Back in the saddle again! Rossbach Revisited

I have been ignoring this blog for well over six months, for the simple reason that I was not doing any 18th C. gaming.  Those members of our club here in Tokyo who are into the Horse-and-Musket period have been getting into 28mm Napoleonics, a development made possible by access to the excellent, relatively inexpensive, and easy to transport plastic miniatures produced by companies such as Victrix and of course Perry Miniatures.  

The absence of plastic equivalents for the 18th C. mean that it tough to get people into doing the period due to cost and figure availability, especially in my favourite scale of 28mm.

But I have never lost interest in the period, and there have been a number of developments that have whetted my interest over the last while.  One was getting hold of a copy of Volume II of Wargaming in History by Grant & Olley, a volume that deals squarely with my favourite subject, the War of the Austrian Succession.  "Drool fuel" abounds within its lovingly designed pages, and like Volume 1 with its scenarios for the SYW in the western theatre, it makes for inspiring reading.

I look forward to the forthcoming volume on the wars between the Prussians and the Austrians.

Another big development has been the Black Powder rules by Warlord Games, which I have come to love as they tick all my boxes when it comes to what I am looking for in my wargaming experience. These have become the rules of choice for Napoleonic gaming down at our club, and we have had some very enjoyable games using the rules, games with a high standard of presentation if I don't say so myself!

Most important of all, this past three weeks I was back visiting family and friends in Vancouver, where I had the chance to play a Seven Years War game with my old group, the North Shore Gamers, and using Black Powder at that!  It was a scaled down re-fight of Rossbach in 1757 between the Prussians and the French, and while M. le Marquis was not there in body, he was there in spirit- even if I was playing the role of Prussian commander. 

It was a great game, my first big SYW bash since before I left for Japan some 20 years ago now.  Firstly and most importantly, I was gaming with a great bunch of guys, old friends and new.  The scenario- at least as we played it- struck a good balance between manoeuvre and combat.  And with Black Powder, the game just looked right and felt right for 18th C. combat.  

In my next post I'll give an AAR seeing how the game went, and some of the mechanics we used.  Lots of pictures! 

The experience has left me determined to try setting up a game at the club here in Tokyo sometime over the coming months.