A Return of the Big Sunday Game - The Great Paraguayan War

 As readers of Marks 1866 Blog will know, we got back together for a group game yesterday for the first time in several months - details here 1866 and all that: A Game…at Last! (stracmark.blogspot.com)

This was a large all day Great Paraguayan War game using all the Perry figures Mark has collected and painted over the last year or so. Paul and I were the Paraguayans with Mark commanding the Argentinians, John the Brazilians and Rick a very small Uruguayan force. The Paraguayans had 10 infantry battalions, a couple of batteries and five units of cavalry - the combined enemy had 20 battalions plus twice as many guns, but less cavalry I think

I know literally nothing about the war and it was a fictional battle so I will just post all the photos and add a few words when I think its appropriate

The scenario saw a force of Paraguayans garrisoning a fort on a river, but with the enemy arriving to their rear - although the three separate forces arrived piecemeal.

View from the Paraguayan end of the table mid game

View from the Brazilian end of the table after the first move or two

As the two smaller forces were within striking distance and the larger Brazilian force w way off at the far distant end of the table, Paul and I planned to advance rapidly to attempt to destroy or at least "write down" the Argies and Uruguayans before the other half of their army arrived

Uruguayan cavalry advance, looking very dashing in their red uniforms!

Blue coated Argentinian infantry await the onslaught

In the distance, the Brazilians advance - rather quickly as it happened, as John kept rolling high and getting a time and a half move!

My lancers get ready to charge

While the enormous fortress guns (range 2000mm) pummeled Ricks Uruguayans (fantastic 3D printed models Mark got from Australia, with Perry crews and lovely positions hand built by Mark)

The guns are based on a circular piece of steel, with a magnet in the base, allowing them to pivot 360 degrees

The lancers charge, but one regiment failed to close due to the weight of defensive fire and although the second got in, it was shaken and only managed to beat the infantry 2 casualties to 1, causing a push back but nothing more

And then some Argentinian cavalry arrived to help their infantry colleagues

The unexpectedly rapid advance by the Brazilians put paid to our plan to defeat the other forces in detail and we pulled back to our emplacement for a defensive slog

The inexorable advance of the Brazilian column of death!

Paul's cavalry also charged one of the leading Brazilian infantry units but suffered a similar fate as mine had against the Argentinians

Marks victorious Argentian cavalry meanwhile had pursued and destroyed my two remaining cavalry units - about an hour into the game and I had lost all four units of Paraguayan cavalry!

The Argentinians close in on two battalions of Paraguayan infantry in the tree line 

And those bloody Brazilians are lining up on my other two units!

On Paul's flank, yet more Brazilian infantry, supported by four batteries of guns

In a desperate final act, the last remaining Paraguayan unit in the woods charges the two shaken Brazilian units to its front - they had a chance of success, but it did not end well....

Paul, on the other hand, blasted the leading Brazilian unit with cannons and close range musketry, forcing them to rout through the supporting lines, and then followed up with a charge and break through that accounted for two more units - in one turn, a force of six battalions was halved!

And next turn, for probably the one and only time in the game, John rolled a 1 rather than a 6 for his brigade activation, and the three routing units quit the field. Marks Argentinians suffered a similar set back, and all of a sudden, despite the fact only a single artillery battery remained of my original four cavalry and four infantry units, the Paraguayan position was looking pretty solid - I think Paul only lost his cavalry and still had six or eight near full strength battalions under command

Final view of my flank - the two Brazilian units at the top (in line) were pretty close to breaking point too

Following is a collection of extra "eye candy" shots from John, the commander of the large Brazilian force

A great days gaming with some good friends although there were several absences. Our host Barry, at whose house the rather splendid table and scenery etc resides, was unfortunately back in hospital (he and his wife kindly insisted we carry on with the planned game) Chris was out of town visiting his mum, Julian is on a month long pleasure trip to the US and Nick is on a business trip to Europe and the UK.