12: PAUSE IN BATTLE REPORT

The preceding battle report and its yet-to-come continuation and conclusion (hopefully in the not-too-distant-future!) covers a refight of Maiwand held over the course of several different days, but which actually ran very quickly.

The longest-running version we've played so far was the original "Mother of All Maiwand's" fought using slightly home-customized "big battle" TSATF variant on July 27th, the Battle's 130th Anniversary, which lasted about 15 hours -- almost four times as long as the battle itself.

The refight at the Pacificon Game Expo, played using Black Powder, was shorter and sweeter -- maybe 6 hours all told -- but involved slightly smaller armies on both sides.

This version used 800 FIGHTING ENGLISHMEN -- the official "radical" big-battle variant of the TSATF -- and I must say we found the streamlined movement and command elements of the rules fantastic. I'm not sure how long the game lasted altogether but I don't think it all added up to more than 4 or 5 hours of actual playing time.

The firing system worked fine but for us the melee left something to be desired and we wound up reverting to "classic" TSATF for hand-to-hand combat, albeit without the traditional "+1" for leaders.

The speed with which we were able to play was a happy surprise and this was actually the first time we ever managed to fight the battle all the way through to the very bitter end. And bitter it was to be sure.

More of that in the day(s) to come, hopefully sooner rather than later...