Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Please welcome the newest member of La Grande Armee

Lt. Larry Flaherty.

A recent gradtuate of L'Ecole, he is skilled in the arts of war and will soon make himself known to the allied hoards as one to be feared.

_________________

Hmmm....I fear him already as it seems he has allowed my glass to become empty. Where are the vaunted manners of a new, French recruit when such tragedies are allowed to occur.

Helga, please fill all of the officer's glasses and place the cost on the young Leutenant's tab. Yes, Allied officers first as usual.

Welcome to the club Lt. Flaherty!

Welcome,

And yes my glass is empty also. You will notice that there are no peacocks here to greet you. Only your adversaries. It might make you think you joined the wrong side...............

You can still reconsider and come to the bright side!

Welcome Lt. Flaherty!

Pay little attention to the ramblings of the Hanoverians. They have had a grudge ever since the Emperor gave Westphalia a more advantageous place in the confederation.

Cheers!

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Marechal Jeff Bardon
Duc de Castiglione et Prince de Wagram
Commandant de la Garde Imperiale

Welcome sir. Don't concern yourself all this talk of Peacocks is only because the Hanoverians are dowdy lot. Our martial status as the preeminent warriors of our age is clear.

_________________
Marechal Knox

Prince d'Austerlitz et Comte d'Argentan
Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur

"What is history but a fable agreed upon"

Dowdy Hanoverians. I believe that might have some potential. Let's see, dowdy. Hmmm, that could be:

Daring Officers Writing Derogatory Yarns

-or-

Dangerous Officers Who Destroy You

-or-

Decisive Officers Weilding Debilitating Yammer

I do believe that dowdy could be made to work as a descriptive adjective for us Hanoverians after all. It exhibits both the power of the sword and the pen.

Westphalia be damned! As I have said before, it is the Kingdom of Hanover. Long live our benevolent King George III.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the newly filled glass that needs to again be emptied. Dang, I love my job!

Nice medal Herr Rat! It is very becoming on you. Offed a French Colonel, eh? Not too bad for an Ensign. Maybe when you become a 2nd Lieutenant you can go out and kill yourself a French General or two.

Since we can all agree that Hanoverians are in fact dowdy, let's stick with the dictionary definition:

dow·dy (doud)
adj. dow·di·er, dow·di·est
1. Lacking stylishness or neatness; shabby
2. Old-fashioned; antiquated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[From Middle English doude, immoral, unattractive, or shabbily dressed woman.]

Spot on with your assessment as usual, Colin.

Now let's get back to toasting our new comrade in arms.

_________________
Marechal Jeff Bardon
Duc de Castiglione et Prince de Wagram
Commandant de la Garde Imperiale

My good Marechal Bardon, I find the use of simple, dictionary definitions, rendered by others, to be devoid of creativity. I also find myself wondering why is it that there are always the same three French Marechals defending the honor of France in the tavern discussions? Where, pray tell, is the rest of your Grande Armee? Hiding behind their Marechal's skirts it would seem.

Even your new recruits often fail to respond to the kind introductions of Marechal Corbin on their behalf. Perhaps we should start referring to you vigilent three as Marechal Larry, Marechal Curly and Marechal Moe. We could even have cameo appearances from time to time from Marechal Shemp.

Now, my good Marechal, do not draw your sword upon me within these hallowed walls. You know that I am only jesting at your expense as you are at mine. Besides, we still have our swords crossed upon the field of Waterloo and will resume the battle once again as soon as I replace my poor, lost horse. Marechal Corbin's sword is present on that same field and I have further agreed to again cross swords with Marechal Knox later in the year. It would seem that the "Vigilent Three" have me surrounded. While you have me so occupied, I suppose it frees Ensign Clawson to defeat the remainder of your army in detail. Well, so long as he can find any of them that is.

A toast to all of you grand French Marechals! It is so very unfortunate that your superlative skill at arms is so fanatically dedicated to such an unjust, and losing, cause. Still, I do respect your abilities and must honestly say that a new, French recruit could neither be surrounded, nor protected, by a better group of three.

