Intercontinental Tournament - 2022

Revised Matchups for Round 3

Round 3
Ben Turner v. Samim Togan Alper
Mark G. v. Neal Ekengren
Eric Yorkston v. FX Bocquet
Joe Biasco v. David Hortz Gorriz
Steven Duke v. Gileforn
Brad Jessup v. John Spicer
Andras Kopcik v. Mark Benson
Josiah Leis v. Carl Moon

Greg Ottoman v. Renaud Verlaque

Mark McG v. Joe Harrison

Stephen Thompson v. John S. Dietrich

Mike Stanley v. Jim Fardette

Round 3 - Waterloo

Game 1
Mark McG (Allies)  8 banners, 19 blocks lost
Joe (French) 6 banners, 34 blocks lost

Joe started by setting up 3 battery grand battery in the Centre, which worked against him in that I knew if he was seriously coming across the centre he would have to move them out of the way, which would be a signal. As it transpired, he got a few Centre probes but nothing useful in the Centre for the whole game.

He then started coming up and thru Papelotte, which I knew was a problem because I had few Left cards, and his cavalry was molesting my right. I was in something of a quandary until I moved 2 leaders (Hill & Picton) and called up reserves. From there I moved aggressively against his left to force attention there. Led by Picton and Guard Heavy Cavalry, who were my most valuable players, the Grenadier Guard, Light and Rifle units destroyed the French cavalry on that flank, worsted his Horse artillery and a series of infantry units were eliminated, most satisfying being the Old Guard. The unfortunate death of Hill, and the Guard cavalry was a set back, but the Grenadier Guard took the fight up the hill supported by artillery in the centre and claimed the victory.

Game 2
Joe (Allies) 2 banners , 26 blocks lost
Mark McG (French) 8 banners, 10 blocks lost

Being on a bit a deadline, caution was thrown to the wind with a French cavalry charge which wrote down and then eliminated 2 Brit artillery. The Cuirassier on the left had no cards at all after that, and eventually retired back to French lines. On the Right I started with a few, and kept getting enough to keep that flank going, with literally the Guard Heavy cavalry, a Light cavalry, one Line and at the end one Young guard unit doing the whole extent of the killing. The French barely moved anything else, just grinded away on that flank, losing the cavalry but taking Papelotte, killing 1 cavalry and 3 infantry and Perponcher. Think Joe talked himself into this defeat after 3 successive losses in 2 days. 


 

Round 3 - Waterloo

Game 1

Andras Kopcik (Allies)  2 banners, 24 blocks lost
Mark Benson (French) 8 banners, 17 blocks lost

Both sides started cautiously with long range artillery taking pot-shots and British infantry generally seeking shelter when French loomed into fighting distance. The Rifles were brave and almost snagged a French Foot Artillery,  softened by preceding counter-battery fire. However, the Cuirassiers saw them off, despite some Battlefield Smoke. Now themselves proving vulnerable to British Artillery, the Cuirassiers joined an opportunistic cavalry charge. Unfailing dice saw a good result, with the Rifles finished off and two Allied cavalry joining them, include the Guard Horse. Though the British infantry immediately swept in and eliminated the two remnant French cavalry units, it was a fair exchange, especially once the aforementioned French FA had escaped to the rear.  

For a moment, the game settled back into cautious manoeuvring and ranged fire. The French settled for parading on the main ridge whilst trying to work up the flanks. Eventually both Hougoumont and Papelotte were taken, the former with the aid of Loophole Buildings, denting the waiting defences behind the farm. The British defence of Hougoumont deserved better success but a couple of turns of poor dice rolls saw the French able to press home their attack, with Infantry Fight First blunting the last British efforts to push them back. Finally, a French Bayonet Charge finished the job as Young Guard burst out of Papelotte and demolished a full strength Allied line unit.

Thanks to Andras for a challenging game and good humour despite frustrating dice rolls at key moments.

