Napoleonic Battle Mlawa 1807

Our most recent game was a fictional encounter at Mlawa, Poland set during the 1807 campaign. We use the General de Brigade Deluxe rules with unit sizes reduced by 1/3 as our armies were designed for other 1:30 ratio rules instead of GdB's 1:20 ratio.

The French division opened the battle in possession of the village but the Russians stormed and seized Mlawa on the first turn. After that, it was a parade of poor dice rolls (and a misread chart for casualties) resulting in the French cavalry being badly mauled by Russian Cuirassiers. During the battle each side lost a brigade commander captured by the enemy. The Russians lost Prince Dolgorukov to troops from Chantome's Brigade while the French lost GdB Maurice to troops from Ushakov's Lithuanian Musketeers.

On the right wing there was a furious charge to open the battle as Prince Dolgorukov stormed Mlawa while his "support" from Ushakov's Grenadiers came to nothing as they failed their roll to enter melee so badly that the Grenadiers withdrew. Once the Russians had the town they never let it go. Sporadic fighting around Mlawa never led to any French advantage and the Russians still held Mlawa at battle's end.

Meanwhile, on the left wing the French Dragoons were being ridden down by the Little Russia Kuirassiers. The Dragoons were destroyed in a pair of dazzling charges that ended in rout results for the hapless Frenchmen. Only a Retire to Own Lines result on the Russian Pursuit Test halted the Russians. Eventually, the French cavalry, led by the Chasseurs, began to push back the tired Russian cavalry.


In the center, the Russians under Titov were trading volleys with Guily's Frenchmen. Casualties were fairly even as there was no room to add troops nor maneuver for advantage. Suddenly, near the game's last turn, the Russians failed a string of morale checks that sent Titov's brigade packing as it withdrew from the battle line to reorganize.


We were under a time limit so the battle was ended at 3:30 and the Russians were declared the victors as they still held the town. At that time the Russians were seeing their cavalry being slowly pushed back, although the Cossacks were still available to help, Titov's brigade was reforming and ready to stabilize the Russian center, the fight in the woods between Ushakov and Maurice was stalemated, and Chantome's brigade was in columns and ready to assault Mlawa in an attempt to pry it away from Dolgorukov's brigade. At best, that assault would have been a "near run thing" for the French.


As is customary at our club, I was on the French side (as Augereau, Chantome, and Maurice) and I lost. However, it was fun and I look forward to our next GdB game.


Below is the scenario info and a map:

Situation: At the battle’s opening, troops of GdB Chantome’s brigade (Desjardins’ Division, Augereau’s Corps) are holding Mlawa village against the advance of a Russian Division under LG Baron von der Osten-Sacken. The French troops in Mlawa are expecting the support of more units of Augereau’s Corps to arrive in time to drive away the Russians in order to hold the Heilsburg Road and allow Napoleon to strike at the main Russian body to the northwest.

Both sides know that the enemy has formations nearby and enter the area deployed for battle. See the Special Scenario Rules for set-up restrictions and any other rules in play. The French have stolen a night march and have managed to get the 14^th Regiment into the village of Mlawa. These are competent troops under an experienced officer. Both sides want control of Mlawa as it commands the Heilsburg Road.

Victory:

Possessing the village of Mlawa is the goal of both armies. It is the key to controlling the Heilsburg Road. The village is considered to be “held” by the last army that had FORMED troops in the village. Routed, retreating, falling back, and pushed back units do not count as FORMED when determining ownership of Mlawa.

Special Rules for Mlawa

Village:
Mlawa village can hold up to 48 figures. The village counts as BUILDINGS for cover modifiers.

Stream:

The stream is small but fairly deep. It is DIFFICULT terrain. PAGE 87

Pioneers:
A stand of Pioneers/Sappers/Genies must be attached to a unit in order to give benefits. If they are attached then they suffer the first casualties if the unit is fired upon. They may be fired upon if they are “working” on water crossings and such. Otherwise, they may only be shot at if they shoot first. See rule 12.10 to find their fate if they help in an assault.

Pioneers/Sappers/Genies See rule 12.10 on page 120. In our scenario the sapper rules apply to BUILDINGS too. Thus, troops assaulting a town with the aid of sappers may re roll ONE of his dice in melee.

Troops in woods accompanied by sappers can move at normal rate if sappers are attached to a battalion.

Pioneers can erect a stream crossing in one full turn. This will be nothing more than a pile of logs dumped into the stream bed and covered with planks.  However, this quick bridge will allow normal movement for columns of infantry, cavalry, and limbered artillery.

Set up:
Each side will have 4 sections and there must be at least one brigade in each section.

