Finally began putting away all the minis from the Borodino refight given my regular gaming buddy and I are catching up for a chinwag and a possible game tonight. TONIGHT? Aaargh....!
Russians are the first to return to their storage boxes. Which just leaves the French. Made a start before quitting for the night (this was taken yesterday). Problems include:
- Putting them into storage. Got a medley of old pizza boxes that are suitable for a single entire Corps of infantry or cavalry but cannot be stacked on top of one another because of depth issue
- Checking them off their lists (not as simple or straightforward): ensuring they are still all there. Found some extra Cossacks for some reason. Karpov, you old sly dog you...!
- Finding a place for all of this means rearranging what limited storage spaces there are. And with the size of this collection, tossing them into a small hobby sulo-style bin is just lazy.
What's left as shown in the photo above are the remaining French. Part of them. Did not take a photo of other room where Table 2 is located.
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What a waste of time and effort that was...!
This report is a sober look at the entire Refight process from start to finish. Aim is to serve as a warning to myself to think before I commit to any such future endeavour of this scale and magnitude. Obviously, I didn't think deep enough because I got shafted down this blind hole without a guide. But having an idea what to expect next time should aid me if I should ever again contemplate the notion...in 1/72 scale.
The Models
PAINTING. Nothing more off-putting and confusing than seeing a bunch of cavalry mounts beautifully painted but missing their riders. Ensure they're properly glued/attached too. And protect from constant handling by applying a seal coat or protective varnish. Found out to my surpise when handling some of the older minis that they just crumble upon direct touch. Gives new meaning to the expression "touch of death"!
BASING. Uniformity rules. Don't mix and match bases (usually when incorporating bases from earlier efforts) unless you cannot help it. They may not match well. Because it does look grand come tabletop time when such collective uniformity is spread before your very eyes. Ever watch those massive military parades? Because of availability and personal preference I have used foam board for my basing because I like the look of their chunky depth. They also they have one side sticky which helps when attaching the minis. Their only weakness with this is that the minis can sometime come off during handling in-game. Why is why you glue the minis to the bases in the first place. Art foam boards are relatively cheap although I should warn not to settle for the cheap Chinese knock-offs. It will cost slightly more but go instead to a camera shop or a proper art supply store where the quality should be a lot better - both in stickiness and when cutting (as in foam not crumbling apart or air pockets revealed during the cutting process). I might have used a more sturdier material like MDF or plastic card but foam board (3mm thick) is, I found, perfect. And, after all, 1/72 plastic miniatures have a limited lifespan depending on the brand and plastic type (soft or hard). They're certainly not as durable as white metal.
LABELS. Underside, the back edging of the base, colour coding the back edge side...whatever you choose, easy identification is absolutely essential, a given. It really spares you moments of frustration when you accidentally knock a swag off as you bloat your way past the table and try to restore them to their original placing. Anything above an Army level of minis begs labelling. You would be foolish not to ID every stand whereby a regiment might be four or five stands and the figures look almost identical from the front. I chose to label my minis on the underside. Labelling at the back of the stand spoils those award-winning battle pics you take in-game. 😉
STORAGE. Simply because of the scale of the project - mammoth-plus - ensure you have an adequate amount of storage bins. I chose to employ large tubs suitable for armies/army groups that are also able to accommodate lots of smaller storage containers (division/brigade size). This approach saves on storage where space in your mancave is tight. Also make sure those containers are also correctly labelled appropriately. Label everything. You do that with life anyway; how is it any different with your minis?
SCALE. I inherited 1/72 as my refight scale simply because I had a large collection of half-painted and unpainted Russians that I had been wanting to paint up since 2016. The scale of your minis also factors in cost. Obtaining second-hand lots is well and good. Turning that into a playable large-scale battle however is another thing altogether insofar as you may have to prop up your collection buying additional figures. As I quickly found out I had a sizeable shortage of figures needed to refight Borodino. So spent extra when I didn't plan on it.
For such large-scale actions, so I've since realised, a smaller scale just makes more sense. Still reasonably priced too; certainly they will cost much less in the long run. And you can plan to obtain all the necessary figures you actually do need in one hit - if you can afford it. Scale impacts on everything else related to conducting a large-scale engagement like Borodino. Leipzig is a perfect example where refighting it in 6mm makes perfect sense. Not as spectacular as some prior attempts (thinking that Leipzig group from the early 2010s who fought part of the battle using 1/72 on a 1:1 ratio - truly spectacular).
