Blog Review 12

Jan and I have been in UK for 10 days, the longest I have gone without putting anything on the blog since I started it! Sorry to anyone who might have been calling by to see what is happening.

I had my laptop with me, but for most of the time was not able to log on. When I could it was in circumstances where I could not concentrate sufficiently to get anything down. I had taken some notes with me to update the "Wargames in Spain

-->" blog, but only put one on - and that was my cat Buster helping us play a game!

On the other hand I did have the opportunity to reflect on things, which is not always a good idea. Too often it results in me going off at a wargame tangent.

I was particularly interested in reading about two new wargame rules, and their reception on TMP. The first is "Napoleon" by Foundry. The reception has been pretty poor, with some correspondents apparently happy to have a go without even reading the rules. Indeed it seemed that no one had actually played the rules. Now I am sure that some people can judge a set of rules on a quick read, but I am not amongst them. It usually takes us 5 or 6 games just to get a feel for the rules, and as many again to realise that we don't actually like them.

The second set is "Honour" by Sam Mustafa. This was better received, though nothing has actually been published yet. And I must admit that they sound very interesting. I considered using his Grand Armee at one time, but discovered LFS at the same time and would not attempt to learn two sets of rules at the same time. I particularly like the idea that you can fight different size battles with the same base stands. As I understand it they could represent a battalion in a divisional size game or a brigade in a corps sized one. I doubt that I would stick with the rules, but they might well give me some ideas to amend my own house rules.

I have really decided that "house" rules are the answer for Jan and I. Neither of us like learning new rules, and play so much that we always find fault with them sooner or later. And once you start to amend them you create more problems than you solve. I always felt that it was necessary to have a "professional set of rules" when we ran club games, as I would always feel that I had to defend a "house set". However if just Jan and I are playing we can always compromise and end up with a good game.

The thing that struck me most reading TMP is what a terrible impression it must give to newcomers to the hobby when they read the things printed there. I am sure that the vast majority are like me, just keep our heads down and let them get on with it. But if a wargamer with 40 years experience like myself is put off, how must a novice feel.

I have also been meddling with Battle Chronicler, which I also found on TMP. It is a computer assisted method of doing battle reports. The example looked easy, so I downloaded it, plus something else which you need to play, which took nearly an hour. I hate to think how much space I have taken up on my hard drive. You will appreciate that I am a computer novice and just cross my fingers when I do these things. Once downloaded I then found it was much more complicated than I had imagined, and there are no rivers or hills available. To be fair, it is at the test stage and is free, so I am not really complaining. And the whole reason for doing my own campaign on an A4 sheet of paper is to avoid having to struggle with the computer. So you might well ask why I attempted it in the first place!!

I have also been looking for a new camera. My present one is about 10 years old, and I am sure is well outdated. Looking for a new one proved a big headache. We were travelling around UK and looked in Newcastle, Salisbury and Weston super Mare. In each shop I explained what I wanted. This was a camera (like my present one) that you can point and press for when we are walking. I would like a simple (as opposed to my present complicated) way of taking close ups of wargame figures. And I would like a wide angle lens to take the whole 6x6 foot table - even if balancing on a step ladder. And I wanted all of this in a middle priced camera, say not more than £150. Each shop convinced me that their camera, and all were different makes and models, was the right one. By the end of this exercise I was completely confused. Not a single camera could do all three functions, and I could not agree which was the nearest. In despair we visited a small, family run shop in Morpeth. The owner produced a camera which met all of my list, and at a price of £139. I would have bought it on the spot, but it was to be a Christmas present to us both from my son and family. So I noted the details and gave them to him. Within minutes he had found the same camera, online, at £89 post free. Personally I would be tempted to go back to the shop and see if they would match, or at last come near, the online price. But I suspect that my son will just buy it online and the shop will lose a sale. It seems very unfair, but then again a saving of £50 is not easily ignored.

