Two good Napolonic youtube videos

        The Time Napoleon Almost Exploded on Christmas

 

 

 Ridley Scott should have made THIS movie!

 

 

True Size of Napoleon's Army - The Infantry [c. 1808] 3D DOCUMENTARY

 

A good graphic of how the French army worked.

 

 

The future of AI

Totally off topic here.

I have been watching James Burke's connections from the 1970's and used...a connection to watch James Burke – Internet Knowledge.

This was all filmed 30 years ago, but around the 33 minute mark, he explains how AI in 2023 is created and used. 30 years ago. He thinks  he's describing how brains and changes work, but its the same process that AI's in  the 2020's have used all the knowledge of the internet to build engines of something that describe ideas and arguments.

And we're almost at the point almost where AIs will start making new connections and understand it's a new thing. OpenAI's recent removal last week and reinstatement of their CEO was all about this...fear. And possibility of change.

And his central thesis is we can't predict the future because the ripples of change of two ideas coming together to make a 3rd, NEW idea, is unpredictable. And makes things interesting.

We're going to live in interesting times. I just hope the AI overlords, can like our jokes.

So I saw Napoleon, the movie

So I saw a comedy called Napoleon. Seriously, there are many many scenes that end like they are missing a laugh track. The final shot of him in a chair needs a looney tunes gag sound like its Wile E Coyote hitting the dirt.

And they change so many little things like adding enough entrenchments at Waterloo to make you think it's WW2, including a scoped sniper rifle with a 1000 yard range. It didn't add anything! The British march OUT of them for a cavalry charge! There's no urgency or tension about any of the battle scenes either.

Meanwhile the entire first half of the movie is spending all it's time trying to be a love story between two people who have zero charisma with each other. He keeps frowning and she keeps rolling her eyes. I can completely get it was supposed to be about those two and not the battles, but the second half of the movie is all about battles and no love story.

Was she poisoned bu the Czar of Russia using Polonium? I think that's what the movie was saying? It sure spent a lot of scenes with the Czar without any other pay off. There's a lot of that sort of thing happening. Everyone speaks English (which is fine) except *one* scene were two ambassadors change to sub titles..to make a joke I think?


Someone get James Cameron to make a sequel called Wellington. He made superior sequels to Scott's work.

Glory is Fleeting books arrived

 

Only took 4 days to arrive ordered last week from amazon.com.au for less than $50. 

Bigger pages too, A4 so easier to read.

What's interesting about Glory is Fleeting?

Can you tell us a bit more about it? What's interesting about it?

It's a game to play table top miniature battles set in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. What more can you want??


I know, I know, there's 100's of rules that do the same thing out there. Here's why I've been playing it:

- It's played a lot in AU and NZ (the writers come from there) at clubs. Rule #1 of wargaming - Play the game someone else locally plays to actually get a game of it.

- The rules and army lists are free in PDF, or you can buy it from Amazon.

- It's played at the brigade/division level. Each player controls 1 corps sized army, of 3-5 divisions with each unit being a brigade of 2-6 bases of troops. A typical game for 2 players will be done in less than 3 hours, which makes it fast and easy to play at a club.

- The 160 army lists cover everyone that I see. What to play a US 1812 army from the Canadian front that's fighting a Hyderabad Army 1790-1805 army? Now you can, with one rulebook and one book of army lists. Creating an  army from the excel spreadsheet provided is quick and easy. The army lists themselves just limit you to what you can choose, but the major powers all have variants for any strategy. This is the French Army lists (1st number is page number):

