Its been a while since the last post, but MANY battles have been fought!

The army lists have been refined and added to, and we have settled on 220 points as the points value of armies.

The scenarios have now been developed(big thanks to John Hutton and Matt Fulmer) for these as well as the refinements on the army lists.

My latest game was using a Russian army v Keith and his French list. The Scenario being used was ‘Feeding the Grinder’ with set up and scenario rules below.

Feeding the Grinder

Description

This is a meeting engagement scenario where both sides have encountered each other and continue to commit more troops as they come available.

Reserves

Starting with the attacker, both players nominate half (rounded up) of their brigades to be placed into reserve. Starting on their 2^nd turn, players will bring on one brigade per turn through the assigned area of their table edge. Units arriving from reserve make one normal move, measuring from the edge of the table. Charges, multiple and special moves, are not allowed. Troops arriving from reserve may shoot as normal after making a single standard move. All units must enter the table from a length of table edge equal to the diameter of their commander’s command diameter (i.e., we imagine that they were under command as they march to the table. They may move freely after that point as desired. Units may be in any legal formation with the exception of artillery, which must enter limbered.

Objective placement

The defender chooses a long table edge for their deployment zone. Starting with the attacker, each player places one objective no more than 12” from the rear edge of their opponent’s side of the table. Repeat with a second pair of objectives. A player’s objectives must be within 60” of each other. Objectives may not be placed within 18” of the side edges of the table.

Deployment

The attacker and defender will both deploy within 24” of their table edge, as shown on the diagram. Starting with the attacker, players will alternate placing down full brigades. All units must be within command range of their brigade commander and may be in any legal formation. After both players have finished placing all brigades, starting with the attacker, both players place their CiC.

First turn

The attacker has the first turn.

Turn limit

There is no turn limit to this scenario.

Victory conditions

Capturing an objective or breaking the opposing army will end the battle. If neither side achieves a victory in the time allocated then the match is a draw. Consult the scoring section to calculate tournament scoring.

I ended up being the attacker and Keith the defender.

My Russian force was:

Brigade 1 – 4 bttns combined Grenadiers plus battery

Briagde 2 – 4 bttns combined Grenadiers plus battery

Brigade 3 – 4 bttns small Jager

Briagde 4 – 2 regts Hussars plus a Cossack regt(CC8)

Brigade 5 – 2 regts Dragoons(CC8)

Keiths French were:

Brigade 1 – 5 bttns French Ligne plus battery

Brigade 2 – 5 bttns Ligne and 1 small Ligne plus battery

Brigade 3 – 2 regts Hussars and regt Lancers(CC8)

Brigade 4 – 3 regts Dragoons(CC8)

Keith chose to set up on the table side securing flanks on a hedged farm and a wood.

I got the open terrain.

Above is initial Russian deployment. Russian artillery get 2 shots at long range so I set up at long range to get shooting advantage over French.

French setup, such a copy cat!

First turn and not surprisingly, I just fired my artillery which did some damage. Keith then advanced his columns and on my right, started moving one into line behind hedges.

Turn 2 and my Jager move on. I think they were exhausted as didn’t do much else.

I ordered the left hand brigade to charge the French columns….one was disordered and had casualties so good odds beat it. Naturally they didn’t move…the whole game.

More shooting, more wounded and disordered French columns.

Keith  has gotten very gung ho – he charged my right side brigade! I managed disorder one with closing fire..from RUSSIANS!

Keiths reserves flow onto table, light cavalry brigade.

Combat and my right hand unit draws while the left loses but stays.

OMG! Half the Jager have moved!

The combat continues. One French bttn has popped and the other lost but stayed. Its supporting unit to its rear has suffered fire from both batteries and is shaken and disordered.

Russian light cavalry arrive, the Hussars behind the guns and

the Cossacks(ok.. Austrian Hussars, my Cossacks still on paint table).

French light cavalry charge Jager forcing  hem into square.

French move 2 units into line.

