tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66056874699093409312024-03-16T18:51:37.697+00:00Epictetus - Discourses on WargamingEpictetus - Discourses on WargamingEpictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.comBlogger1710125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-65578785143367519312024-03-13T12:50:00.001+00:002024-03-13T12:50:49.625+00:00In this world where we live...<p>Seven years ago <a href="https://discoursesonwargaming.blogspot.com/2017/02/pot66pouri.html">I posted a picture</a> (*) of the statue of a comedian on the seafront of a run-down resort on the Northwest coast of England. Here's another one:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VRMD9L4ATzD4_S0OigrutxZUvgYXLdKW5pM6hHVHeXx56acrnBlwKr-SOeIvBGIwTN0M4Ty8__u0z6E-pWCTTAlQyOZzwcEgTYcGCvUdppzXW16oJyfktTwrh11RTVGs1xI7Pt9Wjau6GtHEJtbocDFEirpf0vJXyxakQ5k9D2jZijN_XxmF3i5QTPaR/s4000/20240309_100642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VRMD9L4ATzD4_S0OigrutxZUvgYXLdKW5pM6hHVHeXx56acrnBlwKr-SOeIvBGIwTN0M4Ty8__u0z6E-pWCTTAlQyOZzwcEgTYcGCvUdppzXW16oJyfktTwrh11RTVGs1xI7Pt9Wjau6GtHEJtbocDFEirpf0vJXyxakQ5k9D2jZijN_XxmF3i5QTPaR/w300-h400/20240309_100642.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Come back in 2031 for a third in the series. </p><p><br /></p><p>* If anyone follows that link, I did indeed go down with Salmonella poisoning in 2017.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-83439205477426376082024-03-07T16:49:00.003+00:002024-03-07T20:20:00.720+00:00In another part of Spain<br /> There was a little girl,<br /> Who had a little curl,<br /> Right in the middle of her forehead.<div> When she was good,<br /> She was very good indeed,<br /> But when she was bad she was horrid.</div><div><br /></div><div> - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow<br /><p>It's possible that you are asking yourselves whether this Peninsular campaign hasn't been going on for rather a long while. It has, gentle readers, it has.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBaM2YklJUyq8X3c5Ow_ZNdlJCxgCIsZXuqlSvgucVZCNJnycGclOGZIaKX-_ShsT3qOqtRgYtvXh_AP30s_d4q2mPKzHCUrTGj6qrr_85iAIqKOZgHsslJGPyJKXM3q-syOgvUFm8uY2Fq2z5CA3duEuvhShnOW8HBB8c4b48JVQ1qksLKlIQmjJRae_/s4000/20240228_213654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBaM2YklJUyq8X3c5Ow_ZNdlJCxgCIsZXuqlSvgucVZCNJnycGclOGZIaKX-_ShsT3qOqtRgYtvXh_AP30s_d4q2mPKzHCUrTGj6qrr_85iAIqKOZgHsslJGPyJKXM3q-syOgvUFm8uY2Fq2z5CA3duEuvhShnOW8HBB8c4b48JVQ1qksLKlIQmjJRae_/w400-h300/20240228_213654.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>We fought through the conclusion of the latest battle between Spanish and French - Blake vs Marmont, but I still don't know where - over the last two Wednesday evenings. The first of those gave an excellent night's entertainment; the second didn't. Piquet, despite definitely being my rules of choice for Horse and Musket games, is a bit like Longfellow's little girl. Occasionally it is horrid.</p><p>Anyway, the Spanish duly lost, but did a reasonable amount of damage to Marmont's army. Elsewhere, Wellington has been trying to get to Sault, believing that he had inferior numbers. He did, but then a campaign card gave him the Old Guard, and then timely reinforcements to existing formations bolstered him even more. He was still too scared to take on the Iron Duke though and has attacked a nearby Spanish army instead. Will Wellington arrive in time to join the battle? I have no idea, because I clearly don't understand the campaign rules. </p></div>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-77275164449912010802024-02-24T10:17:00.003+00:002024-02-24T10:17:43.742+00:00Langzeitmüdigkeit<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“This lasted longer than I could describe even if I wrote pages and pages about it.” - C.S. Lewis</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Someone has very kindly asked after my health. I am much recovered, possibly up to more or less what passes for 100% with me. The one thing that I still can't do is spend much time at a computer screen so, to everyone's relief, blog posts will continue to be infrequent. In other areas of my life I have thankfully managed to return to full man-about-town mode, including catching the current touring production of 'Oh! What A Lovely War', which I very much enjoyed and highly recommend should it come near you.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLRiER1G_8nivXrAbmNqnYMZkx3pteR1i-caOlH7vI2cC6yLzOS6B-7il_ZivN1Je6PKJzdwI-5nYCkGiHjIvyqiZE9Bqx9MABo5UrMO53QBkZIdnvwvAL9snAS6JHcj_Ovdq524qR_GBoMOE3Ji7JW4y6gNOFS6tRXMHb1rEbXmqIx49DCFofWYoXoLm/s1200/BE_OWALW_2023-03769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLRiER1G_8nivXrAbmNqnYMZkx3pteR1i-caOlH7vI2cC6yLzOS6B-7il_ZivN1Je6PKJzdwI-5nYCkGiHjIvyqiZE9Bqx9MABo5UrMO53QBkZIdnvwvAL9snAS6JHcj_Ovdq524qR_GBoMOE3Ji7JW4y6gNOFS6tRXMHb1rEbXmqIx49DCFofWYoXoLm/w400-h266/BE_OWALW_2023-03769.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;">A talented group of actor-musicians absolutely nail the production's mix of broad comedy, satire and tragedy. If you've seen the film you'll know that the attribution of blame is not especially nuanced, but sadly what the piece has to say about the futility of war is as relevant today as it was then.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-2199090859680347822024-02-22T10:19:00.000+00:002024-02-22T10:19:05.903+00:00A l’hora del record seràs València<p> Or possibly not. It would seem that Valencia was relieved after all because the French marched their entire force of to battle rather than leaving any to man the siegeworks. I can't tell you what that means for the campaign; presumably all will become clear in due course. Anyway, in another part of Spain the French and Spanish are having at it again; we have already had more battles than there were in the whole of the Peninsular war. This time the Spanish force is that of Blake, who has done nothing so far except receive reinforcements. He outnumbers the French on the table at the start and has therefore attacked. As usual I don't know the location at which the battle is taking place. In my defence I seem to mainly view the map upside down and from a distance.</p><p>We've only played the first turn of the game so far, so by way of a change here is a picture of the participants. I apologise for the lack of ties; your bloggist was of course wearing one behind the camera.