Whilst struggling with my decision I came across the word "stitching". In photograph circles it apparently refers to taking a number of photos and then joining them together. I was assured this was simple to do, and that downloads were available online. Again I downloaded one, and again it is proving much harder to do than promised. Once more I would have to confess that this is probably more my fault than the designer. However when I went on their forum (there never seems to be a human you can contact) there were pages and pages of similar requests. And the answers seemed much more complicated than the questions. Ah well, at Christmas I will have my new camera, and the nice man told me that this feature is included on the camera and even I can do it. We will see.

So much for excuses and what I have been doing for the past 10 days. You would be more interested in what I hope to do in the next 10 days.

First I plan to do another in the "Walking Napoleonic Battlefields" blog. Not sure which, but it might be Albuera. I think that was the next one we visited during our 1991 Holts Battlefield Tour.

I will definitely do one more of the "Wargames in Spain" reports. This time without support from the cat.

I will add more to "Jan and Paul in Spain 2007". When we were in UK I was really pleased to see that a lot of our friends had been visiting the Spain blogs. I had noticed that they had quite a few hits, but as no messages were left did not know who was coming by. It is the worse part of doing a blog, you never know how your work is being received. On the other hand you don't get lots of adverse comment either!

And finally we must get some wargaming in. This should not be too difficult. The summer has arrived here in Spain, and that means very hot afternoons. One of the coolest parts of the house is our wargames room, and there is a large ceiling fan to help keep us cool. The Spanish have their afternoon siesta, we have our afternoon wargame and swim. This looks like being the last battle of our "Magdeburg Campaign". I have already started work on the Spanish campaign which will follow. Maps and order of battle are already done, but I have to start the map movement. I don't like to do so before I finish "Magdeburg", as I would lose interest in that. Also before I start in Spain I want to tidy up "Magdeburg" so that it makes easier reading from start to finish.

So lots to do, and plenty of time to do it. Keep calling in to keep up with the latest.

Blog Review 11

1813 campaign
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http://1813campaign.blogspot.com

Nothing added to the campaign this week, as all of the background has now been done. The campaign rules, wargame rules, armies, order of battle and campaign history are now complete, except for updating and perhaps minor amendments.

Magdeburg campaign
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http://1813northgermany.blogspot.com

Again the blog is up to date and the previous battle reports and campaign history are complete. Jan and I have been playing the battle of Magdeburg, which looks like being the biggest and last battle of the campaign. It is very hot in Spain now, and we usually only play one or two moves at a time. I am posting a battle report of each move on the blog and will do a summary of the battle, and the campaign, when we have finished.

Wargaming in Spain

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http://wargamesinspain.blogspot.com

This is the blog I have worked most on this week. It is the archive of the battle reports of the games we have played since we arrived in Spain in 2006. I have usually written a battle report, particularly if they were part of a campaign. So there are quite a few to enter. I usually type up two or three a week.

Walking Napoleonic Battlefields
http://walkingnapoleonicbattlefields.blogspot.com

The latest one is Badajoz. Writing the blog reminded me of what a strange town it is, and how the visit left me with memories of a sad and depressing place. Its also the only location that I have never had any inclination to revisit.

Plans for next week
As the Magdeburg campaign draws to a close, I have been very busy preparing for the next stage of the 1813 Campaign, which will be the Tarragona Campaign. Set in north west Spain it will deal with the Spanish attempts to prevent Marshal Suchet sending assistance to Marshal Soult in north east Spain where Wellington is preparing to drive the French out of Spain.

Blog Review 10

Wargame Rules
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http://paulandjanwargamerules.blogspot.com

All of this week has been taken up with getting the wargame rules on blog. The blog contains all of the rules in full. There is also a demo game in words and photographs to illustrate how the rules work. There is a seperate page for each move. Current orders are shown, plus dice rolls for firing and morale.

The demo game is a real wargame, namely Helmstedt. It was not planned as a demo, but as it progressed I realised that showing so much details in each battle report would be boring.


