Recently, I came across a new Kickstarter from Against the Odds Magazine for their new Annual issue that will include a new game called La Bataille de Kulm. The game comes in the format Against the Odds Magazine calls an “Annual,” which provides both a larger game and more magazine pages than one of our regular issues. The game is designed by Limbet Tohver and I reached out to him and he was willing to answer our questions on the game.

If you are interested in La Bataille de Kulm in Against the Odds Magazine, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atomagazine/la-bataille-de-kulm

Grant: Lembit welcome to our blog. First off please tell us a little about yourself. What are your hobbies? What’s your day job?

Lembit: I have been gaming since 1967 when I first bought Afrika Korps by AH. I have worn many hats during my life (Active Canadian military service, Security guard, Telephony warehouse manager, Game distributor employee, Call center rep, Renovations manager) which has given me lots of different experiences to rely on. I am in a wheelchair these days after losing my right leg. I am currently retired and take on contracts for game development/design if I am up to it.

Grant: What motivated you to break into game design? What have you enjoyed most about the experience thus far?

Lembit: I started designing games in the 70’s when I decided that a game I had didn’t do it quite right and I decided to make my own version. Most of my designs sit in a filing cabinet, but some have been published by Against the Odds Magazine and Turning Point Simulations. Seeing one of my games get produced professionally is the great enjoyment for me.

Grant: What is your upcoming game La Bataile de Kulm?

Lembit: It is about a battle fought soon after the Battle of Dresden ended, between Marshal Vandamme’s French I Corps and the Allied Coalition’s Austrian, Prussian, and Russian Corps.

Grant: What does the subtitle “Napoleon’s Hunters Became the Hunted” mean? What should it convey to the players about the game?

Lembit: Napoleon had sent Vandamme’s I Corps to block and trap the Coalition forces retreating from Dresden, but instead additional (and unexpected) Coalition units arrived in Vandamme’s rear and captured a substantial amount of French troops as well as the Marshal himself. The tables turned as they say!

Grant: For those that don’t know, what are the hallmarks of the La Bataille Series?

Lembit: For myself, it is the beautiful maps and counters. There are 2 maps and both are wonderfully crisp in presenting game-important visual information, while also retaining a period “feel” that puts the gamer soul at ease. They are works of art…but functional art. We set out to match the Kulm map art style to “Dresde” because the battles were so connected…AND WE DID! 

But, the La Bataille Series are games simulating grand tactical Napoleonic combat. The games are based on historical battles, have detailed Orders of Battle, and can range from small (the space of a coffee table) to “monster game” size (4 or more full maps.) They use the battalion as the primary unit size and 125 yards per hexagon. Units are measured in steps, each step being 100 infantry, 50 cavalry or 1 gun.

Grant: What is the scale of the Kulm game? Force structure of the units?

Lembit: Individual leaders, Regimental/Battalion size units, approximately 100 meters per hex.

Grant: What research did you do to create and refine the Orders of Battle?

Lembit: I used George Nafziger’s material as my primary resource and verified it as much as possible with other sources. It is very important to verify historical information when found with another source and compare so that the “truth” can be found out.

Grant: What one must read source on the battle would you recommend to interested readers?

Lembit: I highly recommend The Lost Opportunity: The Battle of Kulm, August 29th – 30th, 1813 by Graham J. Morris. Graham takes a look at the battle in a bit of different way and asks several interesting questions. Kulm may not be one of the great battles of history, but it could have been the deciding factor in a resurgence of Napoleon’s control of Germany. Had the French emperor put himself at the head of the pursuit after Dresden instead of turning his back on the main chance and trying to deal with the disasters that had occurred at Gross Beeren and on the Katzbach, which, although they were indeed a course of real concern, would have been negated by the destruction of the Army of Bohemia, and possibly even the capture of all three allied monarchs. Indeed, the facts that have emerged concerning the actual state of the allied retreat after Dresden make it clear that the way in which they were distributed could, with constant harassment, have resulted in their being defeated in detail before they would have been able to form a united front.

Grant: What is the anatomy of the unit counters?

Lembit: The front of the counter displays the unit wearing a stylized uniform, strength points, unit designation, and movement allowance. A colored bar helps to identify the upper command for organization. The back of the counter has the particular values for the unit’s melee, column fire value, range and morale ratings.  

Grant: What is important to model from Napoleon’s 1813 campaign?

Lembit: The inexperience of the French “Marie-Louis” troops in this battle is important to model. Newly raised (stamped out of the ground, really) and with minimal training, they still put up a heck of a fight.

Grant: What does the comment “it plays like a hex-and-counter equivalent of playing miniatures” mean?

Lembit: The game emulates many of the aspects that Napoleonic miniatures enthusiasts enjoy by modeling unit formations (column, line and square), firepower and morale. You have separate melee and gun fire phases. There is a charge phase for cavalry.

Grant: What are the slightly streamlined Premier rules? How do they differ from the more complex rules used in the other La Bataille Series games?

Lembit: By numbering the rules, breaking them up so that they are not paragraph style which allows players to easily reference them. Something wonderful about the La Bataille system is that it offers a range of rules complexity, to suit the taste of each gamer. Those who want a game that simulates tactical details of Napoleonic battle have a full collection to suit their focus. Those wanting something of “medium” complexity are taken care of as well. 

Grant: What is the layout of the board? What area of Dresden is covered?

Lembit: It is the battle area around Kulm in which the engagement occurred. Dresden is well north of the Kulm map, around 2 days march, so the Kulm map doesn’t cover any of Dresden. Remember that the Allied units are initially fleeing from Dresden being pursued by Vandamme (the “Hunters” from the title).

Grant: What different scenarios are included?

Lembit: August 29 (Day 1), August 30 (Day 2), Days 1 & 2 together, and finally a 3-player scenario for Day 2.

Grant: What background articles and interesting stories are included in the Annual version of this game in Against the Odds Magazine?

Lembit: Planned material in the issue so far includes the main article detailing the historical battle of Kulm, and auxiliary stories consisting of biographies of the two opposing leaders (Vandamme and Ostermann-Tolstoy), a look at the state of training and proficiency on both sides by this time, and of course some what ifs about the battle, the aftermath, and the events preceding it. More if it fits!

Grant: What are you most pleased with about the design?

Lembit: Despite the dramatic force ratios that fluctuated throughout the battle, I am very pleased that the Victory conditions were worked out that gave both sides a relatively equal chance to win.

Grant: What other designs are you mulling over?           

Lembit: I’m of an age and physical health now where I am unable to begin a new design, but I am reviewing my game I designed years ago on the second day (June 7) of the Canadian advance on D-Day where the 12th SS (Hitler Youth) violently counter-attacked them.

If you are interested in La Bataille de Kulm in Against the Odds Magazine, you can back the project on the Kickstarter page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atomagazine/la-bataille-de-kulm

-Grant