Intercontinental Tournament - 2022

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vassalengine.org/w/index.php?title=Modul..._Colors:_Napoleonics

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Round 4 114 Barossa (5 March 1811)

Game 2
Andras Kopcik (Allies) 3 banners
Eric Yorkston (French) 7 banners

Looking at the final positioning, the second game played similarly to the first: both the French and the Allies advanced on their respective left flanks. One big difference was that Andras' experience shined and even though he didn't have many right flank cards to work with, the Allies left flank didn't collapse completely. The French also had to gain some banners defeating blocks with their right flank. This did, however, mean that the French suffered more casualties on that side while pursuing the game 2 victory. I may have one the battle this day, but by banner count, Andras had won the war.

(Attachment to be added when I get to my office computer)

Round 4, Game 2. Barrossa.

Allies: Renaud Verlaque, 1 banner
French: David Horts, 7 banners

As Renaud said on the mail chat, the french were very lucky in this game. I've been watching the logfile and I have to recognize it. In addition, what we can see is something that  Renaud himself featured at the end of the match: he played in order to reduce the attacking power of the blues, so sometimes he choosed to shot to the full power units instead of eliminate the weakened ones, what could have given him far more banners. By my side, I played all the time to hide those weakened units, while waiting the appropiate cards to hit the allies. There were two very different strategies confronted. And the final score doesn't make justice to what really happened on the battlefield.

At the start, the allies tried to shake the french right flank. The french resisted as they could, and the grenadiers could finally counterattack to turn off the dangerous british firing power of the units there deployed. Then the actioin turned to the french left flank. The allies seemed to take advantage on the hill due to, again, their deadly firing power. But the luck accompanied once more the sons of the Revolution, and several units escaped from the total anihilation, while were substituted by full strength ones. The same units that shortly after charged against the intimidating guard gren.and later, some spanish line. At the end, in the central forest, the grenadiers and the artillery ended the match killing the british rifles.

Anyway, it was an enjoying game, as the first one we played. Thanks, Renaud. 



 

Round 4 114 Barossa (5 March 1811)

Game 1
Josiah Leis (Allies) 7 banners
Neal (French) 4 banners

Neal got the worst end of the dice this game as the Allies managed to push back early French assaults successfully.

Neal also asked me to announce his forfeit of Game 2.

Grossbeeren
Mike Stanley - French - 8
John Spicer - Prussians - 10

A long slog! The French artillery wore the Prussians down, the Prussians managed to get a few hits with light infantry. It was all even, with the French leading most of the game thanks to the 2 objective banners.
A Prussian cavalry charge did some damage, and an iron will helped a unit survive longer than it deserved.
The Prussians finally took the windmill and the hill, had a good chance to win and rolled rubbish.
The French then played a bombard and had a good chance to win, and also rolled rubbish....
And then a Prussian militia got the final kill, with not much left on either side!
Thanks to Mike for a good and very closely fought game.

Grossbeeren
Mike Stanley - Allies - 4
John Spicer - French - 10
The French got off to a great start getting 3 hits out of 4 on the Allied artillery on their right flank. But elswhere Mike got plenty of hits in revenge, and the French army rapidly reduced in strength, but critically lost few units.
A push on the Allied left threatened to overwhlem that flank, and the village fell. But a timely Rally, plus a couple of Leader Reforms put 5 infantry back into the French units in that key area and the village was recaptured.
With nothing happening on the French left, apart from the odd long-range fire, and both sides exhausted on the French right it came down to a battle in the centre. The Militia Lancers had a totally charmed life, surviving shot after shot, and the Alies took the hill and the windmill to level out the banners. But the French eventually managed to assemble enough troops, including the light cavalry to turn the tide, and a timely Assault card finished the game.
My thanks to Mike for another fun and tense game - it was a lot closer than it finished till right at the end.

Round 5 Game 2 414 Grossbeeren (23 August 1813)
Mark McG (Prussians) 10 banners, 35 blocks lost
Jim Fardette (French) 9 banners, 45 blocks lost

Prussians started straight up the guts based on a Forced March and 3 Attack Centre cards. I knew things wouldn't go well on the first attack, rolling 1 hit out of 5d. I think I drew a Probe Centre in the subsequent turns, but that was it for the Centre cards. Had to run a string of general cards to keep the Centre going. A great deal of the action was in the centre or the French left, where the Prussians repelled a strong French attack, and successfully wrote down the French cavalry.

In decisive point came after the Prussian cavalry came up, with French fire being deadly accurate, especially the French artillery that garnered 3 banners in 3 shots. French artillery was very accurate over both games. In the end a Prussian bayonet charge put them in place for the win, but the French had a chance to win if either of 2 1d leader checks had failed. French were pretty chewed up at the end, but the Prussians had lost too many units.
 

