An „Overfilled Mind“

I came across this excellent blog post (and comments section): “Too much stuff” that helped me understand why I might not have made any real progress regarding hobby projects and gaming lately. It dawned on me, that in order to move forward, I have to do some „mental downsizing“ and readjust my hobby philosophy.

Besides the SYW, there are, of course, other wargaming projects. But what has kept me continuing is exactly the reason so aptly described in this blog entry: It is an „overfilled mind“ caused by contemplating, knowing and moving between multiple rulesets and not the „overfilled shelves“ with projects and “stuff”.

I therefore decided on a more focussed approach. To get to more gaming, I will use and stick to:

    2 „Pocket Armies“ (6 x Infantry, 2 x cavalry, 1 x Artillery)
+  a table 4' x 3'
+  ONE ruleset (Valour & Fortitude by J. Johnson, A. & M. Perry)
+  „scenario inventiveness“

The first battle has already happened: The Action at Lockwitz. The Duke of Rodenburg has ordered his army to cross the border and take a nearby town to secure a bridgehead and continue the advance (click picture to enlarge) …

Hülsen's Brigade crosses the river, executing the planned concetric attack on the town, which is garded by the Croat Regiment Plekzy-Gladz. Enemy reinforcements appear in the distance ...

Piquet Field of Battle II Solo – The Combat of Thomasberg

An Infantry Brigade on a strategic hill, too far forward and without support [click pictures to enlarge]:

The enemy sizes the opportunity and advances with two brigades and cavalry:

 

This will be over in a minute. Or not?

The Field of Battle II rules are „tight“ when it comes to army morale. Blue, the attacker rolled poorly: only seven „Army Morale Points“. He looses one point (and never can get it back) each time one of his units looses one point of „Unit Integrity“ (UI). Infantry have 4 UI, cavalry 3 UI an artillery 2 UI.

Blue has a total of 6 infantry battalions, one cavalry unit and one artillery battery, therefore a total of 29 UI. If he looses theses seven Army Morale Points, i.e. short over 25% of his UI total, he has to start rolling an Army Morale Test each time he draws an Army Morale card. In his case, that means he has to win a roll-off of two d12 to pass.

White, the force on the hill, has eleven Army Morale Points available. The forces are equal, so this amounts to roughly 38% of possible damage/UI, which could be taken.

This is one of the aspects, why the Field of Battle II rules are so appealing to me. It is a card driven game with some die rolls required before the game to determine leadership quality, the composition of the two Sequence Decks and army morale.

Scenario
In addition to army morale, the scenario (#4 „Take the High Ground“ from Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargames; on a 4'x3' table) also became even more interesting as both army commanders were not „up to their game“.
General von Plankenheim (Blue, „Prussian“) is rated as „exceptional“ but his sequence deck became „Average“. His counterpart, Grimmberg (White, „Austria“) is rated as „Average“, but he has to use a „Poor“ deck.

Narrative Aspect

Immediately, a narrative is created. If army command is not at its best, blunders occur and an infantry brigade is pushed too far forward. The opponent wants to size the opportunity, but his Army Morale is brittle and at the command level, some „friction“ seems to exist.

A decisive and energetic attack is called for; a prolonged battle must be avoided! But can this be executed? Let's see …

The Blue Force has advanced its right wing brigade to outflank the hill and to cut off enemy reinforcements. The left wing brigade has brought its 12-pdr into position and routs one of the two battalions on the hill. Cavalry outflanks the hill on the left:

First fire exchange and Blue outflanks the defenders

White retaliates with cannister fire from its 8-pdr battery and an infantry volley.

Hard hit Blues left brigade is stopped in its tracks. The loss in Army Morale is severe. Caution begins to prevail. The brigade commander hesitates to send in his third battalion. Why not leave this to the cavalry?

And indeed, the Dragoons attack the hill from behind, routing the last battalion. But watch out! Enemy Cuirassiers enter the fray, albeit in march column. They first have to regroup to be able to attack:

The Blue cavalry commander is unable to bring his Dragoons under control again while the enemy 8-pdr battery, lead by its brigade commander, still pours cannister fire into their infantry brethren. Something must be done!

Command Confusion and Flank Attack

The fellow commander of the Blue right wing brigade, on his own initiative, dispatches one of his battalions to attack the flank and destroys the 8-pdrs.