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3CCBSMjzDX6Iw0recCdOhqssXcgslzIBt10OBE4AD_DJc6WDmeQellqkzibuFhZrKgwhNq_RnvITorK49jv2flhwIRB4vTDnxeQ0iFTYR0yjijGrArVH26bJOqrhACLv_i1oF6pMh1VuYV8KSqJRVz6jl8NHYaPdd7FH0sm3gr_MaFwvIBM3YlC1Nilf/s4000/20240221_214101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3CCBSMjzDX6Iw0recCdOhqssXcgslzIBt10OBE4AD_DJc6WDmeQellqkzibuFhZrKgwhNq_RnvITorK49jv2flhwIRB4vTDnxeQ0iFTYR0yjijGrArVH26bJOqrhACLv_i1oF6pMh1VuYV8KSqJRVz6jl8NHYaPdd7FH0sm3gr_MaFwvIBM3YlC1Nilf/w400-h300/20240221_214101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-52781305222076163062024-02-18T20:22:00.001+00:002024-02-18T20:28:13.432+00:00Was Valencia Relieved?<p> Well, was it? I don't think so, but not for the first time the finer details of the campaign seem to be eluding me. More on this later.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCM0ng-xoHRchgDgvzdRnUdcxHwAZd0QzOIe9Tpg30-5TO-JGMEuNADxyw1V85PknKqBiX4BXuSwLQ_DqtaiF68GXtEPRJAb3k0upv9PM335YFGMGdcWUWwHhges_XiXut55be7WgKgwjpVCA1VpXD8Vo8rrnPizugUZQxQa_vS427316g85ISYyiGAwb/s4032/20240214_214220.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCM0ng-xoHRchgDgvzdRnUdcxHwAZd0QzOIe9Tpg30-5TO-JGMEuNADxyw1V85PknKqBiX4BXuSwLQ_DqtaiF68GXtEPRJAb3k0upv9PM335YFGMGdcWUWwHhges_XiXut55be7WgKgwjpVCA1VpXD8Vo8rrnPizugUZQxQa_vS427316g85ISYyiGAwb/w400-h300/20240214_214220.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I confidently predicted that the Spanish had advanced as far as they could and would be pushed back on the second evening of the game. Inevitably therefore, they kept moving forwards, and it was the French whose units started to rout off the table. However, the French had so much morale left and the Spanish forces were so bad - being largely raw troops who don't fire very often or very effectively (*) - that we collectively called it as draw. As no one won, the situation, I think, remains as it was and Valencia is still besieged.</p><p>The campaign rules we are using were written by James, and most enjoyable they are too. Of course, playing through them has led to the odd tweak to improve playability, but nothing especially major. One thing has become apparent though, it has proven rather difficult for either side to land much of a damaging blow on the other. So, we have decided to make the permanent losses incurred by the losing side of a battle greater. The unintended consequence of this could well be fewer battles and more manoeuvre, but I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing; see previous reports for evidence that I at least have been a bit gung ho in offering battle. The other change we have made is to increase the size of the hand of campaign cards each player is allowed to hold. This may seem a bit of a technicality, but we think it may lead to forces having their supply lines threatened more frequently.</p><p>Anyway, more map moves next week.</p><p>* Basically the French rolled very well and the Spanish very badly in the set up, and the reverse happened during the game itself.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-66467562217604207962024-02-10T13:24:00.001+00:002024-02-10T14:30:37.854+00:00Will Valencia Be Relieved?<p> The current action in the Peninsular campaign is yet another set-to between O'Donnell and Macdonald, who are having a feisty, but probably irrelevant, private war on Spain's Eastern coast. One of them is besieging Valencia, and the other is trying to relieve the siege; at the time of writing I can't offhand remember which way round it is.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7FIbNN2lGbdLbXWLfbgqPCpa9N3Tb5sn2qcYU1B7LFPJMCiSfRHV-m2pUxX4L1lHbXwnl-qiw9mYdbcYrgIrEsz3Nhfm_bEqp9gRU1GEwxGiI0MGa8byfzNVuDtnBQeoCTXPzdXuyH2moM-ASRkQdh-MYQYtCWbky23E7LexrfkXVvAJb2r5JVZATXf6/s4032/20240207_194623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7FIbNN2lGbdLbXWLfbgqPCpa9N3Tb5sn2qcYU1B7LFPJMCiSfRHV-m2pUxX4L1lHbXwnl-qiw9mYdbcYrgIrEsz3Nhfm_bEqp9gRU1GEwxGiI0MGa8byfzNVuDtnBQeoCTXPzdXuyH2moM-ASRkQdh-MYQYtCWbky23E7LexrfkXVvAJb2r5JVZATXf6/w300-h400/20240207_194623.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The Spanish army is, even by their low standards, pretty rubbish. That's them above; there's a reasonable number of them, but they're mostly very poor quality. Given that they must attack I - and probably everyone else - thought it would be a straightforward French victory. However, the first night of the game proved both highly enjoyable and surprising in what it delivered. Despite that, I would imagine that the photo below shows the highwater mark of the Spanish advance. Note the French flanking attack at the bottom, which subsequently drove the defending infantry out of the woods back across the stream.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJsq7OvM78vO5FLs8Fb7QqjUorR3ZEbUUEGOph5b1IuagCwqIaXTNNO6fUxg7c7wFSH962bjyabrzMzjO2Z52X0qPg0Isrs6OhO5FvsB-J5vV1qtKL55Xx7LgKj3HGwO9eK_pfhy4MAK7X-xZeYwvk0BnSpexnrDGCffsjFPwm6pYlR1H6F9OS8XxsqSZ/s4032/20240207_212200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJsq7OvM78vO5FLs8Fb7QqjUorR3ZEbUUEGOph5b1IuagCwqIaXTNNO6fUxg7c7wFSH962bjyabrzMzjO2Z52X0qPg0Isrs6OhO5FvsB-J5vV1qtKL55Xx7LgKj3HGwO9eK_pfhy4MAK7X-xZeYwvk0BnSpexnrDGCffsjFPwm6pYlR1H6F9OS8XxsqSZ/w400-h300/20240207_212200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The latest iteration of the skirmish rules continue to work well; no doubt we'll find the flaws in due course. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-8158036947650465692024-01-30T13:40:00.010+00:002024-01-30T19:36:52.907+00:00PotCXXIIIpouri<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“People have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed.” </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- </span></span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Antoine de Saint-Exupéry</span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"></span><span id="quote_book_link_157993" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">The Little Prince</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">It's been a while since I mentioned the pigeon. "Wait a minute," I hear you say "you've never mentioned a pigeon." Well, actually I have, you just weren't paying attention. A couple of years ago a pigeon with an injured wing landed in my garden and hasn't been able to leave. International Pigeon Rescue let us down by failing to send their operatives and I don't have it in me to wring its neck, so I've been feeding her ever since. My garden is surrounded by high stone walls and is never visited by cats and so she's still here. Last year she attracted a mate and reared a chick. I'm pretty sure I had never seen a young pigeon before. However, tragedy has struck. Her beau - and they mate for life - is no more, seemingly having flown into one of the same walls that has been protecting them. The original bird has gone full <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby">Greyfriars Bobby</a> and has been sitting in the spot where he fell (I've obviously removed the remains) ever since. I shall have to put up a memorial to her. As none of the people to whom it is variously attributed once said "Sometimes you're the pigeon and sometimes you're the statue".