1870 games

10mm miniatures, many older ones from Perrin minis (USA)/ Magister militum (UK).

10mm? because often lots of troops, shooting ranges are far away (nearly 4 km for Krupp?) so needs space, yet having a reasonable mass effect. And last century when I started, not so many minis for that subject

6 mm houses.

Well, I had plenty from past games when I had lots of 6mm napos.
I saw some games with scaled down buildings and I liked the way one could have decent villages.

1" =110+ meters. One base of infantry (3 figs for line)= 300 men.
250 when they get late war veterans, 300-350 when new bies (republicans). 200-240 for Jaegers, who get more or less 2 figs per base.

Artillery is one battery; cavalry 3 stands per unit (but 4 possible losses).

One game turn is 20-30 minutes.

6500+ figs painted.

CAMPAIGNING THE 1870

By far the best way is to do a simple campaign is using a boardgame, on a side table or on a computer with or without an umpire. Only 2 players are enough and one could even get the campaigning done or at least one, not actually be the same as the one(s) playing the tabletop battles. Vae Victis has and is to release some games for it, the Loire campaign is quite suitable for this specific and most interesting part.

Otherwise for the whole thing, I advocate the old Strategy and Tactics #149 which can be found on cyberboard and the paper game with the important needed rules (but you would do the battles with minis). A few are left at ST site and here and there maybe Second chance Games in the Uk and even saw one on Amazon...
https://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ST149
Original cyberboard version http://limeyyankgames.co.uk/cyberboard?page=9

Cyberboard download my version
(I added bocage that explains why fighting near Le Mans, mountains near the Swiss border limiting the ops of the army of the Vosges, and bridges (but not finished) as there were fewer than now, even than 1914 and without that you cannot get Sedan at all and maybe not Metz encirclement.

AND THEN I HAD A STRIKE OF FLAGS...

Wanting to finish the troops....looking at the organization and names, hell came as I realized some of these guys obviously do not have the 1861 issue (on the side here), but somewhat their traditional flags pre 1871. And guess what, AFAIK no one looked and found the whole thing properly. After I searched in German, yes it is not easy at all. You do find the pre 1914 flags but many of the post 70 numbers of regiments change. So I fumbled through and found some and did a sort of collection of those I want to do. You can see in the BW bits down they had flags of unusual patterns for the Landwehr, many look to be of the 1861 type though. No need of the whole army.

These sites can give you good ideas:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081834149&view=1up&seq=132 numerized 1900s book which is in NY library. describes many remaining tattered flags. Pics can be found here in colour
https://www.historischer-bilderdienst.de/lightroom/flash_galerie/sf29/

Beware of the dates, caution about the post 1871 types.
http://preussische-armee.blogspot.com/2013/11/die-regimentsfahnen-der-armee-des.html

1870 battle converted from the always welcomed Warning Order magazine.
Here from generic scenario of WO 52

Testing Age Of valor fighting system with 1870 by Bruce Weigle command system on top.

The scenario calls for a comprehensive upward succession of crests with a river on the side. I had to cut tiles to do it and adapt existing ones.

Drumming in the old set of geo hex, still useful despite sticking annoyingly under mats when trying to cover it. Coupled with the "magical" sand I can create everything.

Pieces of felt to try keep the bits closed up together when lying down the final felt (or mat) cover without all flying around; tricky when alone.

Cover done, long and tedious job. I often use the same layout with mods several times on different periods/ subjects to ease the life.

Roads on

Some woods plus river

More woods and buildings

odds and bits and troops in 10mm

Prussians set up as they are mostly visible from the F positions
The brown cards for unknown French positions.

More and a bit of welcome

Units are German regiments and French brigades. With Jäger and chasseurs separate as "skirmisher" units. We can detach stands in buildings.

Full assault of the first crest

The French were supposed to shoot a bit. When too successful they were tempted to overstay and then get into trouble.

A lot lies in the dice rolls when you don't have many troops engaged.
A few of them can make a completely different game, if not very many units are engaged. Here 6-8 at any time . Repulse.

First game, the Germans were badly repulsed, In the second the French missed utterly an unmissable very important shoot which ended up in KatastroF!

We also need my old event cards adapted to AOE and a sort of division cohesion level to avoid them back too much chewed up. the AOE heavy loss modifier will do nicely. It worked well; looking forward doing more.

The second glorious charge that took all away! (2nd game)
The French I played with one brigade in front of each division, divisional general attached to be able to convert the order to move back (from 1870 BW command system). With increased disorder I did not manage to coordinate (from AOE/AOV tactical control die system). We were more limited in actions with the orders than in the pure AOE system, which made you feel the French less efficient command response.

Zum Angriff

Schnell

Sheer grandeur of a full table

Dusk, as if you where there.