Game 2 to be scheduled.

 

Results of game 1 at Waterloo

Jim Fardette (Fr) - 8
Mike Stanley (Ally) - 4

The French kicked things off on their right, using a bayonet charge to destroy the Dutch light infantry and take the town. The Young Guard proceeded to tear up the Allied left and the French artillery destroyed the Rifle Lights in the sand pit. The score quickly got out of hand at 7-1, but the French had many single block units and were a spent force. Mike’s center rallied and counterattacked, destroying a number of weak infantry on his left. Having no way to salvage their right, the French launched an assault on the left which cleared the Hugomont and ended the battle.

Unfortunately I lost connection to the server during play, Mike should be able to add the vlog file. Interesting notes are that I think Mike played 5 line command cards and 2 forward cards, which could have overwhelmed my French early had he known how weak my opening hand was. The tactics cards were a different matter, Mike’s were essentially useless while I had an infantry fire first card, smoke, plus two cards that let me fish them back out of the discard pile and back into my hand. Dice were unremarkable in my opinion but we both had unlikely success with our center artillery.

Looking forward to our rematch!

Jim Fardette vs. Mike Stanley

Jim (Allies) - 8
Mike (FR) - 1

Mike started off slowly as he shifted his units around, which gave the allies time to sort through 3 probes and a scout card to improve their hand. The allies abandoned the town on the far right, setting up in the hills and pushing forward on their right with the light infantry and grenadier guards.

French counterattacks, hampered by mediocre dice were never able to dislodge the Brits from the woods around Hugomont, and as French casualties mounted the French position became more desperate. With nothing to lose Mark attacked in the center, momentarily claiming La Haye Saint, but eventually he was driven off by accurate rifle fire. The game ended when the overcommitted Guard Heavy Cavalry was trapped, and Ney fell for the final flag.

Waterloo

Renaud rjvonline (Allies) - 8 banners
Greg gottoman (French) - 7 banners

The French took Papelotte fairly easily, killing the defending light infantry in one attack by the Young Guard, but then made very little progress beyond until late in the game when light cavalry made a desperate attack, in part because I retired all but my foot artillery behind the crest. The French then came for La Haye Sainte, after I had moved my Rifles out of the sand pit to take some shots at them. They eventually took it and I took kit back, but then the Old Guard showed up and scored another Yahtzee attack to take it again (or maybe it was the first time?). Fortunately I had a counter-attack card and sent the Foot Guards supported by artillery and it was my turn to score a Yahtzee killing all 4 blocks of Old Guard in one 6-die roll attack! The Foot Guards never surrendered La Haye Sainte afterwards. The French attack in the center got spent, and they launched a desperate (?) cavalry charge. Fortunately, I had Charge-if-Charged and my Household cavalry took a good chunk out of the Cuirassiers before they were crushed and the Cuirassiers attacked artillery on the hill only to face... Artillery Canister that left them with only 1 block. They were subsequently killed by my Light Infantry that had left Hougoumont a while before, at the same time a pot shot (1 die) from that artillery tool a 1-block French line at 5 hexes. The score stood at 7-6 in favor of the Allies. The French sent their cavalry against a 2-block artillery on the Allied left flank (near Papelotte), and used the Guard's artillery at long range for a combined arms attack, and succeeded in eliminating the artillery. Unfortunately for the French, their other attack--a cavalry attack against a 1-block unit of Dutch-Belgian line adjacent to La Haye Sainte had failed after the infantry went into square. The odds were 2:1, but it did not happen. 7-7, and my turn. I launched a Cavalry Charge with a full-strength light cavalry and a full-strength heavy cavalry to catch an eventual retreat. The LC killed its French opposite, and so the HC was not even needed. TA. 8-7. A near run thing indeed...

Here is the log file for game 1 of Waterloo played by Jim Fardette and Mike Stanley and reported by Jim below.

