The start of 2023 sees the return match of the third Eylau scenario between me and Evert - my turn to play the French.

The battle started with Russian infantry taking the French by surprise, infiltrating the French lines on the left {for simplicity, I'll use left and right as they are in the pictures rather than from each side's point of view} and occupying part of Eylau town. {Evert started with a "Grande Manoeuvre" card that put Russian troops in the middle of French soldiers.}

The Old Guard and Line infantry attacked the Russian Grenadiers in Eylau while the Cuirassiers swept past to hit the Russian Line infantry behind, who tried to fight them off. Led by Gen Sacken, more Russian infantry moved towards Eylau, but two units of Line infantry fall to the French bayonets. {The Russians get a banner for the bit of town they hold, so the score is 2:1 to me.}

The French infantry finished off the Russian Grenadiers in Eylau and the Line infantry outside - Gen Sacken escaping to the rear - while the cavalry forced the Light infantry into square. (That's 4:0 as Evert loses the banner for Eylau.}

However, the Cuirassiers had taken a battering and were finished off by Russian artillery. {4:1}

French cavalry moved up in the centre while the infantry finished off the Russian square outside Eylau. {5:1}

Then the cavalry hit the Russian infantry centre-right only to take casualties from the Russian horsemen once the infantry had formed square. {My "Cavalry Charge" didn't have much effect.}

The French Heavies fell to Russian Cuirassiers, so the remaining cavalry moved right and helped eliminate Russian Light infantry on the edge of the field as French infantry advanced to shoot at the Russian squares. {6:2}

An exchange of artillery fire in the centre removed a Line infantry from both sides. {7:3}

The Russian cavalry on the right skirmished with the Russian troops in front of them. The Russian infantry and Grenadiers that had been lurking on the edge of Eylau moved in, the Lights occupying part of the town while the Grenadiers finished off the French artillery. {An "Elan" card gives Evert another banner, taking the score to 7:4 and then 7:5 when the Russians get the banner for Eylau.}

French Line units and the Old Guard moved to re-take Eylau while the Guard cavalry put a Russian Line into square. The Russian Grenadiers promptly removed one of the Line units while more Grenadiers finished off a battered French Line in the woods on the right. {"Bayonet Charge" brought Evert two banners and suddenly the score is tied, 7:7.}

In a decisive move, Napoleon and the Old Guard eliminated the Russian Line holding Eylau while the French Line in another part of the town took out the Russian Grenadiers. {A "Force March" card for me and losing the banner for Eylau means the final score is 9:6.}

Well, that was a fight. Evert's initial bold move didn't pay off with his Russians falling four banners behind. He came back from that deficit very effectively, only for my French to force the win. However, having won 5:9 as the French, Evert takes the overall win 14:15.

Evert and I continue to work our way through the Russian expansion's scenarios. Evert gets to be French first, but I start this one as the Russians.

Exchanges of musket fire on the left {for simplicity I'll use left and right as they are in the pictures rather than from each army's point of view} were followed by French Line infantry storming onto the hill left of centre and destroying the Russian Line under General Sacken that was holding it. The General retired to the unit just behind. {Evert gets lucky with the dice and the score is 0:1 in his favour.}

This provoked a wholesale advance by the Russian infantry on the left, Gen Tutchkov's men occupying part of Eylau town and Gen Sacken's new troops forcing back the infantry that did for his first command. (A "Force March" card got me into the fight.}

Napoleon responded by taking command of Line infantry and marching into the thick of the Russian force, while the French Cuirassiers swung round Eylau to put a Russian unit into square.

Fired on from three sides, the infantry under Napoleon melted away, the Emperor himself beating a hasty retreat. {It would be so cool to kill Napoleon, but that just takes the score to 1:1.}

Napoleon joined up with the Old Guard whose muskets finished off one of the Russian infantry as the French Cuirassiers moved onto the hill left of centre, forcing Gen Sacken and his men into square and making them an easy target for the approaching infantry. {1:2, but the Russians have a banner for the piece of Eylau they hold, so 2:2.}

Throwing caution to the winds, Russian Light cavalry takes on the opposing Cuirassiers centre left while the Russian cavalry on the right, led by General Tolstoi, mixes it with the French infantry in and around the woods, one unit forming square. {A not very useful "Cavalry Charge" from me.}

The French counter-attack on the left sees the Old Guard destroy the Russian Line infantry in Eylau, Gen Tutchkov falling with his men. French Line finish off Gen Sacken's men, but he makes his getaway to link up with some grenadiers. {1:5 as I lose the banner for Eylau and it's not looking good.}

That victorious French Line goes into square as the Russian Light cavalry take an interest in them, while the advancing Russian Cuirassiers on the right force another square to form. {That's three French units in square and one Russian - I think it's a record!}

From the security of the town, the Old Guard and Napoleon finish off the Russian square. {1:6}

Then the Old Guard move out of Eylau to see off the last forward Russian unit on the left and the Russian Light infantry promptly takes refuge in the windmill behind them.

The cavalry skirmish on the left has moved into the centre where the French Cuirassiers are finished off by the Russian Lights who fall to advancing French Line infantry who are then removed by the Russian Grenadiers under Gen Sacken. {3:7}

Those Grenadiers promptly form square as both other French cavalry in the centre attacks them. And Gen Sacken falls as the French artillery opens up on the square. {3:8 and again there are one Russian in square and three French!}

Action on the right sees Russian Light cavalry and Cossacks combining to eliminate a French Line unit while Gen Tolstoi's Cuirassiers clear some French Light cavalry. {5:8}

But the Cuirassiers have suffered casualties and are taken apart by their French counterparts to end Russian hopes. {5:9 and that's a wrap!}

Phew! The Russians did their best, but even cutting Evert's hand down to three cards didn't stop him! Losing two Generals didn't help. Mind you, the stats show that this is overwhelmingly a French win (78% of the time). So maybe I can do better as the French... we'll see.

Very tough scenario for the Russians to win. An abbreviated Mother Russia roll (3 dice?) would really help. 3 block Russian infantry is not suited for town combat.

OK, just fixed video links.
You can easily add a video link in a forum thread copy/pasting original link from youtube address bar.

A Little Inspiration

The Russian player gains one Temporary Victory Banner for each town hex of Eylau occupied at the start of the turn.

Q: Does the church hex counts for this voctory condition?
A: Yes, the church also counts since its effects are the same as a town.