Russians must have a minimum of 1 brigade in each zone ABCD

French must have a minimum of two brigades in zones 1 and 2 of 1234

Optional Rules in use:
Smoke:

Smoke is a -1 modifier to shooting (instead of a -2) and ANY doubles thrown in shooting reduces casualties by 1/2 per rule 16.4 on page 146

Brigade morale:

Any brigade who suffers 50%, or more, casualties must test Brigade Morale EVERY TURN per rule 16.6 on page 146

Russian Force – Part of Osten-Sacken’s III Division

Lieutenant General Baron Fabian Gottlieb von der Osten-Sacken (Average) w/2 ADC

Brigade MG Ushakov (?)

• Tauride Grenadiers (2 bns) Elite SK2
• Lithuanian Musketeers (2 bns) Veteran

Brigade MG Titov (?)

• Kaporsk Musketeers (2 bns) Veteran
• Muromsk Musketeers (2 bns) Veteran

Brigade MG Prince Dolgorukov (?)

• Tschernigov Musketeers (2 bns) 2^nd Line
• Dnepr Musketeers (2 bns) 2^nd Line

Cavalry Brigade MG Count P.P. von der Palen (Average)

• Little Russian Cuirassiers (12 to 16 figures) Elite
• Kurland Dragoons (12 figures) Veteran
• Ilowaiski Cossacks (16 figures) Line

Artillery Brigade Colonel von Bril

• Heavy Company Colonel von Bril 12 pound (4 gun stands) Veteran
• Light Company Major Mitrofanov 6 pound (4 gun stands) 2^nd Line
• Major Afanasev’s Pioneer Detachment (12 figures) Veteran

1.       The cavalry brigade may be divided by using one of Osten-Sacken’s ADCs as a new brigade commander. This must be done prior to battle.

2.       Colonel von Bril’s Artillery Brigade may be disassembled and the batteries may be assigned to the infantry brigades. The pioneers may be reassigned to other brigades as a single unit or by companies. If any of the Artillery Brigade’s units are removed then the entire brigade must be disassembled. Colonel von Bril is removed from play if the Artillery Brigade is disassembled.

French Force – Part of Augereau’s VII Corps

Marechal d’Empire Augereau (Average) w/2 ADC

14^th Regiment (2bns - Veteran) begins the battle ensconced in the Mlawa village. Chef de Battalion Massy (Excellent) is acting as a brigade commander to the regiment.

GdD Desjardins  (?)

Brigade GdB Chantome (?)

• 16th Light Infantry (2bns) Elite SK1
• 14^th Regiment (2bns) Veteran SK1
• Major Defranc’s Genies (12 figures) Elite

Brigade GdB Maurice (Average)

• 44th Line Infantry (2 bns) Veteran
• 105th Line Infantry (2 bns) Veteran
• 8lb Foot Artillery (3 gun stands) Elite

Brigade GdB  Giuly (?)

• 24th Line Infantry (2 bns) Line
• 106th Line Infantry (2 bns)  Line
• 8lb Foot Artillery (4 gun stands) Veteran

Cavalry Brigade GdB Durosnel (Average)

• 20^th Chasseurs (12 – 16 figures) Veteran
• 4lb Horse Artillery (2 gun stands) Veteran

Cavalry Brigade GdB Saviarelli (Average)

• 7th Dragoons (12 figures) Veteran
• 8th Dragoons (12 figures) Veteran

Cavalry Brigade GdB Legace (Excellent)

• 9^th Cuirassiers (12 figures) Elite

A hair-brained scheme if ever...

My latest detour in wargaming is, in fact, an extension of a project that I have been thinking about and tinkering with for more than a decade...

From time to time I have wanted to play 'entire' battles while still representing the majority of the units involved with miniatures. This isn't easy to do in my chosen scale of 25mm! The scale of the figures and the limitations of space have thwarted any thoughts of doing large actions.

I have had an ongoing fascination with Operation Market Garden (Holland 1944) and Operations Goodwood/Cobra (Normandy 1944) since I read books about these actions many, many, years ago. The thought of large armored units sweeping across the map of Europe has always held a special spot in my imagination. I have tried collecting GHQ Micro Armor but, for various reasons, that really wasn't going to work. You know something is wrong when 1 inch long tanks are "too big" for my idea!

A few weeks ago I saw a news posting on The Miniatures Page about the release of a Royal Tiger model so I clicked on it and found the likely solution to all of my plans... a link to Picoarmor http://www.picoarmor.com/pages/home.php

These 1/600th scale miniatures, yes 1/600(!), would allow me to build Armored Divisions for @$80 each and allow me to portray huge WW2 battles on our club's gaming table. I have traded some emails with John at Picoarmor and he has made some suggestions for rules. I have ordered a rules set so I can decide how to organize some units for gaming.

Yet another project...!

