Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Minions of the dark side,

Having just re-joined after some years away I am looking for a short - medium battle to re-acquaint myself with the manner of the current foe.

So even a new recruit might find a victory from a rusty Frenchman always ready for a good fight. Looking at regular exchange of at least three moves a week. Can be assured I will finish it

I have all the HPS titles and even all the Talonsoft games. Prefer playing MOEIV rules with embedded melee phase. I like the look of the smaller Leipzig battles.

If you're a newbie you can select a couple of games and I'm happy to take an allied friendly battle if your battle experience is still developing.

Colonel Ellwood,

For me it is also true that I have been off-duty for quite a few years and have taken up arms again. Would you care to play the Caldiero #08H1-HTH scenario (day one, historical) out of HPS Austerlitz against each other? This is surely "a medium sized battle". I'm so rusty I am not sure what you mean by the MOEIV rules, but anyway, I'm glad to have you choose the optional rules - the weapons to fight with, so to say.
Your courier with the answer will be welcome at my HQ -

OberstLeutnant Mark van Hattem
Kurassier Regiment No.7, Prinz Eugen von Lothringen, I. Korps, k. Österreichische Armee

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Feldmarschalleutnant Mark van Hattem
Infanterie-Regiment Erzherzog Karl-Ludwig Nr. 3
k. Österreichiches Armee / Austrian Army

OberstLeutnant van Hattem,

An honour Sir to meet your acquaintance. I would be most pleased to do battle with another returning officer and yes I will have a go at the Caldiero #08H1-HTH scenario.

MOEIV rules are the " Master of Europe IV" rules played in the clubs tournaments, the embedded melee phase rules, are you familiar with that method of play? If not have a read through them on the Tournaments section of the home page. Tell me what you think.

Optional rules I play are dependent on whether we play MOEIV or not. Let me know if you need a briefing on the embedded melee phase as it plays quite well and removes the gamey "blitz" tactics used to isolate and eliminate units in one move. It also restricts the "commando/guerilla" tactics skirmish companies can engage in!

Let me know what you know and how you usually play and we can go from there. I prefer a more historical approach and try to play the game as such without to many gamey system tactics.

Regards

Hon. Colonel Ellwood,

Thank you for accepting and returning my couriers messages. Furthermore, I am happy you agree with the scenario. I would like to play it since I visited and studied the battlefield some years ago, and historically, the battle was a close affair. With all the covered terrain (olive- and vineyards) the battle could be (and was) full off surprise attacks and manoeuvres, besides the storming of the hill and village of Caldiero itself.
Just now, I studied the library and the MOEIV rules. In early battleground days, I used to play with manual defensive fire, which had the same effect I think: no blitz tactics. As far as skirmishing goes, I think if you want to play it as historically as possible, you should differ between skirmishers of line units (for which the MOEIV rules would do fine) and skirmishers meant to and trained for skirmishing in whole formations (like many of the Grenzer units were, or the veteran Légère regiments of the French in 1805). However, I'm always in for something new, so let me put it this way: yes, I'm willing to play with the MOEIV rules, in which case you must forgive me should I make a small mistake somewhere; or, I'm willing to play with the manual defensive fire phase, which I think has the advantage the game engine decides what is possible and what not. And rest assured, I never ever would use a lonely general to occupy a vp hex, or use a supply wagon to block a retreat or something like that. And I don't charge with staff officers, too. Just as you, I like the game because of its historical flow. You choose between MOEIV or manual defensive fire, Sir.
Please, use my personal e-mail HQ for messages: you will need it anyway - it is m.van.hattem@kpnplanet.nl
Looking forward to your reply and meeting you on the field of Caldiero, colonel -

OberstLeutnant Mark van Hattem
Kurassier Regiment No.7, Prinz Eugen von Lothringen, I. Korps, k. österreichische Armee.

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Feldmarschalleutnant Mark van Hattem
Infanterie-Regiment Erzherzog Karl-Ludwig Nr. 3
k. Österreichiches Armee / Austrian Army