EARLY INSPIRATION

 This is not exactly part of the Dog Wars Universe, but some of the inspiration for it. Many years ago, my gaming buddy Bernie used to run a great game using his Eureka Miniature Teddy Bears armies. Sadly, these figures are no longer available from Eureka. This game was from back in 2017 and was run using the Honours of War rules. 

Prussian Forces Making Their Way to Reinforce the Bridgehead they have Established. 

Austrian Fusiliers with Their Battalion Guns Intact Await the Prussian Assaults.  

Both Side Eye Each Other Up as More Prussians Cross the Bridge. 

A Full Length Shot of the Whole Battlefield. 

The Battle Commences and the Prussians are Already Suffering Casualties.  

Austrian Cuirassier Charge the Prussian Infantry Line. The Little Wheels You See are the Backend of the Hobby Horse They Ride.  

The Prussians Continue to Pour Reinforcements Across the River. The Cavalry Battle from the Last Picture can be Seen on the Right.  

The Austrians seem to be Content at Holding the Hill Line as the Prussians Mass Against Their Left Flank. 

The Prussians Pressing Forward on the Austrian Left Flank.
Popguns are a Popin and the Stuffing is a Flyin.  

The Assault as Seen from Behind the Prussian Line. Casualties Mount but the Assault Continues. 
Yes, the Bear Theme Continues even to the Dice. 

The Prussian Traffic Jam at the River. While Reinforcements Kept Coming the Single Point Made It Difficult for the Prussians to get them to the Action.

While the Prussians Took Their First Objective of the Tree Line, They were Unable to Drive the Austrians Off the Ridge. 

This was a battle I long ago thought I had lost with the catastrophic loss of my computer. When my archive program recovered these I felt it was a sign to share them.

THE HONORED DEAD OF THE BATTLES OF SAINT VENERABLE BEACH & BEACH TREE ROAD

 Things are finally starting to get back to normal after the big work crunch. There are lots of plans in the works, but more on that in later posts. For now, it is time to take a moment to reflect on those troops that fell in our games. 

Allies Losses Were from Left to Right, Von Yapping's Battalion, Von Mutt's "The Whelps" Battalion, UPC's Snifferbutt's Dragoons, Softpad's Dragoons, Husky's Battalion, and Houndstooth's Battalion. 

Empire Loses Were from Left to Right, Beggin's Dragoon, Canineson's Cuirassier, an Artillery Battery, Woofing's Battalion, and Yowler's Battalion. 

The Empire's General Wagstail was Wounded While Leading His Cavalry Brigade. 

Over the course of the Campaign the Empire lost 14 Foot Regiments, 5 Cavalry Regiments and 4 Batteries of Artillery. The Allies of Von Mutts and UPC lost 13 Regiments of Foot, 6 Cavalry Regiments and no Artillery. Both had a General wounded in battle. This shows that taking the Sugar Islands was no simple task. The fight will be returning to the home front for the UPC in the Fall '25 Campaigns.  

A NICE PAIR

 

The latest battle was for control of Saint Katts. I tried something a little different for this by running two different scenarios together side-by-side. These were both from One Hour Wargame (OHW) by Neil Thomas, one of my scenario bibles. They were #2 Pitched Battle, and #8 Melee, which I felt worked together well since both were about taking hills as key objectives. The area of operations I laid out for each group was that they could not get within a base width of the opposite road. This was enforced by if they did crossover there was a likely chance of a friendly fire incident. Again, the fire hydrants are the objective points of the battle. 

The UPC Arrayed on the Howling Heights Await the Empire Who are Positioned Around the North Coast and Beech Tree Roads. The UPC's Cavalry Wing is just to the Left. 

The Allies Forces to the South Lead by the Von Mutts with the UPC in Support are Approach the Empire Forces Already in Position on the Dominant Hights of Mount Misery.   

Empire Forces Advancing into the Valley in the North as the UPC Await them on the Howling Heights. The UPC Dragoons are Advancing on the Right to Threaten the Empire's Flank. 

Not Waiting for Their UPC Support the Von Mutts Begin the Hard Climb up Mount Misery to Begin Their Attack. 

As Aggressive as Ever the UPC does not Wait on the Empire and Brings Their Right Flank Infantry Forward to Engage the Empire's Left in a Firefight. For a Change Both Sides Artillery is Causing Damage. 

On Mount Misery the Von Yapping's Assault has been Repulsed, but the Mutts the Whelp Line Regiment have Gotten to the Lower Heights to the Right Flank of the Empire. Meanwhile the UPC is Taking a More Covered Approach Around the Woods. 

In the North Both Forces Have Begun to Engage Each Other Across the Entire Front. The Start of the Great Cavalry Battle can be Seen on the Left. 

Empire Dragoons Launch a Charge into the UPC Cavalry Line Without Waiting for Support. 

The Center of the Allies Lines. UPC Cavalry Working to Support the Howling Hill Fight, While Hunter's Brigade is Advancing to Turn the Flank of Mount Misery. 

The Von Mutts Sweeping the Lower Slope of Mount Misery Clean of Empire Forces. The UPC's General Gruff's Brigade of Lights and Line Moving Forward in Support. The Desperately Needed Empire Reinforcements of General Liftsleg's Brigade are Approaching Fast on the Left. 

The Mid-Point of the Battle Looking from the North to the South. The UPC on the Left Still in Control of Howling Hill. The Empire Forces on the Right still Holding Mount Misery in the Background and the Cavalry Melee in Full Swing at the Center. 

The Same Scene Only This Time Looking from the South to the North. The Empire Position on Mount Misery on the Left, all the Way Down to UPC's Position on Howling Hill in the Upper Right.  

The Center of the UPC's Position on Howling Heights. To the Left is the Great Cavalry Battle. Unseen on the Right the Empire's Grenadiers are Smashing Their Way Forward. 

The Empire Cavalry Moments Before the Storm Breaks. Pawsworth's Dragoon Regiment in the Lead, Followed by Lord Pawling and Canineson's Cuirassier. Their Fate Would Determine the Outcome of the Battle.  

With the Empire's Dragoons Retreated and the Lord Pawling's Cuirassier Routed Along with General Sir Wagstail Being Severely Wounded the Empire Lost its Courage and Retreated.  

This was not an Easy Victory for the Allies. Across the Field They had Lost Many Troops and Also Teetered on the Brink of Collapse, but in the End Found Enough Courage to Hold On to Win.   

The battle was a close affair and while the Allies had made good progress at taking Mount Misery it had cost them dearly. Both armies reached breaking point on the same turn, but the Empire failed their morale check, while the Allies passed theirs. 

With this victory the Allies had captured St. Katts. With the Empire's garrisons on the Sugar Island in tatters they were forced to the peace tables where they conceded the lost Islands. Within a month of the signing of the treaty the Kingdom's Fleet was wreaked by storms putting an end to any future Allies invasions. 

This ends the Spring Campain. The Theater will change back to the west as the Empire again seeks to regain its honor and lost territory. Until that time there are rumblings in the Emperor's Court of conducting La petites guerres against the Kingdom and the Commonwealth to keep them off balance. 

March is a busy month for me with both work and conventions, so less times to run games. The upside is I will have a chance to play more. Sadly, instead of down the road, Adepticon is going to be in Milwaukee. I'm still excited because in addition to seeing lots of my distant friends it is also nostalgic being located in the old Gen Con convention center. 

From the vastly increased numbers of readers over the past few months I am hoping to see a few more comments, and an increase in followers...hint, hint.