My turn to play the French and I was expecting a close game. My first move was to push French infantry centre-right towards the village and Abbey Church. Throwing two Line infantry against the Austrian Grenadiers with General Mescery in the church turned out to be a bad idea: Evert's good luck with the battle-backs eliminated one of them and crippled the other. He finished it off the following turn. Ouch! That makes the score 1:2 against me (I have one banner as there are no Austrians in the village).

A "Force March" card let me send the rest of the French right against the church. This time it worked, eliminating the battered Grenadiers and taking out Gen Mescery with them. The score's now 3:2, with another banner due for holding the church.

Evert sent his left flank Cuirassiers against French Light infantry in front of Elchingen, only to bounce off the infantry's square. The Cuirassiers retreated into the village, depriving me of that banner and keeping the score at 3:2. And, again, the Austrians only have their (battered) Horse artillery on their left. Which I promptly gunned down to take it to 4:2.

Evert's right flank Cuirassiers got lucky next: they attacked the French Light infantry in the woods on my left, driving them back. I pushed my horsemen at them and the Cuirassiers took out my Light cavalry. Sigh: 4:3.

The whole Austrian right converged on the French left flank troops in and around the woods. My "Bayonet Charge" allowed me to shift my right flank troops into the centre and remove an Austrian Line. Another unit eliminated a second Austrian Line infantry on my left. But vacating the church meant I lost the banner for that: 5:3.

Further attacks on the left took out another Austrian Line to make it 6:3 - one more banner needed.

But a lack of right flank cards meant I couldn't take the easy banner for re-occupying the church. Instead, I attacked in the centre, pushing the Cuirassiers out of the village, hoping to get that banner instead. The unaccompanied General Riesch trotted into Elchingen to deprive me of it (we couldn't find anything to say whether a lone General counts as 'occupying' a town, but assumed it did - not least because he's an easy target).

Could I roll the single 'crossed swords' I needed? Instead, Evert's Cuirassiers removed my Heavy cavalry while Austrian Cuirassiers took out the French Line next to the village that had been forced into square. And now the score's 6:5.

Fighting continued for a couple of turns in the centre before I got the winning banner by finishing off an Austrian Line infantry.

So that was a win for my French 7:5 - it took two turns more and a few minutes longer than Evert's win the week before. And the overall victory is mine, just - 13:12 - after a tough fight.

I’ve also posted this report (with pictures!) on my blog on BGG: boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/162346

I play the Austrians first, so I made a quick memo to self to occupy the town and hills and stay there. However, Evert's French start the game and out came our favourite card, "La Grande Manoeuvre" (though we haven't seen it for a few games). Evert used it to sprint several units to the Abbey and village. However, I played "Give Them the Cold Steel" and pushed them back out of Elchingen, moving a unit in. The French thus lost their banner, so the score's 0:0.

Fighting continued around the village and Abbey, with Evert killing off the Austrian Grenadiers to take the church - that's 0:2. However, I used "Elan" to eliminate the French Light infantry in Elchingen to make it 1:2, while my Cuirassiers moved up on the right, forcing French Line into square.

This turned out to be a rash move on my part, as the Cuirassiers were quickly blown away and the Line infantry in Elchingen had to retreat - at double speed, as the Austrians do. It's now 1:4 and the Austrians only have their Horse artillery left on the right (Austrian left flank). Still, the Horse artillery was able to finish off a French Line unit outside the church: 2:4.

I consolidated the Austrian forces around the hills (left and centre) only to be faced with a big French assault in the centre that took Elchingen. My Grenadiers retaliated by killing off the French Light in the village and moving in. The score changes to 3:3 as Evert loses the banner for no Austrians in Elchingen.

With five Leaders in play, a 'Leadership' card was really useful for Evert. He flung French cavalry and infantry against the village but didn't quite remove the Grenadiers. I countered with 'Elan' and the combination of Austrian Light cavalry and Foot artillery removed the two French cavalry, Generals Colbert and Villatte running for it. Suddenly the score's 5:3.

Evert continued to attack Elchingen, finally eliminating the Austrian Grenadiers, Gen Riesch falling with his men. And that's 5:5, with another banner coming Evert's way as I no longer have troops in the village.

My Horse artillery finished off another French Line on the right to level it up again at 6:6. The last word was Evert's as his infantry in Elchingen destroyed the Austrian artillery on the end of the hills.

That was a good, tough fight over 23 turns (and nearly 90 minutes) and another scenario that shows the Austrians can hold their own.

I’ve also posted this on my BGG blog (with pictures!): boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/162202

Awesome one, really epic back and forth. Extremely lucky outcome at the end of the game lets Austrians take it 7-6. Most of the action takes place on French right and center.

French got massively beaten 5 vs 18 blocks dead, Going from 5-0 to 6-3, finishing 10-3 (finished last round).
Overall I think that this seems like a nice balanced scenario.

Fun scenario and nicely balanced. My game came down to a score of 7 to 6 banners in favor of the French. Most of the early game consisted of maneuvering, French bombardment of the Austrian positions on the hills and squabbling over the town of Elchingen, which changed hands multiple times but eventually was held by the French Light Infantry. Late game saw a massive French bayonet charge that secured the Church, a successful Austrian attack on the French left that did considerable damage but came a bit too late and a French cavalry charge that cleared the hills of Austrians, securing final victory.

Ney destroyed my brother in law's Austrians by quickly occupying the town and then throwing the heavy cavalry right at the Austrian artillery on the hill. He had canister, but the cavalry were undaunted and routed them. The Austrian infantry on the hill then tried a gallant stand by not going into square and were also routed off the hill in the breakthrough. He made a demonstration on the French left, but the lights in the woods punished his impetuous attack. The French right flank ran into trouble at the church, the Austrians played "first strike" and killed an infantry unit, but the French were able to dumpster dive for the "first strike card" and that put the wind up the Austrians for any major attack. An exciting, but one sided affair.

Played last friday with my friend Le Boucher (aka Guillaume, a very well known butcher on the place of Le Mans), and Austrians won both games (7/1 7/2) having good cards and good average rolls the two times. French player didn't have time to advance and show his own strategy...

Thx, we fix it asap on Website and
with the next Vassal update

Scenario book shows an Austrian GR behind the hills. Its missing in the vassal module and on this website at this time.