"How often do you "repurpose" a battle?" Topic

I was trying to think up a Franco-Prussian scenario for next weekend and, as I'm rereading Sears' Gettysburg, it occurred to me to refight the famous battle using the forces from 1870. It will be 5 1/2 corps of Prussians (Confederates) against 4 corps of French (Union) with some random entry timing to mix it up a bit. I'll use Bloody Big Battles which is my current go-to set for late 19th century Horse & Musket.

So the question is, how often do you "borrow" a historical battle and place it in an alternative time period?

I do this quite often. I find that historical battles are much more interesting than scenarios people make up -- in general. I have a number of scenarios I have run in different historical periods.

In fact, we did this as a professional development event for a US Army Signal battalion near us a couple years back. See: bucksurdu.com/blog/?p=3350

While I have not done it, I do think it is a neat idea.

What a great event you ran! I really like the concept of fighting the same encounter with different technologies. I might have to try Gettysburg with WWII or Colonial forces next to see how it fights. :)

I love doing so. I have lost count of how many historical battles I have 'translated into some Science Fiction or Fantasy game. They tend to go over pretty well with players.

Yes I do this too, its nearly always to the good.

I was just thinking about something like this the other day. The Peloponnesian War using modern Greek units.

I love the idea. I re-fought the Antietam battlefield with Franco Prussian forces when I was younger and had a sand table. Still one of my fondest memories. I would like to do Waterloo in 1870 at some point. Gettysburg sounds like a great time!

I like it and have done it. I think the trick is to recognize the limits. A lot of what makes Gettysburg what it is is the staggered arrival of the forces. Works fine from the Napoleonic Wars down to FPW, or maybe fall 1914. But it looks distinctly odd for SYW. At different tactical levels, other things apply. (The defense of Little Round Top might work for AWI, but could anyone see Fredrician Grenadiers deployed on such terrain?)

Anyway, I still have great hopes of a mitteleuropean horse & musket campaign set in the Shenandoah Valley.

Interesting that you posted that Robert. I am just looking at S&T's Shenandoah campaign and wondering if it would work for the FPW.

I have done this on occasion.

occasionally

I did a Italian Unification one that I tried to convince on side that they were fighting a Napoleonic battle.

but could anyone see Fredrician Grenadiers deployed on such terrain?)

Lobositz. Ok, not THAT close terrain, but still…

Heck. I have done a battleech scenario based on Gettysburg. The possibilities are endless.

Fair bit – as noted, it makes for a lot of fun

My next up is day 2 of Gettysburg using Napoleoics