Meanwhile, the White Cuirassiers get shelled by the 12-pdrs and quit the field:

Cuirassiers quit the field

Reinforcements arrive

The White reinforcements arrive, a full Four-batallion brigade. They march bravely forward, its leading veteran battalion exchanging volleys with the enemy and then overrunning and destroying the 12pdr battery. Afterwards the brigade retired from the field in good order.

[Sadly, the photos of this valiant action were inadvertently deleted].

Conclusion
The battle is over. Nobody won. A draw. The Blue CiC had to take three, yes three, Army Morale Tests and passed all of them. Each of them a d12 roll-off. Call him lucky!

The game was highly entertaining and engaging, its narrative compelling and it provided lots of character to the armies and personalities. The Field of Battle II rules are a keeper.

AWI: Battle of Hubbardton

What prerequisite is there to fully enjoy a historical wargame scenario and its tactical challenge? Answer: You do not know anything about the battle (and even about the war).

With this being the case, my friend „The Don“ invited me to take on the role as the scotsman Simon Fraser, British Commander at the Battle of Hubbardton, July 7^th, 1777 (click pictures to enlarge).

Brigadier General Simon Fraser confering with Major Robert Grant (24^th Foot),
Major Alexander Lindsay (Lt. Infantry) and an Indian Scout: „Where is Riedesel?“

 
The rules in use were Keith Flint's „Post of Honour“, a simplified version of his „Honours of War“ rules.

The scenario began with some well thought out „Kriegsspiel“-elements, which required me to assess various and conflicting intelligence reports. Not knowing what went on historically added a lot in respect to immersion!
 
The plan I came up with, centered on a controlled and measured offensive on left wing and center combined with a flanking maneuver on the right with the Grenadiers. I wanted to give Baron Riedesel - my reinforcements, whose position I was unsure of - time to arrive and act as a reseve and not exhausting my troops too early.

Starting Positions: looking from west to east, with
Sucker Brook at the bottom, Grenadiers on the right

The Grenadiers make progress through difficult terrain while the
British main battleline, moving slowly forward, encountered
 impediments (not modelled, but asumed)

The Americans move forward. The Britsh fire first,
but gain no advantage from that.

The musketry exchange in the centre heats up. The Grenadiers
break out of the woods and assault the Green Mountain Boys
and Baron Riedesel finally arrives!

Major John Alcands Grenadiers in the thick of the fighting as
American Militia gazes in awe. The Grenadiers will prevail!

The American attack is repelled, the Green Mountain Boys dispersed
and the American Morale beyond breaking point - they rout in numbers!

A Britsh victory thanks to the steadfast Grenadiers and the recklessness of the Americans who repeatedly threw themselves against the "red brick wall" in close assault.

A thrilling and entertaining game, lasting roughly two and a half hours. The "Post of Honour" rules worked smoothly in the background. Their "Featherstonian" element - the player with the iniative having to decide to move first and fire second or the other way round - required some interesting decision making.

Thanks a lot to the Don for a visually appealing, thrilling and intersting scenario. It proves, that with a simple, well thought-out ruleset and the right mindset a lot can be achieved.

Moys 1757 - Die Kriegskunst AAR

This is one of the scenarios from the "Die Kriegskunst" ruleset.
Historically, it is notable for two reasons:
- the Austrians took offensive action and suprised the Prussians
- the Prussian commander, the highly regarded Generalleutnant
   von Winterfeldt, was wounded and died a few days after the combat.

The action began and for the most part concentrated on the area around the Jäckelsberg, who contained a prussian artillery redoubt, guarded by Grenadiers. We happily used a mixture of Malburian and SYW miniatures; "Prussians" defend the hill, "Austrians" attack it.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

The Grenadiers were having breakfast when suddenly a number
of Austrian Grenadier battalions in attack column appeared ...

 

The guns opened fire! Austrian reinforcements
can be seen in the background.

Light troops appear from the south - Hussars and Grenzers.

The situation looks desperate. The Lights are halting. The attack
order has not come through. All work is left to the attack columns.

The fighting intensifies. The Prussian Grenadiers
fight bravely but have to retreat.

The Austrians capture the Jäckelsberg.
Prussian reinforcemnts appear.

At this point, turn six of the suggested total of ten, the situation on the table looked very akward to us.

