Return to Napoleonic's

I decided to get back to Napoleonic's this week. I played a game with my clubs hardcore Napoleonic group using the club's homegrown Napoleonic rules: Cold Steel. This is a set of rules that started as a simplified derivative of Empire but over the past 15 years has morphed into something almost as complicated. The main bonus is familiarity because I've played a hundred or more games of Cold Steel.

So I dusted off my French, and under the command of General L'Emmings, they took to the field against a combined Russo/Austrian force commanded by Pal and Van. Ben was my French compatriot on the left. Each player had approximately a division (I had 14 battalions, 2 below strength regiments of chaseurs a cheval, a regiment of dragoons, and a 8lb gun battery).

My guys deployed in depth with my main strength in the centre. I was facing Van and his Austrians who were very strong in cavalry. But I had some woods and a marsh on my right wherein to secure my flank. I also had some high ground on my right where I deployed my guns.

The Russo/Austrians got the initiative and moved first. They were pretty aggressive and moved up to take two small villages. I maneuvered a bit and sent out skirmishers to harass them and moved forward on my right.

And so it went...

I managed to get my infantry into strong positions and got my guns and cavalry into the battle with good effect. My Dragoons were the stars of the show. I got them into line in front of my center where a 12 Russian horse battery had set up with support of a cavalry brigade. I planned to charge the battery but I thought they were doomed.

But an Austrian infantry battalion moved in front of the guns prompting an Opportunity Charge by the dragoons. They pushed the column back and went forward into the guns, driving off the crew in a rout. They were then charged by the Russian cavalry and were themselves pushed back with some casualties. But they destroyed the guns which was a good result.

The dragoons retreated behind the infantry and managed to reform in short order. As the game went on I bolstered my center expecting an Austrian assault, but another fortunate chain of events resulted in another Opportunity Charge that smashed a second Austrian infantry battalion. The dragoons then took a major breakthrough into some Russian Dragoons that were blown and beaten up. Behind them was a badly mauled Austrian cavalry regiment...

And at that point the game was called.

The Russians had run out of steam after a strong infantry assault in the center that pushed back Ben's infantry but failed to make any real gains. On the French left Ben had pushed Paul's Russian's right back to breaking point, and my center was in a perfect position to launch their attack with several a veteran battalions.

Aftermath...

I had some lucky breaks, one being with my rightmost battalion just managing to from square and fend of Van's Austrian cavalry which could have rundown more battalions and my guns. But the Austrian's also made some mistakes which I managed to take advantage of. Paul, the Russian commander, decided to play the numbers by calculating dice bonuses and odds instead of assessing the tactical situation and taking some risks. Not the best way to win in my opinion. But there was also plenty of command confusion in the center where Van and Paul struggled with getting their troops coordinated.

Who is General L'Emmings?
When I play historical various games, I often use my own distorted surname (Hemmings). So when I play pirates my captain is the wily Spaniard: Don Emmingo. My medieval Germans are the Hemmingseatic League lead by Baron von Rickenbacker (because I am a long time lover and player of the bass). So General L'Emmings is my French general.

Oh yeas, and the Prussian: General von Hemmingstein!

~~~~~~ Crappy photo's by me. The better ones stolen from club member Russel ~~~~~~~