Two games: Command and Conquer: Waterloo and Junta.

November and December are the two months of the year when my workload increases, leaving me with less time for blogging. I often find myself having to choose between painting and writing blog posts on my days off, and painting usually takes precedence. As a result, I'm now resorting to writing collective game reviews. 

Today, I want to discuss two board games. The first game, which we played two weeks ago, was the Napoleonic version of Command and Conquer, along with the most well-known battle in the UK, Waterloo. The second game we played was Junta, coinciding with our club's AGM at the end of November.

1. Command and Conquer: Waterloo.

Two weeks ago, we played a game that Mike organised called Command and Conquer. Although we had played a similar game set in Roman times before, this one featured a hexagonal board. The French occupied one side, the British the opposite, while the Prussians remained off the board for the time being. The game was based on the Battle of Waterloo, which has become somewhat emblematic in the UK.

Mike arranged for each player to command a wing, with commanders-in-chief above them who distributed activation cards. One player was designated to lead the Prussians. The roles were as follows: Fred played Wellington, Michael was on the British right flank, Tim took the centre position, and Ben commanded the left flank. On the French side, Peter played Napoleon, Andy took the left, I was in the centre, and David was on the right. Gordon led the entire Prussian army.

On the board, there were three historically significant farms that the French were required to capture and hold until the game's end. They earned victory points for each farm held as well as for destroying enemy units. The British, however, only received points for enemy units destroyed. 

It appeared that there was a flaw in the scoring system, as the French focused their efforts on capturing one farm and thus accumulated a large number of victory points, even while losing a greater number of their own units. More on that later.

Unfortunately, the scenario did not allow for a change in the timing of the French forces' attacks. It also compelled Napoleon's troops to assault farms that should have been left untouched, diverting their focus away from the British forces. We decided that I would attack La Haye Sainte, David would assault Papelotte, and Andy would not attack Hougoumont; instead, he would provide cover for my attacks.

Our plan worked partially. I managed to capture La Haye Sainte and held it for a time with varying degrees of success. David's attack on Papelotte was halted, and Andy engaged in a futile firefight with the British right wing, which forced his forces to shift to my side of the map, inadvertently fulfilling their original mission. Meanwhile, the Prussians finally arrived on the battlefield, but they were significantly delayed and did not demoralise the French forces. David was able to hold his flank.

Ultimately, the game ended in a French victory. However, I believe that points for holding villages should be awarded at the end of the game rather than for each turn the villages were under French control.

2. Junta.

Last Thursday, we held our club's AGM. This occasion also provided us with the opportunity to play our annual game of Junta. For those unfamiliar with the game, it revolves around a fictional banana republic where families compete for influence and international aid dollars.

This year, our club meeting extended significantly due to a multitude of issues we needed to address, including the election of new committee members. Although this meant we had less time to play, it also brought plenty of excitement and fun.

The meeting kicked off with our first presidential election, which Alasdair won. Shortly after we adopted our first government and budget, I grew dissatisfied with my position and sent men to assassinate the president. The assassination attempt was successful, leading to Tim becoming the new president, who then appointed me as Minister of the Interior. This scenario has become a recurring theme in our games.

After several budgets passed almost unanimously, there were multiple assassination attempts, but all failed. Michael came the closest; he pinpointed my location, but his man ultimately abandoned the mission. 

As the game progressed, Alasdair staged a coup. Initially, I was the only one loyal to Tim while everyone else joined the rebellion. Eventually, we managed to persuade David to support our cause, and Andy lost all his troops. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could fully resolve the coup.

In the end, I won the game by accumulating the most funds in my Swiss account.

At the end, I wanted to share some exciting news—I was elected to our club committee!

Junta 2024

Last Thursday was our club's Annual General Meeting (AGM), so we had limited time to play that evening. As usual, we gathered to play Junta, and, as always, the game was very exciting. Tim was elected president as the first, and I served as his Minister of the Interior. Our cooperation was once again excellent.

On the opposing side was Gordon, who was constantly instigating coups. The first two attempts were successfully subdued, but the last one overthrew Tim's government. Michael then became the new president. Following this, Gordon initiated another coup, but this time he acted alone, as no one supported him. Multiple assassination attempts were made, but all were unsuccessful.

