Four of us assembled at Steve C's yesterday for a "made up" up Black Powder game. Mike brought along Russians, I brought Bavarians and some Saxons, Steve supplied the French & Poles to fight them, Ian assisted on the French side.
The objective is to be in control of the village and crossroads in the centre of the battlefield at the end of the game.
We diced to see which brigades came on and when with my mixed Saxon-Bavarian infantry brigade arriving first and they headed straight for the village
A Saxon light cavalry brigade arrived next and went out on the left flank
My infantry have taken the village and occupied the buildings before any Frenchmen arrive !
Ah ha ! Now we see some enemy troops arriving - a cavalry brigade
Next on is Mike's formidable looking Russian infantry brigade with heavy guns occupying the high ground out on the left flank. My Saxon cavalry had moved back to allow this formation to advance.
French cuirassiers and dragoons move across the battlefield on the French left
They fan out into line as they hear the drums of a French infantry brigade coming on behind them
Looks like they plan to sweep around our open right flank
Mike's Russian cavalry brigade consisting of cuirassiers, dragoons and hussars arrives right of centre to oppose the enemy
and my heavy cavalry brigade of Saxon and Bavarian cuirassiers arrive too, so the right is no longer hanging in the air
The Russian guns have spotted enemy and open fire
French columns advancing across the fields screened by skirmishers
Steve's cuirassiers have charged the Russian cavalry
with one unit of dragoons in support - the third part of the brigade has become disordered by artillery fire from a Russian horse battery
At this point, my Bavarian brigade arrives on the high ground on our extreme right
The first French cuirassiers have been beaten
so the Russians charge into the flank of the disordered French unit
amazingly, they survive and the Russians are forced to retreat
Whilst all this is going on, my Bavarians have advanced in "Ordre Mixed" and get off some long range shots at the enemy dragoons
The French heavy cavalry are now in an exposed position taking casualties
they withdraw to allow the French infantry to take over the attack
In fact, the French heavy cavalry brigade has become broken due to their losses
Ian's French columns charge against my Bavarians
The Bavarian & Saxon heavy were ordered to charge but failed to make the distance !
Steady lads, here come the French infantry
The advanced Bavarians are in skirmish formation on the low hills
The French columns by-pass them and attack on the extreme end of the battlefield
French light cavalry have now arrived and they charge the first Saxon cuirassiers
Bad move ! They are destroyed.
The melees continue on our right flank
The Russian cavalry await further orders
as do my Saxon hussars who have failed to get involved at all !
With two enemy brigades now taking on Mike's Russian infantry, my Saxon-Bavarian brigade emerges from the village and charges the enemy
Two Bavarian infantry units have been forced to retreat but the fight continues
The Saxon Grenadier Guards have beaten a Polish unit and another Saxon battalion has over run a French artillery battery
The French counter attack
whilst Mike's Russian infantry are locked in combat with the first wave of French
The Bavarians are beating Ian's Frenchmen, watched by the "Heavies"
Fierce fighting continues on our left - a Russian battalion has gone !
The French columns try another charge but are beaten by the Bavarian gun and infantry
The French break and retreat
The Saxon unit that defeated the French gun is now charged by French light cavalry - they manage to form a disordered square but survive the melee
Gaps are appearing in the French lines as the Russians get the upper hand but undeterred, some Poles charge the Saxon Grenadiers
The village and crossroads are not in danger as three battalions guard this
The Poles won that tussle and the Saxon Grenadiers have fled disordered
but at this point the rest of the Saxon-Bavarian brigade charge forwards
The Bavarian gunners in the village seem happy to leave the fighting to the infantry !
The Poles are now outnumbered
With Russians and Saxons & Bavarians hemming them in, the French and Poles are unable to continue the fight
The Polish brigade breaks leaving the remaining French infantry to find a way to extricate themselves too.
The sides were fairly evenly matched - three infantry brigades apiece, three cavalry brigades too and I think both sides had six artillery pieces.
Naturally, we retired to the Chequers for lunch and a pint during the day - it would be rude not to after all !
Oh well, thats Bavarian Oktoberfest for you !
lovely blocks of figures, very impressive visually.
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