139 FRE92A French Armies on the Northern Front 1792-93
140 FRE93A French Armies on the Northern Front 1793-94
141 FRE93B French Army of the Pyrenees 1793-95
142 FRE93C French Republican Forces at Toulon 1793
143 FRE95A French Armies in Germany 1795-97
144 FRE96A French Army of Italy 1796-97
145 FRE98A French Army of the Orient 1798-1801
146 FRE99A French Army of Italy 1799
147 FRE99B French Army of the Danube 1799
148 FRE99C Franco-Batavian Army in the Netherlands 1799
149 FRE99D French Army of the Rhine 1799-1800
150 FRE00A French Army of Italy 1800
151 FRE05A French Infantry Corps d’Armée 1805-07
153 FRE05B French Cavalry Reserve 1805-07
154 FRE05C French Allied Contingents 1805-07
156 FRE05D French Army of Italy 1805
157 FRE08A Bernadotte’s Army of Denmark and Sweden 1808
159 FRE08B French Corps d’Observation and Army of Portugal 1808
161 FRE08C French Army in Spain 1808-12
163 FRE09A French Infantry Corps d’Armée 1809
164 FRE09B French Imperial Guard 1809
165 FRE09C French Reserve Cavalry Corps 1809
166 FRE09D Army of Italy 1809
167 FRE10A Suchet’s Army of Catalonia and Valencia 1810-14
168 FRE12A French Infantry Corps d’Armée 1812
169 FRE12B French Cavalry Reserve Corps 1812
170 FRE12C French Imperial Guard 1812
171 FRE12D French 9th Infantry Reserve Corps 1812
172 FRE12E French 11th Infantry Reserve Corps 1812
173 FRE12F French Army at Berezina 1812
174 FRE13A French Infantry Corps d’Armée Spring 1813
176 FRE13B French Cavalry Corps Spring 1813
177 FRE13C French Imperial Guard Spring 1813
178 FRE13D French Infantry Corps d’Armée Autumn 1813
180 FRE13E French Cavalry Corps Autumn 1813
181 FRE13F French Imperial Guard Autumn 1813
182 FRE13G Davout’s 13th Corps 1813
183 FRE13H French Army in Spain and Southern France 1813-14
184 FRE14A French Infantry Corps 1814
186 FRE14B French Cavalry Corps 1814
187 FRE15A French Infantry Corps, Armée du Nord 1815
188 FRE15B French Reserve Heavy Cavalry Corps, Armée du Nord 1815
189 FRE15C French Imperial Guard, Armée du Nord 1815
190 FRE15D French Armies of the Rhine and the Alps 1815

Granted the units themselves work out to be very close to each other - units have a type, size, elan and training level, but French Guard Infantry brigade works the same way as a Late War Prussian Guard brigade, but the army lists themselves all are subtly different, and you can make dozens of different armies with each single list, but still have the flavor of the era and country.  A early war British army will be different from one in the Peninsular and one again at Waterloo.

- It's also very easy to make a historical army list for a real battle, based on the ease of getting OOB's from the internet for most battles and each player would control 2-5 divisions per battle, easily doable in a day.

- Playing with someone who knows the rules, turns are quick and meaningful. Units can double (or force march triple) move early on, but slow down once within cannon and skirmish range, so you don't spend 2/3's of the game marching across the table first. Dice rolls per unit are low (generally 1-5d6 per brigade) hitting on 4+ or 5+ without many modifiers to keep track of.  

Though having the QRS is still needed for recalling what moves cost command points to do, the pursuit rules need to be checked every time as it's one of the only flowchart to follow, and modifiers for melee combat with cavalry are a bit too much to remember off the top of my head.  

- Terrain placement and choosing your initial strategy are both part of the strategy of setting up. You can pay more points for a better general who is better at position the terrain to their advantage  and blocking the enemy general's approaches,  but only to some extent. But good general's can cost as much as a division of troops by themselves.

- The battles flow like Napoleonic battles- you might be surprised by the enemy generals out flanking movement, maybe his attack will get bogged down attacking a strongpoint town, but eventually the lines will close, there will be close order fire in line, a cavalry charge or two, and  the side with better morale (and luck!) rolls and able to converse a reserve for the decisive point of the battle, will probably win. But it can be a damm close thing sometimes. Other-times I lose and feel like some enemy General engaging Napoleon for the first time as my entire army disintegrates around me.

- Scale doesn't matter if both sides are the same base size, the rules are written for 15mm but work for 5/15/28mm. This is not a skirmish game - brigades fight as brigades and there's only a few formations to choose from (March, line and square). Armies tend to around 30-70 unit bases, so an entire corps fits in one toolbox at 15mm scale.


Did I mention The rules and army lists are free in PDF so you can check it out yourself if you want.

