WARGAMING - before proper records
Well, there are some hazy records when I dig them out, but those were never kept up to date.
(RL comments in italics)
As well as these ones I remember an ACW game which was run by Chris S (I'm pretty sure) which had the two sides in separate rooms being fed information from the referee - the highlight of which being the Union high command being unable to believe the messages they were getting back from their couple of lead regiments who claimed to have driven off the better part of a division (which was in fact the case due to amazing die rolls).
There's also one weekend where we did a couple of large scale naval games - one WW I and the other WW II.
Counting backwards
Last one
Venue: At Cliff’s (Cambridge)
Games: Margaret ran ‘Hattin’ - and the crusaders were slaughtered as one might have expected. Not really surprising given that Richard H and Richard L were the crusader commanders - pretty much dooming them even more than in the real battle
Also the 2nd part of Cat’s A.C.W. Trans Mississippi campaign. Confeds. Manoeuvred and then fell back. No real fighting. This being so short RL ran a WWII game with his new system - which seemed to work pretty well.
Last one but one
Venue: At Chris’s Place in Swindon
Games: Cat ran a sprawling A.C.W. Trans Mississippi Campaign with Chris, Cliff & Si as Confeds. & Rl, Rh & Mrgt as Union. Commander personalities & Personal objectives, lots of maps. Several scraps, fairly even over all, fun stuff with Si & Cliff haring off after glory, Mrgt cotton hoarding & RH being astoundingly indolent. Poor co’s !
Other Games?
Last one but Two
Venue: At Chris’s Place in Swindon
Games: RL ran a completely wacky M.T.B game in which moves had to be plotted in advance. Full of collisions, and cat going airborne. So good that we played it TWICE!
Other Games?
Before That
Venue: Toft Green (York)
Games: Cat condensed his planned but not ready A.C.W. campaign into a single map fight - not too effective, outnumbered Confeds. Stuffed.
Before That
Venue: Toft Green (York)
Games: RL ran an anniversary game of the Normandy Landings. Very high scale, very big maps. Very all round. RW took pictures and was going to do write up...I do remember that the allies won! I think I have a copy of this somewhere
Before That
Venue: Toft Green (York)
Games: Derek finally, to everyone’s amazement, ran his Carrier Game. Some time problems as he ran around a lot and messages stacked up, but overall a great success. Highlights included: Cat & RL slugging it out so close that their escorts were shelling each others carriers, and the ships could comfortably see each other, Glyn pressing on with the assault despite losing all air support - and being slaughtered horribly.
Before That
Venue: Toft Green (York)
Games: Cliff had been working on his Napoleonic system for a while. Here we fought (Austerlitz?) and a couple of flaws, in the shape of Cat’s completely indestructible Cossacks and the French undefeatable guard were revealed. Most dramatic moment: the allied left surging forward, the French teetering on the brink of collapse, and the Allied centre sitting still on the hill top and refusing to advance.
Before That
Venue: Toft Green (York)
Games: napoleonic naval - run by either RL or Chris. May have been a re-fight of Trafalgar? French and Spanish trashed the British - oops! Most memorable scene, for me, Cat’ French line of battle just crossing Si’s T and sinking ship after ship.
Before That
Venue: Richard’s (Coventry)
Games: RL introduced everyone to his U.S. Bomber game - great fun.
Before That
Venue: Richard’s (Coventry)
Games: RL unveiled a variation of the above in which we played Sherman Tank crews. Not as good as the original.
Before That
Venue: At Cliff’s (Cambridge)
Games: RL ran some modern(ish) Arab/Israeli stuff and some WWII Russian/German. Don’t remember much else about it.
Games: Germans defending Rhine bridges against aggressive U.S. forces charging up to take them. Great game - high points include the U.S. Recon’ jeeps belting up the road, flat out, oblivious to any Huns they might find, and some over aggressive Yank pushing his bussed up infantry within 50 yards of some camouflaged Tigers. Ouch.
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