Bailen - 19 July 1808 - Fought 4 times over 3 Fridays - 17, 24 April & 1 May 2026

 The Battle of Bailen saw the Spanish, under Castanos, beat Marshal Pierre Dupont, with the French trying to escort their baggage train to the town of Bailen.  Napoleon was not best pleased!

The French are challenged by needing to protect the baggage and by having part of the Spanish army, arrive in the French rear to the West.  French re-inforcements will arrive near Bailen, both of these arrivals are variable.

Games 1 and 2

Mike and I fought the battle on the 17th April using Matt Bradley's BBB scenario in the IO Group pages.  Here is the map:

Game 1

We set up the table and I took the French.  My troops included the Marins de la Garde as an aggressive, veteran skirmisher unit ranging (two stands of figures) down to Schramm's Swiss brigade, who were previously in Spanish service - they are removed if they take casualties or if the Marins unit is destroyed.

Set up

At this point I was in with a chance.  My plan is to charge up the road and also do a right hook.

Move 2

By move 2 it had all gone wrong.  2/3 of my cavalry was mainly blown away, the Marins were dead, so Schramm's Swiss decided to become chocolatiers and watchmakers, the baggage train elected to do a hard right and sneak along the line of the Olive groves.

  

Move 4

By turn 4 I was running out of troops, the Spanish were also approaching from my rear through the Olive Groves.  Time to surrender.....

Game 2

As our game had ended quickly, Mike and I had a very early lunch, swapped sides and started again. 

Set-up - my Spanish lads line the ridge west of Bailen:

Move 2 

Mike goes to the left, so I need to move my troops right to counter this.  He sends one unit to guard his rear (I didn't do that) and ensures his cavalry don't get wiped out.  All good so far.

Move 4

My move to my right was sluggish, Mike also got his reinforcements on to put pressure on my rear.  His unit blocking the river bridge did well, repulsing my impetuous assaults but eventually getting removed.

My troops were now able to assault the French baggage.

End

Mike surrendered on move 5, Spanish troops were pouring into the battle, his units had failed to defend the baggage and there was no longer any way he could win.

Having played the battle twice in one day, I suggested that we give Mark Smith's scenario for the same battle a try.  

Bailen games 3 & 4

Games 3 & 4 use Mark Smith's scenario for Bloody Big Peninsular Battles Scenario book, which should be on sale soon. Here is Mark's map.   Mark has made the map longer and narrower and the woods are in different places.  

The French troops get skirmish ability and are not rated passive and/or fragile.

Game 3

Set up

My initial deployment was, once again, a central push and right hook.  In Mark's scenario the baggage stays on the road, so someone has to protect it!

Move 2

By move two my forces were approaching Mike's defenders, holding the ridge and making good use of the woods.

 Move 4

By the end of move 4 I was advancing on the right and bringing the baggage forward ready for a dash to Bailen.

Move 6

At this point I have not broken through anywhere, but there are still a couple of moves to go....

Move 8 and end.

By move 8 my attacks had failed to break Mike's line and he counterattacked, pushing me back.

Victorious Spanish take the baggage train!

This game had lasted much longer, partly because a different map orientation meant that it took longer to close to combat, partly the French were tougher and had skirmishers.

We reset the battle, swapped sides and fought the battle again....

Game 4

Set up - I was the Spanish and waited for Mike's assault.  Here's the initial positions.  Sadly my photos for turn 2 are way too blurry....

Turn 4 

Here's Mike throwing in his right hook and advancing more slowly in the middle.  Threatening my left made me move troops to counter this.

Turn 6

Mike's push into the woods succeeds, he pushes my left back.  I throw all I have available to stabilise the situation.

Turn 8

By turn 8 the Spanish had stopped Mike's right hook and middle assault, but fresh French troops appearing the other side of Bailen were able to take two objectives at minimal cost.

Turn 9

The game ended at the end of French turn 9.  Mike had 3 objectives, enough for a draw.  The Spanish were beginning holding on but would not have the strength to recapture any of the objectives lost to the French.

