Sunday Huzzah: The Great Battle of Waterloo

This is the BIG ONE Boston Trained Bands organizations huge multi-table Napoleonic Battle using Blackpowder. 

My own command two Brigades of infantry and a small corps of cavalry in the town of Plancenoit facing the on comping Prussians.

My pal John running the Hougoumont table the building is lovely but 15mm which actually gives it the right foot print

Chris is helping run the center table.

The Carriere Division holding its position in Plancenoit

The Young Guard marching hard to the relief under Jonathan's command and more troops under Bergi's command are to the north of the the image.

One Prussian command(Scott) had good luck and advanced up on the right if that cavalry gets around us we are in trouble.

Maureen however rolled poorly for command including a blunder that send her men haring off in a hedge in field.

I threw my men forward to buy time for the Young Guard. My tiny cavalry corp (two under strength units of Dragoons) charges and one of my infantry battalions sweeps in to take the advance Prussian gun.  We took the gun but my infantry fell to the counter charge and my cavalry had a unit Broken then other fell and was hit again in the follow on sweeping charge by the Prussians.

Prussian artillery bangs out across the line but we bought the time needed the Prussian cavalry under fire falls back and after a turn or two more of fire I have to pull back my broken infantry brigade and replace it with the second.

The Prussian troops are stacked up but they have cover and more artillery but we have the infantry to hold them back thanks to the sacrifice of two of my brigades. Johnathan holds the left(as seen above) Begi has the right with men dug in the house and my men hold the center.

At this point we declare our table a draw... eventually Blucher comes up with more troops and drive us off but the Prussian pursuit after the main battle will be much reduced. So history doesn't change but a few hundred or a few thousand more French men get home.   The rest of the pictures are from the other tables. 

The French on the center are advancing in large supporting column of infantry.

The allies on the high ground though some of them have advanced.

This is a truly massive battle no idea how many troops are here but both sides look impressive.

Hougoumont battle is looking just as impressive if a lot smaller

on the left side of the big table French Cavalry and British Squares do battle as they did 200 years ago.

In the center its an infantry on Infantry fight

Hougoumont's garrison is just barely hanging on

French Cavalry faces English and Allied troopers on the Allied flank. The central table didn't really follow history but the results were about the same the Allies held its on the flanks that history changes. Jonathan, Bergi and I hold off the Pussians and

Hougoumont falls to the French... I don't think this changes the exact out come but... I also have not heard Rich Clayton's official ruling on the results of the battle.

Huzzah Day two Part 3: Quatre Bras

Saturday night I attended Christopher Boynton's Battle of Quartre Bras. He had an impressive selection of miniatures as you can see the British, Hanoverians and French in the center.

and a number of special command cards with various officers such as this one with General Pack.  Playing against type I was with the English and really playing against type I was the Duke of Wellington as well as having General Pack's command

To the left two Brunswick light infantry battalions would play hell with the French advance for a while.

The French advanced on the center left  but bad command rolls kept them form moving as a body.

On the right the Brunswick Division soon found it self under pressure

The center left of our position was under some pressure as well but the flank was my main concern as I directed my fellow players to move the Hanoverian Landwehr to use the woods to cover our flanks.

The Brunswick troops have managed to disengage and gain some space their cavalry has forced the French into squares.

In the center Belgian Cavalry is advancing thought the town not were I would wish them to be but I wasn't asked... Sadly that is as far as they got.

More French are advancing on the left the 95th Rifles has taken casualties and is shaken so I move in with the Duke to rally them

The French in the center have advanced and Kellerman's cuirassiers are moving up with them but on the left disaster strikes the Anglo allied  army.

The 95th rifles attacked by no less than 3 battalions of French Infantry are overwhelmed in hand to hand combat. The Duke of Wellington is caught up in the route and loses control of his horse and is swept from the battle field.

Pack Moves up to support Picton in the center and their combined fire hurts the French badly the Landwehr are also fighting like lions to our suprise.

To our great surprise the Brunswick cavalry throw back part of the French cuirassiers and for a moment it looks like the French flank will be rolled up.

But the french recover and are putting pressure on the Allied right..

and center..

The fight is rolling back and forth.

Keller man break through on the right as well just as the Light infantry battalions on the far left give way to a combined arms assault and the french Cavalry whips around the Allied left flank.  Nay's armies are badly cut up.  Both sides are down 3 brigades but the loss of Wellington is deemed a tie breaker making a minor French victory.