</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmy8iBTZSzW8BapfQIUaRsBr39gkprhCvbE9e9p7Oq9TClONpOhwTiQNs2R4yAIJZwW4iS-0DcxG7SwUeiH8JgigkLDH0pd4hIp3-er0y1oHFGVHkqZ8zYPip7Np5HyKruTJGpHX_Y3smHTIgj71erqpM7w2U09OLiZg5j4yI4y2SdNhTihl0mqblC2ZN/s460/TP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="460" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmy8iBTZSzW8BapfQIUaRsBr39gkprhCvbE9e9p7Oq9TClONpOhwTiQNs2R4yAIJZwW4iS-0DcxG7SwUeiH8JgigkLDH0pd4hIp3-er0y1oHFGVHkqZ8zYPip7Np5HyKruTJGpHX_Y3smHTIgj71erqpM7w2U09OLiZg5j4yI4y2SdNhTihl0mqblC2ZN/w400-h264/TP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>I was sorry to see that Tom Priestley, son of the great John Boynton, died on Christmas day. I <a href="https://discoursesonwargaming.blogspot.com/2017/09/taking-things-as-they-come.html">met him</a> once a few years ago. Most of his obituaries mention the problems he faced in being the son of a distinguished father, but he had great success himself. He was the editor of many films that you will certainly have seen, being nominated for an Oscar for 'Deliverance'. </span><p></p><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">My health continues to improve to the extent that I have both been on a demonstration and been to a gig. Here's Brave Rival with 'Bad Choices':</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ewazUSD0JUU" width="320" youtube-src-id="ewazUSD0JUU"></iframe></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-75051381737334826602024-01-26T19:45:00.001+00:002024-01-26T19:45:10.645+00:00Wellington Doesn't Lose<p> I'm still struggling to spend much time working at a computer screen so posts will continue to be sparse; rest assured that quality will not rise as a result. As it happens I didn't miss any wargaming whilst AWOL, as there wasn't any. But we're back baby, we're back.</p><p>When we left it in December the main British force had decided to accept battle from the combined French forces despite the likelihood of being greatly outnumbered. I may be playing the role of Wellington, but I'm not role-playing the great man. There is no way he would have stood his ground, he would have retreated back to Portugal pronto. Indeed as we eventually got to the table I rather regretted my impetuosity. However I was lucky in that one of the three forces seeking to move against me didn't turn up at all. I was lucky again when the second force seemed likely to arrive quite late in the day. At the start of the battle therefore I had superior numbers. Having found my inner Iron Duke at last I didn't attack, rather I simply skulked behind a handy ridge.</p><p>The French moved against a village I was holding, with some initial success before being thrown back out of it. The Light Division saw most of the action and in skirmish formation saw off a formed unit with such ease that it has caused us to make a small amendment to the rules to make sure it can't happen again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5TEqPUTT2sK8GifDkbeOeToQh1wNDQBaR_JWvkM1hfqNgqfnCMsktmrgf9Rdelkc1UBmm-FTwL-O5LynJ4BrN4qAich7vJEVXwtu9X5QuEm_o9tpvl4QcmlVJ93CogeD57-gfJC7taEYzrC6M3VjHMtHVzQZMgdenqI7MRKXeaovN0hpcV709ZY-SSDD/s4032/20240124_194950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5TEqPUTT2sK8GifDkbeOeToQh1wNDQBaR_JWvkM1hfqNgqfnCMsktmrgf9Rdelkc1UBmm-FTwL-O5LynJ4BrN4qAich7vJEVXwtu9X5QuEm_o9tpvl4QcmlVJ93CogeD57-gfJC7taEYzrC6M3VjHMtHVzQZMgdenqI7MRKXeaovN0hpcV709ZY-SSDD/w400-h300/20240124_194950.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>That's the 95th in the wood and that's a routing French unit at the top of the table. Subsequently the bulk of the French forces did arrive and the position looked very different.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMF4sx32F5tQc9Yt_EkPpGh83-vdxJs-N1iAnNlRoi-GW3ztufMhL-fTrLw281mZQbEAZVrfWHUxDkSgtbR4-ErlxlInexxx8dk3PgfdgB1GGvGnzEd3Af22EzHQMqTRQhOtTFEIp-M78j20n4v8d5mfcqJ2qWB5IFW5d_aHoMDIFHhC43kmn113aOjRb/s4032/20240124_210605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMF4sx32F5tQc9Yt_EkPpGh83-vdxJs-N1iAnNlRoi-GW3ztufMhL-fTrLw281mZQbEAZVrfWHUxDkSgtbR4-ErlxlInexxx8dk3PgfdgB1GGvGnzEd3Af22EzHQMqTRQhOtTFEIp-M78j20n4v8d5mfcqJ2qWB5IFW5d_aHoMDIFHhC43kmn113aOjRb/w400-h300/20240124_210605.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>But, I won the initiative when it mattered, rolling a timely double six (*) and turning eighteen straight cards of the twenty seven in my deck before the French could say "Zut alors!". The battle was drawn with remarkably few casualties on either side. Both sides stay in place and all depends on the turn of the next campaign cards.</p><p><br /></p><p>* Dice have replaced dominoes, but different dice to the ones that were replaced by dominoes in the first place; so far I prefer it.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-24113564493612162992024-01-16T15:45:00.004+00:002024-01-16T15:45:57.926+00:00A Bad Penny Always Turns Up<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Illness is the night side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.” - Susan Sontag</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What better way to return than with some Rory Gallagher:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nlEfyMoR49M" width="320" youtube-src-id="nlEfyMoR49M"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-9540101055609027842023-11-30T19:09:00.002+00:002023-12-01T09:17:56.089+00:00The Battle of Cacares<p> At least I think that's how you spell it. Whilst here has been no wargaming content on the blog for a while, there has been plenty going on in the background. Over the last three weeks we have been playing out the Battle of Cacares, or possibly the battle of a place which has a name that looks a bit like that. I trust that James will write it up fully in a blog post heavily laden with photographs, but here's a few of my thoughts with only one picture, and that one a tad arcane.