Final thoughts

• Playing the same battle with two different scenarios makes it interesting - Matt rated the French as weaker than Mark.
• Playing the same game twice, swapping sides, makes you appreciate your opponent's challenges each time.
• The second two games lasted much longer and Mike almost won as the French, so victory is possible.
• There is a discussion to be had about what constitutes a win.  Will the French always lose, is that the "right" outcome?  Should the scenario always ensure the historical result, or balance the game so that it is possible to achieve a result very far from history, such as a crushing French victory at Waterloo?  I guess that's one of the reasons we game!

My thanks go to Mike for playing the same battle 4 times - next up is more Peninsular action at Rolica.

Matt's scenario is on the BBB Group IO page.  Mark's scenario will be published soon as p[art of the Peninsular Battles scenario book.

Jolly Good Show! - Waterloo at Battleground, Middlesborough - Sat 29 Nov

 The third and final BBB rules Waterloo run by the Ilkley Irregulars was on Saturday 29th at the Battleground Show, Middlesborough, UK.  The show is run by Leon from Pendraken Miniatures and had a range of games - different periods, scales & genres.  We were pretty busy all day, so apart from trips to the loos, I didn't get a lot of time to look at the other games and gamers.

The Battleground show is held in the Middlesborough Sports Village, a large sports hall that featured heating and lots of lighting.  It's easy to get to (Motorway or Dual Carriageway pretty much door to door for me) and Google Maps got me there in good time.  It is also FREE

On the day the Irregulars (Mike and I) were joined by Charlie, who provided an excellent Wellington inpression.

I have described the games we put on at Joy of Six and Fiasco in previous posts, so check these out for more details of the scenario etc.

We found the organisers, traders, gamers and public to be really friendly and we had an early joiner in the form of Alan, who played till about 1pm as the British left flank.  He enjoyed his game and has already asked to be part of our Joy of Six Game (we've filled in the forms for Borodino....).

We also discovered several gamers in and around Ilkley - we hope to welcome these gentlemen at a later date to join us in battle.

The battle of Waterloo - participation game 3

Charlie was keen to be British (with Alan for the morning), so Mike commanded the French left and I was the French right.  As this was our fifth fight (you can see the practice games here - game 1 and here - game 2) we had finally mastered the scenario rules and the game went well.  We were also joined by another couple of players in the afternoon, keen to roll dice and try BBB.

I was busy gaming and talking, so only took 4 photos, as follows:

Set up  - troops deployed waiting orders....

Turn 4 - the Prussians arrive at the bottom of the photo - in the centre the Allied defenders of Papelotte hang on by the luckiest of die rolls and repel repeated French attacks.  

The view from the French baseline.  The French right has run out of steam, in the foreground the Guard heads right to repel the Prussians.  

On the French left Mike's massive left hook has fully developed and Charlie (thinking that this is different game) tries to phone a friend.  

In the end, the Allies held three objectives, so the battle was classed as an Allied win. 

All that remained was to pack up and head home....

Reflections:

It has been interesting to fight the same battle five times, we have certainly road tested the scenario.  It is tough for the French - they need early wins against the Anglo-Dutch, followed by a slow Prussian advance.  This did not happen at Middlesborough!

By the time of this game we had got setting up and packing down into quite a slick operation, so there was a small opportunity to look at the rest of the show.

We have enjoyed the games more with a greater number of participants, as one of us can Umpire and the other field questions.

Most of the participants had bought the rules and started to try them out - it is great to see how quickly gamers on the day become familiar with BBB - spending less time looking at the rules and more time planning ahead and interacting with other gamers.  

BBB combines simplicity with a high level of nuance.  It also makes both combat and movement variable - so you can never rely on your troops, or opponents, being always able to perform manoeuvres and assaults.  The more complicated the assault or more units involved, the more likely it is to unravel somewhere along the line...

As mentioned above, we are planning Borodino in the Summer at Joy of Six.  Book your seats early!

Waterloo at Fiasco - Sunday 26th October

FIASCO, hosted by Leeds Wargames club, is our nearest big wargames show.  Having already run Waterloo at Joy of Six (see here) it was a much simpler option to organise than last time.  I had also got a proper French Guard Commander stand painted (see here) and was keen to get him in action.  See here for the map and more details.

This time Mike and I were joined by Ned and Charlie, who took the French.  Neither had played Waterloo before, whilst Mike and I had several games under our belt.  So, how did it go on the day?

