'Keeping the hand in' - solo with Lasalle II and A Distant Plain

No game with Stephen this week (but Regimental Fire and Fury group game planned for weekend) so had a quick solo game of Lasalle II and A Distant Plain board wargame.

With Lasalle I played the sixth scenario from book with Prussians and French dukeing it out in 1813/14. French had 3 Young Guard infantry Brigades with Old Guard cavalry in support (17 units) whilst Prussians had three 'standard' foot brigades, a light cavalry brigade and a small brigade of Grenadiers (18 units). I do like the new Lasalle even with the very abstract Skirmisher rules (I used advanced Voltiguer rules) as it is very playable with lots of command and tactical decisions to make based around the Momentum system. Combats are pretty brutal (YG suffered horribly) but that works in the fast play realm.

Initial deployments opposite the town objective

French reserves of the OG cavalry and a YG infantry brigade

Prussian reserves, light cavalry and infantry brigades

Prussians at start

Young Guard opposite

Also got A Distant Plain to table for enjoyable go with the full scenario. Another game I really enjoy playing even solo but I just cannot seem to fathom how to best play the Afghan Government forces who always seem to 'bring up the rear'.  

Lasalle 2 at the Ulster Wargames Society

First meeting of Ulster Wargames Club in Belfast today since Februrary 2020.

Stephen and I brought along his French and my Prussian forces for another game of Lasalle 2 using Scenario 5 'Hold Your Ground' with French in defence.

Good old slog along a river line with my Prussian Grenadiers managing to take one of the two town objectives but my Line units failing to take the other despite 6 separate assaults !! got nowhere near the third objective in French rear area.

My Skirmishing dice were very poor all day even when I had 28 vs initial French 18 and I only won one phase outright, with 2 drawn (I did get Initiative on those 2) and lost other 5 phases.

Pretty much a toe to toe scenario this one as French can line river with initial forces and tough nut to crack (the extra MO needed to move/charge across river is a real drain) even before French reserves arrive.

Another fun and slick game with these rather enjoyable rules despite (or maybe because of) its abstractions and broad brush style.

Was great to get back to further normality and see people in the flesh as it were instead of via Zoom. I hope to get to Elimination club as well in due course (just have not had a free Friday evening this month)

Besides our game there was a Field Of Glory Renaissance game (Ottomans Turk vs Venetians) and a Chain Of Command game (British vs German).

Prussian right wing attacks  

As Grenadiers and Russian support attack on left

A solid line of French defenders (several Elite Battalions to the fore)

Disorders start to accumulate

Prussian cavalry are across river

First assaults on town are repulsed

Russian suffering on my left as Grenadiers threaten an unoccupied town

French cavalry have appeared to counter my mounted units (we both lost a unit each)

Grenadiers about to take the town (Prussian high water mark)

The 'two Davids' and Paul with the FOGR clash, I tried to take a pic of the rather excellent flags on display but photo does not do them justice.

The 'two Jeremys' and yet another 'two Davids' and Phil (a newcomer to the fold) battle it out on western front with CoC i

Lasalle 2 - Another Omelette broken - French vs Prussians

Another game of Lasalle 2 this time with 'Le Duc' in our first post plague game as he wanted to see Lasalle in action (being a fan of Sam Mustafas rules in general).

So I set up scenario 4 again with Le Duc attacking with Prussians against my defending French.

Prussians had 2 infantry brigades each with 3 Inf, 1 field gun and a unit of Hussars, they had a cavalry brigade of 1 Dragoon and 1 Uhlan, also a brigade with 2 Grenadiers and a Howitzer battery, their force was completed by a brigade of 3 Russian allied infantry. These 18 units generated a basic 28 skirmish dice. Le Duc had the 'Valiant' trait for his General.

French had 2 infantry brigades of 3 veteran infantry with a field gun, 1 brigade of 3 veterans and a cavalry brigade of 2 Chasseurs. So only 13 units but still 27 basic skirmish dice. The General choose 'Charismatic' trait to assist with rallies.

So honours even re skirmishing and I think Prussians won 5 Initiative and French 3 out of 8 turns played with never more than 4 'Voltigeurs' ever placed.

Le Duc had not read the rules beforehand so very much a teaching game but Lasalle is very easy to teach and indeed to pick up its basic premises even when using the 'advanced' rules especially as a goodly portion is familiar from play of Blucher and Maurice.

Learning how best to use the MO is harder to assimilate but he seemed to be catching on as game progressed and once he realised the potency of cavalry in the game.

We had a ding dong cavalry battle on my right flank which was essentially an even dice fest which I managed to win taking out the Prussian Dragoons and Uhlans, getting 2 on 1 and/or a flank contact is very powerful and usually decisive.

This then forced his supporting brigade of Russians into squares which my artillery and infantry then pounded to destruction and subsequently wiped out. I was however lucky not to lose a Chasseur and infantry unit to enemy artillery fire on this flank.

In centre I had some trouble dealing with Prussian Grenadiers but once Russians collapsed they were exposed and lost 1 unit but timely support from nearby Hussars saved the other.

On my left the Prussians piled on the pressure with 2 brigades against 1 but its slow going with the woods. I had a unit destroyed early on and another forced into square by the Prussians Hussars. But this square manfully held onto until last turn with some superb dice rolls with lots of sixes in combat and decent rallying (its a game of skill I tell ya !) tying up several Prussian units and keeping them away from central objective.

