Mark requested a go of Soldier's of Napoleon, and after Neil's thrashing of my Austrians in 10mm (insert self referencing link here), I was keen to have another go too. Mark has 15mm French and also, from the depths of 'Age of Eagles'' Wurrtembergers! Any excuse to bring out my collection of 15/18mm Anglo-Dutch allied, which are partly AB, a lot of Old Glory and a huge British collection of Barrie's 1815 British that I was lucky enough to buy many moons ago.
Like the early days of MeG, because this is not an 'I go, You go' system, but a reactive one based on card orders, where you alternate within a go, but sometimes keep the initiative, I have been finding the amount of photos diminished, so this might be a wordy one folks - sorry!
I fielded my centre with a light infantry regiment (or Battalion as us Brits refer to them as), two line battalions and a 9lber battery. To their right holding the strategically important hamlet of 'Jenay Acunune Idee Ceque vous dites Chein Anglays' (or something like that, my units don't speak French very well) were two vetern line units and two regular line units with another battery of 9lber artillery. I had chosen to take my units in 5s this time, following Neil's example, added 'Full Cassions' to the two foot artillery batteries and 'fine horses' to the cavalry. I did not take the heavy dragoons or guards as I knew, after last time, that I could not afford to risjk having a brigade not show up again. My force was small, really small. The same size as my Austrians that made it on table, but this was everything!
Facing me was... HOW MUCH! 9 units of Wurttenbergers and 8 units of allied French! Youch! Plus four units of German cavalry. All that for 750 points? I know the British are expensive, but, that's a LOT of kit...
I pushed my centre brigade and a line unit from the right through the field as it had a helpfully defensive hedge line that I wanted to line, but Mark pulled a lot of high value cards to get his trooops up table quickly, whic hscuppered that plan. He started bombarding my Highlander battalion between the village and the fields, and my West Norfolk to the left. My cavalry (two units of Hussars) sat back and waited, allowing their artillery to range in on Mark's French foot.
Mark surveying his cards as we pause in a new a new turn and the action hits the critical mid-game phase. On the left, next to his glasses case, are the remains of a German cavalry unit which tried to charge my Hussars (it wasn't pretty for the Germans), in front of these, Mark has a cavalry unit guarding his horse artillery. The majority of his French are massed, waiting to assult the British line. My line, which is spending most of it's time trying to rally and bring itself back on line with the veteran light infantry, was feeling it rather. Two British line units try to hold the fields as the French enter.
On the right, the German Jagers who have caused the Highlanders so many shooting wounds are shot away by combined artillery and small arms fire and break as Mark does not have the cards to rally them, suddenly upping my victory points from 'none' to 'might catch up with the Germans'. To the far right, coming through the hamlet, the 'Sarff Esssex' lead a spoiling attack on Mark's left, which he is putting his two militia units against.
That right hand flank, yes, the 'Sarff Essex' are in attack column... I will immediately go and drink warm beer and eat Marmite on toast in pennance.
The French push the Royal Scots back, twice! I have to rally between assaults to ensure we are not disordered, or broken, but it costs us a stand (and gains Mark more victory points, and me a figure as it fell off the base).
Denumont for the French. On the right, the 'Sarff Essex' are thrown back by the militia (much to my embarressment), but Mark's Wurttemberg grenadiers are battered and break. Despite, or to spite, the French veterans pushing through the field, the British line has had to withdraw behind its guns, the Light infantry had been exacting a hideous price on the French line, as had the two batteries in the area, breaking another unit. The great shock was the my army CinC was unhorsed and had to be carried from the field, bleeding, giving Mark a massive victory point boost. Mark had thrown in his cavalry three times, and each time my Hussars, despite taking losses, had emerged victorious, disordered, beaten up, but valiently holding off the superior numbers and breaking two more units.
Mark lost three units in the final turn, which was enough to swing the victory points my way and break his force. Damned good game, 'Damned close run thing' and I was really lucky to be able to hold on.
An interesting conumdrum in my lines, I was spending most of my cards, even from early on, rallying off the massive amounts of damage Mark was able to inflict on me. This meant that time and again I had to pull back units, rally and then try to get them back into line. Mark, because his troops were lower quality overall, did not have the cards to rally, this happened at least twice, which cost him both his jagers and his grenadiers, which were expensive units when you roll for victory points. I also got a lot of his units to 'equal to bases' on some turns, meaning I was picking up VPs here and there to keep me in the game. We only had two instances of 'How Goes The Day' rolls significantly outscoring each other and giving away points. With the line units withdrawing to rally, some of my units were almost at the table base edge! Each time I did this, it gives Mark victory points, ticking him along. I did not lose a unit (apart from the CinC) but nevertheless, my points were nearly at my own break point. This is a very interesting mechanic, as my force was smaller, it can be more fragile and you have to husband your points and choose your rally cards carefully, as some cards give away more points than others (seasoned infantry and seasoned cavalry, what a god sent, they rally on loads of cards)! Mark was feeling it though, as each time I rallied, I stayed on table, but did not have cards to do other things elsewhere, which meant he had to take the initiative and move up rather than shoot me away, again costing him cards. Clever.
Maybe next time it will be time to try the Dutch, Hannoverians, Nassau and Brunswickers, all lower quality troops, and see how quickly he blows through them! Refight very soon.
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