The offical Glory is Fleeting rules and army lists are avilable on Amazon

Combined Army list and rules: Glory is Fleeting: Wargames Rules and Army Lists for the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Rules only 

Army lists only

 All on Amazon.com.au. Amazon.com lists as out of stock at this time.

 

Both the rules and army lists are in PDF format on the  Glory is Fleeting Facebook group

And I get a  small mention in the acknowledgment as a thank you! Beats being in the back of a kickstarter pledge list!

Flank attacks are too good, and Prepared Attacks arn't very prepared. My Proposal.

For Glory is Fleeting, I understand the rules are pretty much done, but I was awake all night over thinking this and found my biggest issues:

The Problem:

Flank March is too powerful. This is going to be not liked much because everyone wants to take it and everyone needs to to block it. So it's very popular. It's too good. Because it allows the user of it to force their mission on everyone else.

And Prepared Attack is meaningless if you don't have 2 particular units which a lot of armies will lack one or the other (or both). And completely out  played in value by Flank attacks.

Solutions:

How do I would I fix flank attacks? Simple idea- force movement restriction on the first turn, much like the actual "planned" assault mission 5. This slows the main army advance down - which SHOULD be slow because they want to time their attack with the flank.  This also gives a reason NOT to show to have the flanking assault arrive immediately.  If the flanking attack started at the same time, it must delay the main army to arrive at the same time! And also remove the bonus for having a road on that side of the flanking attack too. The road itself will be placed for one reason only - to get the +1 dice and easy movement across any rivers/streams or terrain that would block the flank attack.  And it's not there for any natural reason. There is no reason a flanking attacker would not use it. I understand it being fluffy to have the road there, and roads have few other actual uses now, but it seems to be the ONLY reason to take it (along with a probe mission taking 2 for each side to move units from reinforcement quicker). I do think Probe should KEEP the road bonus as unlike Flanking attacks, they are much less likely to get lost. They only have to march towards the front from the line of the armies march, instead of try and find the correct place to come into the flank (eg- the Battle of Vittoria and to some extent New Orleans where they got delayed by the river crossing).

Prepared attacks are still...not very good compared to flank attacks, but at least allow redoubts and armies with artillery batteries something to use them for. If you have neither, there's no reason to take it instead of a flank attack, and it's activity worse as all units start on the table compared to the unknown of a flank attack. I would like prepared attack to be more appealing to take. I would suggest the ability to have 1 (maybe 2) divisions in reserve as a option. This allows the prepared attacker to actually hide some information (except of course to probe who would have intelligence on which table quadrant the reserves are coming on) and make a defending force try and guess if they have more units to come on after deployment, and be not sure if any are coming or not and if so where. Currently the defender against prepared attack knows whats going to happen as soon as the attacker has deployed. It also allows a more...prepared attack where the initial attack can be supported by units off table, kept in reserve until needed. They still lack the intelligence of probe, though I could understand limiting Prepared attack to only having a maximum of 1 unit in reserve.

Some small rule additions that stops flanking attacks dominating the discourse and makes prepared attacks more appealing. 

The current Flank March should be banished to the isle of Elba.

More explanation below on the flank attack and why it's too good and will always be wanted as a mission, or blocked if you can do it, above all other mission options: 

Well that was a disaster

The last time I went this bad was back in the '90's at the GW Melbourne Grand Tournament where I lost all 6 games using an Imperial Guard army and came last out of 50 people.  I don't think I ever played a game of 40K again after that.

2 complete routs of my army vs 1 mildly inconvenienced enemy unit. I was comprehensively out generaled and out played both times by much better players. 

And once again, I learnt a lot of what not to do, and what good generals can do I didn't think you could.

I don't think I need to write a battle report of either game.

First game I was outnumbered in infantry, artillery and cavalry, and took the minimum amout of terrain, Then I tried to go on the attack.

Second game I took the maximum amount of terrain and then used it so badly my army fell apart in confusion and incompetent plans that failed on first contact. Everywhere.

 For my future reference: things I learnt today:

Someone else is doing Glory is Fleeting Battlereports!

Little Wars has been doing FOGN and Glory is Fleeting battle reports too!

