OT2019 Round 3

I think you 2 need some rules review, some significant errors in the games
-- infantry ranged uphill loses 1d
- LT moving 2 can't battle, and Spanish LT range with # of blocks (no +1)
- one really significant combined arms attack where the infantry block the LOS of the combining artillery
- Swiss battle with 1d per block
- artillery firing downhill lose no dice
- cavalry into woods loses 2d

OT19 Round 3 - Bailen

Match 1
BrentS (French) 7 - Simba28 (Allies) 0

Match 2
BrentS (Allies) 7 - Simba28 (French) 6

Match 1

The French had all the cards and all the luck.

Match 2

A much closer, tenser match. An early French Bayonet Charge neutralised the Allied artillery but was repulsed by the Allies on their centre and left. The French then LGMed their own artillery into a grand battery and forced the Spanish to retire beyond the centre hills. Cagey advances by the allies on both flanks saw limited success, despite their single ineffective use of a guerilla token, and served to demonstrate yet again that the Spanish are even worse on the offensive than they are on the defensive. We also discovered that eliminating Swiss legions isn't as great as it might seem when it also removes the units you've spent pounds and pounds of gunpowder on reducing, denying you their banners. All was pretty even when the French cavalry charged deep into the Spanish lines, took it to 6 banners apiece and looked like they were going to take their pick of the vulnerable allied units which had retired to the rear for the win. However one of the allied Swiss was able to use an Infantry Forward Leader to get to a 1 block French Line and eliminate for it a narrow victory.

Thanks to Nigel for a very enjoyable match (we'll pretend the first didn't happen ). Well played.

We Skyped so the logs are light on text but the sense of the flow of the battles is there.

Brent.

OT19 Round 3 - Bailén

Match 1
Bangla (Allies) 7
g1ul10 (French) 6


How the Allies won this one is still beyond me. The French began with a threatening movement in the centre, their cuirassiers and artillery looking very menacing. After some early skirmishing, the Spanish tried to pull back, but the French jumped out to a three banner lead with the Allies looking quite impotent. The cuirassiers took out the Spanish artillery in one fell swoop. Then the French Grenadiers, having done damage out front, bore the brunt of a Spanish counterattack and, forced into square, would stand for quite a while before they perished.
A Grande Manoeuvre from the French then looked to focus on threatening the Spanish left, who countered with a GM of their own. But the French were pushing forward in the centre and on the right, and there looked nowhere for the Spanish to run. When the French reached 5 banners, the Spanish finally found some Scout cards, then guerrilla tokens, and were then able to counter by attacking the weakened French in the centre.
Some good attacks, and some resistance finally overcome in the centre, the Spanish got to 4-5. Then the French took out the second artillery unit on the baseline and victory looked certain. But the Spanish eliminated the remaining advanced cavalry, and a second Swiss unit to cause the rest to desert. Two French/Swiss leaders left on their own, and a final guerrilla token gave the Spanish cavalry one last chance to attack the unattached leader. A sabre, a kill, and the narrowest of comebacks by the Spanish. Giulio will definitely be wondering how the battle got away from him after his superb start.

I forgot to save a logfile (doh!) but Giulio said he did, so I expect he'll attach this one if/when he reports the 2nd battle.

One final note. The Vassal module caused us problems from the start. We played the game in a decent spirit, so overcame the problems as they arose, but this was probably the worst I've seen when using Vassal.

Please find below the log file Tony was referring to.

