AAR 9

From: Baggavout (Bruce Fiolek)

At this year's Jodiecon, I played Baggavout in command of Russia's II Corps to initially defend table C1, then expecting to fall back to help defend table R1 against a suspected French outflanking maneuver from the south if and when it occurred.

A decade ago, after gaming many Napoleonic scenarios using 5mm figures (ugh! never again!) and Avalon Hill's Napoleon's Battles (arg! probably never again!) rules, I learned that fully 50%+ of a game's outcome can result from an army's initial set-up. For this Borodino event, I made a deployment that concealed my troops as much as possible and was most effective against a frontal assault. This same set-up was necessarily most vulnerable from an unexpected flank attack. Aware of this, I depended heavily on receiving warning from Russian cavalry scouts.

From attending prior Jodiecons, Borodino2002 was something I was willing to travel from Nova Scotia for. This year's Jodiecon was the largest single miniatures gaming event I ever participated in. It was also my first miniatures game wherein I, myself, was not directly involved (for the most part) in pushing lead across the tabletop. Both made for a unique gaming experience.

Thursday night's opening action on table C1 found me (and my army commander) reacting to a French feint on the Russian right. This early in the game I felt what it was like to be micromanaged by a superior, but later figured this should probably be expected - while the French attack was only just beginning to unfold, nobody had much else to do (including army commanders.)

Friday morning proved much different. As the French attack on C1 intensified appreciably, my immediate commander, Barclay, suddenly became swamped with higher callings and galloped off. I, too, shifted into some weird mode of gaming I had never experienced before: rather than moving troop stands, I was communicating with other Russian corps commanders and trying to convince them to see the battlefield through my eyes. This would be more difficult than one might think.

The above situation would continue into Friday evening's session except that things seemed to magnify by, say, 2000 times. The volume of enemy firing; the number of enemy cavalry; the deteriorating conditions of my divisional commanders' positions; my own level of frustration at both dealing with the French tide and fellow Russian corps commanders. And, yes, the very event that could unhinge my "perfect" *ahem!* deployment occurred: a completely undetected French flank attack on my left with no warning whatsoever.

Over the years, there have been a handful of boardgames and miniatures games which proved intense enough so that after we stopped playing for the night, I was so wound up it took awhile to calm down long enough before falling asleep. Here, too, I went to bed late Saturday night exhausted. I passed a fitful night, dreaming almost constantly.

At this point, I would like to indicate that "other" side of gaming: that twilight zone containing dynamics of interacting with people. As a corps commander in a game of Borodino 2002's scale and having players running all my divisional commands, I experienced what it is to deal with superiors, peers, and subordinates - and all the concerns this entails...especially when the pressure is on. (And the French on table C1 did keep the pressure on!) All I will say is that it is quite different from dealing with one or two neighboring players, some game charts, and dice.

Saturday morning, one of my divisional generals [Norman Stewart] had to run his own assigned command on table C3 and I stepped in to take over his division within my corps. Thus began a whole new nightmarish experience: extricating one's troops from enemy contact. Yeesh.

In brief:
1/3 of the division was sacrificed as a rearguard on table C1.
2/3 escaped C1 onto table R1. Of these, 1/2 were then swept away in an entirely new French flank attack appearing from the south onto R1. The expected outflanking force. (Again, no notification about its arrival.)
In the end, 1/3 of the division's initial strength made it to safety behind the new Russian lines on R1.

Saturday night was a moment of relative inactivity for myself as the torch was passed to others. My second divisional general, Olsouviev, the "Rock of Borodino" [Jim Meersand], was still fighting for his life on table C1 against the godless French.

These are other clearly remembered moments I will carry for some time:

• Raw anger towards II Cav Corps, Korff, upon seeing French troops enter onto the south end of table C1 near my left elbow.
• Consternation at seeing my divisional general, Eugene of Wurttemberg, march his troops from the safety of Utitza village (to support other units under his command.)
• Frustration after failing to convince our Chief of Artillery, Kutaisov, to support my II Corps' position on C1.
• Raw jubilation towards II Cav Corps, Korff, upon seeing his initial Russian cavalry charge - the entire width of table R1 - sweep ugly French troopers back into their own lines.
• Amazement at Olsouviev for (a) having the troops to spare, and (b) actually sparing them to re-occupy Utitza.
• Dismay upon finally clearing the pursuing French with my beleaguered Division Eugene of Wurttemberg and finding the secondary Russian line of defense on Utitza Rise (on table R1) in almost complete disarray.

Believe it or not, the above moments strangely also rank among my fondest memories; for me they illustrate most the examples what it might be (in some distant fashion) to run an intermediate command. One can push figures on a tabletop in nearly any miniatures game. Running a corps in an event like Borodino2002 provides for something else entirely.

I echo the thanks already handed out to the many Jodiecon organizers and referees, particularly Jodie & Pete Panzeri and Fred Hubig for organizing such a large-scale event. It was nice to recognize some familiar faces and meet new friends. (This especially includes AJ [Barclay], Don [Kutaizov], Norm [Eugene of Wurttemberg], and Tom [Korff], each of whom I bash to some degree above.) It is somewhat mysterious how the hobby of wargaming can promote such a camaraderie among initial strangers. Actually, the only person I might serious bash is myself for allowing my corps to be so thoroughly trounced by the French onslaught. If only, if only, if only.... I believe Nate made a nice point when he announced, almost as an afterthought, during Sunday's dinner, "...don't torture yourself too much; many historical figures probably wished they'd done many things differently, too."

Although next time, I want to be a Russian player on table C4. (heh, heh. just kidding.)

- Baggavout
(aka Bruce Fiolek)