[GI's Bob Kerstetter' AAR is full of great lessons for all in the "trails and trials" of his efforts to run a LARGE promotional game at "Fall In!" 2001. Was it worth it? Well his line: "...truly one of the best things I ever did with wargaming" says it all.

NOTE: The entire Shevardino Scenario is in available in the FILES section of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GI_Newsletter] pfp]

"Shevardino 1812" Scenario" at Fall In 2002

We had a successful pair of games at Fall In. There was a rough start. I got there Friday night expecting to get the terrain setup for an easier setup on Saturday morning. When I looked at the program I found the games listed as CANCELED. I went over to the All-star half of the complex and found Giglio. I e-mailed him earlier in the week stating that my son John's game F-16 and listed the name of the game would be canceled. He said "they" must have screwed it up. I don't know who "they were". He found the Organizer of the gaming space who said the space was still there and we could run the game.

I set up early on Saturday morning with a lot of help from Tom Garnett and some from Fred Hubig. I didn't have all the time I could have used but it worked out OK. At 10 AM there were only a few games going in the ballroom and very little walk through. I played the game with 6 guys including me playing a Russian. The players including Tom as General Morand all had a great time and were very pleased with the rules.

As the day went by traffic increased and I fielded many inquiries about the rules and compliments on the game. The French pretty much walked over the redoubt and swept the Russians off the board. A young guy and I were Russian and the French loved the game. So did the kid. I had about 3 hours to set up again and make some changes.

I increased the defensive factor of the redoubt and made the hill leading up to the entrenchments disordering terrain and gave the Russians defensive bonus for defending the wall. I should have seen that earlier and I was playing at the same time so I missed it. I was also rushed to get ready.

Next

I set up another sign-up sheet by the game-table and had a big response. The second game had a dozen or more players. Each French and Russian controlled about a regiment with the two battalions. The Russian team was a bunch of 6 guys who traveled together. This time it was very balanced. The last turn found the Russians getting pushed out after giving big casualties and everyone having a great time. Very close, hard fought with lots of casualties. The French guns on battery hill devastated the people in the redoubt the first time but with better defensive bonuses and better luck the knocked out the guns and allowed the Russians a counter offensive on the North side as they tried to flank the attackers. It didn't really succeed but drew off strength from the main attack. They tried to move troops on the south side of the redoubt but the French cavalry got control and a lot of dice and hit the flank movement on the flank with 30 lancers and wiped out a regiment.

I went over the victory conditions with each player after the game and we had a very good discussion on how they did with everybody very candid and good camaraderie between the players. Three of them had never played Napoleonic before. By the end one of them bought Russian troops from the other so he could play at home.

As the game went on more and more people stopped and took pictures and asked about the rules. They could tell the game was flowing well and the players were having fun. A guy came up to me and told me if he wanted to show someone what a wargame was like he would bring them to see this. My redoubt was very well received and all the players wanted to know when the rules would be out. The response from the walkers by was excellent and I got to talk to a lot of people about Borodino 2002.

I also pointed players to Santa Anna Skirmish Rules as a good buy with similar charts. Looking back, the small AM game may have been a blessing in disguise. The players had fun and I learned a few things that made it better when the crowds were watching and large numbers were playing. I didn't pass out charts to the players and they knew how to play after the second turn and used me as a resource for problems. I was complimented as giving good answers and knowing my stuff so I must have fooled somebody. I was pretty much on my own during the big game which worked out well. Players from the first game came back to check on the second and players from the second made comments on what they saw in the first. So I know SOME people were paying attention. It was truly one of the best things I ever did with wargaming. I felt very good with the response of the players and audience. I even got to meet Wally Simon!