One he just posted about it is Spring 1813 Prussians vs British in Canada 1813 using much nicer labeled pictures than mine.

I need to learn how to do that. It should be simple....right?

Something I need to learn.

What’s the deal with China wanting to invade Taiwan? My Answer

This got posted as a question on reddit. Below is my answer.

 

French Army for the Battle of Empires at the NWA

The Nunawading Wargames Association is doing a 1 day 2 game battle day based on Glory is Fleeting armies from 1813.

Everyone is playing on Nappy's side or the coalition (the 6th or 7th?) invading France.

Looks like I've been put on the French side and getting a loaner army. I don't mind, I need to learn how to use them for solo games. And the army is a LOT of veterans. Bad morale ones, but still.

I've taken an artillery brigade to try and learn how to use one. It's intent is to stay on flank of the 1st Division and directly support their attack.

The 1st Division is the best and is my attacking force. Two attached artillery batteries and a light brigade should allow them to attack one objective. They will attack in column and not stop until the enemy is broken. Also a skilled commander if they can get in a flanking mission.

The 2nd Division is not good, but not terrible. They can support the 1st Division with just as much artillery, and guard their flank with a supporting attack.

The Spanish Division is again mostly there to fill up the numbers, but I HAD to get some more Lancers, and I gave them a Brilliant Commander to be able to go and work with the Cavalry Division too. Having some cavalry squadrons attached to the infantry should allow them to hold off (but not attack) enemy skirmish heavy units, and guard the Line of Retreat.

The Cavalry division can attack on a flank with the 1st Division, or work with the Spanish Lancers to win the cavalry battle. The light cavalry unit supports the two attacking Dragoon units. 

I will attempt to take attacking missions, I don't think the armies big enough to defend well enough, though if I do get a defence mission, I plan on being aggressive. 

The lack of redoubts in a French 1813 army is strange - they used them a lot once the Fighting entered France. I don't understand why they can't get them. 

Army list after the break.

Here in the Grim Dark Future, the 2nd richest man in the Universe whats to become the Machine God. We're doomed.

Elon Musk and Grimes Secretly Welcomed Third Baby, a Son Named Techno Mechanicus, New Biography Claims

One of the stupidest man on the planet knows about the Mechanicus enough to name one of his sons after it.


He also allegedly calls him Tau. I think you all know what THAT means.

More notes about YouTube

- All my battles are what-if's. State that at the start or title. 

- I need a close in thumbnail of a miniature, with smoke, and a snappy alt-history title. Eg: 1814: Russia Invades France. Can Wellington Stop them?

- Alternate History titles will get people in. Eg: Waterloo: Napoleon attack left (and early)! . 1816: Napoleon Fights Russia - In Germany!. 1820: Napoleon Invades...via Texas! 1806: Napoleon attacks London!  (Via airships!). People familiar with the topic will immediately know it's alt-history and might be intrigued to see the outcome.

 - Act 1: The stakes. I need to spend time before the battle describing the background- What is the (probably alt-history) reason these armies are fighting? What is the political situation? What part of the world? What's the weather like? Why did the armies meet at THIS location? What's that town's name? Where are the lines of attack and retreat? What is the armies doctrine and supply and morale status? How do this change from the historical record?  What are the Stakes?

- This should not be long - I can use my existing title crawl, extended with some maps and (historical) pictures of the general's and units.

- Use accented AI speech for French/Russian/Portuguese/Spanish etc. I have no idea where to get that from.

- Over view of the battlefield, marking points of interest or what will become relevant in the battle

- Maybe a flat 2D map, but this adds extra time and work. If I do that, use NATO symbols for units. 

-  Act 2: The battle.  A brief description of my army and enemy units initially visible. State the unit name (1st Brigade etc) but talk in number of battalions or batteries initially, to give a sense of scale of the units.

- You can use a static picture, but highlight the unit  you're referring to (put a white highlight border around it briefly) and zoom in and around the picture for movement.,

- Use arrows (blue for friendly, red for enemy) to show movement and and a explosion or firing icon to show combat. When moving, maybe having marching feet, but have muskets/cannons/charging noises for combat.

