We few, we happy few...

Last Saturday was the annual game in the Hinton Hut and I was joined by Matt and Goya for a Muskets & Marshals Waterloo game. As two of our regular players were hors de combat it was a smaller affair than our previous games. Matt played Wellington and I was Napoleon whilst Goya took on the mantle of Umpire/ADC.

Napoleon's object was simple, occupy both Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte and have at least one undisordered infantry unit on the Ridge by the end of turn 8, otherwise the Prussians would arrive and secure an allied victory.

As there were just two of us playing and I didn't have to accommodate the Prussians, my standard 6' x 4' table was all we needed. This was an 'all in' game with no off table reserves so there were approximately 1,000 figures in play.

The is the allied left with Picton in his splendid red riding coat visible behind the main line. Matt was a bit nervous about this, having lost Picton twice in previous games and refused to use his +1 morale bonus for fear of a 'fallen officer' result.

The French centre stuffed with 5 units of Guard. They were initially in reserve with the Young Guard released on turn 3 and the Old Guard on turn 4.

The French right. d'Erlon's corps looked very impressive, 6 units with 5 guns backed up by the Guard Light Cavalry. So impressive in fact that Matt's first order was to retire Picton's line back behind the ridge!

The emperor arrives on the field flanked by de la Bedoyere and Mameluk Ali. I'm not sure if Bedoyere's nose was put out of joint by the arrival of Napoleon's new favourite Ali. Note that La Belle Alliance has transformed into an English cottage.

The Duke looks on calmly from the ridge behind La Haye Sainte. Wellington's tree is rather unusually in full leaf due to the absence of Tony who normally supplies the winter version for our games.

Ponsonby's Union Brigade. These lads were also in reserve until turn 3 when they could be released and repositioned anywhere within the British lines.

Our 'impartial' umpire kindly brought this little gift along. This was very good of him (it is a superb model) but he could have waited until after the game to present me with it. I think Matt thought it was his birthday!

This was another secret weapon in Hougoumont - Captain Mainwaring of the Walmington-on-Sea fencibles - in position to cheer on the Coldstream Guards. The figure is a lovely conversion also from the hand of Goya.

The Field Battalion Verden look out from behind the hedge at the poor old Belgians who don't appear to have got the memo about retiring to a safer distance.

This is how the game would have looked if I'd had these figures in 1972 when I first concieved the idea of fighting Waterloo on the tabletop.

My first action was to have a crack at Hougoumont and to my surprise I managed to force out the Coldstreams on turn 2 and occupy the farm.

On the right my five batteries only really had one target in range so there were soon a lot of cannonballs heading towards the Belgians.

Matt started to shift the 95th Rifles to their right correctly anticipating that the main attack, when it came, would concentrate between the two farms.

With Hougoumont in our hands, I now fancied my chances against La Haye Sainte but I hadn't counted on that Rocket Battery. Soon the infernal machine was sending streams of hissing rockets to cut swathes of destruction through my ranks. This was not cricket.

Another barrage took out 5 figures from the 85th in one go as they bravely started to advance past my gun line. Not cricket at all!

With our left flank secured on Hougoumont I started to push infantry forward between the two farms and on towards the ridge.

d'Erlon was ordered forward at the same time to bring maximum pressure to bear on Matt's line.

The view from behind Hougoumont as the British observe the advancing French columns. The Coldstreams lick their wounds and prepare to have a go at retaking the farm.

Ney senses that now is the time to unleash the Heavy Cavalry, it's almost as if he has seen the film!

The whole French army is advancing - vive le emperor!

On our extreme right flank a cavalry clash is developing with both the Guard Light Cavalry and the British Household Cavalry being committed to a growing melee.

A view of the whole table (probably turn 4) and you can see that the Coldstream Guards have retaken Hougoumont! This was annoying because it meant that Ney's troopers would be caught in a crossfire between the two farms.

We were coming on in the same old style and looked unstoppable!

Then Matt sensibly had his infantry form square and unleashed the Union Brigade onto the glitter ranks of the French heavies.

A stirring sight as the sabres clashed! It was eventually to be the French who had the best of the melee.

Meanwhile I was having yet another (unsuccessful) attempt at taking La Haye Sainte.

With so many horsemen around, the 1st legere formed square. It was just as well as the Brunswick Hussars were soon upon them.

On the right, the Guard Cavalry were having some success although the Blues did manage to rout the 6th Chasseurs. In the end we saw off all the British cavalry enabling d'Erlon to continue unimpeded towards the ridge.

Time for the Old Guard to have a go at La Haye Sainte surely they would take the place? Well, no they were repulsed - merde!

d'Erlon's columns were steadily approaching the ridge. The Duke was heard to mutter "Night or the Prussians must come". Not in this scenario Matt, you're on your own!

I brought the Guard Horse Artillery up to blast away at the Coldstreams in Hougoumont. The effect was to reduce them to below retiring point when meant the farm was ours again.

The situation at the end of play (turn 7). La Haye Sainte has finally fallen to the Young Guard but I had failed to establish any undisordered infantry on the ridge so it was a victory to Matt although it was a damn near run thing.

We ran out of time at the end of turn 7 and there was some debate about whether or not the French could have won if we'd played the final turn. My own thought was not really as although we had both farms getting infantry onto the ridge was tricky especially as Matt's own infantry had taken very few casualties and were in fine shape to repell any charges.

Thanks to Matt for making the trip up to the wild north and to Goya for his superb and impartial umpiring and for supplying the very useful (!) Congreve rocket battery. Also a shout out to Mrs S for single-handedly running the field kitchen. Hopefully next game we will be back up to full strength.