Ultimately, Tim and I emerged as the winners since we both had the same amount of money in our Swiss accounts. Overall, it was another fantastic game!

Marignano. Valour and Fortitude 2. Junta.

November and December, how I love those months. Enough time for gaming, but not for blogging. Therefore this time you will get 3 games in one big post. The first was our usual Thursday game with Pike and Shotte rules. This time it was the Italian Wars with the famous Swiss battle against the French, Marginano 1515. The second was the November Sunday game, where we went big and epic. Napoleonic with the second version of Valour and Fortitude by the Perry brothers. The last one was our annual game of Junta.

Listopad i grudzień, jak ja kocham te miesiące. wystarczająco dużo czasu na granie, ale za mało na blogowanie. Jest to też powód, że w jednym wielkim poście, dostaniecie aż trzy raporty z gier. Pierwszą z nich, nasza cotygodniowa gra czwartkowa z zasadami Pike and Shotte. Tym razem to wojny włoskie i sławna bitwa pomiędzy Szwajcarami i Francuzami, czyli Marginano 1515. Druga to nasza listopadowa gra niedzielna, gdzie musiało być dużo i epicko. Napoleonka z drugą wersją zasad Valour and Fortitude od braci Perrych. Ostatnia to nasza coroczna gra w Juntę. 

1. Marginano 1515.

SCENARIO / SCENARIUSZ: Michael Schneider
UMPIRING / PROWADZENIE GRY: Michael Schnaider

SCENERY / SCENERIA: Michael Schneider, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS / FIGURKI I MODELE: Michael Schneider

1.1. Forces. Siły.

FRANCE / FRANCJA

(Michael, David, Bartek)

French Cavalry under Robert de la Marck

1 x Gendarmes d'Ordonance

1 x Men-at-Arms

2 x Stradioti

French Cavalry under the King Francis I

1 x Gendarmes d'Ordonance

1 x Men-at-Arms

French Infantry under D'Alencon

1 x Pike

French Infantry under Charles III, Duke de Bourbon

1 x Pike

2 x Crossbows

2 x Arquebusiers

2 x Heavy Gun

French Infantry under Chevalier du Bayard

1 x Pike

2 x Arquebusiers

1 x Mounted Crossbows

2 x Medium Gun

SWISS / SZWAJCARZY

(Gordon, Alasdair, Angus, Mike)

Swiss infantry under Captn Albert Gerber and Cardinal Schinner

1 x Pike

1 x Halberdiers

1 x Double-handed swords

1 x Arquebusiers

1 x Light Gun

Swiss infantry under Captn Uli Fruehli

1 x Pike (Large)

1 x Halberdier

1 x Arquebusiers

1 x Light Gun

Swiss infantry under Captn Werner Steiner

1 x Pike

2 x Halberdiers

1 x Double-handed swords

2 x Light Gun

Italian cavalry under Maximilian Sforza

1 x Gendarmes d'Ordonance

1 x Men-at-Arms

1 x Mounted Crossbows

2 x Light Gun

1.2. The Game. Gra.

It started very badly for the French. Two of their heavy guns exploded (effect of rolling double 1s). However, that hasn't been used by the Swiss, who slowly moved against the French positions. The first fight was on our right flank, where my cavalry fought against the Italians. That's how our opponents thought it be. We set up the trap on them. One of the pike blocks moved a little too forward and got shot and disordered by our guns. Then my Gendarmes charged on them. The infantry lost all bonuses against the cavalry and were destroyed by French knights. After that, both cavalries started a melee. That was undecisive, as both sides had to withdraw and rally themselves. Sadly my unit of Men-at-Arms decided that plundering is a better option than fighting and were put out of action for the whole game. Michael set up two buildings on the far ends of both shorter edges and if the unit was 6'' of them, had to roll for activation. If it failed, it started plundering and I was unable to order that unit. I had to repeat that process every turn and I failed every single roll for them...