- I need smoke on the battlefield! Looks awesome and shows black powder battles very well.

- Use icons/colour flashes for unit states (yellow for disrupted, red for wavering?) and a very dark red or very dark blue for routing with arrows.

- Fade in and out the static pictures.

- Take lots of overview pictures of the battlefield, ideally at the end of the turn.

- Take medium shot pictures of each movement or combat. Not all of these will be used!

- Take close in shots of generals/combat/shooting.

- At the end, act 3: what happened. What went right, what went wrong. What was the enemy plans and what was the key points in the battle? The results, the political and strategic results. What happened to the armies and generals. Is the war over or is this only part of the story. 

- Most battles should be part of a continuing campaign! NO ONE ELSE DOES THIS. Units should carry on and do future battles! Mention previous experiences of them! Same with the Generals of divisions and corps. 

- End credits - credit who made this, where the figures/terrain/table came from. 

- End tag line.. "Napoleon Will Return in...XXXX battle"! Make Outlandish or interesting promise lie "....invading England via Zeppelin" or "...he will have his revenge in the next battle".

Yet more ideas for YouTube battle reports

 After watching yet more historical battle reports, what I would do if I ever did a YouTube video:

- Ask ChatGPT to convert my notes to a storyboard, It's not going to be 1-1, but it shows a structure and even finds the story I had not seen during the smoke of battle.

- Need a snappy name. Hmm, The Smoke of Battle Wargaming Reports? TSoBWR? SBWR? 

- The channel icon can have lots of smoke then and hide my crappy painting!

- If anyone offers me anything, say yes to being a sellout, but state out front in the video. It's not like any other create in the history of the world said no to money! 

- No Crypto. It's a Scam. No Scams please.

- After writing the battle report, there's a story there. Wargames and role playing games make it easy to tell a story - that's the point.  In my last battle, the story was actually about the Spanish Conscripts who nothing was expected of, arrived late, couldn't do anything...and their stubborn stand against  overwhelming odds,  saved the turn, the battle, the war. Wargame battle reports without a story is like Arnold J Rimmer telling you about his RISK game. "And then I rolled 6 6"!

- Use lots of moving arrows - red and blue ones. Show where units are and label them to follow their stories through the battle. Every good historical battle doco needs them. 

- I can use NATO symbols, but they tend to make the picture of the battlefield cluttered. They belong on top down hex maps.

- Use AI to do the talking. Do multiple ones for different view points. Keep the same AI voice video to video. The accent needs to match the army general talking. 

- When playing solo, compliment my opponent at all times. 

- Need lots of smoke on the battlefield! 

- At the end, analysis the tactics, but also the strategy, the logistics, the doctrine. And also the luck. 

- ending tag line "...and remember, smoke 'em if you got 'em!"*. 

 

I asked ChatGPT to convert my last battle report into a YouTube screen play

(Based on the how to guide I found here. The prompt was "Please convert the following blog post into a friendly script suitable for a YouTube video: followed by the text from the battle report here

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Opening Scene: Visuals of historic maps and battle reenactment footage]

Narrator (Voiceover): In the year 1814, following failed talks at the Treaty of Vienna, the Czar of Russia, Alexander I, unleashed his land armies into Western Europe. The Prussian and Austrian forces fell to defeat, while the French sought peace. Nothing stood in the way of the Russian onslaught to the Rhine.

[Cut to Visuals of Battlefield and Historical Paintings]

Narrator: Amidst this chaos, the Duke of Wellington, renowned for his victories against the French, was sent to halt the Russian advance. His seasoned British troops, joined by Portuguese and Spanish units, faced a treacherous task.

[Scene Transition: Footage of Wargaming Miniatures on a Tabletop]

Narrator: Now, let's dive into a recreation of this pivotal battle through the eyes of a wargamer.

[Cut to Visuals of Wargaming Table with Miniatures]

Narrator: The Allied army, with its mixed troops, approached a town in the north. The sound of Russian drums and Cossack cavalry echoed in the air. Little did they know, they were walking into a trap set by the Russian forces.

[Cut to Animated Graphics Showing Troop Movements]

Narrator: But the Duke of Wellington was no novice in the art of war. With only one division, he probed the enemy's defenses, already aware of their plans.