The scenario rules require the Austrian Grenadiers to retreat from the Jäckelsberg immediately after they have captured the hill. With the prussian reinforcements right beside them, with minimal losses to themselves, more fellow Austrians marching directly towards them and their own light troops in the vincinity - would they really retreat ?!

Hisorically, according to the kronoskaf website, they did not retreat. They defended the hill, supported by artillery.

We concluded that the chances for the Prussians to recapture the hill were rather slim if we would simply revoke the scenario special rule and allow the Austrian Grenadiers to stay and defend the hill.
The Austrians were too numerous.

We ended the game and used our time to discuss future plans.

Personal insights gained:

a)  Scenario design is an art.

b)  The scenario special rules in conjunction with what might be called a "Heat of Battle Mental Blackout" caused me to unintentionally adopt non-historical tactics.
Look at the last picture above. Prussian infantry in close proximity to the enemy marching happily along in column formation! Good god! Is it 1792 already? What was I thinking?
(Of course, there was a logical reason for this: the Austrians are no threat anymore. The scenario special rule requires them to retreat. They won't fire and won't use their guns.)

Player logic killed historical logic.

Have you experienced something similar or do you not mind at all and say "Imagination" ?

Charge! + Stuart Asquith modifications + One Hour Wargames = Fun

Time, space and the number of miniatures – three things I struggled with recently.

One solution: Use the classic Charge! rules, add some neat rules modifications Stuart Asquith used in his games with Keith Flint (Old School Napoleonics, The Action At Annie's Farm) on a 6' x 3' foot dining table and combine them with one of the scenarios from Neil Thomas' book „One Hour Wargames“ which uses a 3' x 3' board and six units per side.

The resulting layout for Scenario 4: Take the High Ground, One Hour Wargames, p. 72, (click pictures to enlarge):

Austrians have set up two units on the hill.
Prussians entered along the southern board edge.

Austrians (Defender)

CiC (1 Figure)

4 x Infantry (10 Figures each)

1 x Light Infantry (8 Figures)

1x Artillery (4 Figures)

Prussians (Attacker)

CiC (1 Figure)

3 x Infantry (10 Figures each)

1 x Light Infantry (8 Figures)

1 x Cavalry (5 Figures)

1x Artillery (4 Figures)

Total number of miniatures: 101

The mission for both sides is two be in possession of the hill at games end (after 15 turns).

Austrian reinforcements arrive

First blood – Frei-Infanterie engages from a distance

Close range artillery fire - More casualties for the Austrians

The Prussian cavalry charges ...

… and is repulsed !

The Prussian infantry storms the hill – The Light Infantry
of both sides fight it out in the woods

The big melee on the hill – Prussian Frei-Infanterie has been
dispersed and the croats assault the Prussian gun

The Austrians concede and retreat
(in fact, I used the kitchen table and dinner had to be served)

Conclusion: An entertaining little solo game. I was pleased with „the look of the thing“. The Charge! rules with Stuart Asquith' modifications worked well. I still have to take a deeper look at them and create my own play-sheet.

Gaming with small-sized units, i.e. 10 figures for infantry, 5 for cavalry allows for quicker progress along my work-up schedule to larger battles/units. I´m thinking about playing Honours of War scenarios with 10-figure infantry battalions and 4-trooper cavalry now that I´m comfortable with the look.

Die Kriegskunst - Test Game

An invitation to a game from someone who can set up a 10' x 6' table, owns TWO sizable armies for the War of the Spanish Succession and knows the Die Kriegskunst rules? Yes!

 The Smoke of the first shot of the combat disperses and three Riders
of my opponent were unhorsed by that little 4-pdr. firing cannister!
A failed morale test forces the cavalry to retreat ...

My Center and Right Wing. We both had
an additional Brigade on our other wing.

 Looking gooood ....

Cavalry Action on the right wing. Inconclusive!
Note the riderless horses running around

My impressions of the rules and the game:

-  the rules worked well, no disputes. For me the command system had the right "stiffness" (we treated both sides as Prussians for command. They have a big advantage in this regard).
-  both players operated cautiously, had respect for one another, i.e. the other sides firepower (namely the artillery; 8 guns on the table; Cannister hurts)
-  the game felt veeeery  Seven Years War. Beautifull armies, enough troops (albeit the big infantry clash did not happen), adequate terrain, two lines of infantry, no Grand Batteries, good atmosphere.