I had placed a wood in front of the objective again (seems a no brainer) and this too stymied Prussian progress.

At games end the central objective was exposed but still French whilst the town was firmly secured and indeed 'Carnage' was marginally in French favour.

Le Duc seemed to enjoy the game and rules especially as he professes not to be offay enough with Napoleonic period to see major flaws or issues but just appreciated the fast and decisive nature of the game but with enough decision points to make for an interesting and fun game. His Blog post reveals his thoughts on rules https://warfareintheageofcynicsandamateurs.blogspot.com/2021/10/lasalle-2nd-ed-with-sgt-steiner.html.

Time for something other than Napoleonics next methinks................. 

Prussians advance with some annoying skirmisher deployed

French infantry advances to delay Prussians as cavalry prepare to engage on right

Initial Cavalry clash is indecisive (note Chasseurs have obtained a Huzzah marker from destruction of Russian infantry unit)

Prussians putting pressure my left and Grenadiers advance in centre

French firm on ridge as their cavalry have routed their Prussian equivalents

French delaying on left but suffering for it

With Prussian cavalry gone French are able to counterattack off the ridge against Russian squares and the Grenadiers

Heroic French square holds fast on left

It eventually succumbed to massed Prussian volleys after being weakened by charges from Hussars but it was just enough to protect the adjacent objective.

Lasalle 2 - 'Breaking the Omelette' scenario again, French vs Russians

Another game of Lasalle 2 at Stephens today playing scenario 4 which we had tried as initial outing with rules via Zoom last year (and which I recently played solo).

Stephen took French Guard attacking against my Russians (exact same as in solo game).

His army was essentially same as mine but with no Old Guard artillery and an extra unit of Guard Cavalry.

Russians massively out skirmished so Initiative was always (bar first turn) with French.

Stephen choose 'Energetic' command trait to see how that worked and I stuck with 'Steadfast' for Russians.

I placed a wood again in front of the central objective defended by the lowly Jager (essentially Conscript class) with two Infantry brigades defending the ridge and town with Hussar brigade in support.

French rushed forward their brigade of Guard Cavalry supported by Young Guard and Old Guard and this forced Russians into squares which were then prime targets for French guns and muskets.

I brought my Hussars into play forcing Old Guard into square but found the Guard Cavalry too tough to crack (the fact I failed to roll above 2 in any combat with them was not helpful).

Whilst Russians in this scenario do not care about losses as much as objectives they were soon mounting up and French deployed several 'Voltigeur' stands to further annoy the Russians.

On turn 7 (of 8) the Old Guard took the town after their heavy artillery decimated its garrison (4 disorders out of 5 hits !) and this along with 'Carnage' gave them Victory (they were poised to take central objective as well)

Of course my General fell wounded as Stephen rolled the required 1 when needed.

We both feel there are several abstractions in rules and agree its a fairly broad brush approach to the period lacking in several 'chrome' aspects but again it was a fun game that played slickly allowing us to complete the game in a single session, not always possible with other sets.

Are they the 'best' Napoleonic rules out there......no (and wont replace FOB or GDA for me), but they are great for a game based around the set scenarios with a points based force, minimal preparation and playable in reasonable time frame with low rules overhead which is a big plus for us overall.

Russian Jager defend central objective (the cart)

Russian defenders of the ridge and town

Young Guard brigades advancing with Guard cavalry (Old Guard to the right)

Young Guard brigade pushes through woods (this proved fruitless in the end)

Those damn 'Voltigeurs' being deployed to annoy and harass

Young Guard on French right redeploying from woods

Lasalle 2 - Solo game completed

Finished playing through my solo game with Lasalle with it ending in a close draw.

This scenario has no sudden death level of losses so its all about the controlling objectives (one centrally place worth 1 VP and the village on the ridge being worth 2VP) within the 8 turn limit.

As it turned out the French only managed to take the central objective but inflicted sufficient losses on the Russians to gain a VP for 'Carnage' thereby offsetting the Russian retention of the village for a 2 all draw.

Another turn or two would likely have seen Russians wiped out however as Russians had lost all their gun batteries and 6 units of infantry against just 2 Young Guard units.

The elite French force was interesting to use especially the Infantry as the 5+ Resolve level meant they suffered a lower level of losses generally.

Of course the Old Guard seemed to suffer above average and were underwhelming in the game. Author Sam Mustafa is not a believer in Old Guard being super troops (in any of his rules) but they are certainly better than average with extra strength point, said better resolve and good traits (Assault Columns and Resilience). 

Certainly less impressive/potent than they are in say Black Powder where they are essentially juggernauts.

Fun time with Lasalle even solo and yet again the MO 'orders' system shines as a very neat and slick mechanic, as I have said previously regarding the rules they are 'Napoleonic lite' with much abstracted and simplified but they are fun and produce an excellent game despite lacking much flavour/chrome compared to something like Gen D'Armee. If you like Maurice and Blucher by Sam you will like these if not then probably not so much :-)

Planned outing with them in a few days with Le Duc as our first post-plague game.

French right wing pushing towards central objective (red poker chip)

Russian delaying Brigade doing its job in front of the ridge

But under real pressure from Young Guard

Russian canister from their heavy battery decimated Young Guard infantry to their front

Struggle continues around ridge

Old Guard fail to deal with Jager

Young GUard unit shaken due to losses (yellow marker)

Young Guard held at bay temporarily

All four Russians units visible in this pic were duly lost.................