Having recently pondered on the possibility of re-fighting Valentine Baker's heroic rearguard action at Tashkessen, you can imaging my surprise when Bob Kett contacted me with a link to his blog 20MM CRIMEAN WAR WARGAMING & OTHER STUFF and specifically to a battle report about his re-fight of the Battle of the Tchernaya River!
The battle report is covered in two parts, PART 1 and PART 2, and they make for a very interesting and enjoyable read.
The following photographs are taken from the battle reports on Bob's blog, and show his wonderful collection of Crimean War figures in action.
I wish that I had such a large collection of figures and could use them in the way that Bob Kett has done.
Please note that all the photographs featured above are © Bob Kett.
The battle report is covered in two parts, PART 1 and PART 2, and they make for a very interesting and enjoyable read.
The following photographs are taken from the battle reports on Bob's blog, and show his wonderful collection of Crimean War figures in action.
I wish that I had such a large collection of figures and could use them in the way that Bob Kett has done.
Please note that all the photographs featured above are © Bob Kett.
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I recall Bob's game very well and his OS figures are great. I am sure Bob appreciates your diligence in crediting his photos. I sure would! You are an example of how it ought to be done.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Freitag,
DeleteI love the look of figures painted in the 'Old School' style ... or should I say, the way everyone seemed to paint their figures when I started wargaming!
I always try to give credit where it is due, whether it is an idea, a game mechanism, or photographs. (I once got 'ripped off' by another wargamer, who claimed to have written a set of wargame rules when all he had really done was to copy mine and change the measurement from metric to imperial. I did contact him to ask for at least an acknowledgement... and I didn't even get a reply.)
All the best,
Bob
RE Your Ripped Off Rules
DeleteDid the fellow publish?
Jonathan Freitag,
DeleteI am afraid to say that he did. As he was based outside the UK there was little I could do to stop him. As far as I can tell, the rules did not make him much in the way of fame or income.
I've put it behind me now (it was about about years ago), but it has made me very aware that acknowledging other people's work is very, very important.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThanks for drawing my attention to this blog. Very pleased to see PW being used for a proper big battle, rather than a small engagement/skirmish!
But surely you have sufficient Napoleonic troops
already to create a similar effect?
Regards,
Arthur
Arthur Harman (Arthur),
DeleteI also thought that the battle report showed that the PORTABLE WARGAME rules could be used to fight almost any size of battle.
Once my Napoleonic collection is finished (if it ever is!), I should be able to mount quite a big battle ... but possibly not quite as big as the one featured on Bob Kett's blog.
All the best,
Bob
That's a BIG "little game" Bob
ReplyDeleteVery nice indeed
I think you got the correct weight of figures per hex :)
Lovely feel
When other my projects finish I must take heed of your Colonial blog .. open mind to my thinking at the moment ;)
Geordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteI assume that your comments are about Bob Kett's game and not mine. (Having two bob in a message can be confusing ... especially to one who can remember when that was the price of an Airfix 'bagged' kit!)
My Colonial blog is in a state of hiatus, and has been for some time ... but one day I will add some more entries to it.
All the best,
Bob
My bad as yes a quick read of the post I thought it was yours, but I still think a nice concentration of figures ;)
DeleteColonial wise I am thinking of starting small but I know a wargaming friend who has a lot of unpainted Zulus in 15mm ;)
Geordie an Exile FoG,
DeleteThat explains the confusion ... and I do like the look of the large units.
Starting small makes a lot of sense ... and Zulus should be quite easy to get finished fairly quickly as well.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks for your kind comments Bob Cordery, and thanks for the rules. When I first read my copy of PW I saw no reason why they could not be adapted to any size of playing area and seemed just what I was looking for in terms of simplicity; so that a big battle does not become bogged down. I have played so many games where it runs well at the beginning, but then grinds to a halt when numerous units engage; taking up to an hour per turn to resolve all of the actions. I also liked the "exhaustion point' rule, which I think gives a very realistic outcome to the action. As I mention in my blog, I probably needed several exhaustion points with so many units in the field in my game. Perhaps an exhaustion point each for the French, the Sardinians and the Turks and the same for each of the Russian Corps. If I had done that the outcome may have been very different. All that said the Portable Wargame provides a very useful and playable set of rules.
ReplyDeleteLooks to work well
DeleteBob Kett,
DeleteI am extremely pleased that you have found that the PORTABLE WARGAME rules fulfill your needs ... and thank you for your kind comments about them.
The Exhaustion Point seems to be one part of the rules that users really do like, and I think that allocating different Exhaustion Points for each contingent/corps makes a lot of sense ... and should produce a somewhat different outcome.
All the best,
Bob
Geordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteI was very pleased with the way the rules worked for Bob Kett.
All the best,
Bob
I contacted Bob Kett and he very kindly explained how he had adapted the original PW rules to suit his Crimean game - mainly the weapon ranges and activation/exhaustion.
DeleteVery encouraging to see PW used for a big battle so easily!
Arthur Harman,
DeleteI was most impressed by what Bob Kett has done with my basic rules ... and I wish that I could emulate his Big Battle Portable Wargame.
All the best,
Bob