</p><p>Wellington, having captured Madrid, immediately abandoned it and pressed on to confront Soult, taking advantage of a chunk of the latter's forces being holed up in Badajoz with a Spanish army camped outside. My strategy, for it is I, is based on an assumption that the underlying purpose of the campaign is to provide us with opportunities to play with toy soldiers, and I therefore seek to bring the enemy to battle if the opportunity arises. Reading between the lines, I suspect that my fellow players feel the same way.</p><p>The first evening mostly involved manoeuvre by the Anglo-Portuguese while the French just sat there. I had been thinking for some time that the skirmisher rules were too advantageous to the British Light Division and had in a previous game adopted a particular approach aimed at exploiting what I thought was a loophole, thereby encountering much derision from the others, who didn't agree at all. I stuck with it however and committed much of the initiative which I gained from the draw of dominos to an elaborately choreographed advance by the Lights on my centre right which caused no French casualties and got us absolutely nowhere. Somewhat more was achieved by the cavalry. Most of the French cavalry was on their left, and not wanting this on the flank of my advancing infantry I sent my cavalry to see them off, which they did, ending the night poised to force the French infantry into square. On my left the only action was the playing of an event card by Mark allowing him to carry out a prebattle artillery bombardment. This made such a mess of the 3rd division that they played no further part in the game.</p><p>I had thought that the French, who started with more units on the table than the British, would attack on their right and my plan was to bring my reserves on to my extreme left and get behind them. No such attack having been forthcoming I brought the reserves on anyway at the beginning of the second evening and moved forwards. This second evening was marked by a British inability to cause any casualties in combat or indeed to throw anything worthwhile in defence either. This was despite no longer being encumbered with the by now abandoned Epictetus grand theory of how to use Napoleonic light infantry. Far from forcing the French infantry into square my cavalry was blown away by musket fire and the entire division became 'spent'. In fact the French switched their remaining cavalry unit to their left flank, with the clear - if ambitious - idea of seizing the village on the Allies baseline and gaining a cheesy victory that way. The evening ended with the British infantry with charge distance across the whole of the French defensive line.</p><p>On the third evening British luck with the dice changed and weight of numbers and, probably more importantly, the quality of their troops broke the French line close to the end of the fourth turn of the allowed five. Thankfully for the credibility of the morale system the French do-or-die cavalry raid, er, died. Permanent losses for campaign purposes were quite high, more so for the losers. The following photo makes clear the method of establishing those casualties.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCF29pw_1_O2XapukbUJE7vL12WwhuZ7s6fbGH4ZESzS-YkgN03fMIhcyO3kFpFHeAAB116KG1k11n44JG1R48O1n-FyDmSF5wxui3qqIBokF_w8ptmcZH1KI1gmA0q1l3OslmGwwhywO5x3J2xiRRml8jFyefcskzZRE-LlxiWniU3jxmAGoq4Vx17C20/s4032/20231129_212219.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCF29pw_1_O2XapukbUJE7vL12WwhuZ7s6fbGH4ZESzS-YkgN03fMIhcyO3kFpFHeAAB116KG1k11n44JG1R48O1n-FyDmSF5wxui3qqIBokF_w8ptmcZH1KI1gmA0q1l3OslmGwwhywO5x3J2xiRRml8jFyefcskzZRE-LlxiWniU3jxmAGoq4Vx17C20/w300-h400/20231129_212219.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>OK, I admit that it doesn't make anything clear, especially to me. Still, James knows what he's doing, and he says I'm currently leading the campaign scoring track, so all is well.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-2918875053254205802023-11-25T13:49:00.000+00:002023-11-25T13:49:25.320+00:00The Barber of Bradford<p> And so to the opera. The last few days have seen the inaugural Bradford Opera Festival, the centrepiece of which was a semi-staged performance of the Barber of Seville, transported to twentieth century Bradford (the sixties perhaps) and with the libretto translated into 'proper Yorkshire'. Naturally, your bloggist was there. Dealing with the last point first, I couldn't help thinking that were I, Heaven forfend, a Yorkshireman then I would have felt rather patronised. However, the packed audience at St Georges Hall, the majority of whom were presumably from God's own county, rather lapped it up. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SN8jPwLbcgi-YbLn2FoMLfWt9C3kPNuAKL_mEqDmJF2Jfzp1wUInX93pbCWZdCCe5GEVi0_Mth1U6RXsQDiDqnuQqUNe_NVslWbr-c0OvCoLBeGtfjnsDmDm_3uL7JgoxarcnojmM1mOwnFqVTRui83yetoH9PmzMT1HTbPqDKIsz2YMNsGdaMMhVPqd/s639/2cc8db7ecb471eb2e02bf6a02b3828f2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="639" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SN8jPwLbcgi-YbLn2FoMLfWt9C3kPNuAKL_mEqDmJF2Jfzp1wUInX93pbCWZdCCe5GEVi0_Mth1U6RXsQDiDqnuQqUNe_NVslWbr-c0OvCoLBeGtfjnsDmDm_3uL7JgoxarcnojmM1mOwnFqVTRui83yetoH9PmzMT1HTbPqDKIsz2YMNsGdaMMhVPqd/w400-h266/2cc8db7ecb471eb2e02bf6a02b3828f2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I very much enjoyed it: fine singing combined with highly energetic performances combined to easily compensate for the lack of the sort of production values one is more used to. I must, in particular, praise Oscar Castellino who shone in the title role. He has sung with major companies, although I don't think I've ever seen him before. I think I would have remembered an artist whose biography in the programme starts "He was born in a car on a street in Mumbai".</p><p>The creators are planning to move on next year to the 'sequel' i.e. Mozart's 'Marriage of Figaro'. My main advice to them would be to get some side title displays in so we can get the full benefit of the dialect and the swearing. Oh, and l<a href="https://discoursesonwargaming.blogspot.com/2015/01/dove-sono-i-bei-momenti.html">ose the fourth act</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-10529288984344548132023-11-19T14:18:00.001+00:002023-11-19T14:35:50.740+00:00There ain't no goodhats...