Oporto 1809 - Miniature Wargames, the Director's Cuts.

January 2015 issue of Miniature Wargames has the third and final instalment of the series of three articles looking at the Oporto game run earlier this year.

This final article shows the way the game played with one of the four play tests we ran, written in the form of an account from the people involved, that is the little 18mm chaps on the table, with some insightful comments on what the rule system was doing at the time.

One aspect that I was keen to illustrate with playing these games with Carnage & Glory is the way the rules system helps to add the extra drama to the game, in the way it simulates all the "friction" and stress caused to the armies.

http://www.carnageandgloryii.com/

Obviously, with a limit on what you can include in a series of three articles, decisions had to be made on what pictures to include to illustrate the action, and for regular followers of this blog I know you will have seen my previous reports without the Seminary building on view. The amazing model was made by James Sharpe of Oshiro Model Terrain.

http://www.oshiromodelterrain.co.uk/

When I could include the model in the game, I decided to let Miniature Wargames readers have first view with the final play through report of the scenario that I ran with my two sons Tom and Will back in September. If you want to see the game report, you'll have to get Miniature Wargames, which with all the other good stuff it has will make a jolly good read over Xmas.

All the files for the game can be found in the side bar on the right under My Scenarios, which include the orders of battle for Carnage & Glory, the PDF briefings and the Cyberboard map used for off table troop movements.

However as a little thank you to all the people that joined me on the project here on JJ's, I thought I would put these extra pictures up from the final game, a bit like the "directors cuts". There are a lot of pictures as I wanted to give myself plenty of options as to what to include in the article. Points to note are that these pictures were taken under my new daylight bulb lighting for the room and, with use of the mini tripod and timer for better clarity, after a crash course in photography from some one who should know about this kind of stuff, Mr Guy Bowers editor of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy" magazine - cheers Guy, but please note any "duffers" are down to me and my journey from the bottom of the learning curve. Lots of pictures, enjoy.

That's Oporto done and dusted, and normal service will resume with our progress into the Tagus valley in the summer of 1809, with Sir Arthur Wellesley's Peninsula Army and the Talavera campaign.

Miniature Wargames Issue 379 - Let's Fight Oporto 1809

If you were following the Oporto project earlier this year, you will have seen some of the steps along the way about bringing the game together, and will, from all the feedback I received, have been very much part of the whole thing.

The game had three play-tests incorporating, along the way, feedback from the players involved. That feedback led on to the final design. At the completion of which, I staged a last game and put together the final draft and a series of three articles which will feature in Miniature Wargames starting this month in issue 379.

One thing that followers on the blog will not have seen is the the superb model of the Bishops Seminary, built by Mr James Sharpe, the talent behind Oshiro Model Terrain, which ended up gracing the table and formed the centre piece of the battle. The first time the model will be seen in action, so to speak, will be in the covers of Military Modelling, together with the battle report to accompany the pictures of the game.

The articles are an homage to the series of articles written by Peter Gilder in the 70's, whose work has greatly influenced my own approach to the hobby and looks at the history of the campaign, the design of the tabletop battle, the choice of rules and how the game played.

Issue 379 was published last Friday 24th Oct, so if you would like to read the conclusion of  the Second battle of Oporto, then make sure you grab a copy.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the journey and I hope you will enjoy the read.

Jonathan