A big thank you to my fiend tattergreis for this invitation. I look forward to our next game, a deliberate attack/defence action to get to a decent infantry clash ....

Honours of War - St. Ulrich Solo Game - Part 7

Turn 7 (click pictures to enlarge)

1. Move commanding generals:  Both remain where they are.

Turn 7: Last Prussian Batallion standing ...

The hit status of the troops is as follows:
Prussians:  Dragoons 0, II/IR41 3, Composite Btl. Done For, 12pdr 0.
Austrians:  Cuirassiers 0, I/Kaiser 1, II/Kaiser Done For, Salm-Salm 1, 6pdr 1.

2. Movement Initiative:  Prussians win. Roll of 5 +1 = 6 versus Austrians 4 +1 = 5.

3. Movement:
The Prussians decide to move first. They want to move back the remaining infantry batallion, but they fear there is not much hope for survival.

3.1 Prussian Infantry: Dashing, roll of 4 results in 'Steady'. II/IR41 moves backwards 20cm.

3.2 Austrian Infantry: Dithering upgraded to Dependable due to the CiC nearby, roll of 3 results in 'Steady'. Both batallions advance. The gun manhandles forward.

The Prussians move backwards, the Austrians advance

3.3 Prussian Dragoons. Dependable, a roll of 5 results in 'Steady'.

Now what do do? The II/IR41 infantry is about to be shot to pieces. If they only retreat, the Austrians will capture the bridge and win.
They decide to CHARGE the enemy gun, meaning they will be countercharged by the cuirasiers. They will fight at a disadvantage (the cuirassiers are rated superior), but if they can rout the cuirassiers, it will result in a drawn game, even if they themself are routed.

3.4 Austrian Cuirassiers: Countercharge.  

4. Firing Initiative: Prussian roll of 3 +1 = 4 versus roll of 3. Prussians win.

5 Firing Phase:
5.1 The prussian Brummer, nearest target I/Kaiser. Standard artillery, -1 target classed as superior, roll of 3 -2 = 1 results in NO EFFECT.
Prussian II/IR41, standard, nearest target I/Kaiser,  -1 target classed as superior, -1 moved, - 1 Difficult Target (less than half of the btl. is within the firing zone), -1 long range, -1 unit has 3 hits, roll of 4 -5 = -1 results in NO EFFECT.

5.2 Austrian 6pdr is unable to fire. It is blocked by the cavalry melee !
I/Kaiser at II/IR41, superior, -1 moved, -1 long range, - 1 Difficult Target, roll of 2 -3 = -1 results in NO EFFECT.

Wow. II/IR41 held its ground! The gun was unable to fire (which made all the difference) and I/Kaiser missed.

6. Melee:

1st Round:

Austrian Cuirassier, superior, +1 for charging, roll of 4 +1 = 5 results in THREE HITS.

Prussian Dragoons, standard, +1 for charging, -1 target classed as superior, roll of 4 +1-1 = 4 results in TWO HITS.

2nd Round:

Austrian cuirassier, superior, roll of 5 (maximum damage!) results in THREE HITS.

Prussian Dragoons, standard, -1 target classed as superior, -1 unit has 3 hits, roll of 5 -2= 3 results in TWO HITS.

 

Game Over! The Prussian Dragoons are Done For. The Cuirassiers retreat

 

Army Points lost:  Prussians: 2  Austrians: 1. Austrian Victory

Turn Commentary
A frontal charge against cuirssiers, rated superior, is a BAD idea. Not only are they more difficult to hit (modifier -1 for target being rated superior), the cuirssiers themself also can inflict more damage as they have their own line on the Hit Table.

Honours of War - St. Ulrich Solo Game - Part 6

Turn 6 (click pictures to enlarge)

1. Move commanding generals:
The prussian commanding general, has no game function stays on the bridge.

The Austrian CiC moves to be able to encourage the cavalry as well as his Dithering brigadier

 
The hit status of the troops is as follows:
Prussians:  Dragoons 0, II/IR41 1, Composite Btl. 2, 12pdr 0.
Austrians:  Cuirassiers 0, I/Kaiser 1, II/Kaiser Done For, Salm-Salm 1, 6pdr 1.

2. Movement Initiative:  Prussians win. Roll of 6 +1 = 7 versus Austrians 3 +1 = 4.

3. Movement:
The Prussians decide to move first. They want to move forward, away from the river. The river is classed as impassable and if a unit cannot complete a forced retreat move due to impassable terrain, it is eliminated.

