensing a greater acceptance of grid based figure gaming recently. C&C has been a big help in this regard, but I suspect the fairly new 'To the Strongest' by Simon Miller is actually getting a new audience to have a go and they are liking it.

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    1. Thanks Norm.
      Yes, I'd heard about 'To the Strongest'. I'll take another look at it.
      I guess we're seeing a resurgence with the C&C family that hearkens back to the old SPI/WEG games of the 80s. Plus, hexes make things much simpler :)

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  8. Interesting to hexes in use minis games especially as many board games have gone way of point to point or areas/zones.

    I feel a Squad Leader or Panzer Blitz type minis game entering my tiny mind :-)

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    1. I've been tinkering with the idea of using the hexes for some WWII games. There are many decent rules on the web, or of course could use straight Squad Leader.

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