Saturday 4 January 2020

Endgame... Victory!

The battle of Muhldwein rages on...

On turn 7, the Astrovian Kuirassiers advanced towards the gap left by the retreating Vaubarian infantry and guns, and infantry regt Schrodinger wheeled slightly to volley at the Dragoons. The latter caused only one casualty on Schrodinger, whilst the Astrovian infantrymen (rolling 11 on their 2d6) inflicted two casualties on the Dragoons who deemed it high time they were also heading back to the safety of the town and turned tail...


Lacking a suitable target, the Astrovian gunners decided to fire a shot into the town, setting one of the buildings alight! Hooligans!!



Things were starting to look very positive for the Astrovians, and Von Schwarzenatter viewed the scene with some contentment. The grenadiers, having had no casualties this turn, returned to normal and would advance again next turn. And regt Frankl's retreat was rallied and they stood shaken on the spot. They too would be able to return to the fray shortly. Surely a full on assault would soon take the town.

But the Astrovian glee didn't last long. As the Kuirassiers von Klammer picked their way across the makeshift defences, a glance to their left revealed ... The long-awaited Vaubarian relief force marching with some haste and purpose onto the table. Church bells rang out, and the Vaubarian brigade commander, Schweinsteiger, who had orchetrated the defence, almost wept with joy. His ally, The Markgraf Karl von Orff had arrived, just in the nick of time!





Simultaneously, at the start of turn 8, the Astrovian hussars who were tracking round the wood on the Astrovian right flank, suddenly encountered the Vaubarian hussar regiment Podolski, entering the table.



All was now lost for the Astrovian attack. In the face of the arrival of these fresh Vaubarian forces, Reichsgrafen von Schwarzenatter decided to save his battered army and retire to fight another day.


In the town, the sight of the Astrovians making an orderly withdrawal, and the Vaubarian relief force advancing to see them off, was received with unconcealed celebration. Not only had the town been saved, but The Elector's Christmas Chest too. And all would receive the bounty of the Elector as a thank you in these troubled times. In particular the musketeers of the Breitner regiment and the Dragoons of the Muller Lights would receive ample reward from grateful locals in the taverns of the town.
For now, such trials as Astrovian incursions could be forgotten, and peace reigned throughout the land!



Postscript...
What an enjoyable game. I hope you have found it as interesting to follow these past few days as I have found it to play. The rules worked well, the new wargames room was ideal for this relatively small encounter, and my lighting set up for photos did not intrude on the game.

The casualty return is as follows:
Vaubarians:
Breitner infantry regt -5 figures (25%)
Artillery -2 figures (66%)
Muller Dragoons -3 (25%)

Astrovians:
Frankl infantry regt -9 (45%)
Schrodinger infantry regt -3 (15%)
Grenadiers -7 (35%)
Artillery -1 (33%)
Croats -4 (33%)
Klammer Kuirassiers -1 (8%)

As a wargamer, I might have continued on for a further few turns in reality, but it's back to work in earnest on Monday, and I wanted chance to clear up the table, so it seemed reasonable to call a halt, and prevent any further loss of life! in addition, were this a campaign game, it is unlikely that Scwarzanatter would continue on against a defended town, with a significant relief force arriving from one flank, and fresh enemy troops also attacking the other flank, so it seems reasonable to conclude the game as I did.

I have deliberately given a more detailed account of the action than I normally do, and in future my games reports will have a more narrative flavour, rather than documenting individual dice throws and firefights and morale throws. But I do hope you have enjoyed my first game of 2020.


21 comments:

  1. Phil
    Good to see the troops in action and an excellent write up.
    Looking forward to the future tales

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    1. Thx Graham. A good start to the year. Best regards. Phil

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  2. Excellent report with nice figures and terrain. It has to be asked, did Schrodinger have his cat with him?

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    1. The trouble with his cat is that you're never quite sure whether it's there or not! If you look back through last year's posts, you will find the whole Schrodinger backstory, especially regarding their facing colours and flag. Best regards. Phil

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  3. Yes, a wonderfully laid out and presented game that ended well. Interesting percentages of losses too. I've read somewhere in the last couple of months that, on average, 20-30% before a unit was badly battered and no longer suitable for action in an ordered fashion was about normal for horse and musket-era troops. Looking forward to your next foray.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thx Stokes. One of the things I like about these rules is that the rate of casualties is fairly conservative compared to other sets, but the impact of casualties on morale seems to work well. Infantry units that receive 25% casualties and are under pressure tend to start wavering. Thx for visiting. Glad you enjoyed the reports. Best regards. Phil

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  4. Lovely game Phil with some wonderful looking toys on show, well done.

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    1. Thx Roddie. Glad you enjoyed it! Best regards. Phil

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  5. Fun times at the gaming table!
    Happy New Year - welcome to the "Roaring 20's"
    Best wishes,
    Jeremy

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    1. Thx JJ. Glad you enjoyed the reports. Happy new decade! Phil

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  6. Yes I did enjoy it Phil. Your armies and terrain are so beautifully presented it's what got me down the rocky path of 18th Century European Imgi-Nations back in about 2008. Did the Vaubarian reinforcements arrive by dice roll or just the impending work on Monday? Happy New Year, Chris http://notjustoldschool.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thx Chris. All arrivals were diced for at the start. Astrovian hussars end of turn 6; Vaubarian relief force end of turn 7; Vaubarian hussars turn 8. In all cases I diced on 2 dAv. In the case of the relief force, they were always going to come on from that position. The hussars of both sides I diced for to see where they came on from when they arrived. Made it fun! Best regards. Phil

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    1. Thank you Christopher. Glad you enjoyed the game and reports. Best regards. Phil

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  8. Just beautiful! Love the blues on those Vuabanian units.

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    1. Thx Peter. Yes, the Vaubarians are rather fetching in the cornflower blue aren't they. Glad you enjoyed the spectacle. Best regards. Phil

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  9. Happy New Year, Phil. What a great baptism for the new wargames room. Great figures and scenery, and a most enjoyable write-up. It inspires me to "pop downstairs" to the man cave & get some paint flowing! All the best, and looking forward to further reports, Rohan.

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    1. Thx Rohan. Enjoy your painting. There's nothing like getting the troops on the table for inspiring more painting!
      Best regards. Phil

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  10. Happy New Year, Phil

    A good looking game and what a joy it is to have rules you're happy with so they don't detract from the pleasure of troops on the table. The fire looked pretty serious - I hope it was put out in good time. The scale of this encounter must encourage others to do something similar as the force count is beyond most mortals ability to provide.
    All the best to you and your readers for 2020
    Stephen

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    1. Thx Stephen. And Happy New Year to you. Hope you're well.
      I think small actions like this can be as interesting as larger games, and I hope it will inspire people who are starting out in a period (any period) to push on to such a modest level so they can get a game on the table. You don't have to have 12x6 tables with 10 battalions of infantry per side and 100 cavalry or whatever to have a good game, as we know! All the very best.
      Phil

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  11. Always a joy to see your marvellous collections in action!

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