3.1 Prussian Infantry: Dashing, roll of 1 results in 'Steady'. Both infantry batallions march forward and to the left. The 12pdr pivots a bit to the left and forward (counts as moving).

Both prussian infantry batallions march forward

3.2 Austrian Infantry: Dithering upgraded to Dependable due to the CiC nearby, roll of 4 results in 'Steady'. I/Kaiser remains stationary. Salm-Salm moves the full move forward. The gun manhandles forward.

3.3 Prussian Dragoons. Dependable, a roll of 5 results in 'Steady'. They move to protect the flank of the infantry and change formation to single line.

3.4 Austrian Cuirassiers: Dependable, a roll of 2 results in 'Steady'. They change formation to double line and move forward to protect the gun. 

Situation afer Turn 6 movement

 

4. Firing Initiative: Prussian roll of 4 +1 = 5 versus roll of 3. Prussians win.

5 Firing Phase:
5.2 The prussian Brummer, nearest target I/Kaiser. Standard artillery, - 1 moved (it pivoted) , -1 target classed as superior, roll of 3 -2 = 1 results in NO EFFECT.
Prussian composite bataillon, nearest target I/Kaiser, standard, - 1 moved, -1 target classed as superior, -1 long range, roll of 3 -3 = 0 results in NO EFFECT.
Prussian II/IR41, nearest target I/Kaiser BUT Salm-Salm, not being rated superior, is easier to hit and therefore selected as the target. Standard, - 1 moved, - 1 Difficult Target (less than half of the btl. is within the firing zone), -1 long range, roll of 3 -3 = 0 results in NO EFFECT.

Damn! No hits for the prussians this round. Things may start to fall apart ...

The firefight on Turn 6

5.1 Austrian 6pdr fires cannister at II/IR 41, superior, -1 moved, roll of 2 +2-1 = 3, 1 HIT.
Salm-Salm at II/IR41, Standard, - 1 moved, - 1 Difficult Target (less than half of the btl. is within the  firing zone), -1 long range, roll of 5 (maximum!) -3 = 2 results in 1 HIT (II/IR41 now has received a total of 3 hits).
I/Kaiser at Prussian composite batallion, superior, -1 long range, roll of 5 (maximum again!) -1 = 4, 3 HITS !!  The prussian composite batallion goes from 2 hits +3 to 5 hits, DONE FOR !

Command Casualties: Prussian Brigade Commander, roll of 3, no effect. Reactions to Firing: Prussian composite batallion routs towards the bridge.

The situation at the end of turn 6 - the Prussian composite batallion routs towards the bridge

6. Melee: -
7. Rally:  No rallies (the last remaining hit on a unit may never be rallied off).
8. Army Points lost:  Prussians:  1     Austrians:   1

Turn Commentary
The prussian fire was bad, the austrian fire excellent (they rolled a 5 two times).The prussian composite batallion is DONE FOR and II/IR41 now has received a total of 3 hits. Both austrian infantry units have one hit each.
The situation for the prussians looks desperate ...

Honours of War - St. Ulrich Solo Game - Part 5

Turn 5 (click pictures to enlarge)

1. Move commanding generals:
The prussian commanding general now represents von Meyernicks replacement, rated as Dithering [who therefore cannot encourage brigadiers and possibly enhance their command performance and who cannot rally of the one additional hit. In addition, command results of 'Amirable' or 'Inspriring' are reduced to 'Steady' on a roll of 1 or 2 (rulebook p.13)].
He is useless, has no game function and moves onto the bridge.

The Austrian CiC moves to his right to continue to encourage his Dithering brigadier.

The hit status of the troops is as follows:
Prussians:  Dragoons 0, II/IR41 2, Composite Btl. 3 (red die, reforming), 12pdr 0.
Austrians:  Cuirassiers 0, I/Kaiser 1, II/Kaiser Done For, Salm-Salm 3, 6pdr 1.

Movement of commanding generals in Turn 5

2. Movement Initiative:  There is a lot at stake now! Who gets it?
Prussians win ! Roll of 2 +1 = 3 versus Austrians 1 +1 = 2.