Relief of Valdi Total Con 2015

Total Con was over the weekend, in the past Jon (or War Games Recon) Adrian and Cortland had put together historical miniatures games but as these fine fellows would be unable to make it I took up the torch to represent miniature games of a historical flavor.  I did this with a twist pitting the Grand Duchy of D'Argent against the Ostern Reich two Imagi-Nations of my own creation. The Duke is trying to drive off Ostern Forces from the key city of Valdi which has been besieged for several weeks. 

The Army of D'Argent arrayed for battle Light Cavalry on the left, Skirmish infantry on the right with D'Argent's small corps of heavy cavalry to their left.  The Duke's superb infantry is in the center backed by two battalions of Irish and Scottish exiles/mercenaries.

The Ostern forces have thrown up some defensive works and deployed artillery.  Skirmish infantry and Hussars can be seen in the for ground with Winged Hussar lancers in the center by the hill.  Beyond the hill the Reich Brigade hold another.

Both side had a poor showing command roll wise first turn (this was true for several turn I was very glad I made the D'Argent infantry Reliable to facilitate both sides getting into the action) with the exception of the Duke's line cavalry who got three moves and were right in the face of the Ostern light forces.

They took some hits form artillery and musket fire but soon drove the Grenzers back and were engaged with the Hussars beyond.

The Ostern Troops were not idle however (though the troops to the rear did have trouble getting up due to poor command rolls) The Cheveliers D"Argent(to the rear)  were soon overwhelmed by the on rushing Lancers of Rakowski's brigade (note pennants on lances) .  Prince William's cavalry found it self badly  entangled with two units of light infantry(for ground) while Jeavons' Horse grenadiers threw back Ostern Hussars in the center.

Alas the Cheveliers broke and the Prince Willim's men fell back from the cross fire leaving  Jeavon's men exposed.

The infantry was moving into position however and the Light Cavalry can be seen racing around the flank at the top of the picture.

 Jenvon's men were broken and scattered trying to return to the main line of D'Argent Cavalry but did manage to hurt one of the Lancers badly enough to sake it. Musket fire saw to the other regiment of Lancers, and the Ostern light cavalry were both broken though they took the line cavalry of D'Argent with them.   More Ostren Heavy cavalry appear along with infantry to shore up the wavering left flank. Sal the the Ostern general while concerned over the breaking of 2 brigades felt he had gotten good coin for the blood spilled.

The D'Argent light cavalry takes position on the flank of Lords Brigade of the Ostern army and opens up with carbine fire.

In the center a lone regiment of Heavy cavalry charges the Guard D'Argent. The fight is a dead lock.

D'Argents infantry closes on its objective the fortified line of hills.  Ostern Cavalry is fails to charge (other then the exception noted above).

On the left D'Argents light troops including the Jager-hounds are pressing the Ostern left flank. The hounds charge first one, then a second and finally a third Grenzer regiment.  The hounds tear at the flesh of the their foes and sew chaos on the left... the Light infantry is broken.

Ostern Cavalry charge up the gut supporting the lone unit the had attacked the guard. The Guard itself is forced to fall back but other unit hold.

The Charge if not quite as successful as hoped buys time for Ostern Infantry to advance to fill the now empty fortification...if they can make it in time. 

D'Argent presses on both flanks the light cavalry and Regiment DeBurre launch a coordinated assault on the right flank with the artillery pounding both the hill top guns and infantry. Much damage is done but no units break though several are just hanging on. 

D'Argent wins the race to the forts but cannot force the Cavalry to break off though this Ostern Currasiers and Dragoons are badly cut off they continue the melee.   At this point time is up as the convention is ending.  Discussing it with both Sal (the Ostern commander) and Lou (the D'Argent commander) we rule this a minor victory for the Ostern Empire.  D'Argent only had one brigade broken but had not taken the main hill fort.  The Siege would continue though the Ostern lines of supply were still threatened even if their siege lines were safe for now.

Thanks to both my players, I apologize if I didn't get your names right (I failed to write them down, please do correct me) and a Special thanks to Mark D'Errico who made up some emergency Disorder and Shaken tokens.

I made a few changes to the  Black Powder rules. 1st I gave each infantry unit 4 dice for firing, I don't think this made them much more deadly but it was easier for most of the player to remember 4 bases=4 dice.  2nd I created a new stat called Discipline that was mostly a save vs. Disorder this meant units could still become disordered but that it didn't happen on every 6.  Finally I also let commanders keep giving orders to their brigades if they failed an individual unit command roll but at a minus 1 per failed roll and this seemed to work well.