BLB2 this Saturday, need some answers for the scenario.

[Justin Penwith]

I am running the monthly club game this Saturday and the club members requested that I run BLB again (this time 2nd edition). I am creating a scenario set in my alternate timeline, the one I am using for my campaign.

Basically, it is 1706 and the WSS never happened. However, the Elector of Bavaria has had his fill with Hapsburg Austria and is seeking to create a Kingdom of Bavaria for himself...thus a small war between Bavaria and Austria.

The Bavarians (and allies) are besieging Enns, after taking Linz by a coup de main, and their covering force to the east has come into contact with a relieving force of Austrians (and allies).

My questions are thus:

As this is an alternate reality, I know that the unit quality designations are up to me. Yet, I do want to balance the sides close enough to have a roughly equal chance for both sides to win.

The Bavarians will have about 12 battalions and 6 squadrons. 3 guns.

The Austrians about 20 battalions and 6 squadrons. 4 guns.

(yes, I am a bit light on cavalry, but that's the forces we can come up with atm).

I expect that due to the Austrian numbers, I will need several of these to be Raw (5), with the bulk Drilled (10), a few Elite (4), and one Guard (1) for infantry.

What would be best for the Bavarians? 6 Drilled, 4 Elite, and 2 Guard?

I figure as there are equal numbers of cavalry, they can each have 4 drilled and 2 elite.

The Bavarians will have all field guns and the Austrians all small guns.

Any advice on balancing the unit quality ratios would be most helpful to me.

[El Cid]

That's no alternate timeline, that's the War of the Austrian Succession:

The Elector of Bavaria, who now styled himself Archduke of Austria, was crowned King of Bohemia (9 December 1741) and elected to the imperial throne as Charles VII (24 January 1742), but no active measures were undertaken.

In Bohemia the month of December was occupied in mere skirmishes. On the Danube, Khevenhüller, the best general in the Austrian service, advanced on 27 December, swiftly drove back the allies, shut them up in Linz, and pressed on into Bavaria. Munich itself surrendered to the Austrians

Nice try


But, then, why should it not already have happened in 1706 ?

[Justin Penwith]

Yes, but in my timeline there's no issue with the Austrian Succession in 1706!

And, really, this is a scenario that allows me to "bring together" one character/general from each of the future player nations in the campaign, in a way significant for the futures of their individual nations.

Kind of like the Turenne/Marlborough connection in the Anglo-Dutch War. I am allowing for bonuses to character states (via the combat experience) for those that participate in certain ways (taking objectives) and then another bonus for the winning side.

Still, I need to have some balance to the scenario.

[El Cid]

O.K. then:

The Bavarians should have - historically based for 1706 - maximums of:
Infantry: 1 Guards, 2 Elite, 6-8 drilled, 0-2 raw
Cavalry: 1-2 Elite (Cuirassiers), the rest drilled, 0 raw.

And should be led by the Elector in person, also historically based.

[Justin Penwith]

El Cid, my thanks!

So, can someone else, using El Cid's recommended force for the Bavarians, help me with balancing the Austrians, who have 8 more battalions?

I don't want to just have two more full brigades of Raw troops, so I am thinking of 6 Raw, 12 Drilled, and 2 Elite (no guard) representing that last of the internal German reserves, and perhaps the Vienna militia, that is the scratch force attempting to save Austria. Being that it is a force that had to move "rapidly", I figure 4 small guns to be good...with the Bavarians having 3 (or 4) field guns.

The Austrians are under pressure to attack and to win in this scenario, so I do want to make sure they have a chance at it, but not make it too easy for them.