<p> An intermittently recurring feature on the blog has been bands I wish I'd seen forty or fifty years ago, didn't, but now have. Latest to join this illustrious list is Wreckless Eric, a name he spent decades trying to avoid, but has now reclaimed. It was worth the wait:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EixKx2ihjno" width="320" youtube-src-id="EixKx2ihjno"></iframe></div><br /><p>He was supporting Dr Feelgood, who I probably would have gone to see anyway. The issue of whether I'd ever seen the original line up has now been resolved (although I can still remember absolutely nothing of the event) and this latest gig turned out to be 48 years all but one day since that previous occasion. That, I think is the longest period between my successive attendance at gigs of the same band, always assuming that you count them as being the same band. This lot are a bit of an odd mixture between being a proper band (they released an album of new material last year) and a tribute act (they play all the old favourites), but however you classify them they are bloody good and well worth seeing. Not, though as good as Wilko Johnson, Lee Brilleaux, John B. Sparkes and The Big Figure, so here they are:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ILyWFhuf3Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="9ILyWFhuf3Y"></iframe></div><br /><p>Someone else who I've seen live this week is Tom Robinson, who I last saw in either late 1977 or early 1978, so not quite as big a gap. He was also excellent and extremely engaging; his anecdotes being almost as good as his music. I particularly liked the one about the time the Sunday People described him as 'Britain's no. 1 gay' when they 'outed' him for being in a relationship with a woman. Wreckless Eric's best anecdote was about Kevin Coyne, but he was perhaps topped by Maddie Prior of Steeleye Span - also seen by your bloggist with the last seven days; I am ceaseless in my search for material with which to entertain you - whose story concerned both Peter Sellers and his ukulele.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-38273200071086078832023-11-14T13:36:00.001+00:002023-11-14T13:37:54.802+00:00You can't keep a posh boy down<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58986913-libya-and-the-global-enduring-disorder?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=K3bUvm51t3&rank=1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="319" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KYyzOFEYzyc0a0ofFi07pYgcYibLKDFcIoOMlCbYCbAWuBlMCTJ1Up0DpGKfRObESrmAYxlL8MC4KVMmz0Rdw_uMpyeHDQ-b2RDga4jK7EaJSF1J7OsQ_BaiajlOXVy-K6EJrpy9pDH5RAIMg_dR7gcd4gn6141Qz-9B1PpCprWWqfJa0KYYQ6faQoIj/w256-h400/58986913.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>"<span color="rgba(14, 32, 41, 0.72)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. </span></span><span color="rgba(14, 32, 41, 0.72)" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">First the body. No. First the place. No. First both. Now either. Now the other. Sick of the either try the other. Sick of it back sick of the either. So on. Somehow on. Till sick of both. Throw up and go. Where neither. Till sick of there. Throw up and back. The body again. Where none. The place again. Where none. Try again. Fail again. Better again. Or better worse. Fail worse again. Still worse again. Till sick for good. Throw up for good. Go for good. Where neither for good. Good and all."</span></p><p><span color="rgba(14, 32, 41, 0.72)" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> - Samuel Beckett</span></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-44683935783316841522023-11-13T09:42:00.002+00:002023-11-13T09:42:40.009+00:00Les bourgeois<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jxAp3ymhY4M" width="320" youtube-src-id="jxAp3ymhY4M"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-15389313043316644092023-11-12T14:46:00.000+00:002023-11-12T14:46:29.344+00:00Ainadamar<p> And so to the opera. I have been in Birmingham for a couple of days, primarily to take in the Welsh National Opera production of Golijov's 'Ainadamar'. This is an unusual piece, indeed the programme describes it as 'waith unigryw'; I'm not sure about that, although I might go as far as 'gwahanredol'.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaGyri02DgcsHUgL0hiDny7ny53EO2dkGFvY3Es2eAQQ-l4A9KXpViW_x76FzQeCdCZHfroo0fj9gO-iTkmeXS9urO-_ld7gobpc4R431PEUMmatem9y-w2yHi7InVjMrcx7s3GLm9vlcsZPCe9_tKHXD92dKM-ZXqSMnW1EVeuv_Y5bvJdpZWBWwakZo/s1024/Jaquelina-Livieri-as-Margarita-Xirgu-Julieth-Lozano-Rolong-as-Nuria-in-WNO-Ainadamar-2023-Credit-Johan-Persson_02408-scaled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaGyri02DgcsHUgL0hiDny7ny53EO2dkGFvY3Es2eAQQ-l4A9KXpViW_x76FzQeCdCZHfroo0fj9gO-iTkmeXS9urO-_ld7gobpc4R431PEUMmatem9y-w2yHi7InVjMrcx7s3GLm9vlcsZPCe9_tKHXD92dKM-ZXqSMnW1EVeuv_Y5bvJdpZWBWwakZo/w400-h266/Jaquelina-Livieri-as-Margarita-Xirgu-Julieth-Lozano-Rolong-as-Nuria-in-WNO-Ainadamar-2023-Credit-Johan-Persson_02408-scaled.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The work deals with the assassination of the poet and playwright <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Federico García Lorca at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and, rather than being told in a linear narrative, unfolds in flashbacks from the deathbed (*) of Lorca's muse, the actress Margarita Xirgu. The music added flamenco, Arabic and Jewish influences and Cuban rhythms to a classical core and was wonderful, greatly enhanced by the dancing which interspersed the singing.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit331PM-PMV5eVK-T3KT6K6246sE6kECJgBLM1gOYnw2Z5HqIn3IQix2CiUkAqbwkX2Px-eXfCThuyrTl7FhQtelwfqZTgEO4gUrxIejXINbns1rWL0CXusbOmKS_9PZENUVnFrAkfj7rC1e-DOKbFWe7IruxuRKOI632lL6vMdpK9Iu_jGEeKr9SoEEBn/s620/1694272658637_0620x0413_491x0x2576x1716_1694272718860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit331PM-PMV5eVK-T3KT6K6246sE6kECJgBLM1gOYnw2Z5HqIn3IQix2CiUkAqbwkX2Px-eXfCThuyrTl7FhQtelwfqZTgEO4gUrxIejXINbns1rWL0CXusbOmKS_9PZENUVnFrAkfj7rC1e-DOKbFWe7IruxuRKOI632lL6vMdpK9Iu_jGEeKr9SoEEBn/w400-h266/1694272658637_0620x0413_491x0x2576x1716_1694272718860.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;">At university in Madrid in the 1920s Lorca was a friend of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Salvador Dalí (**) and, as luck would have it, I have been to see '<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23476446/">Daaaaaali!