We had about 10 players arrive by 6:30 at Tabletop Hobbies in Lenexa in the gaming room! As the "judge" was setting up the game on the table, we went in the store to see anything new in Phil Kilgor’s store since last week! After returning to the game room, we chose up sides (4 Allies & 4 French with 1 judge and 1 watching & commenting)! The table had the forces in 9" in from the edges on the long sides of the table ( just out of artillery range of 24" from the enemy). The rules used were "SHAKO" (Napoleonics) and the table had a stream running down the middle of the table with a town ( two sections of buildings) in the middle of the table! Also placed were a few hills and woods out in the "middle ground" to make life interesting and break up the formations to move around and through! We (Allies) went outside and talked our battle-plan then put it down on our paper sketch map so we’d be committed to our action! We could later "change our plans and issue new orders if things went wrong" but that was a die-roll and time to get the orders across the table to the other commands! The French had to do the same thing but the French could "change their plans easier" than the Allies. I was the Allies over-all commander, General Blunderuski (this was my 3rd Skako game) and commanded the Russians on the right flank with the Prussians to my left, the British to his left in the middle toward the town, and the Russian Heavy Cavalry to the Brit's left. The French had their Heavy Cavalry directly opposite me (Russians) on their left, then 3 French Infantry Div. going across to "their right" across the length of the table! Both sides raced forward to grab terrain (woods, hills, the town in the middle) and to defend their side of a "stream" across the middle of the table! We (Allies) reached the middle town first (we won the initiative roll the third turn when either side could have gotten into the town)! We moved our British (best defensive troops) into the buildings forcing the French to cross the stream and try to drive us out of the town! The rest of the Allies line defended their side of the stream forcing the French to attack across the stream at a (-1) in each French attack for "attacking across a stream"!! The Russian Heavy Cavalry on the Allies "left" attacked a French Infantry Div. over there and as time wore on fighting over control of a woods and hill on that flank, "routed" the French off the table there "turning" the French flank on that side and capturing "terrain" for victory points! The French attacked the town (2 building sections) and with heavy infantry losses the French eventually took half the town back but the British still held half the town too (victory points split here)! The French Heavy Cavalry attacked the Russians (me) on the other flank to try to take an entrance road and flanking position but both French Heavy Cavalry and Russian Infantry Div. were reduced to morale rolling each turn to see if we routed off the table (we both passed) and no advantage was gained here! As 10:30PM (quitting time) approached our judge viewed the over-all battle situation with the Allies Russian Heavy Cavalry starting a "flanking" move on the French at the town and the battle was determined a "minor" Allied victory!! It was very close with lots of "dead battalions" for both sides. A good night’s battling at Tabletop Tuesday’s historical night. Till next time, good gaming all, Harold Morgan in Gladstone Mo. (N.K.C.Mo.) Back to Table of Contents Penny Whistle # 57 Back to Penny Whistle List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Lion's Den Publications. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com