Monthly Archives: August 2022

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The Other Infernal Machine: The Tale of the Union Navy’s USS “Alligator” Part 5 — And So Into History: July 1862 – April 1863

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In July, 1862, Union General George McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign came to its ignominious end on the banks of the James River, as his Army of the Potomac huddled under the protection of the US Navy’s guns at Harrison’s Landing.

Little Mac’s version of the West Point “Turning Movement,” conceived (but not performed) in grand Napoleonic style was beaten by Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, using the resurgent Army of Northern Virginia in a turning movement of their own and saving the Confederacy’s capital of Richmond in the process.

Almost un-noticed in the campaign’s finish was the end of the abortive Appomattox River Raid. Commodore John Rodgers discovered that warships armored and laden with heavy guns are no good if the river they are fighting in is low on water.

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The World Turned Upside Down, Again! Battles of the American Revolution Tournament at WBC 2022

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After Action Report

Part I

Twenty one players joined the BoAR tournament at the WBC this year.  While that number is a bit lower than our average draw it was nevertheless a respectable showing for a down-year overall.  And, with six Heats plus a Quarter Final, Semifinal, and Final we played a total of 42 games representing 218 playing hours.  That’s not too shabby. 

Among those twenty one players were four of the top-ten A.R.E.A. rated players, a player who had been on the A.R.E.A “Inactive List” for a while, and three players brand new to BoAR tournament play.  My AGMs Rob McCracken & Dave Stiffler and I want to thank everyone who played this year whether you joined for only a single Heat or played in the entire event. 

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Book & Game Pairings from Clio’s Board Games: The Rise of the Great Powers and Imperial Struggle

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Back to the book & game pairings to educate & entertain about a certain historical topic! Today, we’re looking at the power struggles of the 18th century with Britain and France occupying center stage, often called the Second Hundred Years’ War. Our book & game for this topic are The Rise of the Great Powers 1648—1815 (Derek McKay/H.M. Scott) and Imperial Struggle (Ananda Gupta/Jason Matthews, GMT Games).

Check out my previous Book & Game posts here:

Eastern Front: Russia’s War and No Retreat! The Russian Front

Reformation Era: Four Princes and Here I Stand

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Fields of Fire: The Bulge Campaign Mission #6 AAR (Part 1)

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Mission 6 – Attack on Schöneseiffen

2nd January 1945

The Fields of Fire Bulge campaign puts us back in the shoes of a company commander of the 9th Infantry. This time during the Battle of the Bulge. Ben Hull presents us with seven finely crafted missions (4 offensive and 3 defensive), and a handful of special rules to bring across just the right amount of flavor, all contained in a newly designed Mission Book which clearly presents the missions in a new format that is not afraid to take the space to explain things properly.

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Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles Session Report – Nagashino 1575 AD

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One more time I had occasion to play C&C Samurai Battles game as a series of a consecutive, geographically connected sets of scenarios. Today I am presenting one of the greatest tactical feats of Oda Nobunaga – a true genius of his times. With much smaller forces, using the clever strategy, he crushed so far unstoppable Samurai Cavalry army. All this in Nagashino 1575 AD – a 4 scenario mini-campaign, featuring:

  • main battle overview
  • central attack
  • right wing
  • left wing

It is really great to play an overview version, and then zoom on some aspects of this clash. Enjoy the picture-rich session report plus historical background!