Serendipitous Weekday Battle

Wednesday a retired friend from the wargaming circuit messaged me: "Oudinot's Grenadiers are done and looking for a fight." He's been working on this brigade for a while. 

I messaged back "I'm off Friday. Come down in the morning, we'll have lunch and play!"

He lives a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive away, so getting together is complicated. 

But he arrived around 1030 and armed with strong mugs of tea we got started. Although there were some delays as he showed his Danish and Dutch troops first. He's been working on the Danish for some time as well. The top hats are rather stylish I must say.

I lost the roll and set up first. My Prussians were augmented with some Russian uhlans and jaegers.

Reservists and Landwehr 

Prussian center 

Silesians on the left

Oudinot's Grenadiers 

30 or 40 year old dragoons. Hinchcliffe or maybe Minifigs or perhaps something even more obscure. First time in a game! Proud to have been the recipient of their first charge too.

French Chasseurs a Cheval 

French left

Annoyed by skirmishers and artillery, the Chasseurs charge! My infantry deliver steady volleys and drive them back heavily mauled. Chasseur Regiment on the right retreats 1 hit away from dispersing. Chasseur Regt on left has 5 or 6 hits.

My fusiliers recoil from a lot of artillery fire, only 2 hits away from dispersing. French Grenadiers getting closer

French left creeping forward

Landwehr occupy village 

I shifted my cavalry from the far left to support my center.

Grenadiers ready to launch an attack on my left

Imagine a lot of dead horses in front of my Prussians. I neglected to get a picture of the dragoon's mighty charge. The Prussians formed squares and the dragoons recoiled with casualties 

Don was totally unfamiliar with General d'Armee. His favoured rules are the venerable WRG Horse and Musket rules from 40 years ago. But he was game to give G d'A a go and I managed to walk him through it reasonably well I think. Unfortunately all his troops are singly based (as one does with old school WRG rules) and he'd forgotten his movement trays, so his moves took a long time.

Unfortunately we had to call the game at the point in the last couple of pictures with things just coming to grips. 1600 had rolled around and he had to get packed up and on the road. I thought the game was still very much up in the air. Yes I had mauled his cavalry, and IF my cavalry could make a hole in the center then I'd be able to roll up his massed battery and the grenadiers. OR his grenadiers could smash the Silesians on my left too. My comfort with G d'A continues to grow, but I think a division is about all one wants for these rules.

But he got out for a game. His vintage figures finally heard dice rolled in anger, and I deployed all the Prussians painted thus far. Not a bad way to spend a wet vacation Friday.