General D'Armee again - Eisdorf scenario

Another game with GDA today using a GDB scenario covering action around Eisdorf 1813.
I used my Russians again against the attacking French.
A very bloody and hard fought game with Russians succumbing in the end to multiple Infantry Assaults.
One unit of Neapolitan Line lead by a Brigadier took the core of two of my Brigades with a Carry On charge result !
I did have a chance to swing things with a Infantry charge of my own which gained Elan giving me 6 dice to French 4 but (needing 4+) I rolled no hits in melee whilst French inflicted 4 out of 4 on my lot !!
We are getting the hang of the basic concepts of GDA fairly well now but as ever a couple of things were tough to work out.
It seems that Artillery can shoot through any size gap as long as it can target any part (ie even a single mm) of a target unit but we decided that in future to make a base width minimum (Ie 40mm with our units).
Also tough in this scenario to use my reinforcing Brigade as restricted to crossing river at Bridge and as rules are written a Brigade in Reserve can only (?) be committed to the battle line so cannot really go in behind another Brigade.
We again decided to allow Brigades to move into a 'support' position behind another Brigade from Reserve as this seemed reasonable rather than having to redeploy a forward Brigade or wait until a gap appears once a Brigade is dispersed.
We are also realising that units are fairly generic in GDA with not much in the form of national characteristics compared to some sets.
Russian Line infantry are essentially same as French with no sense of Russian stoic nature or indeed French elan, however the French are more bit efficient in use of their ADCs.
So not as nuanced as say BP can be or even FOB but the biggest strength of GDA is IMHO the Charge Procedure/Outcomes with most charges being resolved without troops resorting  to an actual clash of bayonets with a retire or retreat outcome more likely outcome on Charge Results table, this 'feels' quite Napoleonic.



Russians deployed

Battery on ridge (fairly meaningless in GDA)

Prussian battery support Russian colleagues

Joy disinterested on French deployment

French right

Eisdorf in center of Russian deployment

French left

Initial moves

Horns locked on my left

And to right of town

Neopolitan unit about to charge from behind Skirmish line

Russian right

Neopolitans have swept away all Russians before them !!

My Infantry at left preparing to charge............to their doom 

Cossacks suffering

Combat Commander - two scenarios played

Couple of scenarios (from the Tournament Pack) played with my Dad with this continually excellent game.
First saw me defend with Polish troops in 1939 and a narrow win achieved.
Second was set in Ardennes 1944 with a clash of Recce units with my Yanks coming out on top again, and again narrowly.

Easy

Again and at home this time and no tries by All Blacks !!

General D'Armee - McDonalds attack scenario played......and couple of new rule sets

Another go today with GDA using the included scenario 'McDonalds Attack at Bautzen'.
We had played this one initially but a lack of familiarity with the rules made for a less than stellar game for Stephens Russians.
This time round I was Russians and Stephen the French.
Having realised that hills in GDA are only useful for overhead firing with Artillery I moved off these in quick order to confront the French.
I was able to hold on my right but a failed Brigade Morale Test (ie Faltering) saw my left wing Brigade retreat.
In center a French Brigade used Infantry Assault order to push my Jagers out of a town.
I did throw my Light Cavalry Brigade forward from reserve but they failed to charge into a French Column as their massed guns helped shoot them off.
Unfortunately we failed to finish but the Russians were up against it and the French Cuirassier Brigade was as yet uncommitted.
All in all a much better game than our first try with scenario as we both now get that Brigades need deployed in depth to allow repulsed (retiring/retreated/routed) units to recover.
But we still keep coming up against several rules that lack definition (Fall Back, Skirmish Shooting and today Overhead Fire) which means much debate and page flicking, hopefully this will lessen as we play more.









Russian left wing and center

Russian center and right

Russian right wing

French arrayed

Action on Russian right

Russian Light Cavalry advances

Russian left under pressure

French Infantry prepare to assault town

New rules from Stand To Games arrived this week both based on the Over The Hills system

Hitlers Reich farewell game with son

Game of Hitlers Reich with my boy Steven who is fleeing the roost to work and live in foreign fields (well Chelmsford England but its far enough away to count as foreign to me.....sniff....).
And what a game it was with my first try with Axis powers.
Barbarossa nearly gave me game early on but then things swung Allies way and after Overlord/Bagration I was hanging on by a thread having to retake Berlin 4 times but failing eventually as 1945 loomed.
Great game this and a nice final fling with my boy.
















At games end German expansion in the East but Berlin has fallen to Western Allies