Waterloo Refight - Waddington's Solo Book Game to Tabletop

The Worthington, Waterloo Solitaire Book Game just keeps on giving good fun games and by now must have repaid its cover price to me. Having converted it to tabletop via using Warlord Games Epic Scale Napoleonics it has become a big favourite of mine. It is one of those "one hour magic" wargames, creatively fun, not overly taxing but yet satisfying is a non trivial way (see below, the original cover of the book depicts the frantic fighting around Hougoumont): 

I present it in the style of a certain Airfix Waterloo Wargame Set (all Red-British, Blue-French and even Black-Prussian [although you would have to add them yourself later from the Airfix product line]) for those of a certain 1970's "as a young kid" age (see below, I remember having one of these in 1975 courtesy of my two older brothers - as a youngster I honestly did not know what to make of it at the time, or how precious it really was): 

Meanwhile our Napoleon [Renko] prepares to meet his Waterloo - note, poker chits represent Napoleons command capability and time, once you have spend all your chits you have no more command capacity or time left, a beautifully elegant system): 

Napoleon is taking no chances and the KGL are evicted from Le Haye Saint in brutal fashion (see below, after a desultory few turns of bombardment with the British successfully hiding on the reverse slope d'Erlon's 1st Corp are ordered to attack. A ferocious British Cavalry charge decimates the infantry attack, but the survivors still manage to storm the Sand Pit and take the famous farmhouse at the point of the bayonet [Napoleon had a huge sigh of relief on that one]): 

Reilles II Corp was now set upon Hougoumont the key to opening the door to Brussels. Despite taking losses too this savage infantry fight went well for the French (see below, Napoleon took care but spent time in reinforcing both battered Corps from his Reserve [good move as Prussians were starting to appear in the woods on his right flank]. Reformed the French Infantry performed excellent "combined arms" attacks that "broke" poor old Picton): 

With time running short it was the turn of the Imperial Guard to help smash the last remaining British and Dutch-Belgian infantry formation on Wellington;s right flank. The Young and the Middle Guard perished in the attempt, but it was the Old Guard who carried the day for Napoleon, with precious little time to spare on the clock - or rather a very small pile of poker chits remained (see below, the British retire [rout] to Brussels, but it was "a close run thing"): 

Another great game and Abba will now have to pen alternative lyrics for their song, as (still) Emperor Renko Napoleon reigns! 

Note: In the true SCRUM vein of "continuous improvement" (as no wargaming project is ever truly finished) - I think I need to add some pretty national flags per formation. I should also paint the Riflemen units Green instead of Red. I need to substitute a unit of Epic Highlanders into the British line of battle and likewise substitute in some Epic French Imperial Guard units into their line of battle. Perhaps also named movement trays for all the Corps too. All can be done in good time!

"My First" Prussians make it to the Leipzig Tabletop

My Prussians finally make it to the tabletop in a battlefield formation! It has only taken them ten years to turn from silver legion wannabes to fully painted Prussian heroes with a flag (see below, as they march on to meet the French):

Meanwhile the Prussian maidens and womenfolk are left weeping as their menfolk walk off to war (see below, their view - "Will they ever see them again?") :

As part of the "map consolidation phase", the two separate battles being fought simultaneously are joined together on one table. An impressive Herculean task if truth be told as apart from the very "gingerly" physical movement of toys, much mental dexterity was required to rotate and merge the battlefield geography without teleporting troops in random directions (see the following photo sequence for full appreciation of the size of the battle):

My Prussians are part of a massive mixed  Prussian and Russian infantry XXX (see above top left, second formation down, the neatest formation bar the French "Old Guard" on table IMHO). On teh downside, they are headed towards a formidable line of French Artillery backed by infantry and cavalry. In short an "all arms" wall of death, not a nice wargaming christening (see below):

The panoramic view from the French lines on the main battlefield (see below, the Prussians/Russians are top, moving onto the battlefield and the French in the center of the photograph to bottom, ready and waiting, just off to the right would be a large formation of "Old and Middle Guard!" just emerging from the fields around Leipzig):

The view of the French dispositions across the blue river in the above photograph is shown below (see below, the French have a good combined arms force but are outnumbered, however the Guard Artillery 'park' and Cavalry XXX are within easy reach): 

The man himself, Napoleon, is now awake and talking to his beloved Guard, admiring their potent artillery pieces and the glint of steel catching the bayonet and cuirass of their infantry and cavalry (see below, ahem note the understated six figure command base as befits The Emperor):

I have a feeling The Guard may have to be committed early to crush one threat and then turn upon another in true Napoleonic genius for the French to win this one!

"Two Hundred Years Ago" .. there was a little battle called Waterloo

So I decided to divert some of my wargaming time towards reading about it, albeit in the context of historical fiction (see below):

Four chapters in and it seems a good read :)