Battle of Berwyn Hill - In a feeble attempt to make of for my negligence in posting, I return to this blog with pictures and a battle report. It being late summer and there being little to do around the kingdom, His Majesty decided it was time to pay another martial visit on His Grace the Duke of Ardoberg-Holstein. First picture is the opening disposition of the armies about to come to grips:

His Majesty's forces included:

Left Wing - 1st battalion Converged Grenadiers, 1st and 2nd battalions the Irish regiment Clare, a battery of horse artillery, and the light cavalry brigade composed of the Loncheney Hussars and the Kilbasa Lancers.

Center - 1st and 2nd battalion the Grman regiment St. Germain, 1st battalion Navarre, 1st battalion Languedoc, and a battery of line artillery.

Right Wing - 1st battalion Maison du Roi, a battalion of light infantry (Arquebusiers de Bergerac), a battery of the guard artillery, and the heavy cavalry brigade composed of Le Chevaliere de Rohan-Soubise, and FitzAndrew's Horse "The Grey Cuirassiers."

The battle began in the inimitable style of the two adversaries; head-long cavalry charges that virtually destroyed the horsemen for both sides:

Here, the light brigade attempts to dislodge a perfectly healthy line infantry unit with predictable results. The light horsemen never saw turn four.

Combat in the center, however, turned out to be not only bloody, but incredibly valiant. the two battalions of the Clare regiment pressed their attack all day long against the left center of the A-H lines, continually driven off by artillery bombardments. They quit the field after almost six hours of constant fighting. To their right, St. Germain stood steadfast in the face of three battalions of British troops (in the service of A-H. Don't ask me to explain it, because I can't), and were only driven off with the eventual arrival of support artillery and a enemy cavalry threat to their rear.

Long story short, after almost eight hours of actual gaming, the "good guys" were forced to quit the field after the Ardoberger troops had forced a breach in the line to left-center and turned the right flank. Don't worry thought. It's not like this is done!

Urban Development - I've taken a slight hiatus over the past couple of months to work on some structures for our battlefields. All of these are constructed at least partially using the fine block molds developed by Bruce Hirst, and can be ordered at http://www.hirstarts.com/. No more comments. I just hope you like them.

His Majesty Louis-Philippe confers with one of his top military advisers (his hairdresser) regarding the escalating disagreement with Frankzonia. When presented with word that their prince believed the zombie excuse was ridiculous and a simple abrogation of the St. Maurice responsibilities in the region, His Majesty said, "But of course! What is it this petty prince would have me do? Brave the cold and march all that way? For what? I could get hurt. Worse yet, I could get cold! These zombies appear to be attracted to the heat, and there is more heat in Frankzonia certainly than in St. Maurice. ........oh, and as for the zombies? Ask the prince to send them back home when they are well."

Bigger Really is Better - Here are a couple of photos of the newly formed St. Maurice Brigade II "Les Etrangier," complete with it's artillery battery and it's Brigadier (Gen. Muscatelle). I may have confused some frequenters of this site earlier when I first displayed the Clare Regiment in it's new two-brigade form. The two brigades will operate separately in all campign games, and are certainly not tactically tied on the battle field. When all is complete, there will be 4 such brigades, as well as the Household Legion. The collection, once complete, will number some 1000 infantry, 250 cavalry, and 12 guns, along with support personnel. So far, we're off to a flying start.

"Ye Gods and Little Fishes!!" His Majesty lept to his feet, instantly dropping the lady Irmintraut ignobly to the floor. He has just received the formal complaint, delivered by Col Brattman, with his usual aplomb. "Do these cabbage-eaters seriously believe that a few itinerate zombies loitering about and having a little fun seriously constitutes a raid? We of St. Maurice have more serious concerns than to pick fights with lessers." He immediately handed over the colonel for a complementary proctology examination, and has dispatched General Blase, le Comte du Monte Python, along with a detatchment of the Kilbasa Lancers, to Frankszonia, to make clear His Majesty's displeasure over this while affair, and to indicate in no uncertain terms that the disruption of St. maurician commerce will not be tolerated. After all, the sale of 18th century action figures and other useless baubles is critical to the income of the realm. More as it develops.

