BBB Bash Day IV - Leeds, Saturday 1st July - Update 28th May

 BBB Bash Day in Leeds is less than 5 weeks away.  Two of my regular wargaming friends have played one of the games from the day, Aspern Essling, so they can get back up to speed with the rules.  You can see how the first evening's gaming went here and the second here also here

Here are the details for the day correct to last night!

BBB BASH DAY IV -   The key info in one handy place (27^th May)

 

When:            

Saturday, 1^st July 2023

 

Where:            

Leeds Wargames Club - Hicks Hall, 60 Bankfield Terrace, Burley, Leeds LS4 2JR

Timings on the day:

09.00 - 17.00  (though this may be more like 9.30 to 10.00 to actually get started!)

 

Price £5.00, £2.50 for Leeds club members (as you’ve already paid for the hall).

 

Format:

The format is entirely participation games based on historical battles and using the Bloody Big Battles (BBB) rules. 

For the best chance of playing the game that interests you most, please sign up in advance. We will do our best to accommodate walk-in participants on the day.

 

The Games on Offer:

 

1.     ACW – Chancellorsville – host Chris Pringle (author of the rules, scenario books, etc.)

2.     FPW – Sedan – host Mike Brown

3.     ACW – 2^nd Manassas – host Tim Carne

4.     Austro-Prussian War – Kissengen – host Dave Whaley

5.     Anglo-Sikh War – Gujrat (1849) – host Mark Smith (author of BBB India scenario book)

6.     Zulu War – Nyezane – host Bruce McCallum

7.     Napoleonic 1813 – Lutzen – host Mike Brimacombe

8.     Napoleonic 1809 – Aspern-Essling – host Ned Dye

 

Parking:

It’s a residential area, so free, but there’s a lot of housing, so expect to spend a few minutes finding a space and walking to the club.

 

Tea & coffee will be provided, please bring your own lunch. 

 

Links: 

 

Bloody Big Battles - blog

http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/

https://groups.io/g/bloodybigbattles

 

***Leeds Wargames Club

https://leedswargamesclub.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LeedsWargamesClub/

 

Email – bbb.bashday@gmail.com

 

Colin & Chris

Bleeding Big Bash Day Team

 Please email me if you have any questions, comments or if anything is incorrect!

BBB Bash Day IV - practice at Leeds club - moves 5 to end of game

 Another busy night in Leeds on Wednesday - we finished the Aspern-Essling playtest for BBB Bash Day on 1st July.

The French failed to get re-inforcements and the Austrians had all their troops on table, so both sides had to use what they had.  Here are the photos from early on - both sides had a huge scrap for possession of Essling - which the French retained.

Here's the view from my side of the battlefield - I had taken Aspern (as the Austrians) but failed to make further gains.....

A great couple of evenings gaming.  By turn 7 both sides were holding on, but without the ability to go over to the offensive.  The Austrian assault on Essling had failed but the French could not counter-attack, so we declared a draw at the end of turn 8.  

My thanks to my regular opponents Mike & Ned, my newbie fellow Austrians Stephen (day 1) and Colin (day 2).  

Everything supplied by me.  The eagle eyed will see that the Danube has grown as we used my "big river" terrain from S&A scenics.

BBB Bash Day IV - practice at Leeds club - Aspern-Essling (Austria 1809) moves 1 - 4

 It's just under 6 weeks to Bash Day.  

As part of the preparation, my regular opponents Mike, Ned and I have been playing Aspern-Essling (French v. Austrians, 1809), partly to familiarise Ned with the scenario, partly as a refresher of the BBB rules as both Mike & Ned have kindly offered to host games. 

In summary, Aspern-Essling is Napoleon's hasty river crossing of the Danube, relying on a single makeshift bridge to get his army to grips with the Austrians.  The Austrians start with a considerable superiority in numbers, but a slow command and control system means units tend to move slowly, or not at all.  As time rolls on the French get re-inforcements (whose composition and timing is affected by Austrian attempts to destroy the bridge) but will these be enough to swing the tide of battle?

Here are some photos I took at the end of Wednesday - 3 turns of day 1, the night move and turn 4 (1st of day 2) completed.  The Austrians went in hard - well, as hard as you can with passive troops and no generals.  The French defended well and re-inforcements have crossed the Danube to get into the fight.

The Austrian Assault on Aspern (the tall grey building in the centre).  

Austrian troops (lines at bottom of picture) have been delayed by die rolls low enough to halt or cause retreats.....  The French defensive ring looks a tough nut to crack!

Austrians to the left, French to the right.  The black strip is a dried up gully between Aspern & Essling which gave troops in it a cover advantage.  The grey felt square is Essling, currently stoutly defended by the French.

Looking down the Front lines - the Austrians in a big ring as they come from all points of the compass!

Austrian Grenadier columns head to the fray....

The Austrians nearer to Aspern.  Austrian HQ & supply wagon in the foreground

Baccus figures, 1/300, based for BBB.  Here's the link to the 2020 epic refight of Aspern-Essling in Oxford....  Aspern-Essling at OWS

BBB Bash Day IV - 1st July 2023 - update 24 Feb 2023

 Bloody Big Battles – update 24^th Feb 2023

 

We are pleased to announce that a number of BBB players have offered to host games at the Bloody Big Battles Bash Day, which will be held at Leeds Wargames Club on 1^st July 2023.  If you fancy two battles (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) in one day, then here are the games on offer so far:

 

ACW                           Chancellorsville

Crimean War              Inkerman

Franco-Prussian          To be confirmed

ACW                           2^nd Manassas

Austro-Prussian          Kissengen

Anglo Sikh War          Gujrat (1849)  

Napoleonic 1813         Lutzen*

 

We are hoping to get a couple of other games hosted, but fear not! - we still have spaces/tables available if you have a BBB game that you’d like to host.

 

Our hosts include several veteran BBB players, including Chris Pringle, who wrote the rules and at least two scenario books and Mark Smith, who has just published the Bloody Big Battles in India scenario book.

 

As mentioned before, we are running this event on   Saturday 1^st July, so you can have a further day’s wargaming at the excellent Joy of Six show, on Sunday 2^nd July.  You don’t even have to leave Yorkshire!! 

 

Colin & Chris