General D'Armee scenario played

Another game at Stephens using General D'Armee rules this time adapting a Gen De Brigade scenario from battle of Bautzen 'Frequmounts Attack'.
This pits French Division attacking a Prussian Division in 1813.
OOB varied to fit with GDA.
A good game again with these rules although we still found artillery using the Artillery Assault order to be very potent.
We have decided in our games to make use of this order cost 3 ADCs instead of the standard 2 to cut down on the frequency of its use especially when a Brigade of Artillery is present.
This worked quite well especially once battle was joined as just so many other things to do with limited ADCs.
My dice rolling in this game was amongst the worst I have ever suffered (and that is saying something !!!!!)
French routed a Prussian unit (via tremendous Skirmishing rolls and of course Artillery) which forces a Brigade to falter.
I then 3 turns in a row allocated the required ADC backed up by a second ADC to re-roll any failure and managed to roll 6 ones or twos seeing the Brigades 5 other units flee the field !!!
Meanwhile I charged an isolated French battery with Dragoons and thought woo hoo when the guns only inflicted a single casualty in defensive fire.................however in the charging sequence the guns rolled a reasonable 2d6 result of 8 whilst my Dragoons managed a minimum double 1 !!! this saw them Retreat with and additional 3 Hits.....unreal !!
Even my Artillery was poor after an initial decent roll.
The French (well actually a Wuttermburg unit) took possession of the key town area and even whilst Unformed while forming Garrison formation I managed to fail with two separate charges by two fresh units.........
Of course the 'dice demon' suffered no such horrors maintaining his usual ratio of both high and timely rolls including 4 double 6s when firing with Skirmishers resulting in not only 2 hits but Discipline Tests on my Skirmishers !!

Lady luck may be fickle but she is also a bitch and anyhow ALL DICE HATE ME..................

Seasons Of Battle/Field Of Battle solo 1st action.

Started my solo initial battle which I am terming Battle of Lutzen.

Despite French nominally being strategic aggressors I diced for stances in battle and attack status fell to Prussians.
After an initial lack lustre start (ie no bloody move cards) the Prussians have really taken it to the French !
A general assault across the stream and bridge has taken their central Infantry Divns into the heart of French deployment.
It has not been without loss however as 4 Prussian Brigades are now hors de combat.
France also saw 4 Brigades Routed but with they managed to recover 3 of these in short order.
Prussia is exerting more pressure in centre and 2 further French units have Routed.
A hum dinger of a slog between a unit of Young Guard and a Prussian Grenadier unit has seen both charge, be re-buffed, exchange volleys, drop and regain morale thus far.
The Prussian Grenadiers also saw of a charge by Polish Lancers managing to coolly form Square.
France lost a Divn leader and this could have spelled disaster with his Divn all Out Of Command but they held a a replacement was quickly found and order restored.
On Prussian left their Cavalry also managed to get across the stream but have been repulsed.
On French left the Young Guard Divn is holding off 2 enemy Divns and with the battle still ongoing the French Cavalry Divn is as yet (ominously ?) uncommitted to the fray.....

Field Of Battle excels at this sort of game 'narrative' with sweeping advances possible and dramatic swings in fortune possible.
Makes for exciting games even in solo mode.
My further testing of a 'Form Hasty Square' rule has worked well and am still toying with possible 'Cavalry Retire' (essentially for when approached by Infantry to stop standing still for devastating volleys).
I had considered a 'Cavalry Intercept/Opportunity Charge' but not sure it adds much.







Prussian cavalry cross the stream

Prussian assault in centre

French deploy on right to thwart Prussian cavalry

Young Guard holding forward posistion

The fierce onslaught around bridge

French advance from town but lose a Leader (hence the Out Of Cmd units)

Prussian Cavalry forced back across the stream

Overview

View from French left

Central struggle continues

French Chasseurs and Light Infantry routing leaving a dangerous gap in lines

Which Prussian seek to exploit

All the action in centre

The Prussian 5th Grenadiers and 3e Young Guard face off

Prussian pressure on French right of centre

Stalemate on French right (Artillery cannot cross stream)

French Cavalry Divn poised but where to go ?

Field Of Battle - Battle of Kolin

After a couple of weeks of endless long days at work I managed to arrange a multi-player game using Field Of Battle at my gaff today.