An after battle shot…the battle photo was a failure unfortunately. A unit Russian Hussars charged the column that had been shaken/disordered by gunfire in previous turn. It formed square, the Hussars charged in….inflicted 5 casualties, already being shaken and disordered, it popped. The Hussars then did a sweeping advance into the  small line unit, it popped. Break tested resulted in others popping or running. Brigade was broken!

Before breaking however the French lines had shot up the left Jager square…and it had Lancers looking at it…. not good.

So Keith charged in, did..nothing…and bounced off. There after it all went pear shaped…my Dragoons charged, the right hand Dragoon charged Hussars…beat them..and swept into the Chasseurs. Beat both..who retired…but no one popped and I was shaken. Left hand unit charged Lancers….dear oh dear….did…1 wound..they did..3…..dear oh dear…..we retired but Lancers sweep into disordered square….which popped…but not before shaking lancers. Dragoon brigade now broken.

French Dragoons now had some fun. Charged my Hussars who had beaten up the infantry. We lost and retired, but they were shaken so also retired. Next unit of Dragoons now charged the guns. They got in with 2 casualties, wiped out guns, but suffered a 3rd casualty in the melee. So both batteries popped. But 2 units Dragoons now shaken.

End of game which on scenario rules was a draw with 1 broken brigade each. My left hand brigade had still not moved all day. The right hand brigade was still intact but bit battle weary. The Jagers had suffered 1 lost unit but were free to move up on the light cavalry who couldn’t hurt them as no firepower or infantry.

It took around 2 hours to play so at convention would be a couple more terms at least available.

So test games of 250 point Napoleonic armies have been carrying on. One particular game between my Austrians and Paul Weakley’s Russians was fought and refought 3 times before Paul eventually beat me. Paul was adapting his army after each game!

So decided to report on one from last week where Goldie and his French played Simon McBeth using British. Goldie was supplying the figures, however he left his Portugese at home so we subbed in some of my Austrians and called them Hanoverian’s. The army lists were around 200 points each and as the unbiased observer I did feel it made for a better game than a 250 point game.

Below is Simon McBeth who was having his first game in the Garage!

Welcome Simon 🙂

And here we have the illustrious Mr Paul Goldstone(aka Goldie)

Simon’s British brigade. Rear 2 bttns in column which they aren’t allowed to be. We don’t normally play British so not til later we realised this. Gun line to right rear…it remained there all game…I think it even got one shot in.

The crazy ‘Gallop at anything’ and ‘Reroll all misses in first round of combat’ British Dragoons!

Goldie’s French force.

Turn 1 and Goldie decides he will sacrifice his Dragoon brigade against Simon’s. I say this having seen what happens. Both attackers get 8 dice and hit on 3’s, save on 4’s. Each side gets a +1 to the combat result and Goldie adds +2 having flank and rear support. Simon gets to reroll any misses.

And here we have the conclusion of the action. Goldie loses the initial combat, and his beaten unit retires with 3 wounds shaken. Simon then proceeds to ‘Gallop at anything’ in the sweeping advance phase. He obliterates the stationary French Dragoon regt which stands and takes it. The British then rally back a little battered but having dealt out some serious damage. The reroll is a killer and leaves one to think you have to take on these British heavies with Cuirassier’s.

Simon’s moves his left flank light cavalry forward. There left flank is the table edge.

And the other flank the British cavalry are still slapping backs.

Goldie moves his left brigade up rise with wood covering left flank. Simon is marching the Austrians pretending to be Hanoverian’s forward.

Picture down the line…..sides slowly coming together.

Goldie’s an intelligent chap, but, this move was just suicide. He charged his non damaged Dragoon unit back in against the fresh British Dragoon regt.

The British Dragoons are shaken, the French… no where to be seen.

French right where Hanoverian light cavalry are disordered in front of a French square and battery. Not a great position to be in. Lovely block of 4 bttns in column in the middle. Oh for a howitzer battery. And that’s the British artillery in the top left of picture!

