No Time for Blogging, Too Much Gaming...

I wish.  But I have played a few good games recently - various periods, all using Neil Thomas' rules for the different eras.  Everything has played out well - close and exciting games lasting about an hour.  The last two have been Peninsular Napoleonic games.  The first AAR I posted up on the A&MW Yahoo forum, the second was as follows:

Nine units per side, with terrain diced for randomly.  Two hills on the British side, a town on the French, with a wood between the armies on the southern flank.

The game began with some fierce skirmishing in the woods, with the 5/60 and the battling the votigeurs from 2/23 and 3/32 Leger.  This action swung to-and-fro until eventually the French gave away.  Rather impetuously the 5/60 tried to turn the retreat into a rout, but the Voltigeurs fought back and sent the 5/60 back in their turn.  However, by this time, the main action of the battle had occurred.

In the centre, the French cavalry  tried charging the 2nd and 92nd; despite suffering casualties from musketry and artillery fire, the cavalry charged home and even pushed the British back slighty, before the mounting casuaties induced the French to retire.  The 9th Light Dragoons pursued them, and broke the 16th Chasseurs and the 4th Dragoons in turn, capturing the French general into the bargain.

On the Northern flank, the French infantry assault made little progress on the Ango-Portuguese arranged on a hill.  Gallantly as the British 1/4th and 3/27th fought, the laurels of the day must go to the Portuguese 2nd Line Infantry regiment, who halted, charged then broke the spearhead of the French attack, 1/32 Leger.  This led to the flanking units, the Irish Legion and 1/116 Ligne, being destroyed by the British supporting units.

At the end, the Light Dragoons also broke the 3/32 Leger before being broken in turn by the volley fire of the last intact French close-order unit, the 1/119 Ligne.  This small success did at east ensure that the three remaining unbroken French units, including the artillery, to escape.

Note on the mechanics of the game: the fierce fighting in the forest brought out the limitations of my current terrain design, which is a base representing the forest with trees and bushes round the outside with removable tree bases on the inside.  The latter worked fine, the former got in the way a bit.  I may have to experiment with having all the trees on removable bases.

ANGLO-PORTUGUESE:
9th Light Dragoons (routed)
2 Foot (light casualties)
1/4th Foot (moderate casualties)
3/27th Foot (light casualties)
5/60 Rifles  (moderate casualties)
1/92nd Highlanders (light casualties)
2nd (de Lagos) Line (moderate casualties)
6th (1 de Porto) Line  (moderate casualties)
7/8 RA (Lawson's Bty)

FRENCH
1/32 Light (routed)
2/32 Light (heavy casualties)
3/32 Light (routed)
1/116 Line (routed)
1/119 Line
Irish Legion (routed)
4th Dragoons (routed)
16th Chasseurs (routed)
1/1 Foot Artillery