Decided to do a SYW bash and with its anniversary having been on the 18th of June Kolin seemed the perfect scenario to try with 3 Austrian and 2 Prussian players with myself as Umpire.

Stephen B, Stephen P, John, Richard and Darren arrived and I randomly (via cards) allocated commands with Stephen B and Darren as Prussians and the others as Austrians.
I made units roughly as Regiments (ie 2-3 Battalions) which still yielded over 60 units in total for the scenario.
I boosted both sides Morale total by +10 to ensure game lasted.

Units were laid out on reasonably historical positions with some leeway granted to re-position Reserves.

A very successful game ensued which went right down to the wire with Prussians hitting zero Morale first but surviving first Army Morale Test.
They then got a run of initiative and managed to force the Austrians to zero morale as well and then 'stole' some 13 Morale Chips from them through losses.
This broke the Austrian resolve and they quit the field before any Army Morale tests.

FOB generated its usual exciting ebb and flow to the game with Austrians coming of their ridge line defence to pressure the Prussian left wing (lead by Richard to gasps of shock from all !!) whilst the Prussians forged ahead in the center and with their right wing.
The Austrians caused multiple casualties on the Prussians but with better Officers Frederick's lot were able to recover Hits and Routed units impressively.
A multi unit volley by the Prussians on the right saw some 4 Austrian foot units Rout in one turn (they managed to recover all but one but could not Rally off the hits).
The game saw Cavalry clashes on both flanks with mixed fortunes but again the Prussians seemed able to Rally much quicker and effectively.
At one point the Prussian right wing seemed to be folding only to Rally and force back the battered Austrian mounted wing.
Both sides suffered heavy losses and as previously mentioned the Prussians lost all Morale first but weathered the storm despite Freddy (ie Stephen B) being almost ready to concede at that point and managing to snatch a Minor victory from the jaws of defeat.

No other rules sets I have tried suit larger scale battles with such elegance and playability as FOB whilst generating such a exciting narrative to the game.

Check out some excellent pics on Darrens Blog at http://warfareintheageofcynicsandamateurs.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/battle-of-kolin-1757-at-sgt-steiners.html


The scenario set up with card place holders for Austrian troops

Austrian deployment

Prussian center advances

Austrians push forward

Prussian push on in the center and right 

The Austrian High Command (LtoR Richard - Daun/Nadasty Stephen P - Colloedo and John - Marschall)

Cavalry melee on Prussian left

Prussian High Command - foreground Stephen B - Frederick with Darren - Bevern (sort of)

The battle lines clash around Pierovsky Hill

And so to at the edge of Krechor ridge

Chosenitz village changes hands as Prussian Grenadiers chase off Grenzers

Continuing pressure on Austrian left

Austrian right has pushed back Prussians albeit temporarily

Prussians have rallied and return to fray

Austrians in trouble around Pierovsky hill

Prussian left wing begins to push forward against weakened opposition

(Earlier in battle) The initial Austrian Cavalry charge on their right

Over The Hills with Orders

Played a game using Over The Hills rules with the Order Counter System this being the only Optional rule we had not tried.
I got one of the Kickstarter 'Cribbage' boards for recording Morale and a set of Order Counters so seemed fitting to give them a trial (also a new gaming mat in evidence).
I used late war Prussians and Stephen French.
I had 2 large Infantry Brigades and a Dragoon Brigade against 3 French Infantry (1 of which was Young Guard) and a Light Cavalry Brigade.
I set up the table and we diced for side and then deployment option which French won handily having the Light Cavalry.
Using the Orders gave another level of decision making and due to the 'restrictions' of certain orders generated a level of inertia, as units we would normally have charged with regardless found themselves unable to due to orders.
My right wing Infantry Brigade ended up facing two Brigades and the Young Guard and Stephen had his usual excellent dice rolls (especially on Ball-shot 'bounce throughs').
Using the new Morale Board it was easy to track morale and my right wing reached Break Point fairly quickly once Close Combat started and was Shattered (essentially a 'Must Retire' order).
My Dragoon charged in the center taking out an Artillery Battery and forcing several units into Squares.
However on my left I had a Brigade of Landwehr which after initially being on Hold began an Advance.
They were then Attacked by the French Cavalry with a unit being destroyed outright after failing to Form Square against a unit of Guard D'Honneur.
These losses tipped my whoe Division into Shattered status and the game ended.

Great set of rules and the Orders whilst adding another level of complexity gave a plausible game.