Round 3 Game 1 WaterlooAllies – Ezipickens.  4 banners, 31 blocks lostFrench – SteveT.      8 banners, 27 blocks lostBattle began with the French cannons moving up to the ridge and some minor damage to the British opposite, while the British brought forward reinforcements from the rear. I had an excess of left flank cards, played one in what was meant to be a skirmish on the left but which then developed into a major action, which the British were getting the best of. The French rescued the situation with a general retreat on that flank, rally and two cavalry charges, with the British replying with two forced marches and a bayonet charge. When the dust had settled, the British had done more damage, were well in control of that flank and were approaching the left of the French central ridge, with score 4-3 favouring France. Each had lost their GHC, and the shattered French Currassiers and HA were sheltering in the rear. Bayonet charge and Forced march enabled the Old Guard to take La Haye Sainte and destroy the Rifles, and for the British advance towards the French left to be repulsed in a bloody melee. A tense game!Round 3 Game 2 WaterlooAllies – Steve T.          8 banners, 26 blocks lostFrench – Ezipickens.  5 banners, 37 blocks lostBattle began with long range cannon fire and with the rifles moving forward to shooting range. The rifles were destroyed, as were d’Erlon’s division; Picton’s division nearly so and retreated behind the ridge (1-1). A French LC charge on each flank took Papelotte and nearly destroyed the Allied LC, but a British Bayonet Charge cut of the retreat path of these French LC, who were destroyed (2-2). Next the Old Guard and a second infantry unit were launched towards La Haye Sainte but over two turns both were destroyed by massed British musket fire (4-2). The French advanced towards Hougomont but were beaten back by musket fire with heavy casualties and the death of Reile (5-2). All was going well for the British with the ridge well defended in the centre and on my left, with my right massed infantry advancing towards the weakened French. I made a mistake – Allied line advanced from the ridge and re-took Papelotte from the LC, using sappers. The French LC advanced into the resulting gap on the ridge, ignored canister and destroyed the British FA. Soon French infantry were storming forward on that flank, Papelotte was re-taken, and the British left flank was broken with three Allied infantry gravely weakened and/or in square (5-3). The battle became a race to see whether the British could win on their right or the French on theirs! The result could have gone either way.Thanks to John for a great pair of well-played tense games, and as always for good humour.

Waterloo Game 2
Greg O gottoman (Allies) - 8 banners
rjvonline (French) - 7 banners

The Allies again won the battle with the same banner count as our first match.  This was an equally close game where if one person did not win it one turn, the other very likely would on his next.

The battle started with sharp artillery exchanges, with Picton's unit cleared off the ridge with a single block remaining and then the same happened to D'Erlon's infantry.

The Allies advanced on the left and the French responded and a battle raged, pushing the Birt LTs back with a single block surviving and the Guard Grenadiers fell, but two French LNs were eliminated in the process.

The battle shifted to the right flank where the Young Guards assulated Papellote and eliminated the Allied LT, but they didn't secure the town.

Back to the left where a Brit Cav Charged aided with two cav fwd tactics brought them into the fight but neither side caused much damage.  The battle raged there with the Old Guard joining the fray, some battlefield smoke saving the Brits from a beating, but in the end both went down fighting and they managed to eliminate two French units and ran off a leader before falling.

Then the battle moved to the Right flank where the Allies secured the victory with a double time up, a artillery reposition card and some fortune.

Great set of matches!
 

Yes, this was yet another very exciting game. Greg's first cavalry charge reached out 4 hexes but was blunted by Charge as Charged and Cannister, but then my riposte was very ineffective, and he followed up with yet another cavalry charge! At the end, I had a 1/6 chance to finish on a leader check, and failed, then he had a 1/6 chance on a leader check too, and also failed, but his was immediately followed by 2/6 chance on a  single die roll against 1-block LN, and scored his 8th banner! Next turn, my full-strength Old Guard was ready to assault a 3-LN in Hougoumont, but it was not meant to be..