1866 Game Report

As I suspected, it turned out to be a difficult task for the Austrians to win the game. While the Austrians had approximately a 25% advantage in the size of their army compared to the Prussians, the Prussian edge in firepower made all the difference (and correctly so).

The Austrians (right side in the photo) suffered throughout the game with poor movement rolls in the center. Their two main command groups in the center seemed to be immobile throughout most of the game (too many 1's rolled!). This allowed the Prussian artillery concentration to ignore any pressure on the center and pound the Austrian advance on the hill and wood at the bottom of the photo. The Austrian advance soon melted away like snow on a warm day. Few melees in the game as firepower tended to send units packing before they closed. The Prussian flank commanders seemed to feel threatened, but to my eyes as the game umpire, the Austrians never really had a chance at cracking the Prussian line. They looked good advance with flags waving though!

The game lasted around 4 1/2 hours - not bad for a total of over 50 units on the table...and a lot of talk!

On a side note - great bike ride yesterday. About 200 miles, mid 80 degrees, little wind. Absolutely gorgeous. That's what makes Colorado the most beautiful state in the US. Unless you're thinking of moving here...in which case the weather is always bad and you should stay away....we don't need more road congestion.

Broncos vs. Chargers tonight. Given the fact that the Broncos average margin of loss to the Chargers over the last few years is over 20 points, I'm hopeful that things might be different tonight. We'll see.....