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.

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!