Wargames in Spain

-->http://wargamesinspain.blogspot.com
This blog is designed to show the wargames we have fought since we arrived in Spain. I had already taken photographs of each game, but not always described it as a battle report. They will appear in the order they were played.

These games are not part of the current 1813 Campaign.


Magdeburg Campaign -->

http://1813northgermany.blogspot.com/

This blog covers the current mini campaign, within the context of the overall 1813 Campaign. It is designed to show all the current map moves and battle reports in one place. And when the mini campaign is resolved there will be a new blog for the next mini campaign

The battle of Helmstedt was the major battle so far in this campaign. However as I am using this battle as the Demo Game for the Wargame Rules blog, and as the battle report is too complicated, I will be altering the campaign slightly.

If you are following the blog, you will note that Helmstedt has been removed. In the next few days I will be doing updating this campaign, and its history will change slightly.


Walking Napoleonic Battlefields

-->http://walkingnapoleonicbattlefields.blogspot.com/
Finally finished Waterloo, and have started on our first visit to Portugal and Spain with Holts Battlefield Tours.


Plans for the coming week
First I want to sort out the Magdeburg Campaign.

I am still not happy with the battle reports, and I will be experimenting with that.

Blog Review 9

General

I have tidied up the blogs by putting an index on each one. So it should be quite easy for anyone new to the blogs to find the part of the campaign they are interested in. I will be keeping all of the blogs up to date as the campaign progresses, but most of the new material will be on the following blogs:

Magdeburg Campaign

I have done a lot of work on this blog lately, mainly because of the almost daily battle reports. So it is a little disappointing that it does not seem to get as much interest as this blog. I am not sure whether this is because the battle reports are too complicated, or because the number of blogs is confusing.

The Battle of Helmstedt is going on much longer than expected. It is a large battle, so to photographs it all takes 4 each side of the table. I have also taken one from the end to show the whole battle. And finally I have typed a description of the moves. And as I publish one for each move, it is proving a lot of work. I will continue until we finish the game, and then reconsider how to do the battle reports.

The game itself is going really well. It looked like it would be a walk over for the Prussians, until a bad dice throw changed the whole game overnight. So we have really enjoyed the game to date.

Wargames in Spain

This is a new blog to cover the games we have played since we arrived in 2006. I used to photograph them anyway as a personal record, so I thought it might be a good idea to start a blog so that I have them easily available.

I hope to do one of these every couple of days.

Walking Napoleonic Battlefields

Reached the end of the Waterloo visit. Next will be our first visit to Portugal and Spain. I will start a new blog so that there will be one blog for each battlefield.

Blog Review 8

Blog Index
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I have changed the blogs yet again, this time to introduce an index list by using the Labels. Each blog now has a contents list as follows:

Napoleonic Wargaming Blog

1 – Making a Campaign Map

2 – Making a Strategic Map

3 – Making a Tactical Map

4 – Campaign Objectives

5 – Campaign Armies

6 – Campaign Movement

7 – Wargame Rules

8 – Blog Reviews

1813 Campaign Blog

1 – Introduction

2 – Rule 1 – Campaign Aims

2 – Rule 2 – Strategic Phase

2 – Rule 3 – Tactical Phase

2 – Rule 4 – Wargames

2 – Rule 5 – Administration

3 – Germany

3 – Spain

4 – Campaign Diary

1813 Magdeburg Campaign Blog

1 – Campaign Background

1 – French Army

2 – Prussian Army

3 – Battle of Cable

4 – Battle of Halbeck

5 – Battle of Helmstedt

1813 Campaign Armies

1 – Building an Army

2 – Organisation of Armies

3 – 25mm Allied Armies

4 – 25mm French Armies

5 – 15mm Allied Armies

6 – 15mm French Armies

Change of Name

I have also changed the names of two blogs, although the contents remain the same. I have changed Model Soldier Collection to 1813 Campaign Armies, and 1813 North Germany to 1813 Magdeburg Campaign.

