Blücher at KEGSCon 2024

Another weekend getaway minibreak for Mrs. Rabbitman and gaming day for me at KEGSCon, held once again at the very posh Retrosuites Hotel.

We had some excellent meals out and I spent Saturday at the convention my friends organize in Chatham, southern Ontario. 

Saturday afternoon I ran my Quar of Command game in their first public showing. But I'll talk about that later. Saturday morning I finally got to play in one of Keith's Blücher games. 

It was a modified 1814 scenario. Napoleon is facing an Allied army of Austrians, Russians, Prussians,  Bavarians,  and I think some Wurttemburg troops were present as well.

I ran the Allied right wing, some Cossacks, a Corps of Austrians and the Bavarian Corps. 

Bavarians!

My view of the French lines

French on the right. Allies on the left and foreground. Our plan was to fix the French right, and attack their center and left along that ridge

Prussians advance

Russians begine the assault on the ridge and the French center-left

Bavarian cavalry brigade who did sterling work supporting the Prussians and Russians to my left

Russians storming the ridge in the back. Prussians, supported by the Bavarian cavalry attacking in the foreground

And again!

Finally!

I'm pushing the Bavarian Corps through the woods to by pass a garrisoned village to my right. That big block  in the background is the Young Guard coming up.

Allied right. Austrian Corps is trading artillery fire wiht the French, who have lost a brigade. My two right flank brigades are in square. Just disappearing to the right of the picture are French dragons who are being kept busy by the Cossacks.

Clearing the last French off the ridgeline. Bavarian Cavalry get a flank charge in and Prussian infantry is attacking from the front. More Prussians (or are they Wurttemburgers?) are heading to occupy the town

The Guard cavalry have charged our center and left causing some discomfort. But they've pushed too far and gotten scattered. A Division of Russian Cuirassier are coming into the picture on the left. They, and a Corps of Russian Grenadiers, will counter attack.

Endgame! Massive Allied victory. Austrian infantry stormed up the ridge to overrun a French artillery brigade lower right. In the center those Russians cuirassiers have charged into the French center and eliminated three brigades that were each down to 1 SP. This got us well past the 7 stands we needed to eliminate for a win.

Keith's done a great job with the presentation and terrain, so it was a lovely gaming experience, and I'm a fan of Bavarians in any scale. Blücher is also a great game and it really captures the to-and-fro of combat and how the momentum of a battle will shift from one sector to another. Something definitely missing in traditional games. 

Scott and I are now looking at using Blücher for the 1809 Danube campaign.