Stephen selected the Quatre Bras scenario from the rule book to get us back into the rules.
And what a playable breath of fresh air from our recent travails with Bataillie Empire, with minimal rules queries and an enjoyable action packed game that did not feel like pulling teeth !
Scenario depicts main phases of battle after initial stand by Prince of Orange with French in possession of Gemincourt and Dutch-Belgians in Bossau wood bulk of both forces are arrayed on table with Reserves arriving on first couple of turns with Cookes British Guards arriving on turn 6 and Kellermans Cuirassier on turn 7 of a scheduled 12 turns.
Stephen had set up table and deployed his forces and I was shocked at how close the deployment areas were with us both setting up within effective Artillery range.
A dense mass of units meant not much in the way of manouvre possible (but in keeping with the battle) and a hard slog and pounding in store.
French Division Foy in centre suffered right of the bat from attention of Allied guns as they advanced with Bachelu in charge of French right but facing the Elite Highlanders and 95th Rifles.
The French left wing under Jerome arrives on first turn and essentially down to them to assault Bossau Wood.
Pires Light Cavalry appear on road near Gemincourt but nowhere to deploy until battle spreads so I placed them in Reserve behind the ridge but they still took a couple of Staggers from Artillery ball bounce-through.
A violent tussle ensued in Bossau Wood as French in massed columns preceded by Skirmishers assaulted the Dutch Belgian forces.
Several attacks driven back by point blank volleys but others crashed in pushing the Allies back.
Stephen managed to pass all his forced interpenetration rolls (no passage of lines in Shako except for Skirmishers) but eventually the French forced Morale Checks on his Dutch Division with it going Demoralised and then Broken (ie removed from table) but not without loss to the French.
Of course beyond the wood a fresh British Division had now arrived to support the British right alongside a Cavalry Brigade in reserve, so Jerome went over to defensive in wood.
Foys Division was being slowly but surely ground down and several desultory assaults by French were easily beaten off and his Division was in tatters.
Pires Cavalry however now had room to deploy and threaten the Allied Infantry.
Bachelus Division on French right pushed ahead but despite some success (including dispatching the 95th Rifles !) could not best the Elite Highlander Battalions and his Division too was battered and bloody.
As Kellermans Cuirassier arrived we called time with the game unfinished but the fresh Allied reserves would I think have made any further progress towards Quatre Bras crossroads unlikely even though the French Cavalry was as yet uncommitted.
Great game with great set of rules and as the preceding verbiage shows the emphasis was on action and tactics not rules problems/interpretations/headaches.
Think we were both maybe a bit lax with units deviating from Attack Order direction and also with Artillery 'firing in support of their own Division' (only Army Guns can freely select targets) but we both agreed that Shako has never delivered a 'bad' game for us.
Division Jerome advances to Bossau Wood
95th Rifles holding edge of wood
And go on to Defend orders as this awaits them beyond the wood............
Shako always delivers! Outstanding batrep sir!
ReplyDeleteYes good solid rule set.
DeleteAlways glad to see this battle played, great pics!
ReplyDeleteTwas great to play as well :-)
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