Kriegsspiel at the Armchair Dragoons 2026 Fall Assembly

Paul LaFontaine, 25 October 2026

Kriegsspiel at the Armchair Dragoons 2026 Fall Assembly
Or: “Why Felt is an Inferior Spoiler Foiler”

On October 9, I umpired a Kriegsspiel at the Armchair Dragoons Fall Assembly. It was a lot of fun, offering valuable lessons and an opportunity to play with both old friends and new participants. 

If live Kriegsspiel is played in a variety of environments, both live and online, the Armchair Dragoons events are where in-person play has had a laboratory to perfect techniques. From playing the Kriegsspiel format with James Sterrett three years ago to repeated sessions at Origins and now the Fall Assembly, we’ve refined the methods of running these Kriegsspiels with experienced wargamers of all kinds.

most images can click to enlarge

The reference to felt in the subtitle comes from my attempt to conceal the pieces before play. It is a normal thing for players to roam the tables having a look before the game starts, and it is better they don’t see how many units are allocated per table in order to not spoil the fog of war. I was using a felt sheet to cover the pieces. When I lifted that covering at the start of the game, the pieces stuck to the felt and scattered in every direction, a deficiency to be corrected before the next Armchair Dragoons event. This is an example of the very tactical lessons that come from these sessions. 

The scenario brought together nine players and one assistant umpire, with seven command tables from which players controlled a variety of forces. We recreated the 1866 Battle of Trautenau, the only Prussian battlefield defeat of the Austro-Prussian War.

Historical Battle

In the historical battle, the Austrians deployed a corps to northeastern Bohemia to impede the advance of the Prussian Second Army. The Austrian commander positioned his first two brigades to exploit terrain that would complicate the Prussian advance. The Prussians, meanwhile, sent a corps forward to secure the approaches beyond the mountain passes, allowing the remainder of the Second Army to enter Bohemia. As additional Austrian brigades arrived and the Prussians established positions along the river, the opposing forces converged on Trautenau.

The Austrians, here in red, took position on the high ground overlooking the river and Trautenau. The Prussians, shown here in blue, crossed the river, after which their commander ordered a regiment sized advance guard to attack uphill from the town and dislodge an Austrian brigade on the high ground. The attack failed after repeated attempts. 

As additional reinforcing brigades arrived, the Austrian commander ordered a counterattack that pressed the Prussians hard. Compounded by Prussian misunderstandings of the situation and uncoordinated attacks that made no progress, the Prussians lost their nerve at day’s end and withdrew back across the mountains. This was the only Prussian loss of the war, and the commander of the Prussian force was relieved for his mishandling of the situation. 

Fall Assembly Game

The scenario offers a well-balanced contest with meaningful decisions for both sides. The Prussians must establish a secure zone south of the river for the main army to advance, while the Austrians must prevent them from doing so. The flexibility and uncertainty of an advance guard engagement creates excellent conditions for a dynamic Kriegsspiel.

The Austrian players planned a forward defense, deploying one brigade into Trautenau and another east of the river to secure the bridges. Knowing reinforcements were on the way, their task was to hold these positions and prevent a Prussian breakthrough until additional forces arrived. Here is the Austrian team crafting their plan:

The Prussians faced several terrain obstacles and needed to concentrate their forces to secure a foothold. Their plan called for a concentrated attack through the center, advancing in successive waves to seize the high ground and dislodge the enemy. It was a stronger, more organized, version of the historical plan. Here we see the Prussian team planning their operation:

1300 (Turn 2)

The scenario began at 1100 in game time. By 1300, the Prussians were advancing toward the center to concentrate their strength (1), while their cavalry swept west to enter Trautenau directly from that direction (2). The Austrians, with only two brigades available at this point, were positioning their forces to secure the town and the bridges to the east (3). 

1600 (Turn 5)

By 1600, fighting in the center had reduced Prussian combat power (1), while their cavalry had reached Trautenau (2). A second Prussian wave had crossed the river and was preparing to renew the central attack. The Austrians had established defensive lines in the west (3) and east (4), exploiting the terrain and resisting the temptation to launch a premature counterattack that would dissipate their strength. Their disciplined defense placed the Prussians at a growing disadvantage.

1900 (Turn 8)

This is another of a series of Kriegsspiel AARs very similar to the events in our Wargame HQ at the Origins Game Fair. You can find the original article here.

By 1900, the Prussian cavalry had attacked what it believed to be the Austrian flank, only to be repulsed with heavy losses (1). The first Prussian division had exhausted most of its combat power and culminated its attack for the day, although it had cleared the center (2). The second division was moving west toward Trautenau (3). The Austrians retained three fully combat-capable brigades against two Prussian brigades, along with the advantage of terrain. 

At this point, it was clear that the Prussians could not sweep the Austrians from the field. We ended the game with the assessment that the Prussians would require at least two additional brigades to establish a secure zone. As in the historical battle, the Austrians prevailed.

AAR

The session concluded with a 30-minute after-action review in which all players discussed their plans, expectations, and perceptions of the battle. The Austrian commander-in-chief coordinated a disciplined defense, avoiding premature attacks that would have sacrificed the advantage of terrain. The Prussian plan was sound, but attacks into areas they thought were enemy flanks but were strong frontages of line infantry cost them too much combat power making it unlikely they could dislodge the defenders with any further action. 

Both sides played well, producing an outcome that reflected many of the problems faced by leaders of the historical battle.

Umpire Notes

The game ran for 65 minutes and we completed eight turns, averaging approximately 8.1 minutes per turn. With seven command tables and two umpires, we were able to keep within the desired 10-minute turn structure. This was a promising development and spoke well of the techniques we have developed to keep the game tempo high. 

Both commanders-in-chief directed the battle solely through dispatches from subordinate units, forcing them to make decisions based on incomplete information. Although the players performed well, their feedback was that the role was less engaging than commanding maneuver units directly. We will use this lesson to refine the commander-in-chief role, bringing those players closer to the action.

At Origins, James Sterrett suggested using different colored pens for each side’s dispatches, an improvement we implemented in this scenario with excellent results. Red and blue ink allowed us to identify the intended side immediately, cutting the initial sorting task in half and speeding processing. Minor inconsistencies in dispatch formatting did cause some misdeliveries. For future games, preprinted dispatch forms with a designated recipient field should eliminate this confusion.

Aaron volunteered to serve as assistant umpire and did an excellent job helping organize play. Without his assistance, we could not have maintained the ten-minute turns. One lesson is the need for a concise assistant umpire briefing that clearly defines responsibilities and procedures, reducing on-the-job training and helping a volunteer to become effective more quickly.

The broader lesson is that the quality of in-person Kriegsspiel depends upon more than the historical scenario or the rules. It depends upon the deliberate design of the entire experience, including player assignments, physical components, administrative procedures, and umpire teamwork.

The next run with the Armchair Dragoons will be at Origins in June, though we’ll keep running local Kriegsspiels to perfect the delivery. A great event and a lot of fun. We’ll see everyone on the next one. 

If you’d like to join one of Kriegsspiels you can pop into this part of our forum for more
and you can also find out about the International Krieggspiel Society here

All of the 2026 Fall Assembly Articles
 Warning Order ~ Registration Open ~ Event Preview ~ Final Approach ~ Open ~ Game Reports ~ Kriegsspiel AAR ~ AAR~ Podcast Wrapup

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