I lose again...

My club played another Napoleonic game last Saturday and, as is usual, I led the losing side. At some point, I think the other fellows who get assigned to my side will wise up and phone in sick! Happily, the game was friendly and there were very few rules disagreements. The new version of General de Brigade is proving very popular in our group and it works pretty well.

Our game was the Battle of Montereau in 1814. The French plan was to refuse our left wing, assault in the center, and try to work our cavalry around the right wing. None of those things happened! Our left wing charged forward and tried to take a town that didn't need to be taken. This caused the brigades in the left center of our lines to veer left to cover space that should have been occupied by our left wing. Instead of shortening the left wing and giving us more troops in the center, our line was extended and thinned. This diluted the French strength in the center to such a degree that the Austrians were never in any danger of suffering a broken line. Meanwhile, on the right flank, our cavalry danced around for a while before finally engaging the Austrian cavalry. Our cavalry suffered, just like all of our other troops, from poor dice at crucial moments and could never inflict damage when the opportunity presented itself. Sigh... Combining our poorly executed plan with horrific dice rolling and you have the recipe for another French loss. Merde!

Here are a few photos from my phone camera. They are not good at all... I hope to have my real camera sorted out before our next game!

A French Brigade moving to assault a strong Austrian position

A blurry shot of some French Lancers charging past a hastily formed Austrian square

French Horse Artillery working on the French right wing

Another French Brigade destined for ruin by joining the assault in the center

General de Brigade

We played a Napoleonic game this past weekend using the newest version of General de Brigade (Deluxe). I  quickly learned that my bad luck is universal and applies just as much to the new version of the rules. My artillery ran low on ammo the very FIRST TIME it fired. My opponent, Mike, was kind enough to give me a "Mulligan" but, still... Merde! Not too long after that I rolled a 2 again and went ammo low anyway. At least the "Mulligan" kept me from being completely out of ammo. That pretty much sums up the rest of the battle for me as misfortune followed misfortune.

Meanwhile, on the rules side of things, there are few "NEW" things to GdB but there are many subtle changes that seem to make the game flow a bit better. The tactical march (to speed up movement when 20+ inches from the enemy) is a great idea that will allow some shifting of troops and the practical use of reserves. The firing table has been changed a bit to minimize the amount of different sized firing groups. There are a few new morale modifiers that appear to be good ideas as well. Overall, the changes and clarifications are for the better. Best of all, unlike my old 2nd edition book, this book has page numbers!

I am looking forward to the next battle in a few weeks...

Here are a couple of cell phone pictures to look at while you consider why I am so unlucky in gaming....

French Legere leading a French brigade against a solid wall of Austrians

French right wing moving around Austrian left - to no success...

Looking down the Austrian line from the French right wing

End of 2010

So this is Christmas... and what have you done? Thanks to you John for the lyric!

This loaded question can send one's mind reeling for hours considering the year past and the new one to come. I will simply keep my thoughts here framed within the wargaming arena. This will spare you the tales of me not keeping my previous resolutions to lose weight and become a generally better person (missed on both of those targets, I'm sorry to report).

2010 Highlights/Lowlights
Highs: This year brought me within sight of finishing my 25mm/25mm Napoleonic French Army for General de Brigade and nearly ready to stage a version of the Lincoln County War, also in 28mm,  using The Rules With No Name.

Lows: A string of really bad games has brought to light the fact that I may not be the best scenario designer in our club! I also failed to live up to the promise that I made to myself that I would have ALL of my 1914 French and Germans painted and in a game before the year was out. Fortunately, these things can be remedied with a bit of work...

2011 "Goals"
I usually hesitate to put resolutions... err... targets out where folks can see them but it seems that a bit of gentle "encouragement" from my few readers may give me a needed kick in the &@$$ when needed...

1. Lose weight and become a better person - always a favorite list starter
2. Add 4 battalions of infantry and 6 sections of artillery to my Garde Imperiale so I can declare the Napoleonic French completed
3. Begin running the Lincoln County War by the end of March - paint a few buildings and that is a go
4. Stage a LARGE 15mm Pirates game
5. By steady effort, complete my 1914 collection

Looks like my pal Rex of Rex Painting Service will be a busy man this year!

May your 2011 bring you blessings, peace, and health. Also, I hope that 2011 sees you reach your gaming goals... Good Luck!

Planning my Fun Pt.II

OK, so it looks like my old method of just buying figures in a random fashion might have been better!!! As I sat down and began listing the 25mm figures that I want/need to get some units together for WW1 gaming I quickly realized how much it will cost (in money and time to paint) and became a bit overwhelmed. It seems that when I plan out my figures needs I feel compelled to add one of every possible unit type "just in case!"

