Waterloo 18 June 1815: Solo Blucher AAR | Storm of Steel Wargaming
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- I recently refought the Battle of Waterloo using my 6mm figure collection and the Blucher rules by Sam Mustafa. I mislabeled the turns on the video, but never mind...
For more information on the battle here's the Wiki article: en.wikipedia.o...
Also, here is my French army in 6mm: • Napoleon's Armee Du No...
And the Anglo-Allied army in 6mm: • Wellington's Anglo All...
You can also find all the photos I posted of the game on Twitter collected together in place on my blog here: www.stormofste...
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#BattleofWaterloo #NapoleonicWargaming #6mmWargaming
Very late to the party, but I recently discovered Blücher, and looked for videos on UA-cam and then fallen into the rabbit hole of your content using the system and making your cards with 6mm figures. Very awesome work, thanks a lot for doing all that.
Cheers and welcome aboard! It's a great game
Another way to regulate the momentum that is is suitable for a solo game is, using playing cards select a "hand" consisting of a number of cards plus one joker. Once you complete a move turn over that number of cards, if the joker comes out that is turn over. You can adjust the number of cards for larger forces and add (or remove) cards during the game as reinforcements arrive. Obviously you need to shuffle the cards between turns. It also works for multiplayer games allowing each player their own deck.
In extreme cases, for example to reflect particularly inept or reluctant commanders you can add an additional joker, there is lots of opportunities to customise a deck. It works well unless you have a member of your group (yes Ian I mean you) who has an uncanny knack of drawing the joker first every turn!
Outstanding battle report as usual - thanks for the effort. You make the rules and the battle really come to life in this one. Your investment in time for these solo AAR’s is very much appreciated.
Thank you very much! Thanks for taking the time to watch the AAR, I am glad you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed playing it!
outstanding battle report Alex.. I will definitely be looking into Blucher in the near future.. thanks for all your hard work
Cheers Richard, it's a great game. Really feels like a big scale battle.
It’s fun to watch, it would be interesting to have had a French player. I always root for the French, just to disclose my biases!
On the French left with Reilly’s Corp he could have put his front line in square and brought up the second line after the first large car charge by Wellington. The British Cav were decisive under Wellington, especially getting to charges against unprepared infantry. On the French right you had three French infantry brigades just sit and watch the British cav fight around the farm/village..... that was decisive as they could not reinforce Ney’s success...... I'm wondering if the French Guard had been committed a couple of turns earlier if that would have really helped. They could have been in position to reinforce Ney's success and help deal with any hasty reserves Wellington had. Just more armchair quarterbacking.
I’m just making fun comments as I watched, I really value you doing this!
That's the way I win most of my Waterloo wargames, soften up the right with artillery, bring up the french still on the right to commit with allies and very shortly after, probably around 1pm go all in with the Guard. It is obviously not realistic and uses a lot of hindsights but I have had many times the odd satisfaction to win with the French this way.
Captivating. Thank you. Love the way you are explaining the game.
Cheers Andrew, I try to add narrative to the games so that people can watch them whilst painting. Also, it's a bit boring just watching me move figures about a board...
Sorry for posting a lot! This was a great AAR and great video. I loved that you put so much work to get this all done, and it was so beautifully presented. I love that you seemed to really enjoy playing this too, I'm hoping it was as fulfilling for you as you hoped. I also really enjoyed how your presentation of the game and the rules. It's perfectly OK that the rules did not run smoothly, and you pointed out any mistakes you made while editing.
Blucher seems like a good set of rules, it has a decent and elegant core. Then to the core you add on some slight modifiers (shock, steady, heavy cannons, etc.) to allow for variance, this lets you really individualize units and show difference. I'm still not satisfied with the command system, but it let you run a pretty big battle. I didn't see where the momentum system really hindered either side and what they wanted to do, and it seems like Wellington is.a deal breaker with his super power. Not a biggie. Blucher worked, you reached a conclusion to the game, and you had fun! This is the best recommendation for a set of rules!
Last thought before I gush more: Is there a good quick play sheet for Blucher? I'm thinking a real good quick play sheet can help with the rules you need at hand to help - like infancy does not retreat from Cav, etc.