3. Movement:  The Prussians move first.
3.1 Prussian Infantry: Dashing, roll of 5 results in 'Admirable, a DOUBLE MOVE.

"Wait, my dear friend!", the austrian player intervenes, "Your CiC is a replacement and Dithering. On a 1 or 2 on a d6 'Admirable' or 'Inspiring' is converted to 'Steady'.".

The prussian player rolls ... a 3 ! All is well for him. II/IR 41 is moved back next to the other batallion, which due to 'reforming' has to remain stationary.

 IR 41 is moved back next to the other batallion

3.2 Austrian Infantry: Dithering upgraded to Dependable due to the CiC nearby, roll of 5 results in 'Steady'. Salm-Salm, having 3 hits, is moved back 15 cm to better be able to rally. I/Kaiser moves forward.

I/Kaiser, superior infantry, galantly advances

3.3 Prussian Dragoons. Dependable, a roll of 5 results in 'Steady'. They move to protect the flank of the infantry.

3.4 Austrian Cuirassiers: Dependable, a roll of 1 results in 'Poor'. They are not allowed to move and change facing in place.

Situation after Turn 5 movement

4. Firing Initiative: Prussian roll of 1 +1 = 2 versus roll of 4. Austrians win.

5 Firing Phase:  Only the guns are in range.
5.1 Austrian 6pdr fires cannister at II/IR 41, superior, effective range , -1 moved, roll of 2 -1 = 1, NO EFFECT.
5.2 The prussian Brummer, nearest target I/Kaiser. Standard artillery, - 1 Difficult Target (less half of the btl. are within the guns firing zone), -1 target classed as superior, roll of 3 -2 = 1 results in NO EFFECT.

No hits, no command casualties. There are no Reactions to Firing. 

6. Melee: -
7. Rally
The Prussian composite bataillon at the bridge rallies of 1 hit. With now 2 hits it has comleted reforming and the red die is changed to green. II/IR41 reduced to 1 hit.

Salm-Salm rallies of 1 hit plus 1 additional hit for being within 5 cm of the commanding general and only 1 hit remains.

Turn Commentary
With a double move, the exposed prussian batallion quickly retreated. The austrian Salm-Salm, not as quick, also moved back. Were it not for the prussian double move, I/Kaiser may well have kept the pressure on them could have fired a volley and prevented rallying.
The command rules came into play here, as the prussian player had to "confirm" his double move and wasn't able to rally off one additional hit.
Neither side was willing to to risk or 'blow' the cavalry at this stage. This is especially true for the Austrians as the cuirassiers, albeit rated as superior, might possibly lose the melee and then it would be 'game over' for them, having two units Done For.

Honours of War - St. Ulrich Solo Game - Part 4

Turn 4 (click pictures to enlarge)

1. Move commanding generals:

Movement of commanding generals in Turn 4

2. Movement Initiative: Austrians win, roll 6 +1 = 7 versus Prussians 3 +1 = 4.

3. Movement
Maquire again does not wish to show his hand at this stage and requires the Prussians to move first because he thinks he can better coordinate his attack that way.

3.1 Meyernick decides to move the dragoons. Dependable, a roll of 1 results in 'Poor'. They are not allowed to move towards the enemy but may move away and can change formation. The dragoons do not move and change formation to double line as the may be required to squeeze through a gap latter on.

3.2 Austrian Cuirassiers: Dependable, a roll of 5 results in 'Steady'. They do not move.

3.3. Prussian Infantry: Dashing, +1 due to CiC proximity roll of 2 +1 results in 'Steady'. Damn! A 50% chance for a double move which had allowed a few interesting options like charging the gun or moving close to the cuirassiers and fire a volley at them. Both batallions move to the left using flank movement (no movement reductions for Prussians here).

Prussian infantry moves to their left

3.4 Austrian Infantry: Dithering upgraded to Dependable due to the CiC nearby, roll of 6 results in 'Admirable' - a DOUBLE MOVE ! The gun double-manhandles to the left. The Salm-Salm infantry moves forward and to the side within 10 cm to be able to fire. II/IR Kaiser charges the Prussians in front of them, "Schlagt Sie! Schlagt Sie!". 

The prussian composite batallion, half Le Noble Frei-Infanterie (in front) and half IR 41 (in the back as "Korsettstange"/corset), fires at he chargers: "Wartet Männer, wartet ... FEUER!" - standard, moved -1, roll of 5 - 1 = 4, a devastating Salvo rips through the air - THREE HITS on II/IR Kaiser.

