Page 1 of 2

Mondays Game

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:12 pm
by BP
Taking a few people new to R2E though a game tomorrow, and its also the first time I've set up all my toys on my own table.

Game will be set around Clintons 6th Division advance at Salamanca against Bonnets division, which was Clausels last throw of the dice to salvage something.

Los Arapiles from the Great Arapile
Image

Image


Bonnets Division
Image

The Great Arapile
Image


6th Division
Image

Image



The French still need some work(the 2 guns on the Great Arapile are British for instance), but looking forward to the game.

Bill

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:25 pm
by Churchill
Ray.

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:19 am
by andy thompson
That looks really impressive Bill, I look forward to blundering and fumbling my way across it.

At least it'll leave me with a vague notion of what I'm supposed to be doing at the weekend.

Andy

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:29 am
by barr7430
You'll be leading from the front on the weekend Andy!!!

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:44 am
by andy thompson
EEK :shock:

I'm sure I'll make old Marshall Forwards proud...posthumously.

Andy

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:30 am
by BP
Andy, judging by Barrys comments, you'll be French this weekend, so do you want a French brigade? Be warned the 118th, 119th, 120th and 122nd regiments de ligne are not the creme de la creme of the French army ;)

Ray, the buildings are Grand Manner's Spanish Peninsula village, and mighty fine they are too. I saved all my pennies and plumped for the painted version at wargames level and they are excellent. Having seen how good these are I'd struggle to justify the extra cost for collectors painting.

Bill

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:48 am
by andy thompson
Are they the blue ones? :lol:

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:01 pm
by Churchill
Ray.

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:05 pm
by BP
Yes, for season 1812/13 blue was the preferred strip :)
Unfortunately so are the Portuguese and they haven't brought their away strip :)

Don't worry, I'll keep you right, especially if you're the opposition over the weekend :!:

Bill

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:23 pm
by obriendavid
The buildings look superb but coming from Grand Manner you will have saved up a lot of pennies. Look forward to reading a battle report.
Cheers
Dave

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:34 am
by BP
Intro game went well, but due to a couple of last minute call off its was Andy and myself, so Andy took the command of the French.

General Replace M'ent standing in for the injured General Bonnet
Image

And myself would be taking the part of Clinton, here seen receiving his orders to advance
Image

The game started slowly for the British, with a small number of maneuver points, and having to negotiate the ridges to the east of Los Arapiles, the artillery did move up to the edge of the ploughed field but couldnt unlimber - whch would be costly!

Image

The French first turn was a much more brisk affair, with several exploitations for each brigade and formation changes, Charles brigade formed into L'orde mixte and Gaultiers brigade just moving straight ahead, but then changing orders to attack - no messing around intended then!

The main protagonists of the evening, Gaultiers brigade with the 119th Ligne in the foreground and the 118th in the rear.
Image

The French artillery on the Great Arapile opened up on the 2/53rd causing a causaulty which was easily passed, the French infantry of Charles brigade then found itself just in range of the British artillery, and more in hope than expectation opened fire, killing off a gun crew, so reducing the battery to 2 guns. The French were off to a good start!

Turn 2 saw the initiative go to the French, who then changed Charles brigade onto attack from advance, and exploited with Gaultiers brigade, who then moved forward into a fetching staggered formation

Image

The French artillery and musketry from the advancing columns caused a large number of casualties (6 from 7 dice) on the 53rd who wavered, and also destroyed a limber from the artillery battery

Image

For the British turn 2 saw a small advance for the 2 British brigades, the artillery unlimbered and the company of the 5/60th rifles got into range on the flank of the Gaultiers brigade, a smattering of small arms fire was distributed across the French units, but not enough to cause any discomfort Clinton had joined the wavering 53rd in readiness to help rally them and provide moral support if needed.

Turn 3 saw the French win the initiative, and advanced with Gaultiers brigade and Charles brigade, the firing this turn was less effective, but still managed to destroy another gun crew, leaving the British battery with only 1 working gun. The artillery on the Great Arapile had switched targets to the 1/11th but was ineffective.

Andy had hoarded his maneuver points for this point and blew them all on a mass charge, the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 118th would charge the 2nd Queens Infantry, the 2nd battalion 118th would charge the wavering 2/53rd, now with Clinton attached, to which Andy attached the French Divisional commander, and the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 119th charged the 1/11th North Devon battalion.

All charges went in, even the recruits of the 3/118th, now it was the turn of the British morale, which all held, and in fact the 53rd, with Clintons help, recovered from wavering to steady morale state, much to Andys incredulousness!

