It is time once more for Mharaid and I to celebrate our annual festive wargame.
This year we decided... rather than a shiny winter frolic... we would have the first outing of my War of Spanish Succession collection.
We used Black Powder with a few minor changes...
In an attempt to reflect the different firing styles of each side, it was decided that the French would only use two dice for musketry and the Allies would use three.(though the large French units would get three)
They would however use the normal amount of combat dice.
The French cavalry would not have a charge or counter charge bonus, to reflect their heavier reliance on pistols.
We also strove to be stricter with our battlefield manoeuvres... no just shuffling to the right or left a bit... It would be Turn to the flank... March... Turn to the front... etc.
Due to the size of my table all moves and ranges were halved.
I (Marshal Malchanceux)took command of the French and Mharaid (Duke Rust) took command of the British.
The French out numbered the British but the British had better firepower.
The French were stronger in field guns but the British had a couple of battalion guns.
As always if we came to a problem we made stuff up.
I had thought that I had a copy of The Last Argument of Kings... but it would appear not... I now have one on order and look forward to how the supplement compares to our quick tweaks.
To Battle...
The field of battle...
The farm with its large field was there at Mharaid's request..."Can we have that large field that we christened The Blackberry Field of Death".... "You remember it... its the one where I massacred half your army that time"
The victor would have to control this field at the end of the game.
Some images of our initial dispositions... mostly because they are pretty pictures.
Mharaid had grouped her infantry very close together... I think that she misunderstood the command and control distances...I suggested that she might want to spread things out a bit to give her more room for manoeuvre... After some thought she said "no lets leave things as they are... it will be an interesting challenge"
I am already beginning to think.... I am doomed!
As always seems to be the way with me... my initial moves go well and I move towards The Blackberry Field of Death.
Mharaid's movement dice aren't so good and her tightly packed troops shuffle forwards slowly.
As my men hold the line on the edge of 'that' field... No one seems to be keen on entering it... keep an eye on that British gun...
Mharaid continues to get her men organised... I fear that the gods of dice are once more starting to turn their kind eyes towards her.
Though not completely...
Mharaid's attempted charge falls short and the only thing my men loose is some bowel control... Oh dear what a terrible shame...
We had chosen not to use 'form squares'... as this wasn't considered hip and cool at this date.
With my seemingly static infantry looking on Mharaid continues to get things slowly into order... and there is that now limbered up gun...
OOOOOO!.... LOOK... A perfect target...
Meanwhile with Wyndham's Horse stalled in front of... and being shot to pieces by The infantry regiment Anjou...
I throw my cavalry at Scots Greys...
With predictable results...
Yes the black dice are mine...
The Spanish Toulongeon Regiment evaporates in front of my eyes...
Go my beautiful Cuirassiers and despatch these pesky gunners...
In the rules guns which are limbered up have no ability to fight back... we did however give them a saving throw...
Ha!... Take that...
And Mharaid's save...
This meant that the combat was a draw... at least that's how we saw it...
And a draw means that the cavalry have to retire one move... que c'est embarrassant.
Mharaid's now more organised men fire on my Bavarian Infantry...
The dice gods however have let her down this time...
Yes I am starting to clutch at every perceived victory...
"Did you stamp all over those gunners my beautiful Cuirassiers"
"What gunners"
"Hmmmmm!"
I start to redeploy my guns... they have yet to fire a shot...
Just as some of Mharaid's cavalry enter The Blackberry Field of Death...
Sigh!
Superior British musketry begins to have an effect... as does my inability to make a single saving throw.
A rare failed activation by Mharaid allows me to redeploy my guns... and destroy Lumley's Regiment of Horse.
I throw caution to the wind and charge my cavalry into the British line...
What could possibly go wrong...
As Duke Rust attempts to rally off a casualty from The Royal Scots... He blunders.
We really didn't know what to do with this result...
So we decided that all he did was shout at them until he was red in the face and caused them to become disordered.
So... Remember that cavalry charge...
It didn't go quite how I planed...
Eventually the continuing fire fight causes both of our brigades to reach breaking point... the single casualty that the cavalry caused helped with this...
On this side of the battlefield my men continue to take a bruising from superior firepower and rubbish dice...
On top of this my only unit capable of moving blunders forward...
Fires a volley...
And... of course... misses.
With the British cavalry still on The Blackberry Field of Death...
And all my infantry now heading back to Paris...
I once again concede.
Mharaid suggested that it looked like a bit of a Pyrrhic victory as her forces were in a sorry state by the end of the battle.
But it was a victory.... and well deserved.
All the best... Aly
