The Napoleonic Wars, Black Powder, 28mm

After a string of Dark Age or Early Medieval games this week’s clash saw a return to “proper wargaming”. In the little club in Orkney Alan Bruce and I staged a small Napoleonic game, with just two mixed brigades a side – five infantry battalions and  two cavalry regiments each, supported by a couple of gun batteries. The setting was a small village in Russia, which both sides wanted to occupy, marching on with half their force at the start of the game. The second mixed brigade on each side came on as reinforcements on a roll of 5 or 6 in each player’s command phase.The French won the race to the village, placing a battalion in half of it, supported by a gun battery on the main road. The Russians were forced to attack the village – a process helped by the speedy deployment of their own gun battery. The Russians also got their reinforcements on before the French did, and began reinforcing the assault, and bringing their second battery forward to pound the village into submission. At the same time a battalion of Russian jaegers slipped into the second half of the village, and held the buildings against all comers. This prompted the French to pull back their gun battery, as it was now within close range of the enemy jaegers.As the French player Alan used his dragoons quite aggressively, sending his first regiment in an all-out charge against their Russian counterparts – a regiment of lancers. The cavalry clash was a spectacular one – and particularly bloody. While the combat itself was a draw, both sides became shaken due to the heavy casualties they suffered (5 hits apiece), and both players were forced to take a break test. Amazingly we both rolled low, and so our cavalry routed from the field. Alan wasn’t through with his gallant French charges though. By this stage his reinforcements arrived, and while his infantry plodded slowly forward he issued a “follow me” order to his newly-arrived second regiment of dragoons. They raced around the left flank of the Russian infantry, and charged a limbered gun battery advancing up the main road. The gunners were cut down, and in the exploitation phase which came next the dragoons rode down the second Russian battery. That meant that my Russians had suddenly lost all their guns!Not wanting to be outdone my Russian cuirassiers promptly charged a French limbered battery – the gun attached to the French reinforcements. It was ridden down, but the cuirassiers were content to hold their ground, forcing the French infantry facing them into square. Back in the village the other French gun battery – having been manhandled out of close range of the jaegers – opened up on a Russian battalion deployed in line, on the south side of the village. It failed its break test and ran, which left mew with just three battalions with which to attack the village. One of them wheeled away to deliver a close range volley into the backs of the victorious French dragoons, disordering the cavalry unit and making it shaken.The French infantry holding the town were also in a bad way, but passed all the break tests thrown at them. At that point we had to pack up, leaving the outcome still in the balance. That’s the problem with a club night which only lasts three hours. After laying out and packing up, you only have a couple of hours or so of time to play a game to conclusion. Still, we both enjoyed the game, which was duly declared a draw, albeit one that slightly favoured the French.

Tags: Black Powder