Two weeks ago,my unit tried to wargame Malplaquet. It was on a much smaller scale and we mostly focused on the righthand side of the field as seen from the French point of view. We used first edition BTLB rules,and even though many were new to gaming,let alone WSS gaming,we discovered how bloody the battle was!
How the hell the allies did it beggars belief, i know the casualties were high,but our game was a slaughter!
The de-brief afterward came up with the following questions
1. Are the rules up to a refight of Malplaquet and should we have custom built add ons for such a battle
2. How the hell did the allies keep going under that morale sapping fire?
3. Is it a modern condition that Officers and N.C.O's have a "Keep casualties to a absolute minimum" ethos?
4. Lucky dice throwing by French Artillery Commander (Lucky 6 Hailwood)
The debate continues,one thing is certain, modern warfare is very far removed from early 18th C battle
Any thoughts ?