British left moves up whilst on the right British start to swing left now any threat from the departed French Dragoons is now gone. The British foot artillery is still on the start position…it didn’t move from it.

British line swings towards French skirmish screen on rise.

Goldie throws French columns into the Hanoverian line. Line holds.

On left flank, French columns attack line with skirmish support.

Hanoverian lights move up and charge guns, guns pop, lights then wheel left and position on flank of French column.

Position on British right. Hanoverian light cavalry still milling around, spent game as a target for French shooting, then kept failing ‘Follow Me’ orders when French units had open flanks. Hanoverian line locked in combat while other units have retired. Light infantry still on flank French column. British line sin centre are closing in.

French have charged British line on the rise, combat continues v Hanoverian line.

On other flank, British have retired from French columns which are both disordered. The horse battery by woods refused number orders to swing and shoot columns.

British won fight on rise, and a bttn has moved around flank to shot up retiring unit.

French bttn pops.

Its not looking good for the French. The Hanoverian infantry are holding on. The Hanoverian cavalry are still sitting on the flank, and doing nothing, but, they are still there. The British infantry are taking control of the centre.

British Dragoons charge the shaken square, it was disordered but the cavalry got the order confused previous turn and didn’t charge. The dice gods were on Goldie’s side and the shaken unit beat back the cavalry.

In centre the British are charging in again.

End of game and British/Hanoverian forces have taken the game. French have had Dragoons and one infantry brigade break.

These 2 French columns have done well, but with a horse battery, 2 bttns and 2 regts Dragoons against them, there seconds are numbered.

And that was the end of an entertaining game. Both sides had some great, and not so great dice throws. Goldie insisted on using my Blue French dice, and they carried on there ability to roll what you did not want.

The game did show in these point games, artillery is probably a poor choice of points and you need a strong cavalry force to beat up the enemies cavalry and then press home the advantage. But in 2 hours we got a result which was the aim.

Until next time…..

So Goldie enjoyed the ACW Matthews Hill scenario so much, he insisted we play it with Naps.

So I took the Union role in the Guise of 1813 Russians, and Goldie the Confederates as Austrians. Same scenario and set up rules as the ACW game applied.

Turn 1, Russians march onto the field of battle. The Austrian Avante garde can be seen up ahead.

Close up below of the waiting Austrians.

Russians, sllloowwwwlllyyy advance.

Still advancing…still slowly.

So have set up small advance brigade to hold centre while larger brigade moved up onto my right flank. For some reason I now decided to send my Hussars off marauding to other flank…theory being to distract Goldies attention with threat of cavalry moving around his open flank.  As events will show, dumb dumb me.

Russian still slowly moving onto battlefield.

Russians so slow, Goldie got bored and advanced!

At last! On left Russians charge the grenz, who do the evade of evades and run away 36 inches! On right column goes into the Austrian line with 2 supports to help out. This be easy peasee.

So inflicted 3 wounds, taken 1 back, have 2 supports but they still won’t run away.

So now I charge the guns on the road, beat them,  throw unit into flank on the right, but in distance, Austrian reserves marching onto table at last. Still no sign of my Hussars…misinterpreted order… retired 2 moves on my left!

Close up of fight on the right. Both units are shaken, I have supports, and have charged into the flank. Should be an easy victory now!

I had 7 attacks, needs 3’s…got a single 6, he saved the wound. I had that sinking feeling now. Going to be one of those days.

Okay, game bit further on, pesky line bttn is gone…..have larger brigade going forward again, in centre smaller brigade is mucking around, won’t move, can’t get its guns up and as for the Hussars…there they are in the top left!

And here are the Austrians…nice big bttns just waiting for me.

So have managed to move further forward…but….game was done…..to slow to get moving ay start of game, couldn’t win combats quick enough and just keep either failing orders, or moving only 1 move! Even Goldies reserves turning up late didn’t help me!

Austrian victory  😦