Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Warm Afternoon in the 1750s



A small classic set piece to give me a chance to both parade the troops and to let my son play a few moves. He has been showing some interest in "daddy's real games" so it's getting to be time to introduce slightly more complex rules. We set up this battle today and managed to get in a few turns before his attention moved off to other things.



We used Grant's rules and I let him measure and make the die rolls. He enjoyed calculating the artillery "sleeve" mechanism where figuring out the difference in two D6 rolls involved a lot of finger counting and such.


I'm pretty convinced that gaming helped me resist some of the more destructive aspects of high school when I was a teen, so I'm hoping it can give my son something similar. If not, at least it will give him a reason to blow a bit of that discretionary income he hopefully will have.


But I'm just happy that I will have a regular face-to-face opponent someday, and maybe, just maybe, it will become a splendid life-long hobby for him as it did me.



We did not have my good camera with us today so all these pics were taken with my phone...but at least we recorded it for posterity. I eventually finished the game solo, and it was a victory for the Konigreich der Bleiherzen despite a furious assault and determined end game charge by the Grand Duchess' Cuirassiers....for the Bleiherzeners, some small revenge for being disappointed in their recent attempt to capture the Grand Duchess' coach!

9 comments:

James Brewerton said...

I am lucky to say that due largly to our shared love of wargames me and my Dad are best of friends before being father/son. I hope you have as much fun as we have. The battle looks great.
Peace James

PaintPig said...

Lovely set piece, it could have come straight out of "The Wargame" the armies are real eye catchers.

PP/IG

Capt Bill said...

Great eye candy as usual! By the way, what size is your game table?

littlejohn said...

Capt.- The "Green Mile" is an 8'x 5' (made of four hardboard 2x5 sections green on one side and desert yellow on the other). And as Stokes encouraged me way back when... I just one day decided to paint it green with no "flock" and never looked back!

tradgardmastare said...

Looks an excelelent set up. Alas I have never pursuaded my daughter's into the world of wargaming even though I used to sit at the wargames table in our house (three houses ago, which had a premenant room set up) with a baby in my arms and play...
best wishes
Alan

Bluebear Jeff said...

Congratulations that your son is interested in his Daddy's games.

A very good-looking battle too.


-- Jeff

Capt Bill said...

The Prussian Infantry and Austrian Dragoons you sent arrived today safe and sound. I have admired them from a distance for some time, and I must say they look even better in person. Thank and best regards...

Archduke Piccolo said...

Once again I am struck by the simple and straightforward beauty of your set up. Such magnificent armies!

Keith Flint said...

Cracking old school set up. Very much enjoy visiting your site.

Cheers, Keith.