Touring the battlefield, then gaming the battle

[Chris Pringle]

I had an amazing Thanksgiving week: flew to the US, wargamed the ACW battles around Petersburg in 1864-1865, spent three days visiting the battlefields, had wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, then wargamed Petersburg twice more.

Wargaming the battle first helped us to understand the battlefields we were walking over; walking the battlefields then helped to inform the wargames.

This was a very special experience. I'm sure many on this forum have done similar, but I recommend it to those who haven't. I've reported it on the BBBBlog:
https://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-game-of-battlefield-tour-petersburg.html

[streetgang]

Very good report and nice looking tabletop with all of those 15mm Old Glory and the scenery. I have the BBB rules and several supplements, one day I will have to get to playing them.

The one time I had a similar experience where I gamed the battle, visited the battlefield and then gamed it again was Palo Alto from the Mexican American War.

Seeing the battlefield firsthand made me appreciate the terrain. Specifically how the entire are was covered in uneven scrub grass with razor sharp leaf blades and thorny branches. Furthermore there were signs present warning of rattlesnakes. The ground was so inhospitable that there were wooden boardwalks constructed to allow the visitor to safely navigate the battlefield.

The initial battle report here: https://lecoqfou.blogspot.com/2023/02/palo-alto-real-thing-sort-of.html

The battlefield visit here: https://lecoqfou.blogspot.com/2023/09/palo-alto-and-resaca-de-la-palma-visits.html

[Ithoriel]

Both experiences sound great and you clearly both made the most of them. Though rattlesnakes and organic barbed wire made me hope the boardwalks were well above ground level!

Alas the battlefields I'd be interested in are largely lost to history. Where were Mons Graupius, The Catalaunian Plain, Boudicca's last stand, Megiddo or The Field of the Gu'Edina actually fought? Perhaps I need to cultivate an interest in things more modern!

Both AARs were an interesting read so thanks for posting this.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Amazing guys

[Matt J]

Alas the battlefields I'd be interested in are largely lost to history. Where were Mons Graupius, The Catalaunian Plain, Boudicca's last stand, Megiddo or The Field of the Gu'Edina actually fought? Perhaps I need to cultivate an interest in things more modern!

Aye, damn sure Caratacus's last battle was fought up the road from me at Church Stretton (walked it countless times). Not a fig chance of proving it!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

I love the Paradox ridges, and while the A49 is definitely a Roman road, it's more likely Carausius last stand is probably near Caersws In Powys, it's a closer geographical match for the battlefield.
There are no extant marching forts of the right size/era between Wroxeter and Lentwardine.

[Steve J]

Very nice to be able to tour the battlefield and then play a game, as both really help you understand how and possibly why actions unfolded as they did. I've watched some Youtube videos of the Gettysburg battlefield with their tour guides, and at points I was surprised at how close various points were compared to just seeing them on the map.

With BBB when playing the APW and FPW, reading accounts of the battles and then playing them has really enriched the experience of the latter and understanding of the former. We have Landsdown Hill near us and when walking over it you really can see why certain actions happened due to the nature of the terrain, especially some of the critical lines-of-sight.

[Chris Pringle]

Thanks, everyone.

Streetgang: I enjoyed your reports too. Your visit to Palo Alto in memory of your friend was very poignant and evidently extra special because of that.

I'd like to go to Flodden some time. Not because I've any interest in the battle as a tactical exercise - it's just another tedious pre-Napoleonic line-out - but five of my clan fell there.