Scenarios for Blucher
Our group has played some great games using Honour Games' Blucher rules. Like so many sets by Sam Mustafa, they are deceptively simple: even small rules elements can have an important effect on play.
I produced the attached prompt sheet to help our new players get into the rules as quickly as possible. The notes on it are not immediately visible in the quick reference sheets in the rulebook. When we play with 15mm figures we use 80mm-wide units and a 1BW to 3" playing scale. With 6mm figures we use 60mm-wide units and 1BW is 2”.
| blücher_reminders.pdf |
| blücher_reminders_1bw__2”.pdf |
Blucher scenario 1. The Danube Valley, 21 April 1809: the combat at Laichling
This scenario for two players covers the confrontation between Davout's Immortals and Rosenberg's IV Austrian Corps on the day before the battle of Eckmühl.
| blücher_scenario_laichling_1809.pdf |
Blucher scenario 2. Mockern, 16 October 1813
This scenario is relatively small for Blucher and plays out in two to three hours. The challenge for the Prussians is to keep up the pressure on the French left. The French should try to keep reserves to hand to regain lost real estate before the Prussians dig in. The French player should not take risks with his resources: however tempting, he is better advised to keep his reserves in check rather than go looking for trouble in the Prussian lines. Aggressive cavalry commanders should beware!
| blücher_scenario_leipzig_1813_möckern.pdf |
Blucher scenario 3. Montmirail, 11 February 1814
This is a scenario for Blücher using the small scale in the rule book. I wrote two blog posts about it, one on planning the scenario and one battle report. Small numbers of high quality French Guards take on greater numbers of Russians and Prussians. A chance to get stuck in with the Old Guard for once.
| blucher_scenario_montmirail_1814.pdf |
Blucher scenario 4. Battle of Leipzig. Wachau 16 October 1813
This is the Blucher version of the afternoon fight on the first day of Leipzig. For over 20 years, I have used the Leipzig order of battle as a guide for steadily growing my 15mm Napoleonic armies, first for Napoleon’s Battles and now for Blucher. Having recently completed the French Allied units for Macdonald’s XI Corps, I now have figures for every brigade that was present on the Southern Front on Day 1.. I hope to run it as a multiplayer game during 2022.
| blücher_scenario_leipzig_1813_wachau.pdf |
Blücher scenario 5. Battle of Kulm, 29 August 1813
Recently I have been reading a bit about General Vandamme, the straight-talking, downright unpleasant character of whom Napoleon supposedly said that had there been two Vandammes in his army, he’d have had one of them hang the other. At Kulm in August 1813, Vandamme paid dearly for his Emperor’s failure to mount an aggressive pursuit of the army of Bohemia, after the latter’s defeat and retreat from Dresden. Instead of being half of a pincer movement designed to destroy the Allied army, Vandamme was himself to be caught between two Allied forces and captured. The scenario below covers the first encounter between Vandamme and Ostermann-Tolstoy’s Russians, before the French general realised he was outnumbered and unsupported against an aggressive enemy.
| blucher_scenario_kulm_1813.pdf |
Blucher scenario 6. Battle of Abensberg, 20 April 1809
In sumner 2024 we played this scenario with two groups of 6 players. The game is untypical as the terrain is quite close and unit density is small, at least at the start. Also the front line changes a lot as the Franco-Bavarians enter from different compass points. It is a chance to give centre stage to your Bavarian and Württemberg figures: such a splash of colour! Both games were great fun.
| abensberg_blucher_scenario_1_.pdf |
Blucher scenario 7. Battle of Lubino, 19 August 1812
We played this game from Napoleon’s invasion of Russia twice in January 2025. The French and their allies have to break through the Russian rearguard and disrupt the retreat of the main army, while the outnumbered Russians have to cling on, feeding reinforcements into the line and buying time for the rest of the army.
| lubino_blucher_scenario_1_.pdf |
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Waterloo, 18 June 1815
This is the order of battle and reinforcement schedule we used for our Blücher refight of Waterloo, described In my blog posts on planning and playing the game. The starting point for the Unit strengths are Sam Mustafa's 100 Days cards.
I did not produce my own map at the time, so don't have one to share I'm afraid. I based the measurements (at 1BW to 300 yards) on the Waterloo Companion by Adkin.p
I did not produce my own map at the time, so don't have one to share I'm afraid. I based the measurements (at 1BW to 300 yards) on the Waterloo Companion by Adkin.p
| waterloo_18152015.pdf |
Waterloo revisited (2023 scenario)
On 18 June 2023 we played Waterloo again, with a few scenario tweaks. I think they made for a better game. The Briefing notes and Orders of Battle are attached.
| waterloo_1815_2015.pdf |
| waterloo_2023.pdf |
Ligny, 16 June 1815
This is the Order of Battle we used for our Ligny scenario, using Sam Mustafa’s 100 Days cards and various makers’ soft plastic 1/72 scale figures.
| ligny_orders_of_battle_for_blücher.pdf |