</a>' at the Leeds International Film Festival. This is directed by Quentin Dupieux, whose '<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13145534/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_5_wr">Incroyable mais vrai</a>' I saw and enjoyed last year at LIFF, but don't seem to have bothered to mention here before. In a similar fashion to 'Ainadamar' the film eschewed a single narrative arc in favour of a sort of recursive, Russian doll like series of dreams and films with films; all entirely in keeping with the great (and egocentric) surrealist at its heart. It was very funny, and I highly recommend seeing it should it make it to your local multiplex. The scene near the beginning in the hotel corridor is worth the effort on its own.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* That's how it seemed to me; no doubt other opinions are available.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">** And </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Luis Buñuel.</span></span></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-16096021454447870132023-11-11T11:32:00.005+00:002023-11-11T11:32:51.768+00:00Battle of Madrid, the Conclusion<p> The game reached its inevitable conclusion, although it took a little bit longer than I thought it would. The French had played an event card (*) the previous week which meant that their best division could carry on after its morale was all spent, and carry on they did. Together with one of their cavalry units they caused a couple of British units on the left flank to rout. The focal point was however on the British right flank and there the Light Division advanced steadily and the day was won.</p><p>Things I would have done differently include arranging the units of the Light Division differently and possibly continuing the cavalry's move from flank to flank instead of pausing it for a while. I shall have a chance to test the first of those next week, because following another couple of turns of map moves (I think we're now half way through turn 8, but please don't rely on that) Wellington's army will now face off against Soult's.</p><p>I know everyone is interested in whatever rule changes occur. This week's related to morale losses following losing a melee. There was a certain amount of robust discussion around this as it seemed to appear from nowhere. James' justification didn't really consist of much more than saying that it was what he had written down and therefore it must be right. Fair enough, that will do me. And it is, of course, the same for both sides.</p><p><br /></p><p>* These cards are part of the campaign structure. Personally, I'd include them in the base tabletop rules as well. I didn't like much about Soldiers of Napoleon, but I liked the event cards.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-87079851188157639812023-11-10T19:02:00.006+00:002023-11-10T19:02:52.136+00:00I Can Still See You<p> <span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can still see you: an Echo,</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;">to be touched with Feeler-</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">Words, on the Parting-</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">Ridge.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">Your face softly shies away,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">when all at once there is</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">lamp-like brightness</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">in me, at the Point,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #141823;" /><span style="color: #141823;">where most painfully one says Never.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #141823;"> - Paul Celan</span></span></div>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-40184124263014632022023-11-09T11:41:00.002+00:002023-11-10T19:03:08.088+00:00No one shocked as Home Secretary stands on guide dog's tail<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABixGSAWrtYdyj9dYRzyVhV2ggJOeqOaOjv881HEZebGj-H-5lycDg9EtK1diahBvmqfXd6wqbqgjUjacqtQuemtECUfTorayusVoDbYfgaA8HwOPx7mYkpqajPMplBgV17de9p7MeC2rACWfZIesJ1ZOybfGmpyiyMWHTxPHL0XDPQkT9EasOdZ8lBna/s962/Suella%20Braverman%20dog.png.article-962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="962" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABixGSAWrtYdyj9dYRzyVhV2ggJOeqOaOjv881HEZebGj-H-5lycDg9EtK1diahBvmqfXd6wqbqgjUjacqtQuemtECUfTorayusVoDbYfgaA8HwOPx7mYkpqajPMplBgV17de9p7MeC2rACWfZIesJ1ZOybfGmpyiyMWHTxPHL0XDPQkT9EasOdZ8lBna/w400-h266/Suella%20Braverman%20dog.png.article-962.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGnuMyWFI9SV1qu9eemkVezHysocdXvc2HYiENRwwqh_2nbDA_G4mhfueQZuTDCRxcMQ7YuFGGN0kskCdZYuEnIENo3qbIwqcpNqDlDWTIPzEBtwtJykZFe8uSDhQA9b2JR5vvC81u1tv7yMUQZkB45b_LezIP9znmjxbonG3CyFdEagfRm56uPjR52CJ/s1200/WhatsApp-Image-2023-11-04-at-22.53.39_606ccde1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="1200" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGnuMyWFI9SV1qu9eemkVezHysocdXvc2HYiENRwwqh_2nbDA_G4mhfueQZuTDCRxcMQ7YuFGGN0kskCdZYuEnIENo3qbIwqcpNqDlDWTIPzEBtwtJykZFe8uSDhQA9b2JR5vvC81u1tv7yMUQZkB45b_LezIP9znmjxbonG3CyFdEagfRm56uPjR52CJ/w400-h224/WhatsApp-Image-2023-11-04-at-22.53.39_606ccde1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"I think there is only one quality worse than hardness of heart, and that is softness of head."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> -Theodore Roosevelt</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-51675530199161915482023-11-03T09:25:00.000+00:002023-11-03T09:25:51.831+00:00Kern You Believe It?<p>An unlooked for effect of my visit to Fiasco is that I have got the paints out again. One reason I didn't buy anything much was a nagging awareness that my last big(*) purchase hadn't progressed very far. But I'm pleased to report that the first unit of kern has now rolled off what I amuse myself by referring to as the production line.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj83odZSrZs_QXAcTG92Be4AltmOhqWVmvZgQJawg5_6empkVCnTyOj_39D7ds7vAQOQAFaGgXcbbHDTvBGwDFmvI8tPspIwo4kXYx7_1bNNeW8mChkcx9tgut7Wt_ZfSLf2wpxJwBAH71v-cDuwx1W5HcHfHmjtXukiyKXLtlklPm3HfCcQRRWa1xuXc6/s4608/IMG_0005a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2276" data-original-width="4608" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj83odZSrZs_QXAcTG92Be4AltmOhqWVmvZgQJawg5_6empkVCnTyOj_39D7ds7vAQOQAFaGgXcbbHDTvBGwDFmvI8tPspIwo4kXYx7_1bNNeW8mChkcx9tgut7Wt_ZfSLf2wpxJwBAH71v-cDuwx1W5HcHfHmjtXukiyKXLtlklPm3HfCcQRRWa1xuXc6/w400-h198/IMG_0005a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Figures are a mixture of Red Box and Tumbling Dice</p><p><br /></p><p>* Size of purchase is all relative obviously; this wasn't a particularly big purchase by anyone else's standards.