CACCN Tournament Result: March’s Game EGGMUHL DAY 2 FRENCH RIGHT
Bangla Jowls (French) 8-7 Vince Hughes (Austrians)
Before playing this match I'd had very little experience with the Austrians. A couple of games with the Sacile scenario only - and I don't think the Sacile scenario is a good benchmark to go on. So in the week or so leading up to this, I played it about five times solitaire. And everyone was different. When it came to this match itself, the cards I was dealt as the French meant this game wouldn't follow any of the other five either.
My desired plan was to try and press home on the right, move troops across from the centre as the situation allowed, and use the left flank as a diversion to keep the Austrian off balance. My initial cards threw that plan into disarray since I had no right flank cards, mainly left flank, and two bombard cards. Normally I would rejoice at the latter, but for both sides artillery was limited to two pieces, and neither of the French artillery units starts the game in a decent firing position. You have to play the cards you're dealt and the result was, apart from an opening salvo at the exposed Austrians in the centre when they ran away, I had little choice but to develop the left flank, try and bring the artillery to bear, and as a result introduce the cuirassiers earlier than I would have liked. The Austrian saw this coming and, very quickly, I was two cuirassier units down to one LC. Careless of me!
By this time, I was drawing right flank cards (well 2-2-2's to be exact) and was able to begin my push down that flank, and move those centre units across. The Austrian began to move his centre units across to cover, and soon that attack had been stalled, until I brought up the cuirassiers who did create a little bit of havoc. Slowly, but surely, we gained ground on the right and then in the centre. But we were losing banners as a result, whilst a lot of Austrian 1- and 2-strength units kept running away. At 1-4 things were looking bad. Getting rid of the Bombard cards helped give me better card options and soon we had several Austrian units backed onto their baseline, leaders scurrying around trying to make sure the right (threatened) units were under their command. We got back to square at 4-4 and then took a slender lead. I knew I had a couple of banners on the left if I made a combined attack with the remaining cuirassier unit and the horse artillery against the Austrian horse artillery and then a weakened LC ... if I could get a breakthrough. Just hold onto that attack until we'd gained another two banners on the right. How to eek out the remaining banners? Exiting the board would be ideal, but my infantry were too weak to press home. We were soon at 5-5 and, with my right flank cuirassiers looking like they should be able to exit, I unleashed the left flank attack. It worked a treat, killing both the HA and LC, and setting me up for an 8-5 win. But on the other side the cuirassiers were repulsed by a square, a last ditch Austrian effort which bought valuable time. He counter-attacked in the centre, killed a weak LT unit, and then managed another banner against another weakened unit the next turn. By the time my cuirassiers managed to get off the board he had 7 banners, at least 2 more than I would have liked.
As with all these games, the cards dictate where you have possibilities to attack. Your opponent adds to that too. I felt we were both off balance during this game, and the tension was there from the moment the Austrian jumped to a 4-1 lead. I wonder if he ever thought he could actually win? I know I made two mistakes which might have compromised the French victory, advancing the cuirassiers on the left too early, and forgetting to move two infantry units in the centre in mid-game which would have helped me to control that portion of the field. But this was still a really enjoyable and competitive game to play.
Advantage Vince on this scenario, it will be difficult to match his 7 banners in the return.