The 2nd Queens fired on the combined mass of the 2 battalions bearing down on them, which was too much for the recruits of the 3rd battalion who failed to charge home, however the men of the first battalion were made of sterner stuff and crashed into the 2nd regiment, who bent under the initial charge, but held (due to poor dice rolling by Andy it must be said) It then degenerated into a mass brawl with the French numbers telling, the 2nd routed, but the 1/118th lost 50% and recoiled wavering and disordered, in no state to follow up on there breakthrough.

The next unit in the line was the 2/118th againts the now steady 53rd. The 53rds stand and fire killed the attached Divisional general, but that was as good as it got them, as seeing the stand and fire didnt stop the French, the 53rd lost there nerve before contact and routed taking Clinton with them!
The 2/118th halted in good order on the posiiton of the 53rd, nervously eyeing up the advancing Portuguese brigade it had just uncovered


The 1st and 2nd battalions of the 118th charged home into the bloody 11th, who dealt a staggering 7 casualties from there stand and fire, but both French units still crashed home into the 11th who were still in good order. The 11th passed the initial resolve check for just losing the first round of combat, but being outnumbered 2-1 it quickly reached over 50% casualties and routed! Both French units were over 25% losses, but they stood there ground, disordered by the melee.

All British units passed the resolve checks, although the 32nd wavered as the 2nd routed past
(apologies, in the heat of the moment I didnt grab a picture, but here is a picture of the now big - blown in the initial British line)

Image

The British turn 3 wasnt looking good, Hulses brigade could no longer generate any maneuver points, Hindes brigade was stuck, so the remnants of both British brigades moved to defend orders, as did Rezende's Portuguese, this used up all the maneuver points, so unless the shooting was successful in repelling Gaultiers now disorganised, but largely intact brigade it was
looking sticky indeed!

With little in the way of movement, it was straight onto shooting, Hindes brigade and the now depleted artillery caused hits across Charles brigade, but no resolve tests were forthcoming.
Rezendes brigade now fired on the marauding French battalions, causing enough hits to take the 2/118th over 25% casulaties and also hits on the 2/119 which was also over 25%.
Due to the somewhat dispersed nature of the brigade after the combat, and the fact that the units were disordered, both units routed! Huzzah for the Portuguese. The pressure had been lifted on the line by the timely intervention of the Portuguese (as usual some might say ;) )

Gaultiers Brigade in more disarray
Image

We went for 1 more turn, but as the British won the Initiative and could now do even more damage to Gaultiers brigade before it could reorganise, we called it there.

Was an enjoyable evening, Andy grasped the concepts well, and his aggresive handling of a very average quality brigade (1 Drilled elite, 3 Drilled and 2 recruit battalions) with a sluggish brigadier very much caught me by surprise, and it was more down to me having reserves to plug the gap rather than anything else that prevented a French win.

We pretty much went through the gamut of all the mechanics, from MP generation, using them, exploitation, movement, shooting, close combat and resolve checks along with the various reasons for them, so should have a better grasp of the mechanics for the weekend.

If you stayed with the report this long, well done for sticking with my factual and rather dry recitation of events ;)

Bill.

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:56 am
by andy thompson
In the fullest traditions of French feats of arms:

"My center gives way, my right retreats; situation excellent. I shall attack."

If it hadn't been for those meddling Portuguese...

Good write up Bill. Pretty much ties in with how I remember things.

I was quite surprised at the mechanism that allowed the wavering 53rd to recover morale as the attack column bore down on them but I suppose I can see the rationale behind it. Knowing that before hand I might have been more inclined to throw 2 columns at each of the British battalions but it all worked out in favour of the good guys :wink: at the end.

I was also surprised at the poor state of my Brigade after bursting such a huge gap through the line. A valuable lesson learned on my part on the wisdom of keeping a reserve to exploit a break-through or rally back to.

Thanks for setting it all up.

Andy

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:47 am
by obriendavid
Good write up of the game and also shows the importance of keeping reserves and supports which is something you don't see in most wargames.
Cheers
Dave

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:26 am
by Churchill
Ray.

Re: Mondays Game

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:34 am
by BP
Thanks chaps.

I'm still not sure on the ease with which a drilled French column can sweep a veteran British line battalion away. As has been previously discussed, some sort of -ve for trying to charge home against a steady British line might be appropriate, but the game was still enjoyable. Its probably something I'll introduce as a house rule in future, but didn't want to muddy the waters for Andy's initial run through the rules prior to this weekends game in Fife.

Bill.