28mm FPW Game, 19OCT13

I ran a 28mm FPW game Saturday afternoon at Wargamers Cave in Granite City, IL using Larry Brom's Chassepot and Needlegun.  Despite some learning curves on initiating close combat, the game  flowed smoothly.  Part of my problem is my forces are too big for the playing area we had.  I only deployed one infantry brigade per side on a 8' x 5' table.  I have an entire division aside for each army!  And I'm still painting up my second brigade 28mm 1870 Bavarian infantry brigade along with another 28mm 1870 Turco regiment! 

When I started this project, I thought I'd be done by X-mas 2013.  Now, it looks like spring 2014 at the earliest.  Even if I get a wargaming table in the house, I won't be able to field my entire 28mm FPW armies.  I should have thought this through.  I should have done this in 15mm.  I can go on with the lamentations, but I do now have 28mm forces for 1870. 

Getting back to the game, Don Cox and Steve Hood (Combat Colours) ran the Prussians and the French respectively.  The French were able to shoot up the Prussians before they got into range with their Needleguns.  But the Prussian artillery eventually hammered the French artillery off the board.  The cavalry action on the right flank began as a Prussian cuirassier charge that got shot up.  Two figures were left out of the regiment.  Their morale held and they were charged by a regiment of Chassuers d'Afrique light cavalry.  The Prussians held up the French cavalry for a turn before failing morale and routing off the board. 

I still have many questions regarding close combat with Chassepot and Needlegun.  This is only the third time I've ran a game.  So I'm new to everything.  The Prussian army eventually failed army morale.  Not before it hammered the French infantry.  I did army morale with stand loses.  Once someone got to 60% losses, I declared them the loser.  That's how the third game of Chassepot and Needlegun finished.

Here are some photos from the game:

                                          28mm 1870 French infantry brigade defending "Frenchyburg."

                                         French infantry falling back from a 1870 Prussian cuirassier charge.

                                          Don Cox looks over his Prussian troops attacking "Frenchyburg."

                      End of the game once the Prussians suffered enough losses to fail army morale.