FOGH Club Games – Saturday 14th December

The last club before Christmas is by tradition the Friends of General Haig’s Big Christmas Game, followed by a slap up dinner and a night on the town. This year was no different. There was a great turn-out for the big game.

28mm ACW – Gettysburg Day 2 – Black Powder with Glory Hallelujah supplement

The game was chosen to feature several Friends’ new collections of 28mm American Civil War (ACW). A scenario was developed based on the Confederate attack towards the Little Round Top on the second day of Gettysburg. We used the optional and special rules, from the Warlord Games Glory Hallelujah supplement, when we could remember how they worked!

It was a truly epic looking game with seemingly endless lines of Rebel grey crashing against the lines of Federal blue. It was very hard fought game with many brigades broken on both sides. The Confederates launched attacks across the table and slowly forced back the Federal defenders. It seemed as though the first line of Union troops might hold back the tide of grey, but once the Rebel gun batteries were brought up the Union front line was finally thrown back. However the Union front line had held on long enough for their fast marching reserves to have deployed to continue the fight.

With the light fading, and the Friends’ thoughts turning to beer and roast turkey, time was called. Honours were roughly even on the number of brigades broken, but the Union held the key objective of the Little Round Top and so the day was declared a Federal victory.

FOGH 2024 Club Awards, and Resolutions for 2025

The lavish FOGH Christmas Dinner and Dance event featured the ever popular FOGH 2024 awards ceremony, along with Friends pledging their various wargaming projects for 2025.

Best FOGH Game of 2024 – The winner of this prestigious award was Kelly for his ‘Epic’ Gross Beeren 1813 game. Honourable mention to Jerry’s Aughrim 1691.

The FOGH Pete Howe Memorial Trophy for the most epically disastrous cavalry charge of the year went to the Covenanter cavalry in both refights of Aberdeen / Justice Mills 1644. In both games the massed Scottish Government horsemen were held off and then routed, pretty much single handily, by Alasdair Mac Colla, The Devastator!

The FOGH Best Wargame Manufacturer of the year was a surprise win for Skytrex Miniatures. Well done Skytrex!

The following Wargames Project pledges for 2025 were made by the Friends in attendance.

• Kelly – 1813 ‘Epic’ Club Campaign
• Tony – 28mm Landsknechts
• Andy 2 – 28mm Italian Wars
• Nic – 28mm French Napoleonics
• John – 28mm Japanese for Bolt Action
• David SA – 28mm New Model Army
• Roger – 28mm Baltic Crusade
• Jerry – 28mm Battle of Klessin Castle 1945 for Bolt Action
• Paul – 28mm Third Crusade
• JW – Turn up at least once! 28mm Sudan, 15mm WW2 (with lots of Cromwells), 28mm Pony Wars
• Pete (phoned in) – 28mm Little Big Horn (1:1)
• Dave – 28mm Napoleonic French Imperial Guard and Austrians for 1809
• Andy 1 – 28mm Napoleonic Skirmish in the Peninsula, 28mm Janissaries.

A review of last year’s resolutions showed there had been many successes, with some misses. Honourable mention to Pete, who didn’t quite manage putting on a different game/period each month, but who made a sterling effort and did get in to double figures.

As this is the final blog of the years the Friend of General Haig would like to take this opportunity to wish all gamers, near and far, a very Merry Christmas and productive New Year!