To your continued good health, gentlemen!

Ooopps! It looks like I have promoted Colin yet again. Ah, such is the impression in my mind that I cannot but see him as anything except a Marechal. My thoughts are consistent with the French philosophy of promotion based on ability, rather than simple time in grade. Reality is often different from the theory of the matter. Colin serves as such an example.

My apologies GdD Knox. Your celebration of accomplishment must yet wait a bit it seems. Unfortunately, if we implement my previously stated concept of three, your place in the order will be immediately known to all. So what is your preference? Larry, Moe or Curly? Surely not Shemp as you are too often present at the table to be considered a cameo appearance.

Dear Ensign Clawson, if you would be so kind as to shift your seating to allow me a clear path to the door, it would be most appreciated. Given the state of current events, it may soon become necessary for me to bolt as a matter of simple survival. I agree that it would not be the first such occurance, but the fact that I have no horse waiting for me in the stable at the moment could prove to be a most fateful, tactical error. Well, I suppose, if it comes down to it, I could always borrow GdD Knox's horse in a pinch, but the fine beast would most likely deliver me to the center of the French encampment just for spite. That could prove rather awkward at this juncture.

Colonel Jones,

I would not worry about having the horse take you to their camp. It is deserted and waiting for the return of the Messrs. Moe, Curly et Larry! I am sure that the cold campfires and abandoned tents are a sign of their fortitude. As I strolled through the camp just a bit ago, I must say they left most of their arms and accoutrements there, but strangely enough, they took their mirrors.

To my fellow guardians of the Empire I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to the warm welcome I have thus far received. To my colleagues, please excuse the following, as I must attend to a most unpleasant and trivial detail.

To those boisterous, dowdy, and apparently most inebriated slaves to a corrupt and failed oligarchy. I do look forward to meeting you and yours on the field of battle where I am sure your antics therein will be reminiscent more of the Keystone Cops rather than the beloved Stooges.

Warmest Regards,

Lieutenant Larry Flaherty
2ème Compagnie du 7ème Régiment d'Artillerie
à Pied of 3éme Corps d'Armée, 2ème Division, Artillerie Divisionnaire

Lieutenant Flaherty, so nice of you to make an appearance. It is very good to see an eloquent officer join the fray. I do not know whether you are acquainted with these good Frenchmen who have been verbally defending your misquided cause, but they are among the very finest soldiers in your Grande Armee. I hope you can find the time to join us somewhat regularly here in the tavern. Your participation would be most welcome.

As for me, I am undoubtedly an inferior officer who often gets confused as to which end of the rifle is recommended to remain pointed at the enemy. My poor movements upon the field of battle would probaly not even do the Keystone Cops fair justice. Ensign Clawson and the remainder of my fine brigade simply tolerate me out of pity I suppose. Well, that, and the fact that I tend to be liberal in my purchase of beverages from this fine establishment.

Helga, please provide a drink for the good, French Lieutenant on my tab. He deserves a free round for just being present. Unless I miss my guess, he is most likely a veteran officer, posing as a green recruit, who has found a new home with us. A wolf in sheep's clothing as it were. There is plenty of time for him to learn to respect, and fear, my brave Hanoverians but, for today, we drink to his good health,...

The Lt. Colonel downs a shot of his usual Jagermeister before continuing.

...for tomorrow we will be compelled to have to kill him.

Helga, a drink for the new Lt and another round of , ............ well whatever les trois comparses de paon drink!

Of course on his tab!

How utterly fetching! A triumvirate of primp and plumage!!

I must admit that I do have a hard time picking out their proper names. I believe that is Marechal Larry on the left as he looks a bit more slight than the other two. It may be that Marechal Moe occupies the right with GdD Curly in the center. Damn, but don't these Frenchmen all start to look the same!

Wow Herr Ludwig and Herr Jones, Herr Bardon has already indoctrinated him with the French party line. Tsk, tsk, such promising talent too!

Good luck to you Larry! Glad to have you on board.

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)