Set-up - the picture from the British right.  I apologise in advance for the graininess of some pictures - we didn't stop playing for photos.  The French mass is top middle.  The British hold (from left to right) Papelotte, La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont.  Mont St Jean & Plancenoit are further objectives, as is the destruction of the French Foot Grenadiers & Chasseurs of the Guard

Move 2 By the end of move 2 the French had taken Papelotte and surrounded Hougoumont.  The British right had advanced the Brunswick & Dutch troops.

Sideways view - along the line of the battle, British to the left, French to the right.

Move 4  On the British right Charlie has successfully stormed and taken Hougoumont.  His left takes on the Brunswick & Dutch troops.  Ned has started to redeploy to face the Prussians.

The start of the Prussian arrival - forcing Ned to start building a defence line!

  

Move 6   By the end of move 6 the British were under threat - Ned had broken through the hedge line and Charlie had made progress against my large units, causing both of them to go spent.  In the middle the French gear up for an assault on La Haye Sainte.  To the left of the British the Prussians move steadily forward, as the French deploy their cavalry reserves to counter this attack.  

Move 8 On the British right my spent troops had retreated to cover.  Charlie had attempted to assault my part of the ridge but without success.  His lefthand troops were also now spent.  In the middle the Guard assaulted La Haye Sainte. 

On the left Mike's British had sent the french back down the hill and his Prussians advanced steadily on Papelotte and Plancenoit.

Move 9  The last move saw the French assault on La Haye Sainte fail, as did the Prussian assault on Plancenoit.  As the Allies held two objectives the battle was deemed a draw.  

Thanks & Thoughts

Thanks to Mike, Ned & Charlie for playing on the day, rolling the dice and engaging in Banter!  Thanks also to the Leeds club for organising FIASCO and hosting us for the day.

Waterloo provides a challenging battle, with tension for the British in holding on to their defensive line, decisions for the French about where and when to attack the British, as well as the crucial decision over when to pivot against the Prussians.

Charlie and Ned both did well as the French, with Charlie taking out Hougoumont and Ned breaking through the hedges.  Charlie then struggled to assault my defenders (hiding behind the hedge) and his left hook got blunted and stopped.

Ned's offensive ran out of steam and then had to be abandoned as the Prussians threatened the French right.

As with all BBB games, most of the players were acting/reacting most of the time and it was tense all the way down to the wire.  On the very last move Mike's Prussians could have taken Plancenoit, which would have given the Allies a win, rather than a draw.

Waterloo will be offered again at the Battleground show, Sat 29th Nov 2025 at Middlesborough Sports Village TS4 3AE.  Doors are open 10-3 and entry is free.  Come along and release your inner Napoleon!

 

Command & Control - Napoleonic Marshal's Uniforms - part 2

 I recently completed the next batch of French Napoleonic Marshals & ADC using Baccus 6mm figures.  See here for part 1.

The six figures are four based as subordinate Marshals for Northern Europe and two Army Commander Marshals for use in Spain.

Northern Europe

Here are the next four Marshals based as subordinate generals for use in North Europe and featured in Mark Smith's Napoleon's Bloody Big Battles scenario book.

Ney fought at several of the battles in the book.  He is usually pictured 1812 or later, when one of his ADCs wore an all red uniform.  I did find a picture of him at Friedland, so that's what I based this model on.  Yes, the next Ney WILL have a red ADC....

Massena fought through the Revolutionary wars, the Consulate and into the days of Empire.  As ADC he has his son, Jaques Prosper Massena, in a dazzling white uniform - this was an early instance of "take your child to work day".  Prosper is a NFR 12 French Elite Light Cavalry Figure with a plume from a repurposed bayonet.  

Soult - fought in major battles in Northern Europe and commanded armies in Spain (see below).  The Marshal figure is as normal and the ADC is the rearing horse ADC from the Baccus French Generals set (slightly flattened).  Soult dressed his ADCs in light blue and yellow with white Pelises. 

Guard Commander - various Marshals commanded the French Guard during its existence, helpfully for the 6mm modeller, it appears that dressing as a mounted Grenadier Officer was a favourite uniform.  

So, the model below represents whichever Marshal was in charge on the day!  The figure is a Horse Grenadier standard bearer (surplus to requirements) with a cord and flounders added to his bearskin and his flagpole fashioned as a sword.  ADC is fairly standard, except for sporting some colourful red trousers.

