Our game for Crisis: An Imperial disaster !

Finally Crisis 2014  is almost here and I'm really looking forward to this event. In my wargaming schedule it's the second ledger and it's an excellent opportunity to undertake a trip with friends before the stressful preparations for Christmas begin.

Belgian troops on their march to Puabla.

This year our club prepared a participation game taking place in the 1860s during the second French intervention in Mexico. During this so called Maximilian affair the French invaded Mexico and tried to install archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria as Mexican emperor and puppet ruler under their influence. After first successes Maximilian took over the reign in early 1864 but the Mexican opposition of former Benito Juárez never accepted him. Finally when the American Civil War was over the United States insisted on their Monroe Doctrine. Therefore the French decided to withdraw and dropped Maximilian like a hot stone. The emperor himself wasn't able to stabilise his power and underlay Juárez and his republican followers. In the end he was arrested and sentenced to death in 1867. On 14th May 1867 Mexico's last emperor was killed by a firing squad.

The Belgians marching on...

For Crisis we prepared a game following the 3rd battle of Puebla in 1867. Main part of it is a rearguard battle. The remains of the imperial and multi-national troops that stood true to Maximilian have to reach the strong Bastion of Guadalupe while the republicans try to cut them off from two sides.

French troops holding the fortress.

This year most of the work was done by our wargaming fellow Kalle whose special subject the Maximilian adventure is. But most other members supported the project with smaller or larger efforts: Preparing the boards, painting loads of miniatures, finishing some terrain pieces, creating a leaflet and so on. But most enjoyable of course was it to see everything come together in the games we played.

Multi-National troops unfold to face the republicans threatening their flank.

The game will be played after Warlord Games Blackpowder ruleset with stats for the units and special rules were re-designed for this very special conflict. We'll present the game on a 3.25m by 1.50m table and employ more than 400 miniatures by various companies, mostly Gringo 40s and Wargames Foundry.

The vanguard of the retreatng troops reach the bastion.

One of the centre pieces of the game is the fortress which our fellow Michael built about two years ago. Here he presented an interesting WIP diary and a couple of detail pictures.

The republicans chasing the flanks...

If you want to know more about Crisis then have a look at the website of TSA (Tin Soldiers of Antwerp) who host this event each November. We're on g4B01 in the center of the main hangar. You should find it easily on the map the TSA offer on their homepage (here). If you want to know who else is there, you'll need their legend (download link below the map).

During the next days I'll hopefully present a link to our club's page covering the game which is still under construction. However we'll have a PDF of our leaftlet there which is definitely worth having a look at. But that'll follow later...

I hope to see some of you in Antwerp !