DBA-Hx at FallCon, "The Battle of Friedland"

Bruce McFarlane, of Edmonton, Alberta, hosted a multi-player, 15mm Napoleonic game using the Humberside Extension (DBA-Hx) rules at FallCon last weekend in Calgary. The evening's entertainment was Battle of Friedland, between the French and Russians.



Bruce had everything wonderfully organized and presented on his attractive terrain boards. Since several players were new to DBA-Hx, key info for each element in this multi-corps game was affixed to the backs of each element.



This minor, visual distraction was more than offset by how it sped play along. (Yes, the sharp eyes among you will note that the "French" in this photo are in fact Neopolitans. Bruce kindly invited me to use my Minifig Neopolitans as Lannes' Res. Corps in the game.)

Bruce said the game played along historical lines. My Reserve Corps held off the advancing Russian hordes just long for French reinforments to get into position. Here, my "French" (3Kn) cavalry boldly charge the Russian guns.



The Russians pushed hard on the French left flank, but were defeated on the right flank. Bruce said, historically, it was the other way around. In part, the Russian defeat was due to a single battery of French horse artillery, a survivor of Paul's broken Reserve Corps, that really annoyed Don Ray's advancing Russians.



Bruce's exciting game, with 8 players 10 corps, played to a decisive conclusion in under 3hrs. As Bruce noted afterward, players focused on strategy and tactics, not the rules. By consensus, Tim Hancsicsak of Calgary, shown in the first photo in the tan shirt, was voted the game's best player (FallCon's quirky format requires a "winner" in each event) for his skillful dislodgement on the French (err, Neopolitans) from the key, center hill.