Spain

There are several BBB scenarios available on the io.group (join and look under "files") and I am looking forward to Mark Smith's next BBB scenario book that will cover the Peninsular battles.  So, some suitable French Marshal's are needed - here's the first two!

Massena  In Spain 1810 - 1811, Massena commanded the Army of Portugal against the Duke of Wellington at Bussaco, Almeida and Fuentes d'Onoro.  The model shows him accompanied by Prosper Massena and another ADC.

Massena is in the normal Marshal's uniform with plenty of bling, the ADC is in the standard uniform and Prosper is in his striking white uniform with red horse furniture.

Soult   In Spain 1808 to 1812, then back again for the retreat into France, Soult fought both Sir John Moore and the Duke of Wellington.  Soult wears the usual Marshal's uniform, one ADC (who started life as a French chasseur a cheval officer) wears a yellow dolman and blue trousers, with blue horse furniture.  The hussar figure is actually an Austrian Hussar - blue dolman and trousers, white pelise.

End notes

It has, once again, but great fun researching these figures (thank you Pinterest!) and working out which Baccus figures to use for my little Commanders.  I use Austrian and Russian Command figures, as well as French, to get a bit of variety in their poses.

I hopee that this inspires you to add more colour and bling to your next table top battle.

Ligny & Quatre Bras - 16 June 1815 - refought 23 & 30 May 2025

 Slightly out of chronological order - here's the battles of Ligny & Quatre Bras, 16 June 1815 - refought approximately 210 years later.  Quatre Bras is probably not a battle, at least not in BBB terms, but as it was on the same day and roughly in the same place, combining the two actions adds a level of complexity and interest to the battles.

The Scenario was written by Matt Bradley and is available as a free download in the files section of the BBB Group.  You can find it here - but you may need to log on first!

Here's the map:

Mike took the British and Prussians, I took the French.  Here's the table laid out for the start.  Apologies for the lighting - it was actually a sunny day!

French Left

French Right

Turn 2  On the left, the french push toward Quatre Bras, in the middle the French push across the stream and threaten the Prussian line.

On the right, the French Guard threaten Tongrinelle 

Turn 4 - on the left the French took Quatre Bras, whilst the British used their firepower advantage (pink counters) to drive them back out.  In the centre the French took losses as they assaulted the objective villages.  I had formed my cavalry into one big menacing block....

To the right, the French piled on the pressure, with one unit breaking through to take an objective village.

Turn 5   On the left the French lost Quatre Bras and the centre became a slogging match.

On the right, the Guard drove the Prussians out of Tongrinelle, with Mike's left flank getting hammered.

 

Turn 6  On the left flank the French had been thoroughly hammered by the British, but this turn saw the arrival of French re-inforcements!

In the middle the French continue to hammer away at those objective villages and on the right the Guard prepare to wheel left.

Turn 7 - on the left, the French reinforcements shake out of column (2 x speed on roads) and dep[loy ready to assault.  The big block of French cavalry has slowly been whittled down, but still threatens Blucher's right.

On the right, the Prussians have retreated as more French arrive and the Guard attacks the Prussian left.

Turn 8 - on the left the French advance to the Bridge, the British form up to defend Quatre Bras again.  One sneaky unit of Brits has skirted the forest to take potshots at lurking French cavalry.

On the right the Prussians still hold one objective village as the French close in for the kill.

French 9 on the last French move,  it's a standoff at Quatre Bras and the assault against the last Prussian objective village goes in.

On the right the French hold the objective villages, just in case the Prussians try a last minute assault to regain them.  

Allied 9 - the French have not retaken Quatre Bras, but the Allies have not been able to advance south of the river Thyle with more than 50% of their troops.

In the centre the French hold 4 objectives, with the Prussians holding just one objective village.  There are no more Prussians to the right of this picture!

Conclusions 

It was a really good game, not just because I won.  i managed to get most of the rolls i wanted and drove the British and the Prussians back.  Mike was not as lucky with the dice, but he put up a spirited defence and only gave ground slowly.

Having the Allies and Prussians both on the table made a lot of sense - the French need to contain the British and secure their left flank.

This game allows you to field those shiny Waterloo British uniforms as well as the Prussians, plus the Guard gets to play a pivotal role in it all.

I highly recommend the scenario.

Thanks to Mike, worthy opponent and provider of regular teas and coffees!