Tim and I are shaking off the cobwebs and exercising our chops with a brief bash at the 'Never Too Late' scenario in Battleground Napoleon in Russia. This scenario centres upon the struggle for the village of Utitza, at the extreme left of the Russians' position during the battle of Borodino (7 September 1812). Tim, as the French, is commanding Prince Józef Poniatowski's largely Polish V Corps; I, as the Russians, am commanding elements of Lieutenant-General Nikolay Tuchkov's III Corps.
We hope to detail a little of our progress (and our thoughts after the battle) here!
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Archduke John (1782-1859)
You may have wondered what the little image is on the left. It is the counter of an Austrian general in Harry Rowland and Greg Pinder's Empires in Arms. John (Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian) was a Habsburg archduke, the younger brother of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (and I of Austria, when the HRE came a cropper). He was also the younger brother of Archduke Charles: a noted captain of the age and one of the most competent of Napoleon's opponents.
Sadly the same couldn't be said for John. His military capabilities were ... how shall we put this ... somewhat limited. It is safe to say that he did not 'extend the limits of glory'. Indeed, he represents the worst military leader in Empires in Arms. (Which is perhaps a little unfair, because even Jerome Bonaparte is better in the game, and he was a right toss-pot...)
All this is very unfortunate because, as 18th century aristocrats went, John actually seemed to be a rather nice bloke. Much more so than half the other butcherers who get counters. As liberal and modernising as Habsburgs could be without breaking the axioms of the universe, he married (morganatically) a postmaster's daughter, and was interested in mountaineering, natural history, geology, technology and industry. Temporarily regent over the German Confederation in 1848-9, he died at the age of seventy-seven a decade later. As Charles gave his name in posterity to a rose, John gave his to an orchid.
Sadly the same couldn't be said for John. His military capabilities were ... how shall we put this ... somewhat limited. It is safe to say that he did not 'extend the limits of glory'. Indeed, he represents the worst military leader in Empires in Arms. (Which is perhaps a little unfair, because even Jerome Bonaparte is better in the game, and he was a right toss-pot...)
All this is very unfortunate because, as 18th century aristocrats went, John actually seemed to be a rather nice bloke. Much more so than half the other butcherers who get counters. As liberal and modernising as Habsburgs could be without breaking the axioms of the universe, he married (morganatically) a postmaster's daughter, and was interested in mountaineering, natural history, geology, technology and industry. Temporarily regent over the German Confederation in 1848-9, he died at the age of seventy-seven a decade later. As Charles gave his name in posterity to a rose, John gave his to an orchid.
Welcome!
Welcome to The Military Genius of Archduke John, a blog set up to provide an online presence for a variety of 'play by e-mail' (PBEM) games, including the John Tiller's old Battleground series (originally from Talonsoft, and recently rereleased by Matrix Games) and the computer version of Avalon Hill's Empires in Arms. Most of the gaming will initially be Napoleonic, unless anything else whets our appetite.
The blog will be able to hold everything from set-up discussions, technical queries and idle chit-chat, through to commentary, after-action reports and good-humoured sledging. Things will start to kick off in earnest in early 2008. First up, Battleground Waterloo...
The blog will be able to hold everything from set-up discussions, technical queries and idle chit-chat, through to commentary, after-action reports and good-humoured sledging. Things will start to kick off in earnest in early 2008. First up, Battleground Waterloo...
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