Technology comes to St. Maurice - His Majesty has decided, in the face of a general feeling of negativity throughout the country as well as threats of excommunication by the local church, to charge confidently into the 14th (!) century, and has ordered to construction of a wind powered grainateria to be located on the outskirts of the small city of Consomme. Got the bug to do this a couple of weeks ago when I saw the kit available on the Hirst Arts web site. I just didn't want a mill made with that much stone, so came up with this. Now I'm looking forward to seeing it in a game.

No small thing this. The base is 13" at it's
widest, and it stands 16.5" from the bottom
of the base to the tip of the sail frame.

A Little Mayhem - Never one to let a sleeping dog lie, That dastardly prince Aardvark of Ardoberg-Holstein attempted to yet again force himself upon the happy and contented peoples of the happy and contented kingdom of St. Maurice. His Majesty de St. Maurice, Louis-Phillippe (the happy and contented), immediately mobilized his adoring troops to defend the honor of our womenfolk as well as the happiness and contentment of the realm. While a close run little affair, truth, justice and the St. Maurician way prevailed and the saurcraut-chompers were driven back to their lair, there to lick their wounds and think again on the dangers of crossing swords with the chivalry of St. Maurice. ...............................Bottom line is, I got lucky........again!

Zombies - Episode 2; Just a Walk In The Park - When last we saw our intrepid adventurers, they had managed to extricate themselves from the Winery/Tavern with evidence of potential poisoning which seemed to result in the entire population of the village of Chagrin being changed into zombies. After leaving the tavern, Sgt. McLaughlin forms his men up. "We've but to make it back to the castle and our problems are solved. The colonel has moved the entire regiment to bivouac there, and awaits only our evidence to march the darlin's through this hovel like crap through a goose!" Sergeants sometimes talk that way.
The men set out for the only bridge crossing the tiny but truculent Pissoir river, and almost immediately come under attack from itinerant undead, searching for food, shelter, and a little loose change. All were dispatched posthaste although the good sergeant did manage to be bitten a couple of times before blowing his opponent's head off. As the party reached the roadways convergence with the main highway, calls for help could be heard to the east. Virgil, the blacksmith, was still hale and healthy, and fighting for his life in his smithy. Escape was to the west, but self-preservation not withstanding, the valiant Irishmen charged the zombie onslaught, killing all and rescuing the giant St. Mauricier. The good sergeant was nibbled on yet again, and this time the results were less than stellar. "I'm for it lads. Don't wait for me," he called after his troops, who were rapidly putting as much distance between themselves and him as possible. When the reports were taken, each to a man expressed concern than the NCO would himself turn into a zombie, and thus pose a threat to them and their mission. Truth be told, each owed the sergeant money and had no problem taking advantage of his little inconvenience to make life a bit easier.
The troop was attacked again in front of the church, and this is the location where Sgt. Mclaughlin met his end. Further fighting at the bridge, and yet twice more in the forest beyond, proved inconsequential, and the party arrived safely and intacked at the castle. Unfortunately, a rather extensive search established that absolutely no one was currently occupying the fortress. Acting Corporal O'Tool found a note attached to the door of the keep, which appeared to be written in their colonel's hand. It read, "Gone for Guinness. Back soon. Keep an eye on the place. Sincerely, Seamus.
"Well, what do we do now?" The newly appointed (self-appointed) corporal was perplexed.
"Not for nothin'," chimed in McGillicutty, "but I know of a barrel of the local squeezin's tucked away in the lower regions of this place. It isn't Irish, but it'll do!" They all agreed, and set off for the basement.
Stay tuned for Episide 3: O, You Take The High Road, And I'll Take...

...With a Little Help From My Friends - St. Maurice has finally seen fit to move into the modern age of gun powder by adding decent field transportation to it's artillery arm. Up until now, prolonging a gun in His Majesty's kingdom was just that; prolonged. Line batteries will be mobilized using the animals of the local agricultural representatives, while the horse artillery will actually outfit it's own equipment handlers. Both types are shown here. The horses, limbers and attendants are all Stadden miniatures, and in fact, the riders are the same figure I used for my hussar regiment.