So John M and I met last night to try the same battle as the previous blog again at the Hobby Bunker. This would be John's first actual game as a player, he chose the British and this time I took the French were where armed with several clarifications from the last time around.
This time I remembered to take some pictures during set up as you can see I went for depth advancing across the table, while John tried for as much lateral distance as he could grab. I didn't realize that the last flag in play would get locked automatically and so I was a bit more compressed.
I put my firs brigade with its elite light infantry troops on the right with the regulars french troops behind them.
The Polish, Italian and Swiss troops had the center while my mixed brigade of French Infantry and light cavalry took the center. John had his best troops in the middle I think one of the keys to set up is remembering to save space for the guns. that space near the center flag that's were the 4 gun french battery is placed.
You can see John has men extended beyond my flanks on both side I have a little depth and room to back pedal if I must.
This would be the POV of the French General.
I begin by moving my elite infantry to the right with my Trelliers Grand Band in the scrub while the French regulars move to fill the gap to the right of the battery.
My battery fires at the Innikilling but fails to gain any hits and the Corsican rangers move in to mask them (the Inniskilling also moved to the left)
John decided to have is light troops run straight at the guns.. They then discover they roll 0 dice (due to lost dice for shock and facing artillery rated as regular when they are untested)
They are thrown back.
John's artillery has done its own damage to the french on the left.
I use Le Petit Caporal from my special six dice to see off the Corsicans. (Hope I didn't kill any one related to l'Emperor)
I only wanted move this Polish/Italian battalion forward a little bit.. but every time I didn't want to roll a six.. I did.
Sharp firing on the right between the French light troops and the English regulars.
The Inniskilling regiment savages the 1st Battalion of Polish/Italian troops...
on the right French elites hit the week Hanoverian battalion on the English flank who would hold a surprisingly long time(though they did little damage)
My cavalry catches the elite English light troops we did this part right...
but the combat wrong... and the french cavalry lost badly (light troops defending only count the command stand for combat) I rolled 3 dice while John rolled 6 it should have been at worst 3 to 3(I say at worst because I feel cavalry attacking skirmishers in loose order should at least get the +50% modifier that cavalry gets against infantry in line, after all skirmish line is less secure then a formed line)
So I loose a stand and the cavalry tumbles back.
The Inniskillings see of the Polish/Italians.. Darn that regiment looks scary!
Shock is piling up on the right as my artillery and musket fire take their toll.
My lights are driven back... and the Hanoverians final break and run
The Inniskillings advance I use and interrupt to blast them with artillery
I prepare the great flanking attack...
but John interrupts my move and charges...
the fight is sharp and we get into a fire fight.... I turn the flank of the English regiment (technically I would have attack the front)
John does a charge of his own with the Inniskilling and trashes another Polish/Italian battalion
The generals part of this battle is over its all about who can give and take the most damage
and of course who can remove the most shock.
those Inniskillings still coming
John does a passage of lines bring up fresh troops but the men are driven back nearly broken by artillery and muskets.
Johns left flank caves in... and we call the game with about 20 minutes to pick up before the Hobby Bunker closes. I lost 9 stands including one broken units while John lost 18 stands with three units broken... a clear win for the french but an ugly one and it could easily have gone the other way. Great game.
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