Yet another Black Powder game at the BOD in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Boney and “friends” who in this case were a mix of Prussians and Dutch/Nassau. The scenario was loosely based on the fighting withdrawal scenario of FoW (scenario details are below). I changed it because I wanted to better model the delaying effect and avoid a last-stand type of battle. By creating the “Withdraw” order and by having players score points on the terrain areas I hoped to induce a withdrawing force for the defender and a push forward force for the attacker. This worked.
We deployed three brigades on each side. The prussians and dutch had two brigades of infantry and a three regiment string brigade of cavalry. The french also had two brigades of infantry and a brigade consisting of a single regiment of cuirassiers. The french were defending so we figured that it was the day after Waterloo with the french in full retreat and the allies in hot pursuit.
The prussian cavalry really had the hots and a regiment of dragoons rushed forwards towards a french line behind the stream. Apparently it was also a hot day and in the end this regiment ended up just in contact with the stream and within close range of the french muskets. For some strange reason the prussian commander decided to water his horses within close range of the french; the ultimate arrogance as only prussians can show it: BRAVO!
Then the french musket played on these horsemen inflicting 2 hits and a disorder. However, after that the french didn’t finish the job and after reorganizing the prussian cavalry charged across the stream. Since this is a defendable position the french infantry decided not to form square and to blast away hoping to inflict one more hit, and they did. The prussian heroes had enough and went home. The other prussian cavalry units, in the mean time, blundered away (double 6) and the prussian player was getting visions of the previous ACW game where his units blundered backwards twice.
In the end this was it for him this time and his dragoons even defeated the french cuirassiers in combat. That happened because the french cavalry commander thought it best to rush his cuirassiers forward and put some counter pressure on the advancing allies. The “follow me” order worked brilliantly. However, the french C-in-C made an attempt to bring the horse battery forward only to see them blinder away of table, not to return until the last turn of the game.
On the french right the prussian infantry was advancing steadily and this resulted in a hand-to-hand combat of a prussian attack column against a french attack column. Carl von Clausewitz would have been delighted to have witnessed this combat. It lasted for turn after turn with in the end only the drummer boys still standing. At turn 4 the french players decided to give this brigade the ” Withdraw” order and the brigade then pulled back steadily bur surely.
The french left witnessed a tenacious defense across the stream. The dutch/nassau troops would advance and either fire away or do a charge. The french commander then used the initiative moves to get units with multiple hits out of the firing line, replace them with fresh units, then use the “rally on me” order to beef up his units again and have them replace the next units, and so on. The dutch/nassau brigade was put to a halt in this way and then beaten into a retreat, with, however, the french brigade holding on with its fingers.
At turn 8 the french decided to give a withdraw order to the cuirassiers because their left brigade with still holding on nicely and much forward. Because the cuirassiers were in good shape and outside 12″ the were given the charge order right into the very dragoons that had beaten them earlier. This time it all worked and with that the prussian/dutch army had enough and it was a good time to stop.
Rearguard action
Yesterday a major battle was fought, lost and won. The defeated army is now leaving a rearguard behind in order to delay the pursuit of the victor.
Attacker briefing:
Yesterday you won a great victory. Your aim is to pursue and completely destroy the defeated army. There is no time to lose and the defeated army must not be allowed to make good its escape.
Defender briefing:
Yesterday your army was defeated and is now trying to escape. You are the commander of a rearguard and your orders are to delay the pursuing enemy forces as long possible and to keep your forces intact. You must not make a last stand and withdraw your forces in a timely manner.
Deployment:
The defender deploys his entire force in the blue area. The attacker then deploys his entire force in the red area.
Scenario special rule:
In every 4th bound the defender must withdraw one brigade. The defender points out any of his on table brigades and this brigade will then operate under withdraw order for the remainder of the game. A brigade operating under withdraw orders does not count as broken, and shaken and disordered units rally can be normally.
The following rules apply to units in a brigade operating under withdraw orders:
Units that already left, or leave from then on, the table do not return.
Units are allowed to make a single retire move in the command phase instead of using their initiative or receiving orders. They may do this even when disordered.
Units within 12″ of an enemy unit and not engaged in hand to hand combat must retire as described above. Units in defendable positions must abandon these positions.
Deployed artillery units that choose to retire can use two moves in order to limber.
Victory and defeat:
At the end of the game each player receives victory points for each blue sub-area as shown in the figure. A player receives points for each area when he is in full control of that area. An area is in full control of a player when no enemy unit is present in that area and at least one of that player’s units is, or was the last unit occupying that area. A unit is in an area when at least of halve of the unit and including the leader figure is in that area. An area where both players have units is disputed and does not provide victory points. The player with most points is the winner.
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