Mark and I gt together for a game of Soldiers of Napoleon.
Been a while since we played, but great fun to get a game on table again. Never have a bad game with these rules. Mark was using 15mm, me 10mm, but who cares, a unit is a unit!
The table, never seen it so Spartan, a stream, and a small copse. This is not good when you are facing Mark who likes to bring at least four artillery batteries, two with full cassions special rules, so lots of rerolls and most of them are 12 pounders, so extra long range. No where to hide or break up sight lines.
Good news is, I have The Imperial Guard! They can stand up to almost anything - apart from a cannonball to the face. Which is what Mark 's forces specialise in!
Both of us picked 'Steady Advance', so meet in the middle and beat each other up, what's not to like! Mark, being an 'Avent Garde' user, used deployement 6, 'Screen' which pushes a brigade really far forwards, while I went with 3, 'Flanks Forwards'. Mark was bringing a brigade down the right of the stream, I had positioned a battalion of Old Guard to hold them, The rest of the Brigade was to take on the big line of Austrian troops ahead. Unfortunately, Mark's two batteries of 12lbers straddled the stream.
On the left of the copse, the two units and battery of the Old Guard Heavy cavalry brigade faces off against an Austrian Heavy cavalry brigade and the hussars of the Avent Garde. I almost feel sorry of the Austrians.
Well, that was going well then...
My Old Guard battalion was torn apart by Mark's guns and skirmishers. His dice were incredible, and mine (actually, his, borrowed) were grim. The Young Guard were next...
I had effectively lost at this point, and Mark knew he was on for a win! He did offer to take the win at this point. I politely declined, as I was going to go down fighting.
On the left, things were a little better. Mark launched one of his dragoons at the Empress Dragoons, pushing them back. However, this allowed the Grenadiers a Chevel in to do what they do best, get round the back and start smashing up Austrian dragoons. Look at the patch of shade, in there are the Grenadiers, being glorious. His first unit has just been broken here as I had inflicted massive losses on them. However, while I had rolled high for the losses of the Old Guard on my morale, Mark would roll low. This is a theme that would continue (I'm never borrowing his dice again).
Oh yeah, and his light cavalry division has just arrived! Mine did too, but was too far from the action to do anything.
The scene a while later. My right hand brigade has all but been eliminated, just it's artillery remained. I had also dealt with Mark's Huassars and now I was planning to deal with the Avent Garde and the remaining Dragoons The second unit of Young Guard was guarding the artillery while the Old Guard hoved in on the Austrian line.
I systematically went through all five of Mark's cavalry units, the Guard infantry took apart the Jagers and Grenz, enough to bring it level. However, his constant artillery fire wore down a third Old Guard unit, for another massive loss. Net result, mutual distruction. Somehow, I had taken a massive loss into a draw, or loss for both...
Of course, the Imperial apologists will write up the glorious sacrifice of the Guard to cover a noble retreat, while Austrian official history will call this a glorious win!
What a game.
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