Maxi Napoleonic scenario - Black Powder June 17, 2023

Last week end my mates organized a Black Powder game using a “maxi” table. Around 3,000 miniatures … table 480 x 150 cm … 16 Army Corps … 12 players.

It was not an historical scenario but it is inspired a post Lipsia battle ... around 1813. The idea was to create an event in which players could play a Napoleonic battle for fun with a great number of minis. The French are retreating and the Emperor is ill. 

All minis are 15mm. The Obj of the battle is easy: the Emperor, aboard his carriage, must cross the whole camp using the road on the edge of the French side. The Allies want to take him alive

For the first two turns of game the Emperor and the Guard has significant problems to move even if they can count on a 9 of discipline.

On the French right, two Corps face a Bavarian and Austrian one. The French launch their cavalry against Austrian units but they are not able to create an hole. 

A detail of a Barian unit approaching to the field and ...

... a French cavalry unit

On the French left, the Poles keep the Prussian troops at a distance. The Prussians continue to hammer the French line with rifle and cannon but the Poles hold the line.

The Old and the Young Guard are on the way

On the center Russian Corp try to create an hole and capture Emperor’s carriage but a fresh Napoletan force block them avoiding a catastrophic event.

A detail of a Cossack unit ... 

After 5 turns the French on the right break … Swiss troops try to support this battle side but they arrive too late.

At the 11th turn the Guard arrives launching the cavalry against the first Austrian unit that try to block the Emperor. 

The match end with an Allies victory. 

Unfortunately, Guard's sacrifice is not able to avoid French army break. The Emperor is captured and sent to his exile to Elba island.

Battle of Shevardino Sept, 5 1812 - May 2023

 Last week, to celebrate the May 5, my club mates decided to play a Napoleonic battle. The fight they chose is Shevardino battle. 
They used Black Powder by Warlord games as rule sets. Minis are 15mm painted by Alberto. Shevardino battle was fought during the Napoleonic Russian invasion in 1812.

French troops lead by Alberto, Luca and Marco. While professor Alessandro Barbero, Danilo and his son controlled the Russians. Ezio took the role of arbiter.

In the real batte. On the afternoon of the 5lh of September Napoleon decided to launch an attack on the Shevardino redoubt. He used the 5th Division of Davout’s I Corps were supported by Nansouty’s and Montbrun's I and II cavalry corps. 

Prince Andrei Gorchakov had the task of holding the redoubt. He mustered Neveroski’s 27th Infantry Division plus the 2nd Cuirassier Division, together with several regiments of dragoons, jagers and two squadrons of hussars.

Twelve thousand Russians would have to hold off nearly three times their number. 

They were in a badly situated position with high ground known as the Doronino hill overlooking them to the south west.

At the end, the French captured the redoubt, at a cost of 4,000 French and 6,000 Russian causalties. The small redoubt was destroyed and covered by the dead and dying of both sides.

Also in our game the battle result is a French decisive victory. The victory arrived only at the last turn after being conquered and retaken two times. 

It took us 4 hours to play the scenario. As usual it was a nice day of play.

Battle of Austerlitz - July 30, 2022 and August 6, 2022

INTRODUCTION 

To describe a battle is never a simple question of numbers but this time is different. During the last two week ends my club organized and played two times the battle of Austerlitz.

Numbers: 21 players, 19 hours of game, 1,982 miniatures, 3,6 x 1,8 meters of table, 2 days of preparation, 16 club members involved in the study of army list, troops preparation and so on ...

Miniatures scale 15mm. Rule systems: Black Powder. Miniatures are Ab, Essex, Old Glory, Fantassin and Campagin Game Miniatures

A special thanks to: the Duke Luciano (who studied all the army lists), Ezio and Riccardo (for their historical and rule knowledge), Alessandro Barbero (one of Italian most important historians that decided to play with us the battle), Massimo, Stefano and Dennis (that comes from Milan), Alessandro and Max (from Novara).

The players of the first day ... 

... players of the second one

HISTORICAL BATTLE

The historical battle was one of the most important clash of the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought on December 2, 1805 between Napoleon's Grande Armée and Allies army composed by Austrian and Russian troops.

The battle started at dawn with a French army outnumbered. The French were 72,000 with 157 guns  against 85,000 Allies and 318 guns. Napoleon was hoping that the Allied forces would attack, and to encourage them, he deliberately weakened his right flank. At 8.00 am, 53,000 Austrian-Russians, divided into 6 columns, attacked the French right flank. Davout and his men, among great difficulties, blocked the enemy attack. On the left flank, Bragation and Lichtenstein hit Lannes that, thanks the divisions  of General Caffarelli and Marshall Suchet, kept the position. At 10.00 am only a veil of Allies infantry controlled the center on Pratzen hills. Marching throught the fog, Napoleon launched  Vandamme, Saint-Hilaire and Oudinot  divisions against the guards of Grand Duke Constantine.  After an hard clash the French troops conquered the hills. General panic seized the Allied army and it abandoned the field in all possible directions.

OUR BATTLES

In "our" battles this is the initial deployment ... 

 ... but every group of players have decided the strategy in a separate way 

First battle. Allied "command room"

Second battle ... Napoleon's Marshalls at work

We decided to put some items on the table to separate the commanders ... a simple way to "simulate" the fog of war.

First battle

Second battle

FIRST BATTLE DEVELOPMENT  July 30, 2022

French left flank. Lannes and his V corp, even if receives a lot of losses, block the Russian Bragation with two divisions of infantry and a brigade of cavalry. The Imperial Guard of Grand Duke Constantine is forced to move from the center to push the attack.

French right flank. Soult, with Davout force that arrives at 6th turn, engages Kienmayer and Doctorov troops. Soult uses only three divisions because the Saint Hilarie units are used to support the center. A great clash but with a no decisive result for the battle

Center: the French attack is directly against the Pratzen hills. A Soult division is launched against the right of Langeron while the Corp of Bernadotte and (after) the division of grenadier of Oudinot assault Langeron, and Przebyszewski units. With great sacrifice two courassier units of Murat division attack and eliminate some enemy batteries on the hills but all the holes are closed by Russians. 

9 turns and 10 hours of game. Result: tie. Four division for each armies destroyed and a Russian Corp (Langeron) force to reatreat because broken.

SECOND BATTLE DEVELOPMENT  August 6, 2022

French left flank. Lannes moves quickly against Bagration. The 1st division of Caffarelli and the 3rd division of Suchet takes the control of the hill on the left. For great part of the game Bragation tries to push away the enemies. The two divisions lose four regiments and Caffarelli division is near to the break but Russians are forced to use two Guard regiment of cavalry to do it.

French right flank. This time Soult move all his three divisions against the Allies. Davout arrives at the 5th turn. Wave after wave the French units force the Austrians and Russians to move back till the iced marshes. 

Center: the French attack against the Pratzen hills start only at the 6th turn. This time Murat units go to support the left flank as well as Bernadotte. No French attack columns engage the Langeron. Only batteries and muskets fire. At the beginning of the game, Constantine and Kollowrat units create a second line on the hills but, at the 6th turn, with a right and left flanks under pression, Constantine guards is forced to abandon the idea to stay in reserve.

6 turns and 9 hours of game. Result: tie. no divisions destroyed but the Russian and French left wing in great difficult. Caffarelli division near to the be broken but Bernadotte and Murat ready to enter into the battle. 

A worried General Kutuzov is thinking the next move

CONCLUSION

Great game ... funny moments that will be part of our Club ... thanks to all for the stunning work!!