¥ou did great here! Please continue doing what you do!
Post away and thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the game, I really enjoyed playing it and had loads of fun. I would like to try it against one of my mates at some point and see how it goes then!
Really enjoyed watching this this morning. so intent, I forgot about my coffee.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, very helpful considering I'm currently pondering whether to base my Warlord Epic figures for this or for a brigade level game like GDA2. I could of course base them to accommodate both but I have a load of AB 15mm that I can use for brigade games, basing the Epic stuff permanently for Blucher would certainly allow for a great massed effect. Do you still play this?
Glad you enjoyed the video. You could easily use any based figures for blucher, just don't stick the base labels down and slide them under the unit instead. The Epic figures would look great as a massed unit though. I do still play it, there is a more recent game I played you'll find it in the more recent videos.
@@StormofSteelWargaming thanks. Yes I’m looking forward to getting it done. Planning on using two bases per Blucher base, cavalry and infantry. I did think of just basing them on 60x30 but I quite like the diorama effect of full Blucher basing. Noted re the labels. I’ve ordered the 100 days cards. £50 on cards, never thought I’d do that! Still, there’s a lot in them and can even use them to play until the figures are done. While I normally try to base for flexibility across multiple rule sets, having the AB figures as well means I don’t have to.
If you have access to excel, you can certainly roll blind and enter your activation against an opponent alert.
Someone has created a spreadsheet to do this on boardgamegeek. If you go to the 'files' section of the Blucher page you can find it there.
rip those french brigades that did not prepare even though they did not move haha.
The card system works like this for 2 d6, games example 13 cards, 12 black and one red, shuffle cards, spend MO, draw cards if the red shows up end of mo turn For 3 d6 , 19 cards 18 black, one red.
Thanks for the clarity. Simpler than I remembered.
Great, you actually make the game system sound interesting. Not easy to do when you’re looking at a camera. I’ll take a look at all your videos.
Thanks, it's an easy game to make interesting so half the work is done for me.
Excellent video- really enjoyed this. I fear the KGL was hard done by in their defence of LHS- you gave the French Guard eight dice, not seven, and they subsequently only took the farm by virtue of one more hit. I doubt it would have made any difference anyway.
I'm now tempted to get my Blucher set out and give Waterloo a go.
Thanks, yeah, I realised my mistake when I was editing the video. Let's call it the heat of the battle! I was thinking of giving the French one extra turn anyway, so the result may still have been the same anyway.
Love your battle Reports!!Great game!
Cheers buddy! You keep watching, I'll keep making them!
Small point, on page 47 it states you can't fire at any unit in a BUA. You have to assault and it is very hard to do so. The attacker takes a -1 modifier and the defender a +2 p67
Cheers!
Great AAR - very well explained. It may not be of interest to you, but if it is I have just created a solo MO dice roller for Blucher using Excel, where you 'roll dice' before the turn, the result is hidden, and when you add in the cumulative MO used, it tells you whether your turn is finished or not.
That is very much of interest, it sounds like a perfect solution tbh.
@@StormofSteelWargaming - have sent you a msg via your Facebook contact
@@StormofSteelWargaming Now uploaded to the Blucher files section at boardgamegeek.com
Just seen the FB message and I'll download the file from the Blucher page! Thanks!!
Looks beautiful! Thx for doing this! Great and awesome job! Very inspiring!
I struggled with playing Blucher, but you seem to have made me rethink it. Good job. o7
Thank you, I really like it, I like the abstraction of the high level of command. I think that can be an issue with some people. Give it another go, it's a simple system and I think it works really well.
@@StormofSteelWargaming I will do. However, I'm kinda converted to Sharp Practice 2 now for my Horse n Musket stuff. It's a great game and I don't need as many figures. ;) Cheers.
Love the explanation at the beginning. Great AAR mate!
Cheers Andrew, I am glad you enjoyed the video!
Very enjoyable video, i have blucher and may look at it again.
Cheers, I am glad you enjoyed the video. It's a really good system. Lots of fun.