Zaczęło się bardzo źle dla Francuzów. Dwa z ich ciężkich dział eksplodowały (efekt rzutu dubletu 1). Jednakże, nie zostało to w pełni wykorzystane przez Szwajcarów, którzy powoli zbliżali się do francuskich pozycji. Pierwsze starcia nastąpiły na naszej prawej flance, gdzie moja kawaleria stanęła naprzeciw włoskiej. Tak myśleli nasi przeciwnicy. Zastawiliśmy na nich pułapkę. Jeden z bloków pikinierskich wysunął się nazbyt do przodu i został ostrzelany przez nasze działa, które zdezorganizowały go. Na ten blok natarli moi Żandarmi. Piechota pozbawiona wszelkich bonusów do walki z konnicą, została zniszczona przez francuskich rycerzy. Po tym, obie kawalerie starły się w walce wręcz. Ta okazała się nierozstrzygnięta, ponieważ obie siły musiały się wycofać i uporządkować szyki. Niestety jeden z moich oddziałów zdecydował, że plądrowanie będzie lepsza opcją niż walka i przez całą grę był wyłączony z walki. Michael ustawił po jednym budynku na krótszych krawędziach stołu i jeśli oddział zbliżył się na 6 cali, musiał rzucić na aktywację. Jeśli zawiódł, zaczynał plądrowanie i nie mogłem go aktywować w tej turze. Ten proces musiałem powtarzać na początku każdej tury i nie zdałem ani jednego z nich... 

On the other side, the Swiss had more luck. They managed to break through to the French camp but were stopped by the infantry. The Swiss almost killed the French king. However French managed to inflict more casualties and they won the battle.

Po drugiej stronie Szwajcarzy mieli więcej szczęścia. Udało im się wedrzeć do francuskiego obozu lecz zostali zatrzymani przez piechotę. Szwajcarzy prawie zabili francuskiego króla. Jednak to Francuzi zadali więcej strat Szwajcarom i to oni wygrali bitwę.

1.3. Links. Linki

MICHAEL:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/2023/11/marginano-13th-september-1515-v20.html

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/742515851239082

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720313284700

2. Valour and Fortitude 2.

SCENARIO / SCENARIUSZ: Jack Glanville
UMPIRING / PROWADZENIE GRY: Mike Evans

SCENERY / SCENERIA: Jack Glanville, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS / FIGURKI I MODELE: Jack Glanville, David Imrie

2.1. Forces. Siły.

FRANCE / FRANCJA

(Jack, Mike, Bartek)

1st Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

2nd Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

3rd Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

4th Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

5th Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

1st Cavalry Brigade

3 x Cuirassiers

2nd Cavalry Brigade

3 x Cuirassiers

3rd Cavalry Brigade

2 x Cuirassiers

2 x Carabiniers

4th Cavalry Brigade

4 x Lanciers

1 x Horse Gun Battery

5th Cavalry Brigade

4 x Chasseurs

1 x Horse Gun Battery

BRITISH & PRUSSIANS / BRYTYJCZYCY i PRUSACY

(Michael, David, Nicol, Campbell)

1st British Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

2nd British Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

3rd British Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

4th British Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

1st Prussian Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

2nd Prussian Infantry Brigade

1 x Light Infantry

4 x Infantry

1 x Gun Battery

3rd Prussian Infantry Brigade

4 x Landwehr

1 x Gun Battery

British Cavalry Brigade

3 x Dragoons

1st Prussian Cavalry Brigade

3 x Uhlans

2nd Prussian Cavalry Brigade

3 x Hussars

1 x Horse Gun Battery

2.2. The Game. Gra.

I did not like the first version of the Valour and Fortitude and was quite happy to try version 2. The core of the rules remains almost unchanged, however, the morale system has been changed a lot. When it was announced that the rules would be tested on Sunday, I expressed my willingness to participate in it. It was also my first game in epic scale from Warlord. We played a fictional scenario for the 100 days, with three objectives (the villages).

Nie za bardzo przypadła mi do gustu pierwsza wersja Valour and Fortitude i byłem bardzo zainteresowany sprawdzeniem wersji 2. Zasady pozostały w większości niezmienione, jednak popracowano trochę nad zmianą wpływu morale. Kiedy ogłoszono, że będą one testowane w naszym klubie podczas niedzielnej gry, wyraziłem chęć wzięcia w tym udziału. Było to także moje pierwsze spotkanie ze skalą Epic w wydaniu Warlorda. Zagraliśmy fikcyjny scenariusz ze 100 dni, z trzema celami gry (wioskami).

