1757- a SYW battle report

[Ochoin]

Tomorrow, my pals & I will fight a devised battle between the French & Prussians during the SYW.
We will be using a new rule set for the first time. The rules are a modified version of the Napoleonic set SHAKO. I'm calling them TRICORNE & I must acknowledge the generous support & sharing of Benno member PaulRPetri in my efforts to get them ready for battle.

The game will start with the troops in position.


The battlefield. The French, in strength, are advancing on 3 fronts on a small Prussian army on the defence.


The main French army, under Prince Soubise, advance with two infantry brigades, a cavalry brigade & several field guns.


A French flanking force of hussars, light infantry & 4 battalions of Etranger infantry threaten the Prussian redoubt & village



To the north, French grenadiers & dragoons move to pin the Prussians


Fewer in number, a well placed Prussian force stands in the way of the French advance.



Prussian re-enforcements in the form of heavy cavalry & grenadiers march to their assistance.



Much will depend upon the Prussians holding their eastern flank

The battle report will be posted tomorrow.

donald

BTW in case you think this unfair, I should point out the sheer mass of the French may be a problem. Plus they can only change orders to their 6 brigades via an ADC. They have 5.
The Prussians are also better quality troops, have 4 ADCs for their 4 brigades & have the benefit of a central position. Of no small significance, the sun sets on Turn 9 so the French, to win, most rout their enemy. Good luck to them.

[Chariobaude]

i'm waiting for the report !! should be very interesting... nine turns for how any time played ?

[Ochoin]

I love my SYW French army - the colourful uniforms, the flags etc- but I am true to history & the rules make them a shambles on the table top.

That is why for this battle, over half my Prussians will remain in their boxes. This is the only hope for the French….& I still think they'll botch it.

We kick-off at 9am. There'll be a 90 minute lunch break (home made ravioli, bruschetta, herb & olive chicken home made cassatta & some Barossa reds to wash it down) & finish at about 4. As it's a new rule set & we're learning, this is about 60-90 minutes longer than it should be.

donald

[Chariobaude]

love your program, especially your home made ravioli !

[Peter]

Don't know a thing about wargaming but I love to see a table full of well painted figures!

[MABO]

Looks like a perfect setting. As you can see here another games was played for the first time with the same opponents: http://bennosfiguresforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=25329&p=279648#p279648

[Ochoin]

My, that's a good looking game, Mabo.

With my wargaming, it's the figures, it's the game but it is also the good fellowship & the social occasion. I think you are the same.

donald

[PaulRPetri]

Donald my transporter is malfunctioning I can't make it to that unbelievable game!!!

Waiting for your battle report with much anticipation!!!

I have the lads turning up at my place on Friday for game number 2 of my Shako SYW experiment..

[Harry Faversham]

A very handsome looking setup. I'm looking forward to the AAR with great expectation!

[Minuteman]

I love my SYW French army - the colourful uniforms, the flags etc- but I am true to history & the rules make them a shambles on the table top.

That is why for this battle, over half my Prussians will remain in their boxes. This is the only hope for the French….& I still think they'll botch it.

We kick-off at 9am. There'll be a 90 minute lunch break (home made ravioli, bruschetta, herb & olive chicken home made cassatta & some Barossa reds to wash it down) & finish at about 4. As it's a new rule set & we're learning, this is about 60-90 minutes longer than it should be.

donald

There is much to love about your French SYW army, donald. A finely conceived, modelled and painted tabletop creation which should be the envy of any SYW wargamer.

I am starting to develop similar feelings for my slowly expanding WoSS French (and Allied) army, which is at present in need of more cavalry...but they are on their way. They too had their 'upsets' against Marlborough and Eugene,,,as did the French 50 years later against King Frederick and Ferdinand of Brunswick. But who can do anything but marvel at the spendidly-attired Maison du Roi, and those masses of pearl-grey-coated infantry, not to mention their mercenary Swiss, German and Irish counterparts. And as for the Bavarians in shades of light blue, and their archaic armoured cuirassiers!

But...back to your SYW game. Great photos, and a great menu too!

[Ochoin]

The Battle.

A game using new rules isn't a guarantee of fun - this game was an absolute blast!
Our rules worked a treat to produce a fairly trouble free, slick yet challenging contest. Indeed, so engrossed was I, I failed to take many photos.

As indicated, the Prussians, though outnumbered, were still formidable. Key to their strength was their ability to both change formation & move- an ability denied to the French.


Several units of Prussian grenadiers meant resistance was assured.


The most important feature of TRICORNE is that written orders were necessary....& to change them, an ADC needed to be sent from the static Commanding general to each brigade commander. Even at the ability to move at 18" a turn, this took time. And a rule that required a D6 to be thrown on arrival to see if the courier had arrived or been killed (on a '6') & failed to deliver orders saw 4 ADCs die. You had to think ahead in this game!




Needless to say, in a game involving movement, cavalry were vital. They could, & did, crush unsupported infantry but could also be shot to pieces by formed & supported infantry.


The French cavalry were ruthless & aggressive.


After much hard fighting, the Prussian perimeter was cracked. The surviving Prussians raced for safety.



It was Turn 9 - the final turn before sunset saved the Prussians but too late! the French had reached their objective

The Prussian army had reached breakpoint & disintegrated.

A rare but satisfying French victory (BTW Frederick the Great never came, but each turn I rolled a dice to pretend he might have next turn....cruel but in the end a failed tactic).

donald

[Harry Faversham]

Great stuff, both piccys and narrative.

[C M Dodson]

Impressive painting and nice formations ‘ In The Grand Manner ‘

Nice pictures showing the action.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Ochoin]

nice formations ‘ In The Grand Manner ‘
,

Chris

Given the amazing scale of your work, Chris, that's a nice compliment.

Thanks, donald

[PaulRPetri]

WOW Donald fantastic game. Your miniatures are so well done. I am liking the results that Shako gives. It appears you have the same feeling.

[Ochoin]

I am liking the results that Shako gives. It appears you have the same feeling.

There was a new, dynamic round of conversations amongst the two teams not just about tactics but how to word them in cogent orders. There was also a noticeable uplift in the players trying to think ahead, to compensate for the difficulty in changing orders. Compared to our old set, we lost some micro-detail in tactics but these aspects more than made up for that.

I am quite enthusiastic not least because we broke an army in about 5 hours! With experience, we could easily knock an hour off this. This means the biggest SYW battles can be fought to a conclusion in a night.

Again, I thank you for generously sharing your modifications of SHAKO. They were invaluable.
I look forward to your next game report. If we only lived a little closer to each other, could you imagine the battles we could fight?

donald

[Michael Robert]

Donald,
great figures, instructive report - I am not wargaming myself - but sounds all like a lot of fun
Thanks for sharing

[PaulRPetri]

I am glad you found my tinkering of some use. I will report in after Fridays scrum.
I can certainly imagine some terrific battles if half the world didnt seperate us!
Damn the bad luck.
Paul

[MABO]

Very interesting report. Thanks for sharing. As a newbee in Black Powder, I find comparable, that giving oders and roll the dice to see if it could reach the troops has a great impact in the game. The idea of a real ADC figure rushing over the table is nice in this context.

[Chariobaude]

Donald, this is great to read... I can imagine the pleasure of playing it !