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-15616633712569028002023-11-02T10:50:00.001+00:002023-11-02T10:50:36.000+00:00¡Hala Madrid! ...y nada más<p> <span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I love thee as I love Madrid that we have defended and as I love all my comrades that have died. And many have died. Many. Many. Thou canst not think how many." - Ernest Hemingway</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYoA2CkKUuSsT7IEWKZ128K8HHw8GDDouKtpygr4GcxpqyxMhIY7koNHY7qYUoflu6NmHXG2SPdTwcqE-uZGCQElcRF_cxdElpNoY6IG2gVUZdmGYMOiPblUZbBJ7fx6YwjYkAUq0H1OauASOMjXYMIjcu2K4i91UikmyvloXeSmETX9-R_VBQHc21Fh7/s4032/20231101_220037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYoA2CkKUuSsT7IEWKZ128K8HHw8GDDouKtpygr4GcxpqyxMhIY7koNHY7qYUoflu6NmHXG2SPdTwcqE-uZGCQElcRF_cxdElpNoY6IG2gVUZdmGYMOiPblUZbBJ7fx6YwjYkAUq0H1OauASOMjXYMIjcu2K4i91UikmyvloXeSmETX9-R_VBQHc21Fh7/w300-h400/20231101_220037.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></p>I said last week that the Anglo-Portuguese</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> army attacking Madrid was bigger and better than the defenders. The only hope for the French was to hope the initiative went their way and that they could see out the five turns allowed for the game before losing. In the event the opposite happened, with the Allies, for the second battle running, drawing the consistently higher dominos. At one point I drew the 2:1 domino; surely James would beat that? But no, he drew the 1:0. The very next draw I drew the double one; this time? No, he drew the 1:0 again. You can't help some people. On top of that, there were two double dominos (*), one when the French had all but succeeded in reaching the end of their deck, meaning that we only played one turn in the evening and Peter and I had been through our deck more than twice.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;">James will no doubt post a comprehensive post, but the evening ended with the French on the verge of losing all their army morale despite much of the British force, including their strongest infantry division and their cavalry, not having done anything at all. I give it half an hour at most next week.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;">* When both sides draw the same domino all used cards are shuffled back into the deck, but it doesn't count as an end of turn.</span></span></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-29657276055606936332023-10-29T15:50:00.003+00:002023-10-30T11:02:47.840+00:00We need a man with longer trousers<p> I have been to Fiasco for the first time since before lockdown. James had a deal going down and needed some muscle to back him up. Sadly for him he couldn't find anyone, so as a fairly feeble alternative I offered to meet him there while he rendezvoused with The Man . A large wad was passed surreptitiously across, 20Kg of high quality gear was handed over in return and we slipped away quietly. Or perhaps we should have, instead of taking a stroll round, because I'm sorry to say that the show wasn't very good. Obviously we weren't putting on a game, it's not really an option at the moment, and everyone else had clearly decided as a mark of respect that our pre-pandemic mantle of best looking table should be left uncontested.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8BFEbsQ0PVyq2NJ8L9TO0E6jqunIhKiS6jToVjZKCrdDY1CqKo7vli0CxFeBNGYTvbgZisrUIYyYGJ5uVY6mw-95i7zgsj6G7403i4V3ZVVw8xaNLz0s1Ph3bgLOfG5_VzSTUSuKucrLwfPeU6qol0r8-R9UGqFjKsQ1NoZiU2Aclv-nvm_1FGzwEKLu/s4032/20231029_120538.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8BFEbsQ0PVyq2NJ8L9TO0E6jqunIhKiS6jToVjZKCrdDY1CqKo7vli0CxFeBNGYTvbgZisrUIYyYGJ5uVY6mw-95i7zgsj6G7403i4V3ZVVw8xaNLz0s1Ph3bgLOfG5_VzSTUSuKucrLwfPeU6qol0r8-R9UGqFjKsQ1NoZiU2Aclv-nvm_1FGzwEKLu/w300-h400/20231029_120538.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>An exception was the above Venice-based Pulp game, although even there my first reaction was "How impractical is that terrain?". </p><p>Shopping was very limited. When I saw that the Last Valley hadn't sold out already I bought some trees even though I'm not sure I really need any, and that was it. Still, it got me out of the house.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-49103400925541648442023-10-26T10:59:00.002+01:002023-10-26T12:28:11.966+01:00More Map Moves<p> Illness having, to some extent at least, abated the group reconvened for some more map moves. I have no idea what turn it is. James has promised a post on his blog covering both the last game and the current campaign phase, so hopefully he'll tell us; always assuming he knows either.</p><p>The map moves follow a sort of Too Fat Lardies template, with all commanders having a couple of cards in the deck and being able to move when they are turned, plus various other cards which do specific things including ending the turn. Wellington's lack of activity so far in the campaign has largely been due to his cards never arriving. But all that changed this week, with both Wellington and the Spanish commander Blake activating twice each early on. They used the opportunity to advance on Madrid in a pincer movement from North and South. Wellesley rolled better and it is his forces who will engage Joseph Bonaparte (never, I note, referred to as King Joseph). The French are heavily outnumbered and, probably even more significantly, comprehensively outclassed. They attempted to withdraw prior to battle, but I played a Surprise Attack card and prevented them from doing so. If the gods of the dominos are willing then they will be completely crushed next week. </p><p>The forces have been deployed - see below - with Wellington keeping his plan of attack pretty close to his chest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8XaIBbCEc_YWxrevCI3X2lNeIlF-9w5zbtpYMlpvA7RwG74G0gr1uHUng52U2pMC9EZ9NNSDtzLAt4DjuQdD8i-50XQA0fwenk3wgP8oyc4Q5k7zGaIU8Hyvd5ORq0G6wgspjiXDFdhaoUBWKUlE5fUid8t24DGsf4L_S-SdnxNIXlGjHAhLxLmgfp_0/s4032/20231025_214901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8XaIBbCEc_YWxrevCI3X2lNeIlF-9w5zbtpYMlpvA7RwG74G0gr1uHUng52U2pMC9EZ9NNSDtzLAt4DjuQdD8i-50XQA0fwenk3wgP8oyc4Q5k7zGaIU8Hyvd5ORq0G6wgspjiXDFdhaoUBWKUlE5fUid8t24DGsf4L_S-SdnxNIXlGjHAhLxLmgfp_0/w300-h400/20231025_214901.