Intercontinental Tournament - 2022

Thanks, RiverWanderer.

Just a friendly reminder to everyone read the scenario notes before games.

Round 2 Orthez
Game 1
John Spicer (Allies) 6 banners
Carl Moon (French) 8 banners

Both sides spent early cards setting up for a British attack and a French defense. After the British fire silenced the French artillery in the center, the French attacked on the left, which made good progress. This was principally due to the fact that the allied lights forgot to load muskets. As this flank calmed down, the allies attacked in the center, this time hindered by poor cards and even worse dice luck. By this time, only a few French units were full strength, but the militia actually successfully attacked and it was a close 8-6 win for the French.

 

Round 2 - Orthez French Right

Mike Stanley – British – 8 banners – won

Renaud Verlaque – French – 4 banners – lost

The Allies start with a big lead in units, 19 – 13.  Then they have more cards – in my case very good cards.

An offensive in the center quickly gained me the Church and a banner shift, cost the French a LT, plus it drew some of the French right flank units into the center.

Then an Allied offensive against the French right drove into the woods and eventually took St. Boes for another banner shift while costing the French another LT unit.   It was now 4-0.

Continued fighting in the center cost the French an Art and a LN, and the Brits a LN.

Finally, the Allied Light Division advanced against the French left.  In spite of losses, including leader Power, the French loss of a LN and (due to a First Strike) the FA sealed the deal, also leaving a British LT in possession of the lone hill on the extreme left.

Renaud did what he could with the cards he had, but this is a tough one for the French.  As I will soon find out.

Round 2, Game 2 - A game of two halves...

Carl's Allies got a flying start. The Allies moved forward on the left and centre, the French Light in the church inflicted barely a scratch, and two Allied units shot it to bits immediately. And the French counter got the same sort of dice: 4-1 to the Allies and the game was barely underway.

But from there the French slowly clawed their way back, inflicting hits while taking few losses themselves as Carl lacked the cards to exploit his advantage. French units came from the left to the centre, the artillery at range 5 destroyed a British Light(!) and other Allied units took losses.

The decisive moment came when Carl launched a bayonet charge against the centre. Although the French artillery took a hit in both melees they inflicted 5 hits in return.

Despite that the Allies pushed into St Boes and finished off the artillery, but the militia fought back (??!!) inflicting casualties including killing Vivian. But at 7-5 the Allies had the upper hand, only for the remaining militia unit to storm back into St Boes, kill both the Allied infantry and Walker, and take the town, all in a single turn. The Allies could not get back in, nor get enough hits elsewhere, and the militia had somehow turned defeat into a French victory, 8-7. How the luck with cards and die turned across the two halves....

My thanks to Carl for two fun games played in a great spirit, and for not spending an hour churning his cards trying to get the perfect set when 6-3 ahead.

Round 2 Orthez
Game 1
Josiah Leis (Allies) 8 banners
FX Bocquet (French) 6 banners

This game was a long and drawn-out affair.  It started with the Allies quickly seizing the church.  However, the French mounted a counterattack that drove them back and reclaimed the objective.  What followed was a long game of maneuvering and die rolling, with wild swings of luck.  There were at least 3 lead changes during the game, and at one point the French were ahead 6-4. 

However, time and time again the Allies managed to have units barely escape and avoid destruction.  By the end of the game I had 3 units with one block remaining and 4 units with two blocks remaining (one of which had been rallied back from one block).  While my dice as the Allies swung wildly from Hot to Cold, my Tactician cards were consistently ridiculous.  They were both timely in their arrival and powerful in their effect and were a very significant contributor to the Allied victory.  The French dice were decently average....until they needed them for the kill and then the fickle whims of fate would abandon the French and allow the Allies to escape.

None of the Allied points came from objectives and both sides managed to snipe an enemy leader with a 2D casualty check.

Thanks to Francois for being a great opponent and a very fun game!

