OT2024 Round 2

game 2   philippe france 9      32 lost block
               scipio     prusse 7     35 lost block

was a nigth hard,,3 hours figthing,23 or 24 turn,,,,at start was easy i play probe and mike few coordonate for smah me with artillery,,,dice was very strange fire only 1/8 hit for prussia and 1/12 for france.
so in the middle i missed few attack,no more dice in melee!!! and the match is 5/0 for prussia. but after a long time i drawed 2 cav charge card and i asked to Murat if saved the battle day?3 times i charged the art on my left 4,5 and 8 dice in follow when all infantery formed square,,,and 17 dice no saber and no red art hit !!ahahaha and miracle only 1 hit back on 12 dice,,,very strange dice. so but with his square prussian become slow move and french played baionnet and smashed the central front of prussia,,,,and last not be i got elan and kill the left art and its officer...in the final miss 1 banner for french and2 for prussia,,,it was a turtle run for me about try to get the last one banner and retreated all french unit with 1 block alive..but balanced lucky come in my side for victory.

philippe win both game 9/2 and 9/7

Peut-etre on peut faire le correspondence sûr la battaille en Français? Le nom du jeu c’est Napoleonics avec raison, n’est-ce pas?

Je suis d’accord. Ce serait tres interessant. Je crains que tout le monde ne puisse comprendre.

Match 2
Mark McG (Prussians) 7 banners
Melake (French) 9 banners

 

French immediately start with the attempt to silence the Prussian artillery, but with negative results. The Prussians try to occupy all the cities from the beginning. And he succeeds. Some skirmishes on Clacy's side. After, the battle it spreads on both flanks. French at that point tries to limit the command with a cavalry charge, bringing it to 2. But the Prussian gets up well and counterattacks with a cavalry charge of his own. Old Guard in difficultyt, but after some final bickering the French manages to defeat the Prussian.

very interesting match. Thanks to Mark

Round 2, Game 1, Laon (French Left).
 Steve T, Prussians. 9 banners taken, 40 blocks lost.
 George/(gdnuke), French. 7 banners taken, 41 blocks lost.
 Battle began with fighting over Clacy, falling to the French left but at the cost of one of their light inf (1-0). Then the French Guard on their right advanced with elan, and had soon destroyed or scattered my Prussian left, while in the centre the French lancers forced Bulow’s infantry into square, killing Bulow in the process (1-4). This led the action to continue now in the centre, largely with the cavalry and cannons of both sides – the Prussian cuirassiers were destroyed but at the cost of the French cavalry being destroyed or spent (3-5). Confused fighting proceeded all along the front. The French had occupied Clacy with FA and leader using two artillery re-position cards, and French line infantry and Old Guard were preparing to attack Semilly in force, defended only by Prussian militia and weakened remnants. The Prussian right bayonet charged to and past Clacy, and the French centre attacked Semilly with elan. With the score at (8-6) favouring the Prussians, the Prussian militia in Semilly somehow survived multiple attacks before finally falling, along with the two Prussian temporary banners (6-7). The next French turn would bring victory with those two temporary banners – but with a sequence of three 50:50 attacks the Prussians destroyed two weakened French units near Clacy and captured Ney as he tried to escape (9-7). This was a long, grinding game and I was very lucky to win in the end.


 Round 2, Game 2, Laon (French Left).
 George/(gdnuke), Prussians. 2 banners taken, 36 blocks lost.
 Steve T, French. 9 banners taken, 12 blocks lost.
 A short game where I had all the cards and all the dice. My French started by Grand Manoeuvre into Semilly, and then with the help of two first strike cards and a lack of Prussian centre cards, destroyed the Prussian centre. The Prussians, who had occupied Clacy, then ran out of right flank cards and were destroyed by a massed French attack on Clacy and the hills. The only joy for them was killing Ney with his unit of line infantry. Thanks to George who stayed good humoured despite no cards and no dice!
   

    Game 2

gheintze (French)    9 banners
Davidi I (Prussians) 5 banners

I'm reporting this at Geoff's request. It was another Take Command fest for him but although I held all the Forced March and Bayonet Charges he made good use of Assault Center and well-timed Cavalry Charges. Prussians dithered early, fearing to play the March and Charge cards which restricted action to artillery shots. French slowly deployed their line and when an impetuous Cavalry Forward cuirassier ventured onto the central hill in front of the town, the French steamroller commenced. Infantry movement cards not used earlier were now deployed in headlong retreat. A bayonet charge and follow-up  outside Ardon did dispatch of the Young Guard but meanwhile two squares on the Prussian right baseline following a second successful Cavalry Charge restricted manoeuvre at the death. Fortuitously the left flank Foot Artillery were forced back into Ardon just as the Prussians were giving up the ghost, allowing the temporary majority banners to be claimed just before the French horse artillery Bombarded a square to claim the win. Geoff had to go to work,so he didn't have time to finesse me out of the towns, I suspect.

25 turns and there were no First Strikes, Infantry combat First, Cannisters or Battlefield Smoke, only a single fairly ineffectual Charge if Charged played by the doomed cuirassier.

The rematch lived up to expectations and I was very lucky to wheedle a draw. On lost block count it was Prussians 43, French 27. 

The second game of Laon found the overconfident Old Guard advancing on the Prussians, only to be destroyed when the dice started to roll. The French reacted by pushing most of their center troops to the right and eventually the weight of numbers was felt as the French began to grind down their foes. Luck figured heavily, with initial French attacks serving only to provide comic relief to the Prussians, but two dead Prussian generals evened things up. Steven's Prussians eventually conceded when real life houseguests arrived.

Steven (Prussians) - 5 (retired)
Jim (French) - 6

Deadline of 30 Sept is approaching..  get matches played and reported please

Reading through the reports I have the impression that some battles were decided by misinterpretation of the town victory objective in the scenario.

"The town hexes form a Temporary Majority Victory Banner Objective worth 2 Victory Banners for the side that occupies the absolute majority of these hexes at the start of the turn (Temporary Majority Victory Banner Turn Start)"

So, not 2 vps for each town hex...
A tiny detail with a major consequence.

Round 2, Game 2, Laon (French Left):

DawnReader, Prussians. 7 banners
RiverWanderer, French. 9 banners

Aggressive opening from the Prussians against the French left, eventually held by the French, with cavalry support and banners conceded on both sides.

Activity then moved towards the centre of the board, where French and Prussian cavalry manoeuvred for advantage and mixed it up with infantry on both sides around the central towns. This phase resolved with the French cavalry withdrawing from the action whilst one of the Prussian cavalry units retired to the banner track.

Now action got hot on the French right. French Lancers failed to touch the Prussian artillery and were soon eliminated. Young Guard suffered a one-roll elimination from Prussian Cuiraissers, who fell in their turn to the Old Guard. The game was now closing on the final show down, with French in control of the majority (2) Victory Banners.

A brave Bayonet Charge from Prussian infantry, failed to hit the mark, the attackers being reduced on good battle-backs. However, the French erred in choosing a Combined Arms attack in attempting to end the game and fell victim to Battlefield Smoke.

This breathing space allowed the Prussians another chance, which they choose to make "Cold Steel" - a powerful card when you have 3 (albeit depleted) Prussian Line Infantry in contact. The first attack gained two banners; an unfortunate Leader hit following the elimination of the target unit (Horse Artillery). The French were more lucky on the second, the unit surviving and eliminating the attacking single block Prussian Line to end the game.

Log file (module v4.1):

Aleksander (DawnReader) will report game 1 which ended 9:7 in his (French) favour.