Strategies/Tactics

[Forrest Atterberry]

Had a most excellent game of 'Last Days' the past weekend. It was a three player game with all of us playing for the first time. I'm curious as to what strategies/tactics are used by both French and Allied players out there. Crossing the Sambre quickly is the first critical thing the French player must do. Any thoughts out there about the best way to do this?

[kzucker]

Forrest,

I usually cross the bulk of forces right at Charleroi, keeping as much of the force in road march as possible. With your permission, I am posting your further comments on the game that you sent me by email:

...played 'Last Days of the Grande Armee'. I got the French, Pablo the
Prussians, and Jon our third player taking the Brits. It was the first time
for all of us to play it. It took two turns of a little stumbling on our
part but the game flowed well afterwards. The game was a bloodletting on
both sides. In the end the allies came away with a win. We figured out the
Imp Guard is dead hard in this game. The allies hated when ever the Guard
was involved in a battle. The thing that killed me on the french side was I
rolled about 12 or so 'fives or sixes' when trying to reorganize demoralized
units from the UAR to the board. We got a good laugh out of the string of
die rolls.

[Forrest Atterberry]

Kevin,

So do you set up your pontoons one on the Marcinelle-Charleroi hexside and the other just to the east at the 1411-1511 hexside?

[kzucker]

Forrest,

Marcinelle makes sense since it allows units not in Road March to cross for free- stacks can cross all at once. That speeds up the passage of the army and reduces the traffic jam. 1411/1511 seems the most logical place for the other one.