Round 5 Game 1 414 Grossbeeren (23 August 1813)
Mark McG (French) 5 banners
Jim Fardette (Prussians) 10 banners

Action started with a French LGM to bring up their artillery in the center and open up a shooting gallery. Subsequent action resulted in the French guns winning the artillery duel with the Prussians.

Prussians countered with a series of advances on their left, degrading and then destroying the French right. Mark was forced to keep sending units from the center to counter this threat, but eventually the cost grew too high and the French simply ran out of reserves.

The game ended when the Prussians stormed forward to occupy the victory terrain, and the French settled for smashing a few remaining units on the left before the game ended.

Of note, a lone Prussian light cavalry unit played havoc in the center, eventually using up all of the Iron Will markers and just generally being a pain in the backside for much of the game. While not causing a lot of damage, his stubborn refusal to die threw sand in the gears of the French lines.

Thanks to Mark for two very enjoyable games.

Game 1Mark B (Allies)  9 Banners
Greg O (French) 10 banners

The battle started with Prussian artillery firing on the right into the French infantry and a push onto the ridge on the right flank.   French artillery responded hitting the Prussian battery hard on the left.  The Prussians drew first blood eliminating 2 FR Line shortly after, taking a 2-0 lead.   A French bombard finished off the wounded Prussian battery and forced the second one on the left to use an Iron will to shake off three flags.  The Prussians responded with a push into the center but pulled back in the face of stiff French artillery fire.   Shots were exchanged until a French LGM pushed the Grenadiers and an Artillery battery into the Windmill and adjacent hill, but a Prussian Line was having none of that and ran the artillery off the hill and eliminated 2 of it’s blocks.  The French tried again with a Force March in the center but in the end came out on the short end down 5-3, in banners although they held the majority objective.  The French got aggressive on the flanks trying to eliminate weakened Prussian units but left units exposed, two of which were wiped out.   The French held the majority still and it was a 7-7 match.  The French benefited from a rally and a leader reform to hang in there, as units were at a premium at this point.  Both sides pulled back to tighten their lines and catch their breath.   Some fighting ensued and it became an 8-8 match.   There was a lot of intense fighting and cavalry action, artillery fire, the whole bit.  No knockout blows were landed but the Prussians managed to tie up the majority objective and achieved a kill brig victory only 1 banner away.   The French managed to hold on, not losing that last unit and were able to gain the majority objective for the win. 

Game 2
Mark B (French)   2 Banners
Greg O (Allies) 10 banners

The battle started with the obligatory artillery exchanges causing some losses to the French infantry who responded by pulling back a bit on the left and center.  A Prussian bombard allowed two batteries to form up together in the center but only caused on hit and a pushback with a Gran Battery attack on the French artillery in the left.  The French used Leadership to respond with a bold LC attack supported with a Artillery battery on the left flank, destroying a Prussian battery and taking a block from the second, losing only 1 block themselves.  The Prussians responded with a Fire and Hold causing 2 hits to the LC and a kill in the center.    The French LC was finished off in the next card play by a blast of artillery.  The French then Force Marched in the center to close the gap and the Prussians responded in kind bringing units into close combat.  The Prussians took losses but gained a 3-1 lead.   The battle shifted right with a strong French push and the battle there raged back and forth with the Prussians coming out on top with a 5-1 lead and dominance on that flank.  The battle shifted back into the center with the Prussians extending the lead to 6-1 and also gained the majority objective for a 8-1 lead.  The French used a LGM to tighten the lines and pull weakened units out of immediate danger and later gained a banner hammering a Prussian Reserve unit who was leading the way in the center.  The Prussians closed the battle by eliminating a French Horse Artillery and killing it’s leader.

Mark is a great player and Game 1 was one of the closest games I have ever played.   Game 2 went all my way with cards and rolls, but Mark played it as hard and best as he could the distance.   A true competitor! 

Round 5 Game 1, GrossbeerenJosiah, Prussians 5 banners taken, 30 blocks lostSteve T, French 10 banners taken, 27 blocks lostAlmost all fighting was in the centre. Battle began with the French advancing towards the centre, with the Prussians launching a limited infantry attack on the central hill and bringing their left flank towards the centre. When enough troops were assembled, the French cavalry attacked the Prussian guns and cavalry, when the dust had settled the French had occupied Grossbeeren and each side had lost 3 units plus Kraft had been killed (score 3-6). French LGM brought their guns forward in the centre and the Prussians replied with forced march, eliminating an isolated French art that had advanced too far, but the French launched their own forced march and then bayonet charge to win.Thanks to Josiah for a tough game, it was his first time playing the Prussians and the block count was nearly even. It was also interrupted by straying cattle, a first for me in C+C!