We're back

My Command & Colours Napoleonics Talavera game

Just a brief post chaps - as I recieved an email yesterday asking if I was quite alright and had the trip to the Boyne finished me off. Nothing could be further from the truth, I've merely been too busy to blog. The days have been just packed. 

Gaelcon, Ireland's largest games convention, took place last weekend and it was a great success. I brought a  LARP, which ran far, far better than it had any right too and a large scale Command & Colours Napoleonics game. I bodged together the two scenarios from the Spanish expansion and the basic game to turn them into a team game of Talavera. The score was two one to the British by the end of the weekend and we got to play the scenario to a conclusion three times. 

A full battle report will follow. 

Johnny was magniminous in victory as always

In addition to the usual shenannigans, there was also the charity auction. The charity auction was a great success raising over €7,000 for children's charities. But there was one particular item that aroused considerable rivalry, the Boyne figures, the chaps Du Gourmand and I had dragged with us on our march to the Boyne went up for auction.

Du Gourmand had expressed a prior interest and had even put together a consortium to "...keep those boys on the right side of the Irish sea." But Old John was not to be denied and despite being pushed hard by Du Gourmand, took the palm, the figures and the coveted "Gaelcon Charity Auction More Money Than Sense Award"*.

As you can see, Old John was magnaminious in victory.

 The rather magnificent "Where Eagles Dare" game put on by The Wild Geese Wargames Club

While Gaelcon is mainly a fantasy gaming convention, there were three historical games on offer. My Talavera game, an absolutely extraordinary "Where Eagles Dare" game by The Wild Geese Wargames Club. These are a group of historical wargamers who make a habit of bringing stunningly beautiful wargames to conventions - to be honest, they are a pleasure to be upstaged by. Regular readers may remember their Dambusters game of a year ago.

Donogh's Perilous Trial game was excellent as usual - though he was determined to fight to the last sailor

We played Donogh's Perilous Trial game several times. These was a Pulp 1930s type of affair, using traditional McCarthy card based mechanics and a beautiful setup with 28mm figures. I'm not really a fan of 28mm, but this game was just lovely. Faster playing then some of the previous incarnations and just a beautiful thing to behold.  I will be writing about my experience of the game, but I'm sure Donogh will have an offering over at Land War in Asia before too long.

The Talavera game in full swing

I was complemented several times about the look of the Talavera game, which was gratifying, however seeing The Wild Geese and the sheer beauty of their game has put me to thinking that I should add a few more diorama type pieces to the game. I think the trick will be to find a happy medium, a setup that looks attractive, but that doesn't get in the way of game play. I shall have to put my thinking cap on. 

Ideas at present include - 

Some general diorama pieces (camp scenes, etc)

Some inhabitants for my strangely vacant houses

A Commander in Chief diorama piece to represent "Le Grande Fromage" on each side

Adding more flags to the units

Spanish Guerrilla mugging French couriers or some such for Guerrilla tokens

I think I shall have to pay more attention to Uwe's work. 

However, all this time spent gaming has meant that there was progress to be made up at home. Emptying the War Room in advance of laying the new floor and doing some work in the kitchen has taken up the rest of my free time. We shall see how long must pass before I get to blog again...

*This is a real thing - there's a certificate and everything. 

The March to the Boyne

We set out from a secret location - deep in inner-city Dublin at approximately 0530

It was most definitely not the pub. 

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, General Du Gourmand and I put aside our deadly rivalry for once and pledged to walk to the site of the Battle of the Boyne for the Kathryn Casey Memorial Fund. 

We also promised to adapt our favourite game of Command & Colours: Napoleonics to the Lace Wars and write a Battle of the Boyne scenario. We definitely did not do this while drunk and we certainly knew exactly how far it was. 

Thanks to the Irish Games Association and those generous folks at Gaelcon, we raised €3,000 in sponsorship and then set to training. 

Unfortunately, a tumble from my bike two days before D-Day in July knocked us off schedule.  My doctor told me that trying to cover thirty miles or so on a bruised femur would end poorly for all concerned and in retrospect, she was absolutely right. 

So we only actually got around to the walk on the 21.10.2012. 

You can learn a little bit more about the Kathryn Casey Memorial Fund, you can read about it (or donate) here. 

On our trip we passed through many strange places. 

Notice this picture that Capability Savage has cunningly photo shopped

Neither General Du Gourmand or I would be so grossly irresponsible as to walk along the verge of a Motorway for several miles due to a screw-up in route planning. Take note chaps of how Capability Savage has carefully edited out all our high visibility safety gear. I hope this has been a lesson to you all. 