PROXIES. Not ideal but sometimes you're left with no option but drag in substitutes from other nations (but within the same period) to fill in any shortfalls. And they can make life a little easier as well as providing lots of WTF moments to any casual spectator of your mad gaming. There is also the option of borrowing minis from others who are willing to share. Promise them whatever if you're that desperate. There is also the gaming community who are, after all (trumpet fanfare), the best guys (and gals) in the world when it comes to helping out a fellow gamer.
NOTE: This analysis relates specifically to the trials and tribulations associated with staging such a large-scale activitiy as a SOLO WARGAMER. As they so often prudently say, "never attempt this at home, folks..." And, to be honest, if I had a chance to reconsider this, I would say "Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!" I say that as a deranged solo wargamer. Multi-player gaming has a similar approach but handles it differently and the problems faced therein are easier to resolve. But with solo wargaming there is only you. You are all alone in a room full of clutter.
Planning the Game
RULES. Obvious. Never considered changing the rules mid-game. I thought about it before I began the refight for some time, and explored the various other rulesets out there at the time. And to be honest there are a number of really good Nap wargaming rules. But in the end I opted for the lazy solution of playing with what I knew. And that was Field of Glory Napoleonic version 2 which is as convoluted as it can get. In its short life it has proven to be off-putting for a number of players. However it's one I was as familiar as one can be. And rules can get updated so decide if you want to switch if you know this is a trait as with 40K updates. Sensibility suggests that you do not take this approach because (1) you don't fully comprehend the scale of changes with the updated version and will spend time adapting them to your current situation, and (2) it can break the flow of game play which can impact on appreciation.
TABLE. For me, it was a continuation of the applying the scaled down ground scale to come up with the playing surface, subsequently modified to suit the venue space. Ideally, you want a large size space to accommodate your "special event". If not, as pointed out, you alter to suit your needs. In my case, I pared down the table to the main fighting areas, coming up with six normal (6 by 4) table-sized boards. And then "built" my gaming table from there. It meant shifting two table boards to another room due to lack of adequate space (you need to move around the damn thing to begin with) in the main room where four table boards were combined to make one large main table.
OBJECTIVE. What is your ultimate aim is the obvious question. But there are considerations affecting that outcome. You will have to ask if this will be historical or what-if contest. Borodino began as historical (used the actual historical timeline to devise the number of turns based on the rules I was using) but turned into a what-if game simply because the historical part went out the door early on. Thereafter it was just a series of questions asking, "What if I did this...." or "What about that approach...", and so on. Which only muddied up the original aim. Revisions finally led to the final Game Victory Points (GVP) system devised in a moment of inspiration and quickly adopted on-the-fly.
Having a clear aim from the start is very important. It helps direct you towards a goal. Wandering aimlessly, as I did at times, can give birth to a slow-moving game that can have a detrimental effect on both motivation and enthusiasm.
They break down battlefield tactics into two main grouping - strategic importance and tactical value. One relates to overall aim. It is generally political in nature - if I capture A it might force the enemy to relinquish B which means I can advance on to C bypassing D. Tactical value relates specifically to what's in front of you - taking the fleches will open up the Russian defensive line and I can then rush up my supports.
When dealing with a tabletop objective, you are basically talking tactical. But their achievements impacts on your strategic goal(s). Identifying them as objectives therefore is an important part of the preparation.
Do you assign a score value to them? And how much? There are other factors, like timeline, specific conditions, and so on. Consider them all carefully before formulating a suitable overall objective. Beat the Russians! Fine, but how are you going to do this?
SCORING. The rules gives a simple straightforward victory outcome based on a points value system. Which works fine for standard 800-point small corps-level games. But I was running several Armies at once with multiple Corps. I had to come up with something more simplified and direct. Eventually ended up with GVP system mentioned above that related to the tactical objectives. And that's something you have consider; is the level of your game going to overwhelm the system available? Will you have to devise your own - which is a given but the basic scoring fundamentals remain the same nonetheless?
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Axiom to live by. You don't want a Gordian knot situation when you take on such a project; use Alexander's solution: cut it down to size. There will be many moments throughout when you are constantly reviewing and revising your project. Be flexible. Never see anything as being set in stone; if implacable or unmovable, then either accept it or, if not possible, change the goal posts. If I could number on my fingers the number of changes I've made over the length of this project, I would need to be one of those multi-handed deities of old (thinking Shiva).
Game Play
MOTIVATION - This factor does not relate to actual game play specifically. But it is important. Pace yourself. Motivation/enthusiasm/whatever you want to call it is very relevant and important to your actual playing state of mind. If you cannot be bothered, don't even go near the project. Do something else. Walk the dog. Spend time with family and partner. Go shopping. Once all that energy is redirected elsewhere, game time motivation will return as your enthusiasm returns or is renewed. Never tabletop game unless prepared to do so.
