The Sunday of this year’s MidCon (
www.midcon.org.uk
) was the allotted time to play Napoleonics with Mark (RiverWanderer) on his blinged-up set. The plan was for an eight-player “La Grande Battles” game, but we didn’t have enough takers. So we settled for an “EPIC” game and this scenario.
Newbie Alex joined me as my subordinate on the British side, while Mark’s other half, Marianne, took the same role for the French. As Alex was new to the game and Marianne only familiar with the basics, a lot of explanation was needed, both at the start and during play.
Marianne began the battle on the French right, pushing the forward British units out of their positions and eliminating one to claim the first banner.
Alex, commanding the British left, pushed back and removed a French unit to even the score. However, the Portuguese Light infantry had to form square to survive the attentions of the French Light cavalry. They escaped later after British muskets had driven off the enemy horsemen.
There was skirmishing across the rest of the battlefield, the French gradually bringing up their rearward troops, despite the attentions of the Allies’ artillery and Rifles. Battered Allied units retired off the hills, but they were getting the better of it with the score 5:2 in their favour. However, the number of units that had retreated out of the front line was growing.
The massed French left now advanced on the Portuguese holding the Allied right, inflicting heavy casualties – it’s now 5:4. The British left (Alex) also moved forward, trying to work their way through the woods to the French troops behind. They were beaten back by Marianne’s soldiers.
I pushed the British forward in the centre, but had no luck with the dice, even as the French left rolled up the Allied right to take the score to 5:9. And, with French forces on the hills, the start of their next turn took the score to 5:13 and a win for Mark and Marianne.
It was pleasing that defeat didn’t dampen Alex’s enthusiasm for the game – though he was now overdue for a rendezvous with his other half!
You’ll also find this report in my blog on BGG with photos of the game in progress: boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/154462