Round 2 Part B Orthez French Right

Renaud (Allies) - 8 banners [won]

vs

Mike S (French) - 6 banners [lost]

In the center, the Allies captured the church without too much difficulty (6 LN blocks lost to French fire, but no units).

On the Allied right, the French LN and LT advanced through the woods, where they were only faced by the Portuguese as the British LT had ventured towards the center. All 3 Portuguese units died along with the French LT, but eventually one of the British LT came back and took care of the French LN before returning to apply pressure in the center.

On the Allied left, the French LT in the woods also eliminated 6 LN blocks (but no units as they pulled out of harm by Grand Maneuver) before it was eliminated. The French moved their artillery and Rouget in one of the village locations (very hard to move them out; I didn't even try) while the French LN charged the advancing British forces. It killed the only and only British unit to fall in this battle, but was charged by artillery-supported British LC, forced into square and eventually destroyed by British LN fire, giving the Allies their final banner.

Good game against a quality opponent. I would deem my dice and card luck below average, but was fortunate to have the favored side.

Mike wins the match 14-12.

PS: edited Mike's banner count from 4 to 6

Rnd 2 Game 1
Gonzo (Allies) 8 banners
Craterus (French) 3 banners

British refuse right flank and slowly advance in center and left. Great cards on both sides with wildly varying luck. French advance into woods, killing Br Lt but eventually get worst of it. French left move to middle allowing Allied Lt to move up and take a hill. Allied Forced March in center runs the French out of church. Final 2 turns see French Forced march with sapper on church almost take it, but lose a leader on strike back to XX. Brit Bayonet charge ends it.
Thanks to Dave for good battle in lop sided scenario.

Round 2 Orthez
Game 1
Brad Jessup (French) 8 banners
Ben Turner (Allies) 1 banner
The dice did not go Ben's way in both games. I have never seen such disparity in the dice before. It started out fairly even for the first few turns, trading a few hits back and forth with successive Counterattacks but then the wheels fell off the British cart. My French were even able to advance out of St. Boes and decimated the British left, all the way to the light cavalry. My light infantry held onto the church with only 1 block. It was an odd game.

 

Game 2
Brad Jessup (Allies) 8 banners
Ben Turner (French) 4 banners
This game was a little more even. My Allies advanced on the center and left well, pushing the French back. The Allies took the church, then lost it, then took it again for the remainder of the game. The assault on the center and left stalled with all right flank cards in my hand. So I used the right flank cards to advance through the trees and toward the French line. With a final big push on the right, the Allies got the final banner and the win for both games and the match. Ben had some good cards in this game but really bad dice again.

 

Ben, thanks for organizing the tournament and thanks for the games. Sorry about your dice and hopefully you have better luck in the rest of the tourney.

Thanks, Brad. This has definitely been a tough tournament for me. I think I'm a decent player, but just can't seem to get a break.

But you played well. Best of luck the rest of the tournament.

Round 2 Orthez
Game 2
Josiah Leis (French) 8 banners
FX Bocquet (Allies) 4 banners

If Francois' and I's last game was a long, grueling chess match, this one was a short, bloody affair.

It started out normally enough, with Allied Infantry cautiously advancing in the Center into the Forest. But in an ominous display of what was to come, the French Lights in the church were in top form and rolled 4/4 ranged hits on the opening salvo of the game, scoring the first banner and setting the pattern for what was to come. Mostly, it was a pattern of the French dice being positively absurd, while the British dice ranged from mediocre to bad.

The British managed to take the church at one point, but a Elan card and a Infantry Melee Leader Tactic allowed the French to counterattack and seize the church again. The British then attacked with a Combined Arms assault on the church, but rolled 0/4 in the melee, while the battleback from the French crippled them.

There was also some action on the flanks, and the British also had a particularly nasty turn with Fire & Hold that devastated several French units. Ultimately though, the French dice were just too hot to handle and they managed to rack up 6 kills while still holding all the terrain.

Thanks to Francois for being a tough opponent in the face of some poor luck. I thoroughly enjoyed both games.