Monday, October 29, 2012

Cavalry Clash

It has been some time since I have shared any news of my wargaming activities. In a return to my club's favorite period for wargaming, I have devised a scenario for a Napoleonic game for our next meeting. We had been discussing playing a large cavalry action, so... here is my scenario for a large (to us at least) cavalry battle set during the 1813 campaign. Like many of my scenarios, it will likely end in ruin for my French troops and leave me pondering the "two or three things that I forgot to include in the scenario design..."

If anyone reading this scenario ever tries to play it I would like to hear your results!

The scenario is created for 28mm troops using General de Brigade Deluxe rules.


Mounted Clash at Oelzschau
The Great Cavalry Battle

This fictional scenario is, mainly, a good excuse to put the majority of our cavalry units on the table.  It is set in 1813 as a further excuse to have such a mix of nationalities as our collections provide. However, in the interest of scenario balance, the qualities of individual units may not accurately represent their strengths or abilities in 1813. Similar types of units have been brigaded together for simplicity. Never heard of any of the officers on the unit rosters? They are players from the 1982 World Cup…

It is October of 1813. Napoleon’s hastily re-constructed Grande Armee is facing a large, determined, Coalition Army in Germany. As the two vast armies maneuver for advantage there is an encounter between cavalry screens that quickly grows as each side draws upon nearby reinforcements in a bid to destroy valuable enemy cavalry units. Ruining some of the enemy horse formations would give the winning side an advantage in scouting/screening while restricting the enemy’s freedom to maneuver.

The small village of Oelzschau is situated south-west of Leipzig and quickly becomes the focus of the cavalry forces of Platini and Blokhin. Control of the village will go far in controlling the south-western approach to the great city of Leipzig. For this reason, the two sides quickly begin feeding in reinforcements in a bid to quickly seize the village.

When the battle opens it is @ 9:30am and heavy cavalry units have already moved into the area to bolster the strength of the light cavalry that has been sparring with their opposites since nightfall of the previous day. Each side has managed to gather a few infantry units to add to the attacks on Oelzschau. The fear of the foot soldiers is that they will simply be “meat for the grinder” as large numbers of cavalry units move all around them.



Terrain Notes:
The Village of Oelzschau will hold 1 battalion of 24 figures and counts as COVER -2

The Hills are GOOD TERRAIN and do not have any effect on movement. Line of sight is blocked by hills.

The Woods are DIFFICULT TERRAIN

The Roads offer x2 speed for units in MARCH COLUMN that spend the entire move on the roads

Objective Notes:
We will add up points to determine a victor (or loser, if you are me)
1. The cross-roads hamlet of Oelzschau is the key terrain objective and is worth 10 points
2. Each side is seeking to destroy or rout more than one enemy brigade. Each destroyed brigade is worth 5 points
3. Each enemy general killed or colors taken is worth 5 points
4. Each enemy battalion/cavalry regiment destroyed or dispersed is worth 3 points
5. Enemy artillery destroyed is worth nothing





Imperial Forces
GdD Michel Platini
1 AdC                                        1322
Guard Brigade
GdB Ettori
Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard
12
Guard

96
Horse Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard
12
Guard

108

Heavy Brigade
GdB Baratelli
3rd Cuirassiers
12
Veteran

90
11th Cuirassiers
12
Veteran

90

Heavy Brigade
GdB Casteneda
7th Dragoons
12
Veteran

78
8th Dragoons
12
Veteran

78

Light Brigade
GdB Genghini
6th Hussars
12
Line

48
7th Chasseurs
12
Line

48
8th Chasseurs
16
Line

64
Horse Artillery 6lb
2
Veteran

76

Polish Brigade
GdB Battiston
3rd Polish Chasseur
12
Line

48
5th Polish Hussars
12
Line

48

Saxon Brigade
GdB Giresse
Saxon Hussars
12
Line

48
Saxon Kuirassier
12
Veteran

90


Infantry Brigade
GdB Bossis
111th Line
24
Line

48
111th Line
24
Line

48
Foot Artillery 6lb
2
Line

60

Infantry Brigade
GdB Lacombe
114th Line
24
Line

48
114th Line
24
Line

48
Foot Artillery 6lb
2
Line

60


Allied Coalition Forces
General Blokhin (RUS)
1 AdC                                            1360
Russian “Guard” Brigade
General Dasayev (RUS)
Guard Cossack
16
Elite

96
Uhlans
12
Veteran

66

Russian Heavy Brigade
General Gavrilov (RUS)
Dragoon
12
Line

72
Dragoon
12
Line

72
Dragoon
12
Line

72

Allied Heavy Brigade
General Buryak (RUS)
Russian Kuirassier
12
Veteran

90
Austrian Kuirassier
12
Veteran

90

Austrian Light Brigade
General Prohaska (AUS)
Hussars
16
Line

64
Uhlans
12
Line

60
Horse Artillery 6lb
2
Line

70

Prussian Dragoon Brigade
General Ilgner (PRU)
2nd West Prussian Dragoons
12
Line

72
3rd Lithuanian Dragoons
12
Line

72

Prussian Light Brigade
General Kahn (PRU)
2nd Life Hussars
12
Line

48
Russo-German Hussars
12
Line

48
Silesian Landwehr Cavalry
16
2nd Line

56

Infantry Brigade
General Littbarski (PRU)
Prussian Line
24
Line

48
Prussian Line
24
Line

48
Foot Artillery 6lb
2
Line

60

Infantry Brigade
General Bierhoff (PRU)
Prussian Line
24
Line

48
Prussian Line
24
Line

48
Foot Artillery 6lb
2
Line

60


A map of the scenario

Pictures