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Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Sir Tobi on June 03, 2012, 08:01:32 AM

Title: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Sir Tobi on June 03, 2012, 08:01:32 AM
Hi All,

after a year spent finishing both a British and a French army for the Lasalle-ruleset (a feat of extraordinary consequence for a wargame-butterfly like me) yesterday finally both armies have seen action in a big clash on "the crossroads" (a Lasalle scenario). I have written a battle report which you can read here: http://paintpot.ulmer-strategen.de/ (http://paintpot.ulmer-strategen.de/)

Here are some impressions of the battle:

(http://paintpot.ulmer-strategen.de/http://www.ulmer-strategen.de/Downloads/2012/06/3.jpg)

(http://paintpot.ulmer-strategen.de/http://www.ulmer-strategen.de/Downloads/2012/06/7.jpg)

(http://paintpot.ulmer-strategen.de/http://www.ulmer-strategen.de/Downloads/2012/06/20.jpg)

(http://paintpot.ulmer-strategen.de/http://www.ulmer-strategen.de/Downloads/2012/06/23.jpg)

Have a nice Sunday, best regards,
Tobi
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 03, 2012, 08:42:40 AM
Very nice work

I'm a big fan of LaSalle but it never found favour with most of my gaming buddies

Its not a rulebook that i'd part with and as i have French, Bavarian, Russian and British Napoleonic armies i'm sure it will get dusted off again at some point
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Conquistador on June 03, 2012, 12:30:06 PM
I must look for reviews of LaSalle.  With Baccus 6 mm and  a decent set of rules I could be tempted to return to Napoleonics (but no Brits!) after decades of only playing with others' figures.

Gracias,

Glenn
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Mindenbrush on June 04, 2012, 01:34:36 PM
I played 2 games of Lassalle at Cold Wars last year and whilst I quite liked the rules but units had a habit of suddenly vaporising because they lost a melee or fire fight. There did not seem to be any progression it was "I am here, I am gone".
The Gamemaster had some beautifully painted figures so it seemed a shame that they disappeared so quickly.
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Stecal on June 04, 2012, 02:28:20 PM
I played 2 games of Lassalle at Cold Wars last year and whilst I quite liked the rules but units had a habit of suddenly vaporising because they lost a melee or fire fight. There did not seem to be any progression it was "I am here, I am gone".
The Gamemaster had some beautifully painted figures so it seemed a shame that they disappeared so quickly.

Lasalle was an attempt at a 2.5 hour "tourney" wargame that could be played in a shop in an evening, so I am not surprised that units are easily destroyed, in fact I expect it.
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: BaronVonJ on June 04, 2012, 04:57:42 PM
Conquistador, if you're using 6mm, try Fast Play Grande Armee also by Sam Mustafa. My favorite set of rules. Here's some games:
http://baronvonj.blogspot.com/search/label/Napoleonic
as you can see. Each unit can be a vignette in itself.
-J
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Mindenbrush on June 04, 2012, 06:54:15 PM
Okay, I understand now if they are short game 'competition' rules but as I said they were beautifully painted figures that deserved to be on the table longer (or a better general than me  :o )

I quite like the Age of Eagle (F&F) varient and believe they have a regimental version
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 04, 2012, 08:29:30 PM
Or you use the rules with OOBs rather than the army lists ...

If you want your toys on the soldiers on the table longer [i have to say i've never found units vaporsing in Lasalle. easily ..] then try Black Powder. We regularly play BP on 6x4 tables
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Sir Tobi on June 04, 2012, 08:42:44 PM
Many thanks for your kind comments.

I think Lasalle is a rather elegant ruleset, producing similar results to other rulesets but with much simpler mechanisms. It is not so often the case that units are destroyed in one go, in fact there can occour rather long periods of indecisive fighting. Yet when an infantry unit is charged by heavy cavalry and can't form a square, of course it is a rather different matter...

The game I was describing took about four hours and lasted 16 turns, so it is not that fast and certainly no "beer and brezels".
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Conquistador on June 04, 2012, 11:13:14 PM
Okay, I understand now if they are short game 'competition' rules but as I said they were beautifully painted figures that deserved to be on the table longer (or a better general than me  :o )

I quite like the Age of Eagle (F&F) varient and believe they have a regimental version

Never seemed to get the hang of F&F.