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Coming back to Joseph, I realised that I knew very little about him and so started to read the article about him on a well-known and highly respected internet resource. I confess that my attention was being rather distracted by the frequent fall of English wickets against Sri Lanka, but I was suddenly interested again when I read that Napoleon's elder brother had married Julian Clary. Obviously this transpired not actually to be the case - even Wikipedia isn't that inaccurate - but it's a thought to conjure with.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-31328569822062019672023-10-19T15:21:00.001+01:002023-10-19T15:43:35.735+01:00PotCXXIIpouri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiQChcksCKoj03BmjqqrFIqcVUi7qGnaWm3vN1KpBDH9JEfKeBykR197qu6E_uHZtdxVJ-w8XFOHyOz9pG7_K-SASftVRN16xAIgQDm-ct6BPi4b529rL1UDvmrqFDveSyRI4PfIsZ0IPFB2DWBPgcLgbf5LyUyqjAJoQklMZwLSSyD_IGSKN-uWbUlzc/s1080/Photo%20from%20Graham%20(11a).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1080" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiQChcksCKoj03BmjqqrFIqcVUi7qGnaWm3vN1KpBDH9JEfKeBykR197qu6E_uHZtdxVJ-w8XFOHyOz9pG7_K-SASftVRN16xAIgQDm-ct6BPi4b529rL1UDvmrqFDveSyRI4PfIsZ0IPFB2DWBPgcLgbf5LyUyqjAJoQklMZwLSSyD_IGSKN-uWbUlzc/w400-h348/Photo%20from%20Graham%20(11a).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I have had Covid again. That's the second time this year, which seems a little self-indulgent for a man my age. I seem to have picked it up at a university reunion, along with more than half of those attending, demonstrating once again the truth of the adage that one should never go back. Prior to testing positive I went to a Fairport Convention gig in Settle; I can only hope that I didn't act as a super-spreader among the, let's face it, rather elderly audience. Now I think about it, that was also the second time I'd seen Fairport this year. Coincidence? Or something more sinister?</p><p>Actually, there's been a bit of illness about, causing a pause in the Peninsular campaign. Prior to that occurring I found myself as stand-in commander of - checks notes - O'Donnell's force defending Tarragona against French assault. It was a highly entertaining game, with the final outcome only decided on the very last roll of the very last action on the very last card turned. However, in my opinion although not necessarily that of others, this was entirely down to luck being very much skewed in favour of the Spanish rather than being a positive reflection on the way the campaign rules handle such scenarios. Some changes have been mooted and we shall have to wait to see what effect they have. </p><p>Returning to Fairport, they, playing as four-piece because their drummer Gerry Conway has retired (*), were as excellent as one would expect. Also excellent was Lauren Housley and the Northern Cowboys who I had seen a couple of days earlier whilst I was still bursting with health. Ms Housley mainly performs her own material, but included a couple of covers: Little Feat's "Willin'" and John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery". However, I'm going to include this Fairport Convention song, which they also included in their own set:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Z4pJK6Tugw" width="320" youtube-src-id="-Z4pJK6Tugw"></iframe></div><br /><p>* His retirement is of a kind which will not, I expect, prevent him from appearing onstage at a gig which, viruses willing, I intend seeing in a week or so.</p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-60310609284379936392023-10-06T14:30:00.003+01:002023-10-06T14:30:48.465+01:00O'Donald and MacDonnell<p> It has been drawn to my attention that I confused MacDonald with O'Donnell in my last post. Very embarrassing, given how one the two names is so clearly French and the other is so clearly Spanish. In addition one of them had a farm while the other has sold 10 million records; so there's no excuse really. There is certainly no excuse for this:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/euewRLNLQ2M" width="320" youtube-src-id="euewRLNLQ2M"></iframe></div><br /><p>Is that a bandoneon?</p><p><br /></p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6605687469909340931.post-39044611481820239272023-10-05T09:37:00.002+01:002023-10-05T14:13:32.697+01:00Map Moves - End of Turn 5/Beginning of Turn 6<p> At least that's where I think we are. If I was you I'd rely on whatever James writes in his blog. He has written up the <a href="http://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2023/10/campaign-report-road-to-badajoz-part-2.html">the second evening of the Badajoz game</a> and like me he struggles to make it sound exciting; nice photos though. The following picture isn't terribly interesting either, but it does illustrate a couple of things.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89roRiyud364olRcnCzMrZcZrKIRK7_7fUZTtrefcaz7n6nVhteVgOspog_QsVuE9dsxBHFucZUIWvG69MZSg48tOtikjxxXpHjpLIzk8zc4MbDmK3_4wuEQiCLtP_CP1O4-Mej1wje6QW7z7mP3a17fnGcsWuEKBYMxj8lrrBONCaJU2WDK4PSRYngce/s4032/20231004_195731.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89roRiyud364olRcnCzMrZcZrKIRK7_7fUZTtrefcaz7n6nVhteVgOspog_QsVuE9dsxBHFucZUIWvG69MZSg48tOtikjxxXpHjpLIzk8zc4MbDmK3_4wuEQiCLtP_CP1O4-Mej1wje6QW7z7mP3a17fnGcsWuEKBYMxj8lrrBONCaJU2WDK4PSRYngce/w300-h400/20231004_195731.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Towards the bottom right corner you can see that Beresford has now retreated back to where he started after his failed attack near Badajoz. The British actually inflicted more casualties on the French than they suffered, which didn't seem very likely when the forces were first set out on the table. Having also seen some men return from being hospitalised with disease Beresford is in a better state than he deserves to be.</p><p>At the top is the site of the next battle, Tarragona. Macdonald received some timely fresh drafts of troops as reinforcements - the Spanish get more such opportunities than everyone else - and tried unsuccessfully to concentrate his forces and attack the French. Instead he finds himself besieged in the fortress by a somewhat larger force. The terrain is set out, the units deployed and the game will commence next week. </p>Epictetushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17993781308540523271noreply@blogger.com0