I asked to lead all French cavalry and was going to outflank the Allied by destroying the Prussian Cavalry and Landwehr. It looked very simple, however, was much harder than I thought. First I had a problem with the activation of the brigades. That caused problems with movement, which took a much longer time than expected. Then Prussians fought extremely well, especially their Hussars, who managed to take charge of two Cuirassier regiments and not only stand but also destroy them. Finally, I managed to get on their flank, and destroy the Uhlan brigade, but was too late for anything. Events at the other end of the table and in its centre determined the outcome of the battle.

Poprosiłem o dowodzenie całą kawalerią francuską i miałem zamiar zaatakować flankę Sprzymierzonych, poprzez zniszczenie pruskiej kawalerii i landwery. Wydawało się to proste, jednak okazało się bardziej trudne, niż to sobie zakładałem. Wpierw miałem problemy z aktywacją moich brygad. To powodowało problemy w poruszaniu się i zajęło mi znacznie więcej czasu niż zakładałem. Potem Prusacy stawili naprawdę zacięty opór, szczególnie ich huzarzy, którym udało się przyjąć szarże dwóch oddziałów kirasjerów i nie tylko wytrzymali je ale też ich zniszczyli. W końcu udało mi się dostać na ich flankę, zniszczyć brygadę ułanów, ale było już za późno na cokolwiek. Wydarzenia na drugim końcu stołu i w jego środku zaważyły na wyniku bitwy.

The French took all three objectives very quickly. They set up the infantry and awaited the Allied attack. That one came very quickly. The first problems came in the centre, where the British led by David and Nicol pushed from the village French led by Mike. Then Campbell surrounded the French led by Jack and he lost the second of the objectives. Finally, the French lines started to break one after another and it was clear, that that game was lost to them. 

Francuzi zajęli trzy cele gry bardzo szybko. Ustawili w nich piechotę i oczekiwali ataku Sprzymierzonych. Ten nastąpił bardzo szybko. Pierwsze problemy pojawiły się w naszym centrum, gdzie Brytyjczycy prowadzeni przez Davida i Nicola wypchnęli z wioski Francuzów dowodzonych przez Mikea. Potem Campbell otoczył Francuzów Jacka i straciliśmy drugi z celów. Ostatecznie francuskie linie zaczęły pękać jedna po drugiej i było oczywiste, że przegraliśmy tą grę.

The second version of the rules is much better than the first one. I liked the way they changed the morale aspect of the game, it is much simpler. However, I find a lot of space here, which could be explored. I still dislike the lack of events following the charges. You can destroy several troops around and it has no effect on nearby troops. There are many more little aspects, which led me to other systems which work better in my opinion with that period.

Druga wersja jest znacznie lepsza od drugiej. Podoba mi się sposób w jaki zmieniono aspekt morale w grze, jest znacznie prostszy. Jednakże wciąż widzę lukę, którą można zapełnić. Wciąż nie podoba mi się brak zdarzeń następujących po szarżach. Można zniszczyć kilka oddziałów wokół i nie ma to żadnego wpływu na oddziały znajdujące się w pobliżu. Jest też kilka pomniejszych aspektów, które powodują, że pozostanę przy innych systemach, które w moim odczuciu lepiej opisują ten okres. 

1.3. Links. Linki

MICHAEL:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/2023/11/1815-watersomething-there-is-something.html

SESWC:

to be updated soon...

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720313295648

3. Junta.

Last Thursday of November was our AGM of the club. Usually, we prepare something light for that, as some time in the evening is usually taken for discussions about the club problems. For some time it is traditionally a Junta. It tells the story of one of the banana republics and the families who rule that country. We did not vote for a president but rolled for it. It was won by Tim, who quickly allied with other players, by giving them main jobs. Michael and I were put aside as families without any influence. I also survived the assassination attempt by the people of the Minister of Internal Affairs (Angus). Then I started collecting the influence cards. Finally, I had enough votes to support any of the sides: either Tim, who was still a president or Michael, who was opposed to him. After persuasion, I would be able to make an assassination from the cards of any of the players (at this time I had one on my hand) and with a large number of votes, I become an ally to the president. I became the Minister of Internal Affairs and quickly started to eliminate potential opponents (this was the official version, I was actually running my own private vendetta). The first was Angus and I succeded. With our number of votes, we were able to accept each budget that was put to a vote. This left players with no reason to start a coup. Silently I was also collecting money from the international aid on my Swiss account. Finally, Michael played the card of the UN's suspicion of the violation of human rights etc, which finally gave the reason to a coupe. That was started by Gordon, who had two armies. I mentioned it to the president, but it was ignored. He was supported by other players, apart from me, who stayed by the president. I tried to stay loyal to the end, but soon the rebels gained such a large advantage that I had to change sides. Tim was succeded by Alasdair. And who became the new Minister of Internal Affairs? Of course me! My first task on the list was to kill Alasdair. At this time I had 3 cards allowing me to assassinate the players, plus one as the minister. The first attempt failed, but with the second I succeeded. That was the moment when we finished the game. I won it by collecting a bigger amount of money in my Swiss account!

