Tuesday 1 November 2022

A first game of Blackpowder

 Des was coming over so we could have a go at Blackpowder ,with the various Napoleonic figures I've painted up ,on Saturday evening, the trouble was it turned out Hayseed Dixie ( who we both like) was playing in the local corn exchange, less than 10 minutes walk away, so we ended up having a bit of a game followed by going to the gig.

I think we were both surprised we hadn't actually played a game of Blackpowder but having played plenty of games of warlords Pike and Shot and also Hail Caesar it was all pretty straightforward ( no doubt we got lots wrong!) and a good exercise before the big multi player Christmas game in France, it  has also given me additional impetus to get some more figures painted, always  a happy byproduct of a  game I find! 

I set up the French and Austrians on a clear plain, actually a deep cut mat , I've bought some to travel to France for the Christmas game and thought we may as well test that out too, three brigades a side. I was a little short on command so there are three Covenanter commanders in for the eagle eyed amongst you! Not terribly balanced, a lot of cavalry on the French side( we press ganged a French hussar unit into the Austrian force to try and even it up a bit)

Des chose the French and we had a turn each , running through moving, shooting, charging and forming square, due to some terrible dice rolling on his part he managed to lose four cavalry units by the time we needed to leave! No result but great fun, we will have his British ( taking the part of the Prussians) Ben's Russians and my Austrians versus my French at a rough go at Leipzig, I need to get some more French painted!






















I'm really happy with the casualty markers   ( which is I realise an odd phrase!) but it keeps the clutter down a lot, I need some disorder markers and some white 7mm dice for the Austrians, as Rob pointed out in March and I am in total agreement with! Otherwise all good, maybe next time with a bit more terrain, Des brought over his 28mm terrain as he doesn't have room for it and we tend to play it at mine, two more churches to add to the three I've got and the sixth I'm working on!  Plus bolt action burnt out houses and hedges/ fences. 

In other news I'm prepping loads of Napoleonic figures and actually painting some which should be finished soon 

All the best

 Iain 

30 comments:

  1. The forces look splendid all set out (photo 1) and I agree that the casualty bases are looking good. For Black Powder, I have been using the optional rule from the ACW supplement that states if a unit uses more than 1 move, it can’t fire, it does remove the long move immediately followed by a volley. From memory, this special rule also made it into the Clash of Eagles supplement.

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    1. Thanks Norm, that's a sensible adjustment that we will no doubt adopt, I've got clash of Eagles but we thought we would keep it simple and just use the basic rulebook to start!
      Best Iain

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  2. Excellent you got in a game Iain, and a concert on top, double win. The models look excellent on the table, and hope you get everything ready in time for the big game.

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    1. Thanks Dave, yes a good evening, nothing like having a deadline is there?!
      Best Iain

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  3. The armies all look superb ranked up on the tabletop. Thanks for the pics!

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  4. I have no problems in using 'substitute' units to represent others and the overall look of the battle above they fade un-noticed into the battle lines. It 's a great looking game and ven with your 'minimalistic' forces they seemed to have filled the table.
    From Zabadak

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    1. Thanks Joe, yes there will be even more figures by Christmas!
      Best Iain

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  5. What a lovely regiments!
    Great game.
    Best regards

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  6. Great to see these on the table Iain. I have Black Powder sitting on my desk and have another go at reading through it over Christmas. I had to reread your first paragraph by the way as I initially thought the corn exchange was a local club and Hayseed Dixie was the nickname for another wargamer.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence, I think it gives a pretty good game, maybe Hayseed Dixie should be an alter ego in a solo game?
      Best Iain

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  7. Your armies look great out on maneuvers. What are your initial impressions of BP?

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    1. Thanks Jonathan, I like Blackpowder, it helps that I've played other games from the same stable , it rattles along and you are encouraged to add house rules , I will probably apply the changes in Blackpowder 2 but keep on using the rulebook I have!
      Best Iain

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  8. I was interested in your thoughts on Black Powder too, Iain....we played a few games five or six years ago but a few odd things used to happen (triple moves for the cavalry on turn one leading to the annihilation of half the enemy force before it had even moved was one extreme example!) and I don't think any of the group were particularly enamoured of them, although they seem to be one of the most popular commercial sets.....

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    1. I think they're easy to pick up and give a decent game and with the addition of period specific supplements ( like Clash of Eagles) you should get a more nuanced/ period feel, I also like the encouragement to adapt and change the rules!
      Best Iain

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  9. Great looking game Iain, Blackpowder is fun for multi-player games.

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    1. Thanks Cyrus, I probably won't be playing at Christmas as there will be plenty of non wargamers playing, so I figured we could do with an umpire to chivvy things along!
      Best Iain

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  10. A good looking game Iain…
    Black Powder can give some odd results occasionally but on the whole they are a lot of fun in my opinion… and the rules can be mucked around a bit without breaking them.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Thanks Aly, yes I am in full agreement with you on all counts!
      Best Iain

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  11. Nice figures! You might also want to try out the new Perry F&V rules free on their website.

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    1. Thanks Mark, we will definitely be looking at those rules after Christmas, much talk about them on the family wargames WhatsApp group! I also picked up General d'armee after reading your review, but the Christmas game will have a number of players who haven't/ don't play much so I figure some form of Blackpowder will be the way to go!
      Best Iain

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  12. It's so impressive! Jaw dropping images, everything looks spectacular!

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    1. Thanks very much Suber, nice to get the toys on the table for the first time!
      Best Iain

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  13. Thanks Chris, yes I'm happy with the casualty figures, better than just beads or die.
    Best Iain

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  14. Beautifull troops Iain, and I especially like the casualty markers!

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