Ambler Gamers invade West Point!

In the past year, I have had the pleasure of joining the Ambler Gamers. A more convivial and inviting group of wargamers you are not likely to meet.  Anyhow, the reputation of our group has reached all the way up to the banks of the Hudson River, and for the past several years, the Ambler Gamers have been invited up to West Point to run games for the cadets and the Military History faculty.  I went along for the ride this year to help out, and I had as much fun as the cadets.  Which is to say: a lot.

Pilch, Joe, and Scott set up one game, a big Napoleonics brawl between the French and their allies on one side and an Austrian/Russian force on the other.  I think there were close to a thousand figures on the table.

Mark and Turn set up the other game in the Military History Library: a Thirty Years War battle.  Love the look of the Tercios!

The Military History library was a distraction, to say the least. I could have spent all day just leafing through the Masters' theses in one stack.

Les Francais vienent!

Some sneaky Austrians try to hide behind a house.

And the Russians do what Russians do best: doggedly swarm into battle.

Our club mascot! It's a long (but very charming) story.

Behold the pointy sticks!

Cool Imperialist cavalry.  By turn two, I think most of it was gone.

Joe explains the rules

Looking the other way down the table.  The French are to the right, the Russian/Austrian force is to the left.

Back in the 30YW room.  The pikes creep forward, while the cavalry mixes it up.

The French move to capture the two objectives. Scott explains how to treat his Austrians with care.

My attention was largely on the other end of the table from this one, but from what I saw, it was a wild back-and-forth battle. 

Joe loves surprises, and on turn three, brigades of heavy cavalry gave each side a boost (and the other side panic attacks).  In the end, the French carried the day, but not before many exciting moments, improbable die rolls, and good times.