W ostatni czwartek listopada odbyło się nasze coroczne spotkanie organizacyjne. Zazwyczaj przygotowujemy na ten dzień coś małego, ponieważ część czasu poświęcamy na omawianie problemów klubu. Od pewnego czasu jest to tradycyjnie Junta. Opowiada ona historię o bananowej republice i rodzinach walczących o wpływy. Tym razem nie wybieraliśmy pierwszego prezydenta, ale rzucaliśmy o to kością. Wybory wygrał Tim, który szybko został wsparty przez innych graczy, którym zapewnił dobre posady. Jedynie Michael i ja pozostaliśmy z mało intratnymi rolami. Udało mi się przeżyć próbę zamachu, zorganizowaną przez ministra spraw wewnętrznych (Angus). Wtedy też zacząłem zbierać coraz więcej kart wpływu. W końcu zebrałem tyle kart, że mogłem bez problemu wesprzeć jedną ze stron, czy to urzędującego prezydenta (wciąż był nim Tim), czy też głównego opozycjonistę Michaela. Po daniu do zrozumienia, że mógłbym przeprowadzić próbę zabójstwa z kart na ręku (w tym czasie miałem jedną taką kartę) i dużą ilością głosów, stałem się sprzymierzeńcem prezydenta. Zostałem nowym ministrem spraw wewnętrznych i rozpocząłem eliminację potencjalnych przeciwników (to była wersja oficjalna, tak naprawdę prowadziłem swoją prywatną vendettę). Pierwszym był Angus i mi się powiodło. Z naszą liczbą głosów mogliśmy przegłosować każdy budżet, jaki by został przedstawiony pod głosowanie. Przez to pozbawialiśmy graczy powodu do rozpoczęcia puczu. Po cichu gromadziłem swoje pieniądze z pomocy międzynarodowej na koncie w szwajcarskim banku. W końcu Michael zagrał kartą, która mówiła o podejrzeniach ONZ w sprawie łamania praw człowieka itp. To dało powód do puczu. Zaczął go gordon, który dowodził dwoma armiami. Zwracałem na to uwagę prezydentowi, ale zostałem zignorowany. Gordon zyskał wsparcie innych graczy oprócz mnie, który pozostał przy prezydencie. Próbowałem pozostać lojalny, ale w końcu rebelianci zyskali tak dużą przewagę, że musiałem zmienić strony. Kolejnym prezydentem został Alasdair. I kto został kolejnym ministrem spraw wewnętrznych? Oczywiście, że ja! Moim pierwszym zadaniem na liście było zabicie Alasdaira. W tym czasie na ręce miałem aż trzy karty pozwalające mi na dokonanie zamachu plus ten wynikający z mojej roli. Pierwsza próba się nie powiodła, ale druga już tak. W tym momencie gra się zakończyła. Wygrałem ją ja, który miał największą ilość pieniędzy na koncie w szwajcarskim banku. 

Unfortunately, I missed another Thursday. I couldn't make it to the club. Now there was a bit of a miscommunication on Sunday and we couldn't play our December big game. I hope to show up next Thursday. This, however, is a big question mark because I may not make it on time.

Niestety, kolejny czwartek mnie ominął. Nie udało mi się dotrzeć do klubu. Teraz w niedzielę nastąpiło małe nieporozumienie i nie mogliśmy rozegrać naszej grudniowej dużej gry. Mam nadzieję pojawić się w następny czwartek. To jednak stoi pod dużym znakiem zapytania, ponieważ mogę się nie wyrobić na czas.