David R. Moody - Jan 13, 2005 1:53 pm (#8334 Total: 8350) Last played: Patton's Best, Blood & Iron (Sadowa), Downtown, War of the Ring, Lock 'n' Load, B-17, Sweden Fights On, ASL, Ambush!, Down in Flames, Sedan Campaign, Pirates of the Spanish Main. Reading: The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte (Robert Asprey). Landships is fun--one of those games I'd really like to play more, but it never seems to get on my playlist (too many new toys). On the Table last night at Endgame in Oakland, CA: Blood & Iron, an old chesnut from Command #20 on the battle of Koniggratz (or Sadowa, which is easier to spell), fought on July 3, 1866 between the Prussians and the Austrians (the latter with some Saxon buddies to help out). Joe Oppenheimer and I decided to drag this one out of the archives for our regular Wednesday night session. I had first played it about ten years ago, at the beginning of my Pennsylvania exile. I was the Prussians then, and I lost by making too wide a flanking move with the Prussian 2nd Army in a failed attempt to go for the Elbe River bridges. I was the Prussians last night too, but never got a chance to repeat the error as we only got through the noon turn (honeydew stuff before I left, and a stall on I-80 before the 880-580 interchange delayed my arrival at Endgame). At any rate, it was a typically hard-fought game, with my First Army clearing Sadowa and pushing across the river (I forget the name--starts with a b), getting lots of Disruptions due to Austrian artillery and a tenacious Austrian defense by III Corps and X Corps in front of the trench lines. Then the Austrian X Corps decided maybe they should get back behind the trenches (Joe rolled their Insubordination rating, so I got to move them) and Joe's advanced line fell apart. In the confusion, helped by failed command rolls for III Corps, I was able to partially outflank them and eliminate a few units, including a couple artillery units. But my three corps were badly spent, almost all Disrupted, and I lost one of my 9 strength brigades. Elsewhere, the Army of the Elbe made little progress in the south against the Saxons and scattered Prussian cavalry units, quickly coming to a halt. Joe even launched a cavalry counterattack in the center which drove some of my units back to the river, but I was able to cut off and eliminate a couple of his horse units and throw more of my own across the river, covered by my horse guns. He also launched a Death Ride against one of my First Army infantry brigades in front of the Prussian entrenchments, but got repulsed. I responded by throwing two brigades at part of the entrenchments. They got over the wall and took one hex, but got tossed out with losses in an Austrian counterattack (another 9-strength brigade dead). So by noon, First Army was shot up and in need of a regroup before flinging itself at the Austrian main position, Elbe Army was mostly sitting and trading artillery fire with the Saxons--though one reinforced division was trying to get around the Austrian left--and Second Army was moving onto the field from the north (Guard Corps first, with V or VI Corps nearby) By that point it was around 11 PM, so we called it. Hard to say who would eventually win. I had an 8 VP edge (12 to 4), but much more fighting was coming, and who knows how many more losses I might have taken or inflicted, or if Joe got another Insuborbination result (I was hoping it would happen to one of the corps manning the north face of the trenches, the Austrian right flank). Regardless a fun and glorious night of battle. No use arguing about who killed who. Next week, Soldier Raj. Never campaigned in India before, not in a quarter century with the cardboard colors. I think we're going to do the Sikh War scenario (featured in Flashman and the Tiger--the war, not the scenario). Possibly Down in Flames after that, depending on how late it is. At home, having fun with Downtown as I work through the programmed instruction. Just had two of my F-8s engage a pair of MiG-17s near Haiphong. Lots of shooting by the MiGs, but no losses and they shot up all their ammo. Next I get to learn about SAMs and jamming and all that.