This week I thought it was high time I gave my newly painted British units their first proper battle, so I set up the 6 x 4 table, laid down some terrain and, for ease and quickness, pulled Neil Thomas' Napoleonic Wargaming off the shelf to use for the occasion.
Not really a battle report as such, but I thought I'd share some of the photos and a few notes on how it all played out. It was an enjoyable few hours, and great to get the figures out for a decent sized game. I used 16 units per side (basically doubling the size of the game recommended by the rules, which works perfectly well), with the British joining forces with their Prussian, Brunswick and Hanoverian allies.
The French were assaulting a well defended position, trying to seize a town and the adjacent crossroads.
Apologies for the photos being a bit on the dull side. The lighting wasn't great in the room on the day. In case you're wondering, the red counters represent the number of bases a unit has lost. The other coloured counters represent hits. For every 4 hits a unit sustains, it loses a base. I use the counters to keep track rather than removing bases. I'll eventually make some casualty markers to use instead, which will look decidedly better.
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The French begin their advance on the left towards the town and crossroads |
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The French right also prepares its advance |
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Brunswicker, British and Hanoverian troops on the British right |
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As the game progressed, I fed in the first additional troops for the French: two more line battalions and two battalions of Imperial Guard |
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The French negotiate the fields in front of the town. Long range artillery fire has caused casualties among the Brunswick troops at the end of the woods |
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French battalions engaging the Prussians |
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French cavalry arriving on the road leading to the town |
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As the battle progressed, the French left suffered in front of the defenders' heavy musketry, eventually losing its first battalion. Feeling confident, the Brunswickers advanced out of the woods to engage a unit of French conscript infantry (a move they'd later regret) |
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Over on the right, things were hotting up with the arrival of more Prussians, including uhlans and a battery of foot artillery |
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Just as the French assault was faltering, their Polish allies made a timely arrival |
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The French conscripts routed the Brunswickers after a fierce exchange of volleys, while the Polish troops were getting ready to try and dislodge the British and Hanoverians from the town |
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French heavy light and heavy cavalry move further onto the battlefield. Chasseurs and cuirassiers peel off to help support the right flank attack... |
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...and eventually charge the Prussian uhlans in the flank (who have just routed a French line battalion) |
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The cuirassiers do the same to the Prussian landwehr, who had just finished off another French battalion with a bayonet charge |
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Fast forward a bit, and one Polish battalion has managed to drive out the British from the town area opposite them. However, more British troops arrive in the form of light dragoons, who would go on to lose a brief clash with French cuirassiers before retreating back down the road |
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Polish infantry capture one half of the town |
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As the day wore on, a French Imperial Guard column clashes with Prussian musketeers, destroying the already weakened unit and opening up a hole in the allied line |
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The Prussian landwehr ended up surviving two charges by the French cuirassiers and would remain on the field until the end. The uhlans on the other hand were eventually routed by the French chasseurs. |
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After 16 turns of play I decided to call a halt to the battle. Although the French had finally gained a foothold in the town, their infantry had sustained too many casualties to be able to fully capture the crossroads and the other built-up area. British heavy cavalry were also threatening to overrun the French foot artillery and outflank the French left |
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On the French right, their infantry had been almost completely routed, with only one weakened Imperial Guard battalion remaining. The cuirassiers and chasseurs faced a wall of Prussian infantry and artillery, so could do nothing more except retire |
So, a hard day's battle for both sides but the field was still in the hands of the British and their allies by the end. It was always going to be a tough objective for the French given that I didn't give them any numerical advantage, but it was a fun game nonetheless. The final number of units routed was 6 for the French and 4 for the British/Prussian. If things had gone better for the French on their right flank, it would have been a different story, but the Prussians reinforcements sooner than the French ones did, which probably was the deciding factor in the end.
Beautiful figures on a stunning board! You terrain looks fantastic, I like those ploughed fields are they 2d prints? The look both good and practical!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tony. The fields are just made from felt. I painted them to give them a ploughed look and also glued on some bits of scatter/foliage. Works quite well and they lie nice and flat, although the acrylic paint has to be scrubbed on a bit. Cheap to make too!
Deleteyou have done a superb job with them!
DeleteThanks Kevin, I love the combo of you 20mm figs and 15mm terrain …. I am feeling the need to re-base :-)
ReplyDeleteCheers Norm. Yes, 15mm terrain works really well I think for 20mm figures. The buildings from Total Battle Miniatures are really superb. Basing is always a bit of a conundrum, isn't it? I've rebased the collection once, so probably wouldn't do it again, but famous last words probably...Not such an issue if you don't have too many bases to do I suppose.
DeleteA fine game there for sure. I could never quite get my head round the rules, but maybe should give them another go. I've seen corduroy fabric used to make rather simple but effective ploughed fields.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, the original rules were intended for 8 units a side. I always thought that was a rather artificial restriction, so it's good to see you casting that aside.
ReplyDeleteApologies for stating the obvious, but have you considered using photshop or similar to improve your photos before publishing? Mine often suffer from poor light, and a bit of 'shopping' (using the tools on Apple photo in my case) has become second nature to me.
Hi Keith, yes the rules as written are 8 units per side, but it seems like many people disregard that without any adverse effect. I think the rule is there mainly to set out an easy way to pick up and play, and to keep the game on a small table. I've had fun playing them both ways.
DeleteYes, I do edit my photos sometimes to improve them. I didn't think these ones were too bad, although maybe I was just short of time - which seems always to be the case!