I am looking at @100 to 150 figures per group that I want to represent and there are 8 to 10 groups that I want to collect!

Germans: 1914 and 1918 (Different uniforms, so...)
French: 1914 and 1918 (Different uniforms, so...)
British: 1914
Americans
Austrians
Italians
And some troops for operations in Middle East/Mesopotamia

If I had sat down and planned my Napoleonic collection like this then I would have been too daunted to have ever begun the project!

In truth, it is actually nice to have a plan going forward. While the project is large it has obvious increments that make it easy to break up into manageable bits. Time to get focused on completing one of those groups so I can mark them off of my To - Do list.

Whats the old saying...
"How do you eat an elephant?

"One bite at a time..."

Planning my fun?

I have never been much of a planner when it comes to wargaming. I buy whatever figures that I like in whatever quantity I want/is currently available. Mind you, I don't buy 100s of figures at a time - after all, that might actually get me a discount - but I do buy in batches of 40 or 50 at a time. Oddly, that usually equates to about 1.5 units in most of the games that I play! I will never learn...

Lately, I have been staring at the assortment of figures that I have stored away for my various projects and trying to choose between buying more of them to fill out these armies or to sell off (unpainted) collections that have not seen the light of day in 5 years, or more. I have, more or less, completed my French Napoleonics and have loads of odds and sods left over from that. There are a variety of special units that I can make with all of these unpainted figures but I find myself wondering, will I actually do it? Further, I have piles of 25mm Saracens, ACW, WWII, Cowboys, and Vikings awaiting the call up. A quick examination of those piles reveals that I need more of them to make enough units for the games I think that I want to play. So I am faced with the hard choice of buying more to "finish" things or selling off what I have and moving on. Being a realist, and knowing how I am, I will buy more figures.... :)

This brings me to my Great War project. I have been "just buying figures" as I saw them. I can already see how this is going to get out of hand. So, I have actually written down what totals I will need to collect to have the forces that I want to play with and will buy the appropriate figures to meet those plans. Now I just have to settle on whose figures I want to buy!

This is as close as I can get to taking "The Pledge"...

Never clean the garage

I made the mistake of cleaning the garage and during that process I found two BIG boxes of 15mm and 25mm houses that I bought a year or two ago. Now I realize that I have a pretty big, as slow as I paint, project to paint up the 30 -40 buildings that I just rediscovered. It seems that hiding things from yourself is a double edged sword... fun to find something forgotten (a gift to myself!!) but kind of overwhelming to have a new project to add to the list.

I think that the most important factor to consider here is the very fact that I somehow forgot buying that many buildings! Proof that a good sale will tempt me to spend all of my hobby money!!!

Current Projects & Ideas

I am trying to work on a few projects that seem to be crawling along...

Grand ideas:
1. Starting an Old West Lincoln County War campaign using The Rules With No Name
2. Trying to figure out how to do a Napoleonic Campaign with General de Brigade

Mundane tasks:
1. Finishing the standard bearers and command stands for @ 12 - 15 units from my Napoleonic collection and my ACW collection
2. Basing and terraining painted figures to complete @ 12 - 15 units


As usual, my progress is slow. I hope to have news of completing one of the above listed tasks soon - check back to see which one gets done!!

A Colonial Battle

Yesterday saw our group play a game of Colonials that wasn't really a game of Colonials...

This game was part of an ongoing campaign at our club that combines role-playing elements and large scale battles. It is a novel approach because the events of the role-playing game trigger these larger battles but, generally speaking, none of the role-playing gamers play in the large battles. This method for generating games has led to some very interesting games with scenarios that we otherwise would not have tried.

For this game I was commanding a sleepy German outpost in German Southwest Africa near the banks of a small river. The scenario began with my troops asleep in their fort, a nearby town, and at the dockside barracks house. Naturally, I expected hordes of natives to begin appearing all around the edges of the table (it is a Colonials game after all). Much to my troops' surprise, steamboats full of British and Indian troops begin to approach the docks! If you know anything about me, you know that I have awful luck when playing wargames. Therefore, it should not surprise anyone that I failed my rolls to identify the ships as British or to raise the alarm.

The first that my troops knew of something being amiss was when my troops on the docks were gunned down by disembarking British infantry. Now aware that danger was afoot, my troops began to file out from their quarters and form for battle. I was able to form a "grand battery" in the center of my lines and those guns wrought havoc on the steadily advancing British and Indian troops. While my center was strongly held, it was my flanks that proved my downfall. The Askaris sent to each wing to delay the British were ultimately overwhelmed and eliminated. As British numbers began to tell, my troops fell back to relative safety of the fort. Quickly realizing that the fort was about to become a prison camp the remaining German units elected to retreat into the interior and left the port in British hands ... for now.