Intercontinental Tournament 2023

217 Crossing the Berezina (27-28 November 1812) [ICT2023 - Round Four - 1st game]

Russians(A) 7 vs French(Burnabybob) 2
19 blocks lost vs 30

The battle started with heavy fighting on French Left . Gen. Victor fell with his division. A French Rally! resulted in a single infantry block recovered.
French Right was hurled forward threatening to turn around the situation but the Russian HC finally succeeded in driving off the French LC on the other end of the field.

   
217 Crossing the Berezina (27-28 November 1812) [ICT2023 - Round Four - 2nd game]

Russians(Burnabybob) 5 CONCEDED vs French(A) 3
27 blocks lost vs 23

The Russian started with a LGB, copied immediately by the French. French Right advanced boldly but was beaten back with heavy losses and Gen. Oudinot killed. French played Rally! to regain a single block of infantry.
Russian advance on their Right has been contained but Gen. Partonueaux fell.
Even though Ben being in the lead, he decided to concede the game based on the assessment that his units were badly weakened and could not get close to my French without crossing heavy artillery fire.
And for certain Ben was leaving the field with banners flying high and his honor and gallantry unquestionable.

 


 

Round 4 Game 2
Mark McG (Russians): 7 banners
Tom (French): 3 banners

I always felt this a race between the Russian cavalry and the French infaantry engaging the Russian infantry. Fortunately I could get my cavalry forward on the Russian left from the get go, slowing Tom down. Hard to know which is the most vulnerable wing for the Russians.

Turn1 wasa a cavalry charge, and I then had a hand of 3x Recon in Force, Bombard and Scout Left.. hardly promising attack cards. However, with 3 successive RiF cards, the Russian grenadiers ripped the French a new one, whilst the cavalry on the left tied down the French advance. More importantly, the Centre started getting orders, and in the end this is where the damage happened. First the Heavy cav immobilised them, then the infantry moved up and the artillery pounded them. Took a while, but got them in the end.
 

Sorry for the split vassal logs, we had a disconnect in the middle of the second game.

Game 1:
Jim (French) - 7
Joe (Russians) - 2

This one started off pretty even, and the Mother Russia roll combined with some poor early French musketry led to an even start.  Fate took a hand though, and after several swings of fortune it was a race as the Russians pushed forward in the center while the French assaulted on the right.  The French prevailed.

Game 2:
Joe (French) - 6
Jim (Russians) - 7

The Mother Russia roll was again successful, and cossacks ran wild.  An early Russian Bayonet Charge was a disaster, but the Russians were able to halt the French advance on the left.  Both sides maneuvered to land some heavy blows, and again the dice played their little games.  The Russians came out on top, but only after a French unit failed to kill a single infantry in square.

Joe had the misfortune of losing 2 leaders, one to double sabres and one left on his own when his escorts were wiped out.  I couldn't rally units with the Leader Rallies tactics card, both times going 0-2.  What can you say, it's a game with dice.  Both matches were exciting and could easily have gone the other way.

Round 4 Game 1:

GomJabbar (Russian) - 7
BoredBeyondBelief (French) - 6

The Russians started by taking the hills on the French left and whittling down some French units. The French responded with a general advance on all fronts with good effect on their left. The Russians held on the hills throughout the game while the French right devastated the Russians on that side of the river. It was a very tight game with equal banners until the last few rolls. The Russians stormed down the hill on the French left with a Forced March. The French had a chance to end it with a single battle back roll but the dice came up short by 1 hit. The Russians got the last banner and the win. The Russians had good cards and good dice this game and was very lucky with square bounces.

Round 4 Game 2:

GomJabbar (French) - 7
Boredbeyondbelief (Russian) - 1

This game seemed to go very similar to the last one with the Russians taking the hills on the French left and the French devastating the Russians on the right side of the river. However this time the French were able to get up onto the hills on the left and eliminate some Russian units on that side. The dice and cards went even worse for Boredbeyondbelief this game. He had a hand full of center cards with not much happening in the center. The French squares seemed to be invincible. In the end Wlastov's unit was cut down but Wlastov survived. It seemed like a tense battle until near the end. I was surprised when I looked up to see the score. It seemed much closer than the score shows.

Eric, thanks for the games. Sorry for your bad luck. I hope to see you across the board again one day.

Round 4 Game 1:

Valya (French) - 6
GabrielH (Russian) - 7 

Good mother russia roll with two flags, one infantery and two canons.

The Russian attack straigh away with two forced marches with the French holding fire and Patouneaux ordering a tactical fall back. Ney bringing back some re-inforcement accross the bridge. Brutal fighting took place with losses on both side.

The Russian made grounds on the left flank but so did the French on the right with little action in the center. A very balanced battle with both sides running out of steam.

The French nearly achived victory at 6-4 but the russian came back to win with both a breaking the squaree and succesfull leader check on Ney.

 

Round 4 Game 1

EZPickins (French) 7 banners
jdowd (Russian) 6 banners

Most of the game was fought on the flanks as we went back and forth trading losses. The end came when I played Bayonet Charge to attack his HC on the board edge with the OG. Seven dice with no chance to retire did the job.  Good play by Patrick loads of fun.

Round 4 Game 1
Daniel (Russians): 3 banners
John (French): 7 banners

Daniel as the Russians got into a good position on the right flank, but they couldn't hit a barn door if they'd been standing next to it....

The French didn't have any right flank cards, so didn't move all game. And instead managed to advance with the cavalry and infantry, without any reinforcements and destroy the Russian right....

Odd or what?

Round 4 Game 2
John (Russians): 5 banners
Daniel (French): 7 banners

This one went more to the script.

A good Mother Russia roll, two infantry steps and three Cossacks.

The French tried to withdraw on their left, but the Russians were able to bring the Grenadiers from the rear and then force march two grenadiers, the lights and a line with a leader into battle. Only for the French to have three first strike or equivalent cards...

So it did not go as the Russians hoped, but the French were unable to clear up the Russians and so a cavalry charge created some havoc in the French left. 5-3 to the Russians, as both isolated French leaders got killed.

However the Russians were unable to press home against the French square plus unit in the town, and Daniel nicely built the pressure on his right.
The Russians attempt to counter got some poor dice, and Daniel took out three Russians in a turn with a Bayonet Charge. 6-5 to the French.

The Russians finally had units in position and cards in the centre to try for a win, but the light infantry missed the French 1 infantry in a square with three dice, and another bayonet charge by the French brought the game to an end.

Thanks to Daniel for two very friendly games that could have gone either way.

Round 4, Crossing the Berezina

Game 1

Allies: David Horts (Craterus), 7 banners
French, Mike Stanley (scipio1zama), 3 banners 



 

coming up to deadline.. results pleasae