TIME - For Borodino, I ended up playing one part of a turn because each phase would take a while. So, I would start with the French (who always played first every turn) and go through all the phases of the turn for all the units. Sometimes, even then, I would not finish play for every sector: I ended breaking down my Borodino refight into three specific areas: Table 2 or Utitsa, Main Table - the fleches (and surrounding area), and Main Table - the redoubt (which also included Gorki as it got embroiled in the action). When I did play, I played through to its conclusion before calling it a day. In FoGN 2 these are the following phases:
- Command Points Allocation Phase (Command "pip" given out by active side commander)
- Assault Phase (where active side declares assaults, and the reactions following by those assaulted)
- Firing Phase (where the active side get to shoot and the inactive side responds)
- Movement Phase (all movements by the active side only)
- Combat Phase (primarily by those charging and subsequent actions)
- Recovery Phase (who ordered fries with their coke? moment by active side. Inactive side cmdrs moved)
So the above happens thrice (three sectors, remember). Making for eighteen actions all up in turn, by one side; there is still the other side to go. A tiring session that affects game turn time and motivation. If I could do it differently I would but I did NOT think it through that far enough so laboured with what I had at the time. No regrets but I wish I had found a more efficient approach.
BATREP - To simplify and save time I used photos a great deal. Coupled with hand writing a record of what happened, my batrep was created as it was played. Simple system that works for me but not necessarily for others.
CASUALTIES - Easy to overlook at times in the excitement that is tabletop gaming. But if you remove a stand, or three, make sure you return them to their original storage containers. Do not rely on your memory by placing them at whatever handy location is available as, and I can verify that personally, you will forget where they belong (ID, remember?).
ACCESSORIES - I've had these guys with me throughout. They've proven their worth many times over and are just as important as your minis and should never be overlooked nor under-utilised.
Dice - make sure you have all the required dice needed to conduct the game. I use colour to help differentiate between sides as sometimes a lot of dice are rolled. And I like to be uniform with the dice used: for Borodino green dice allocated to the Russians and blue for the French/Allies. Simple and straightforward. And red dice for artillery of both sides to differentiate firing between inter branch - usually whenever artillery and infantry were firing upon the same target.
Markers - have more than enough as they are essential to any gamer's peace of mind as well as provide instant recognition of the fate of said unit. Can be as detailed and of any quality as long as you know what they represent. My original FoGN cohesion level markers were insufficient so I roped in LoTR boxed game counters to represent the various stages of unit's cohesiveness. In other words, I just grabbed whatever was handy at the time in large numbers and stayed with it.
Measuring tape - some use rods marked off in different coloured unit of measure. For FoGN the standard unit length is called MU (abbreviation for Movement Unit) where 1 MU equals 1.5 inches (for 20mm). But I've always used a proper measuring tape harking back to my construction working days and never really deviated from it when that use transferred to the tabletop. Sampled the rod approach but they become awkward and are prone to snapping or bending whenever annoyed or misplaced.
Refreshments - it goes without saying that sometimes you can so caught up in the game that you forget to refuel the body. But...and I say this cautiously because I love my food...take proper refreshment breaks that are timed, like you're supposed to do so at work but always go over that time limit (2 hour lunches for example). Also, do not eat while playing unless it's to sip water or, in my case, barista coffee; it's messy and your eating can "infect" the tabletop and your precious minis.
Camera/Camera Phone - this, for me, has been indispensable for wargaming as a whole. It has really enhanced my gaming experience without any doubt. And as they say, a picture paints a thousand words. It's really important to have a good camera that can take decent photos, ie close-ups and wide-angled. I hand-hold whenever taking my game shots because it's both quick and convenient yet you can have camera stands set up (out of the way, of course) as well that can really give your presentation greater appeal and appreciation. I have a couple of small stands that I can attach my smartphone but have yet to use them in a game. I may film a snail race though just to test its viability. Hoping I don't get Turbo though.
SCHEDULE - Easily forgot (as I just did and thereby having to re-edit this post). Be generous with the time allocated to this project. But always have an end date set. Don't let it drag on and on, as I did. Pare down the schedule if necessary. If it wasn't for the constant feedback I was receiving I may still be playing this refight. And, like I've said before, I needed my studio back sooner rather than later.
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Summary
I feel that this analysis is missing more. But then I also believe I've said enough; I really don't have more time to waste on this refight. Happy gaming.
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