 II/Kaiser on the right charges - and is hit by a devastating volley

 4. Firing Initiative: Prussians win, roll of 4 +1 versus roll of 3.

5 Firing Phase:
5.1 The prussian Brummer fires at the austrian gun (nearest target, the infantry is too close to friendly troops). Standard artillery, - 1 Difficult Target (deployed guns always count as such), roll of 4 -1 = 3 results in ONE HIT.

II/IR 41 fires at Saln-Salm, standard, -1 moved, roll of 3 -1 = 2, ONE HIT. Salm-Salm now has received a total of 3 hits.

 5.2 Austrian infantry brigade: Gun fires cannister at II/IR 41, superior, Cannister range +2, -1 moved, roll of 3 +2 -1 = 4, ONE HIT.

Salm-Salm returns fire and also fires at II/IR 41, standard, -1 moved, -1 for having 3 hits received, roll of 4 -2 = 0, ONE HIT. II/IR41 now has a total of 2 hits.

Firing Phase Turn 4 - from above

 

 Firing Phase Turn 4 - from the side

(painted by Carl Röchling) 

II/ Kaiser: standard, -1 long range, -1 moved, -1 difficult target (target unit is more than half outside the firing zone), roll of 3 -3 = 0, Miss.

As described in the last post, before you do the 'Reaction to Firing', i.e. retreat or rout moves after all firing of both sides is resolved, you have to check for Command Casualties (rulebook p.13). This can be easily overlooked but has serious game consequences in respect to command performance.

• Austrian Brigade Commander: Roll of 10. (Another bullethole in wig and tricorne for him!)
• Austrian Commanding General: Roll of 9. (Unharmed) [Edit: roll was not required a the CiC is more than 5 cm from the unit]
• Prussian Brigade Commander: Roll of 5. (Unharmed)
• Prussian Commanding General: Roll of 11. AAARRGGH ! A stray musket ball from Sam-Salm hits von Meyernick! He falls from his horse wounded. Oberst von Schlappstein now takes over.

Von Meyernick has been hit !

Wow, the Prussian CiC as a casualty. As he is an unrated commander his replacement, Oberst von Schlappstein, is rated as Dithering. This is quite a blow as from now on the CiC has no positive impact on his troops anymore. He cannot encourage brigadiers and possibly enhance their command performance and he cannot rally of the one additional hit. In addition, command results of 'Amirable' or 'Inspriring' are reduced to 'Steady' on a roll of 1 or 2 (rulebook p.13).

There are no Reactions to Firing as everyone is below 4 hits. 

6. Melee: II/Kaiser charges the Prussian composite bataillon
II/Kaiser: +1 for support (Salm-Salm to their left), -1 for 3 hits received in total, roll of 3 +1 -1 = 3. TWO HITS. The Prussian composite bataillon now has a total of 4 hits and suffers LOSS OF MORALE.
Prussian composite bataillon: +1 for support (II/IR 41 next to it), roll of 4 +1 = 5. THREE HITS.
II/Kaiser now has a total of 6 hits and is DONE FOR.

Reactions to Melee:
II/Kaiser now has to do a rout move which is equivalent to one normal move to their rear. It is forced to move through I/Kaiser which therefore has to take 1 hit.
Prussian composite bataillon with its Loss of Morale has to conduct a retreat move, i.e. at least one normal move but up to two normal moves. It moves back to the bridge.

Situation at the end of the Melee Phase
II/Kaiser on the right routs, Prussian Btl. retreats

7. Rally
The Prussian composite bataillon at the bridge rallies of 1 hit. With now 3 hits it counts as reforming. All others cannot rally of hits as they are to close to the enemy.
II/Kaiser, which is DONE FOR is now removed from the table. As is suggested on page 35 of the rulebook, I chose to retain them on the table, disordered their bases and faced them away from the enemy.

Situation at the end of Turn 4

 8. Army Points lost:  Prussians:  0     Austrians:   1

 Each side wins the game if the enemy has lost 2 army points. The Austrian are now at a slight disadvantage ... or maybe not?

A FUN game so far. A reckless charge into a devastating volley, the Prussian commander shot from his horse, one Austrian batallion routed from the field, the cavalry ready to charge. Will the horsemen be able to decide the game? Who will press home the attack? Or will both sides regroup?