OT19 Round 3 - Bailén

Match 2
Bangla (French) 1
g1ul10 (Allies) 7

The French position the artillery in the center in the traditional grand battery configuration but the action moves immediately to the right French section, where the spirited Spaniards decide to go to the offensive. A choice that pays, as they eliminate two French cavalries and one infantry losing their light infantry in the process. The other French units evacuate the right flank and chose the safety of numbers among the central French/Swiss lines. Scores are 3 to 1 for the Spanish and the French can no longer use right section cards. The Spanish see the possibility to develop their attack starting from the just conquered right flank and start a long movement of their cavalry from the left to the right, while mostly ineffective cannonballs are exchanged between the two formations. At this point, Tony plays la grand maneuver and everything changes. The French aggressively move forward their artillery to prepare a center/left attack. It is not bad for me as I exhausted my left flank cards and I'm more than willing to engage a battle from the hills. I was ready to suffer serious casualties but a very lucky roll by a Spanish line eliminates a full-strength French artillery unit. This reduces French offensive capabilities quite a bit. The next rounds see a series of French attacks on the leftmost hills, with the common denominator of very bad dice rolls. For instance, despite the play of a breaking the square card by Tony, a Swiss mercenary unit fighting for the Spanish resists a combined-arm attack and the following fire from the French Grenadier with only two losses. They deserve their pay. Add to this an effective play of a guerrilla action token and the result is that Tony loses two units more without inflicting any loss to me. The final desperate French move is to advance with the remaining artillery but I still have my best cards in the center and the Spanish heavy cavalry supported by the artillery ends the game.

The rather skewed final result is mainly due to my good cards and Tony's terrible dice rolls.

OT19 Round 3 - Bailén
A note on the scenario - it is unclear from scenario notes and FAQ what should happen to Schramm when the French Swiss desert. Based on the history of the battle and Schramm himself, we agreed that he would remain on the field and therefore vulnerable (in the battle, he was wounded and captured).

Match 1
RiverWander (Allies) 5
Gonzo (French) 7

Encouraged by a promising hand and spurred into action by the threat of an imminent close range French bombard, Spanish infantry opened with a bayonet charge against the French right. As the Spanish started to dominate the flank, French survivors wisely withdrew to refuse further combat, leaving the Spanish to take cover rather than pursue. Next, the Spanish switched focus to the opposite flank, looking for similar good fortune. However, their initial advance stalled in the face of a stiff French response. This culminated in a well-timed French Bayonet Charge that overwhelmed the Spanish right. A last desperate cavalry charge could not rescue the Spanish and shortly after the French sealed their win.

A long, tense game with a lot of plays devoted to re-organising on both sides, as fortunes swung from one to the other.

Unfortunately, due to technical problems and both of us forgetting to renew log files, we can present only the initial log and a final image for this match.





Match 2
Gonzo(Allies) 2
RiverWanderer (French) 7

This time it was the French who were able to open with an aggressive plan against the Spanish left flank. The French momentum continued unimpeded by lack of orders or unlucky combat results, until the flank and the win was taken.

I put this one down as one of the those C&C games where cards drawn and one or two key dice rolls exaggerate the result, aggravated by the dreaded double XSW roll snagging the only leader casualty across both matches. Wishing Joe better luck in his next game.

I don't know if somebody already reported it, but in the scenario page

www.commandsandcolors.net/napoleonics/ma...en-19-july-1808.html

the initial position of the French artilleries is wrong. Their position in the VASSAL module seems correct.

Match 1
FoxK (Allies) - Twan van Dijk (French) 3 - 7

Match 2
FoK (French) - Twan van Dijk (Allies) 7 - 4

Round 3

Match 1
Greg O (French) 7
tyler (Allies) 6

Very tight and fun game, French started strong, eliminating the GR and then taking both the Spanish artillery with a cav charge then continued to eliminate the two Spanish cav on the right. THe French Swiss ran off. The French cav kept up the pressure, with the Spanish at one point having 4 squares. The French stalled out and the Spanish eliminated both French leaders and suddenly it was tied up 6-6. The French can finally broke a square with 1 inf block left that had survived 4 attacks previously.

Match 2:
Greg O (allies) 7
tyler (French) 1

This battle was more of a rout, with the Spanish having great cards, and they stuck to the hills and repulsed several attacks and managed a win.


Taken from Napoleonics - Commands and Colors System website.
www.commandsandcolors.net/napoleonics/
Page title: OT2019 Round 3 - Commands & Colors: Napoleonics - Napoleonics - Commands and Colors System
Page link: www.commandsandcolors.net/napoleonics/fo...ound-3.html?start=20

The maximum number of square formations that can be formed in this scenario is 3 per side. Once a player has only 2 command cards left in his hands, his units can no longer square.