Slow start to the New Year

The Battle of Stuttgart

Without the discipline of the PBEM I have found it difficult to get myself back into a wargame routine.

I still have some work to do on winding up the PBEM campaign, but I no longer have email arriving each day, ten sets of orders to process and ten umpire reports to write each week.

There is still one battle to wargame from the campaign, and at least I got it set up this week.   The final battle will be a large battle (three corps per side) between the French and the Austrian.   It is on the table ready to start, but we have not been able to wargame this week.

Jan has hurt her right knee and left foot whilst in the UK, making it very painful to stand for more than short periods.   So even an hour a day around the table is out of the question.

Until this battle is resolved I will not know whether the French or Austrian win the Stuttgart campaign.   And until I do know I cannot complete that phase and update the maps.

I have decided to continue the current 1813 campaign, but solo rather than PBEM.   There will be a short armistice to allow all ten armies to regroup and resupply.   I will then fight each of the five campaign areas one at a time.

I have updated all of the maps, but the areas will remain the same.  I will use the same order of battle, because it works so well.   It was all designed around my model soldier collection and the 6x6 foot table we use.  

I did think about starting a completely new campaign, possibly refighting each of Napoleon’s campaigns in turn.   I started this some years ago, but found it pretty difficult to keep to the historical campaign.

I then considered a mini campaign based on each of his historical campaigns.   But it soon because obvious my current model soldier collection would not be sufficient.  And in addition I would have to make new scenery for each battle.    Much too much work.

Hopefully we will be able to start the wargame next week, and then finally complete the PBEM campaign.