Battle Reports

I am still playing around with the Battle Reports, but I feel I am at last getting there. I am quite pleased with the idea of one blog for each move of the latest battle, which is Helmstedt. I have decided to write the battle report as one of the commanders, but to take photographs from both sides of the table. I will print the first set before the battle report, and the second set after. The report itself will be in the order that the chips are drawn, and each move will refer to the photographs which shows it. I have gone back and amended each battle report for Helmstedt.

For the future I am going to change the identity chips to show the corps name. At present they are numbered 1 to 6 for one side, and 7 to 12 for the other. The aim is to hide the identity. But it makes it very difficult to identify a particular corps in the battle report and the appropriate photograph.

Walking Napoleonic Battlefields

I have actually finished all of the blogs I intended to do for Waterloo. But I do have photographs of the allied left flank which might be interesting to show. Unfortunately I do not have any photographs which I took when visited it in 1971. But it seems a shame not to include them, as this is a less well known section of this very well known battlefield. So I will "publish and be damned".

This series have been very well received, and I have had more feedback than any other blog. Not only on the blog itself, but also on the two forum I use.

Conclusion

I hope that I will be able to stop tinkering with the blogs now for a while. The problem is that I knew very little about Blogging before I started this last month, so it has been very much a steep learning curve for me. And as I go along I keep getting ideas which I feel will improve the blog, or make it easier to understand.

Blog Review 7

Change of format for battle reports

Still not happy with the format of the battle reports, so I have changed them again!

From the latest report, Battle of Helmstedt Move 3, there will be six photographs with each report. Three will cover the allied side of the table, and three the French side.

The battle report itself will follow the move chips drawn for each move. For anyone who does not understand I should explain. There is one chip for each command in the battle, plus one Poor card and one Gifted card for each side (if they have a Gifted commander). They are placed in a hat and drawn at random. When the chip is drawn that commander has his go. The sequence can have a big effect on the game, and I felt the battle report did not make sense without it.

I have also gone back and amended moves 1 and 2. However as I did not take photographs of the French side when we played those moves, there are only three photographs of these moves, all from the Prussian side. You may wish to look at them again, as I hope that they will be easier to understand now.

I hope that the new format will make it easier to follow the flow of the game.

Blog Review 6

Another very busy week, with yet again more visitors. This is our third set of visitors in just over a month. I think when they "booked" they must have been expecting a wet and miserable April/May in UK, but from what I see on UK TV the weather seems to have been pretty good. Its nice to have visitors, but it does mean that our wargame suffers big time.

However I have managed to do some work on the blogs.

I am redoing the model soldier collection blog. I want to put the photographs and orders of battle closer together, so that anyone checking out a particular corps will find the details easier. So far I have completed the 15mm and hope to do the 25mm next week.

I have also put another battle report on the Magdeburg campaign blog. Yet another new layout tested. Still not sure it is quite right. We have started another wargame in the same campaign, probably the final one. It is a 15mm game and involves all four corps on each side, so it will be a pretty complicated table. I am going to try something new with the battle report. I will again write it as the CinC which I play in the game, so it will be a one sided battle report. I will take three photographs at the start of each move, so that the whole table is shown. I will then write a blog for each move. Not at all sure what it will look like. But it will give me the opportunity to explain each move in a lot of details, and back it up with a set of photographs. Also it will mean that I should be able to publish a blog pretty well each day.

I have also reorganised the Paul and Jan in Spain blog. My original idea was to do it from the day we arrived in Spain. But it is taking much longer to catch up than I anticipated. So I have broken it into three blogs. The first will cover looking for a house in Spain, up to our move here in March 2006. The second will continue 2006, but will only last for that year. I have also now started one for 2009, which I should be able to bring up to date pretty soon. Therefore there will eventually be one blog for each year.

So that is the plan for the coming week. Lets see how it works out.