Not exactly the opposite of elegance... but...

Gracias,

Glenn

Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 05, 2012, 07:41:59 AM
Many thanks for your kind comments.

I think Lasalle is a rather elegant ruleset, producing similar results to other rulesets but with much simpler mechanisms. It is not so often the case that units are destroyed in one go, in fact there can occour rather long periods of indecisive fighting. Yet when an infantry unit is charged by heavy cavalry and can't form a square, of course it is a rather different matter...

The game I was describing took about four hours and lasted 16 turns, so it is not that fast and certainly no "beer and brezels".

I agree with all you say here Sir Tobi
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Emir of Askaristan on June 05, 2012, 09:45:01 AM
Nice to see Lasalle getting a mention on here. I use it at my local club for game with a brigade a side supported by guns and cavalry. With an umpire driving things along we manage to rattle through a game in a evening as the mechanisms are straightforward. I agree it's not a fast play set, but they work very well.

I have Austrians and French for the early campaigns in Italy and Prussians and British for 1812-1815. Later French are coming too!

Great looking game with lovely figures. Nice roads too - where did you get those from?
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 05, 2012, 09:59:14 AM
Using the army lists, i find that LaSalle works better with two supports. Some of the armies, with cavalry in the core lists, and then a decent cavalry support was just too good TBH.

Its probably the reason that interest in the game waned in our group. "Oh good, the Austrian Avante Guard, again ..." That and the British lists appear to be handicapped.

Don't get me wrong. Its my favourite Nap ruleset; i just can't get my group interested again
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Galloping Major on June 08, 2012, 08:06:25 AM
Lovely looking game  8)


www.gallopingmajorwargames.com
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Colonel Tubby on June 08, 2012, 02:38:12 PM
Some great looking armies you have there and a very enjoyable AAR and blog as well.

Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Mindenbrush on June 08, 2012, 03:42:55 PM
Using the army lists, i find that LaSalle works better with two supports. Some of the armies, with cavalry in the core lists, and then a decent cavalry support was just too good TBH.

Its probably the reason that interest in the game waned in our group. "Oh good, the Austrian Avante Guard, again ..." That and the British lists appear to be handicapped.

Don't get me wrong. Its my favourite Nap ruleset; i just can't get my group interested again

I think that you are correct when you say the cavalry are too strong as in the second game I played the French had 2 Light Cavalry units, the British none. The cavalry seemed to be able to bounce off and then charge again - possibly down to them gaining the initiative most turns?
Tweak the lists using some historical events as your basis.
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 08, 2012, 07:41:04 PM
Or use all infantry/artillery

Reserve Cavalry at a push ..
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Malatesta on June 22, 2012, 04:15:21 PM
As a playtester of LaSalle (and a few other of Sam's creations), I can assure you that the game was not really designed with tournament play in mind, although it appears to have trended in that direction. While a 3 hour game was the focus, units evaporating was not part of the design philosophy (if that's the right word). Rather, the game strongly encourages rallies (disruption recovery) and use of reserve lines. Gamers who game with a typical wargamer mentality of everything forward into the fight will more often than not come to grief.

But then again, LaSalle was about six projects ago.

Good gaming!

John
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 23, 2012, 06:32:23 AM
As someone who enjoyed playing LaSalle ...

I think lines of reserves etc only lended itself to games where OOB were being used or perhaps the Core lists with Infantry Support choices.

We found (and i was as guilty as anyone) that there was always too much cavalry on the table
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: Malatesta on June 23, 2012, 02:40:20 PM
Sorry, I was not responding to your specific post, but general comments made earlier in the thread.
Title: Re: 28mm Lasalle: British vs. French
Post by: H.M.Stanley on June 24, 2012, 05:16:38 PM
Sorry, I was not responding to your specific post, but general comments made earlier in the thread.


Hi, that's fine, i didn't think that was directed at me. Most games we played were using the core lists, rather than the game mechanics & OOB, and that's where i think it fell down a little

The trouble is not many people have huge armies while its managable to paint up say 10 battalions of 15mm infantry and cavalry support, hence using the core lists

James