[Transition to Interview with the Wargamer]

Wargamer (Excitedly): So, I played this epic battle with Dave, one of the top-ranked players in Glory is Fleeting. We were using the July 2023 rules for the game, making it a standard 1000-point match.

[Cut to Footage of the Wargaming Miniatures]

Wargamer: My strategy? I decided to recreate the 1813 Allied army in Spain and France, combining British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces. It was an expensive army with veteran troops and even Spanish units I had acquired during COVID lockdowns.

[Cut to Close-up of Miniatures]

Wargamer: I had a tricky moment with an inert general, realizing too late that they couldn't react effectively. Despite the hiccup, I was up for the challenge.

[Transition to Footage of the Game in Progress]

Narrator: As the battle unfolded, the odds seemed stacked against the Allied forces. But the Duke's skilled maneuvering and disciplined troops turned the tide.

[Cut to Animated Map Showing Key Moments]

Narrator: The Allied cavalry division arrived just in time to counter the enemy's flanking maneuver. The Guard and the British 1st Division put up a fierce resistance against the Russian onslaught.

[Cut to Close-up of Miniatures in Action]

Narrator: The battle swayed back and forth, with the Spanish Lancers arriving dramatically to delay an entire enemy division.

[Transition to Interview with the Wargamer]

Wargamer (Grinning): It was tense, I'll tell you that. The Russians attempted a double envelopment, but my units held their ground. The Dragoon Guards charging the conscripts—now that was a sight!

[Cut to Exciting Clips of Miniature Combat]

Narrator: Amidst the chaos, a moment of brilliance arose. The Dragoon Guards seized the enemy line of communication, dealing a critical blow to the Russian morale.

[Cut to Wargaming Table as the Battle Intensifies]

Narrator: As the battle raged on, the momentum shifted in favor of the Allies. Despite wavering units and strategic setbacks, the Duke's seasoned tactics paid off.

[Transition to Animated Graphics Summarizing the Outcome]

Narrator: Ultimately, the Russian general ordered a retreat. The Allied forces emerged victorious, their line of communication secured, and the Russian advance halted.

[Closing Scene: Footage of Historical Reenactment and Miniature Showcase]

Narrator: The Battle of 1814 remains a testament to the art of strategy and tactical brilliance on the tabletop. Through the eyes of dedicated wargamers, history comes alive in this immersive recreation of past conflicts.

[Fade Out with the Sound of Drums and Battle Calls]

Narrator: Join us next time as we explore more epic battles and recreate history, one miniature at a time.

[End Screen: "Subscribe for More Wargaming Adventures"]

 

Holy Shit.  

Perhaps I should use Murf AI with a Harry voice over?

Another version is below the break, with a 10 minute time line

Glory is Fleeting: Battle report: 1813 Allied armies in France vs Russo-Finnish Army

1814: Following failed talks at the Treaty of Vienna, the CZAR OF RUSSIA, ALEXENDER I has sent his land armies into WESTERN EUROPE. Prussian and Austrian armies have been defeated, and with the French suing for peace, nothing stands in the Russian way to the Rhine.

The DUKE OF WELLINGTON, fresh from his victories against the French in the Peninsula and France, has been sent towards the Rhine in a desperate attempt to stop the Russian onslaught. His trained and veteran British troops are joined by Portuguese infantry and cavalry, along with  untrained and conscripted Spanish units, to hold the line of retreat.

As the Allied army approaches a town to their North, the sound of Russian drums beating to quarters and the shouts of Cossack cavalry can be  heard. However, the allied army is walking into a TRAP, with three Russian divisions approaching on their flanks.

The Duke is a very experienced commander, and commits only one division to probe the enemy defenses, and has already been alerted to the Russian plans....

I played a game a few weeks ago against Dave - one of the top 5(?) ranked players of FOGN/Glory is Fleeting in the world.  We were once again playing the Draft 2023 July rules for Glory is Fleeting, which should, come out this year, a standard 1000 point game.

