TALAVERA

 

An epic day. We had James and Mark from ANF make the long drive south to join us for a game intended as a playtest for a set of Napoleonic rules we've begun to tinker with. I'd built the terrain almost twenty years ago and left it with Mitch way back then, and not surprisingly at all the notorious hoarder still had it tucked away at the back of his shed. So we fished it out, I dusted it off and went to work with plaster and paint, glue and flock, and had it ready in time for the big day.  Being a model of the field of Talavera, we thought it fitting we should go for the Battle of Talavera.

 

James has published a splendid account of the game on his blog with plenty of great photos, so I'll just keep it simple here.

 

Initial deployment looking south along the Portina brook. Villatte's division in the foreground.

 

 

Aerial view, Anglo-Spanish below, French above.

 

Villatte advancing towards the valley north of the Medellin supported by Beaumont's light cavalry brigade.

 

At the southern end of the line, Leval's "German" division of IV Corps advancing on the Pajar redoubt.

 

Here at the northern end Anson's British/KGL light cavalry clash with Beaumont.

 

Bottom right the Hessians have brushed aside the Spanish protecting the redoubt's right,

 

and so Campbell brings forward Kemmis' brigade to plug the ugly gap.

 

Here Ruffin's brigade advance up the eastern slopes of the Medellin.

 

The Vistula lancers (represented here by Prussians-sorry), shunt some British beyond the stream. Unfortunately they failed several subsequent manoeuvre rolls and so were stuck there to be picked off by musketry until breaking.

 

Up the other end Anson has had the better of the French chasseurs and hussars but now finds himself facing a division of dragoons.

 

From behind the centre of the Allied line. A single French brigade has punched through. A tenuous foothold.

 

The remaining photos were taken the morning after in much better light.

 

This one you've already seen. I can't seem to get rid of it. Still, worth a second look.

 

Bloody great day/night of gaming. Really good to have our friends from Avon there. The rules are a blending of Empire IV (or maybe V? who's counting?) and Fire'n'Fury mostly and seem promising. A tiny tweak here and there and we'll try them again Russo-Prussian v. French 1813. Next year.