Using a simplified version of our standard rules (tailored to the relatively straight-forward nature of the engagement) and a beautiful set of the Hovels Hougoumont, we refought the famous struggle for the chateau estate.
It was a seesaw contest, with advantage passing back-and-forth several times, until the French managed to overthrow history and take the farmhouse and its grounds.
If we'd been fighting as part of a larger Waterloo mega-game, the casualties suffered by the repeated French assaults might have had the same negative effect on the overall French position as they did at the real Waterloo, where the French failed to take Hougoumont. On the other hand, perhaps the morale effect would have led the Allies to falter and allowed the French to win the day. As one of the two French players I am sticking with the latter version of the alternate history!
If interested in seeing many more pics, please click on this LINK to visit my humle blog:
http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-battle-of-huge-mont.htmlOf particular interest to LAFers may be the name bestowed on the game by our host: "HUGE-MONT" -- a half-mocking reference to the beautiful, but admittedly large, size of the Hovels model version of the farmhouse estate set. Though an excellent figure painter and modeller, he is a self-identified "gamer" first and foremost, who believes in scaling down built-up ares (such as Hougoumont) in the interests of playability.
The irony is that in the aftermath of the game -- despite his multiple use of the term "Huge-Mont" -- he BOUGHT THE HOUGOUMONT BUILDINGS from the most fine-scale-modeller among us, whose collection predominantly consists of museum quality figures.
Perhaps the lesson is, if you are a "gamer" first and foremost, who finds overly detailed terrain an impediment to play... DON'T PLAY GAMES FEATURING NICE BIG SETS OF ELABORATE BUILDINGS, or you may be won over to the other side!
For myself, I'm very happy the buidlings will be staying "in the family" so to speak, so we'll all be able to play more games with them.
Here's a few teaser pics...