An excellent report and a great adaptation of the system into a solitaire variant.
It's looking like my group is edging towards Blucher and 6mm Napoleonic gaming. Are you able to offer any advice on where to obtain Blucher bases from in the UK?
Cheers, glad you liked the video. Glad to hear more people are playing Blucher! Sally 4th make the bases that I use, but you can use any base size really.
Good explanation at the start! Enjoyed it thoroughly
Cheers, glad you enjoyed it!
Great AAR? How wide is the BW and what size table was required to play Waterloo?
Thanks. The BW are 3.5 inch same as the official cards, but I use 3 inch for basic BW measuring on the table. This is a 6x4 foot table.
How do you decide what each force will do each turn? Are you following historical orders, or is there an automated way to choose what happens or do you play each side equally, trying to beat yourself?
Just play each side the best I can at that particular moment. Playing solo is more to do with the narrative of the game than trying to win with a particular side, in this game at least. I talk more about it in my rough guide to solo wargaming video.
Question: the stds. are based only for Bucher? And they look great!!!
Thank you, yep, these are based only for Blucher. It's the only Napoleonic miniatures game I play.
And yes, they are laminated!
Great vid! where did you get the bases and labels?
The bases came from Sally 4th and the labels I made myself. Thank you, very much appreciated!!
Storm of Steel Wargaming could you do a video on label making?
I wonder if it would be easier to roll the dice after spending momentum, but take away a die each time.
That would work as well, but you are potentially removing six momentum everytime you do, so you could probably calculate the drop off easier. It's one way of doing it though.
@@StormofSteelWargaming my poor brain can't handle the math if we delved further. Thanks for the reply.
On the labels, laminated?
Great Battle Report.. interesting Ruleset
Thank you, Blucher is an excellent game, easy to pick up and really fun to play.
WELL DONE BUDDY
brilliant. cheers
Thank you!
Outstanding!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
Shouldn’t the French attack dice have been halved for their attack on Hougoumont?
Not as far as I am aware, it's a minus one for the rough ground and the defender gets a plus two. Unless I missed a rule.
Yes, you’re right. It’s been a while since I played! The defenders would have received a +2 modifier but only if they were a garrison though. Great looking game. I must invest in the 100 Days card deck one day!
@@SPCWargameCreations1 I made so many other mistakes, I wouldnt be surprised if I'd missed that one as well, tbh. The card set is well worth an investment and we've played plenty of games with just them.
was it a 6ft by 4ft table ? thank you
Yep
The momentum system sounds a bit "gimmicky" to me, why not simply roll for your own momentum, no need for it to be secret and also suitable for solo play so no need for cards etc.
Because not knowing what your momentum score is is an integral part of the game as knowing what you have removes the friction and allows you to make the best move possible. But do what ever you want with your own game.
@@StormofSteelWargaming Thank you for your response, but it's the fall of the die that creates the friction not who rolls them, but as you say each to their own. Good luck and well done with your channel.
@@peterbiix1207 the friction is created by not knowing what the dice score is, so it is incredibly important who rolls them and keeps it secret.
Its a great batrep but perhaps shows why Waterloo with no Prussians is unbalanced. In reality the the evident approach of the Prussians even early in the day meant Napoleon could not commit VI Corps against Wellington.
Thank you. True, but in hindsight, I could have released Wellington's reserves to the left flank earlier. There was a lot of units not doing a great deal for most of the game.
@@StormofSteelWargaming Dont feel bad - Wellington left his left flank very bare in reality and was bailed out by his heavy cavalry.
Wellington only committed to fight the Battle once he had received messages from Blucher that the Prussians were marching to Waterloo, otherwise there would have been no Battle!
far too late for the guards, and, the French committed too much of their front line. They should have kept one aisle intact to support the guards early on, around 1 pm. It is very possible to win with the French, 55% chance but you have to engage the guard.
Nice AAR but too many advertisements interrupting the flow
Sorry about that, but it helps to make me a bit of cash out of these videos.
"but the Prussians also helped" ?????????????
Wow! You roll much better for the brits then the French! UnConscious bias/!😜😜😜😜😜
😁