Both Du Gormand and I are metropolitan creatures through and through, the street lighting in the country leaves a lot to be desired. We also became aware that they have yet discovered the footpath in Meath, which meant that we spent a significant portion of our walk dodging into ditches to avoid passing cars. 

A spot of celtic mist at dawn

We arrive in Ashbourne and meet up with Dad who was our driver for the day, 

checking the route ahead and carrying extra water. We tossed our kit in the car and set out in search of a fried breakfast. We were about eleven miles in at this stage, a third of the way. 

We arrive in Meath - Du Gormand adopts a cunning disguise and blends in seamlessly with the locals

Locals who communicated via strange inscriptions

Meath is inhabited by strange and terrifying beasts.

Many of whom took an instant dislike to Du Gormand. I later realised that 

this is probably because he has eaten so many of them. 

I got  Du Gormand a great discount on a wooden overcoat - fortunately he was able to return it. We were about 23 miles in at that stage. 

All down hill from here - we liked this stretch of road as it was 

comparatively easy to jump out of the way of cars

Only a few miles to go...

Victory!  

Battered, footsore and utterly cream crackered, we arrive at the Boyne Visitor Centre at about half five in the evening. We promptly leave again as we have to play a game and we weren't sure if they'd lock us in our not. 

Just before the battle - Du Gormand took the Jacobites 

while I mounted a white horse to play William III

Note, due to a logistical issue, only two types of cheese were available for the cheese board. Damn poor show really. For those of you who might be interested, we played this game using miniatures on a C&C Napoleonics board. These figures were painted by Old John of 20Mil Nostalgic Revival and Krisztian Takacs. Old John also supplied some of the figures and I recommend getting in touch with him if you'd be interested in getting some. 

French infantry 

These figures, there are about a hundred of them, are fully painted and will be offered for sale at the award winning Gaelcon Charity Auction, which will be at the D2 Hotel in Dublin next weekend. Gaelcon is organised by the Irish Gaming Association without whose generous assistance this would not have been possible. 

You can see more pictures of the figures here. 

I ponder the board, while Du Gourmand launches a dastardly attack. The battle was to six points and though I took an early lead, he managed to get his Jacobite cavalry across the Boyne. 

Those damn Jacobite cavalry!

Sadly, those damned horsemen managed to roll up my left flank and though I punished him severely, routing several crack French regiments and wiping out all the Irish infantry on the right, the horsemen took the sixth point and we finished the game 6-5. A close battle and hard fought. Well done to General Du Gourmand!

Once the battle was done, we packed up and Dad transported us back home. We arrived back to discover that Mrs Kinch has laid on a surprise party for us and all our friends were lying in wait to clap us on the back. Fortunately we brought some souvenirs to show them...

This I believe is what is known to the medical profession as an "owie."

Further "owies."

Soaking our feet, with good company and a glass of the medicinal close at hand - splendid!

Ed, Aoife & Kathryn

As you may have gathered neither Gorman or I are particularly good at taking life seriously nor are we men to whom exercise is a pleasure. The walk was long, hard and at times, both nerve wracking and painful.

But, the pain of a parent who has lost a child passes all understanding. It is difficult to bear for those of us on the periphery of that tragedy and who know that though she is gone from us, she is somewhere better. Though Ed & Aoife have that same consolation, I do not know how their hearts bear it.

Kathryn may not have lived to take her first steps, but I think for a little while at least, when we were blistered and bleeding, sore and sick at heart, she walked with us.

We couldn't have done it without her.

There’s a regiment a-comin’ down the Grand Trunk Road

The Battle of the Boyne by Jan Wyck

Pictures of Salamanca will have to wait until official war artist Donogh McCarthy RA finishes with his ten shilling paint box, but in the mean time I must mention a project young Gorman and I have taken on.

Traditionally there is a charity auction at Gaelcon and they've become rather well regarded internationally. I did my bit at the auction for a charity close to my heart.

In addition, young Gorman and I volunteered to walk to the Boyne battle site, a distance of some thirty one miles, and play on the anniversary of the battle a wargame of the battle.

Probably before one or both of us collapses of a coronary.

I've done a little bit of route marching, though Gorman has had little call to, I think the training for this one will be of interest. Johnny Cunningham has said that he'll help us with the figures required.

This will be a interesting July.

Should you wish to make a donation, you may do so here and please mark it "Battle of the Boyne Walk".