I tried something new- an 1813 Allied army in Spain and France. This is the combined British, Portuguese and Spanish army that went to defeat the French in Spain, enter France and defeat every French army it came across. There's going to be an 1813-15 1 day tournament next month I plan on going to. 

The army is very expensive - with 18 battalions of Superior Veteran British troops are required and 4 battalions of Portuguese. However, I had acquired some Spanish troops during COVID and with the vastly easier allied division rules in Glory is Fleeting, I wanted to try them out too. You can choose from the better 1813 Spanish, or the...bad (poor) 1808 Spanish army list. The poor ones only need 10 battalions of conscripts or poor line troops, and you can get lancers (which are just so cool). The (poorly) trained Spanish are very cheap and help fill out the army. Note I don't have any Lancers ready yet, so British Hussars will act as stand in's.

I planned on using them ONLY has a line of communication defence, so only got an inert allied general. Only after the battle started did Dave point out to me, that inert allied generals get 0 ADC's, meaning that cannot react or do any complex maneuver tests, unless you have a top level corps commander. Which I did not. Uh Oh. 

I didn't know anything about the Russian-Finnish army Dave was commanding, but I could see it was very large - I estimated it outnumbered my army 2 or 3 to 1. I would have to put my faith in superior British shooting and excellent light troops, with a brigade of Super Heavy Shock Cavalry with a brilliant commander to act on one flank. I expected to be also outnumbered by the feared Russian Artillery.

The British 1st Division commander, looks towards the Russian lines to the north

I forgot to get a picture of the battlefield, but it was in Western Europe. I got an extra road, which turned out to be pointless - in the new rules only the primary highway put down in the centre can act as your Line of Communication, so you can't hide you LOC in a corner anymore. I approve of this rule  change - no more corner hugging. 

The battlefield had 3 towns (1 big, 2 small), 2 large rough forests, one large orchard, a large gentle hill and a short river in a corner (rivers can no longer cross the entire battlefield, either vertical or across the table,  and can still be forded very slowly). The river rule change is another good one - max 3 foot rivers and 6 foot streams can still be used, but don't block off the table anymore.

With a Skilled Corps Commander, I blocked a Frontal Attack and something else. I was very worried that I could not block an enemy Flank attack, so decided to do another Probe mission. Probe gives me intelligence meaning I know which flank or where reinforcements are going to come in, and the size of the Russian army combined with my small one meant it was going to be very dangerous to me and very likely for Dave to choose it.

I had one very large super division that I wanted to use aggressively, with 2 much smaller divisions to follow up. The cavalry division would have the speed to move to the front quickly, and the Spanish would merely hold my LOC, hopefully long enough for the main force to take the enemy LOC and cause enough casualties to win.

After Dave revealed he indeed had done a Flank attack and deployed his troops, he revealed he was going to do the classic double envelopment and come in on both deep rear flanks. With the way the terrain was laid out, I figured there would be one division come in on both sides. 

Russian Deployment:

A brigade of Russian troops is defending to the North West behind a wood

Another two brigade are deployed west of the occupied town with an artillery battery and a brigade of light cavalry behind in support

A third brigade is next to the western half of the town, ready to move into occupying it

Another large brigade is to the North East, ready to occupy the eastern side of the town with another artillery battery

A unit of marauding Cossack's is far to the north east lurking behind a gentle hill

The Russian defenses in total - Two divisions in position to defend the town and main highway north. An orchard is to the left behind a small farm and a heavily wooded forest is forward of a gentle hill

Allied Deployment:

The Allied 1st Division probes forward. A VERY large division. Highlanders on the left, the light brigade to their right, the 1st and 2nd British Brigades with artillery batteries, the Guard brigade leading the Portuguese and the KGL infantry on the far right

This one division is made of up seven brigades. or 32 battalions. This is MUCH larger than a normal division of 2-4 brigades. It was lead by a skilled division commander, and between him and the skilled corps commander would have enough ADC's to do complex moves. All but one unit (the Portuguese) are Superior Veteran, meaning they can maneuver on their on own outside 6 inches of the enemy and have the 3 dice to roll and another re-roll for firing, combat,  morale and complex tests (needing a 5+ to do it). So I was confident they could take on anyone and anything. 

Allied Plan:

I needed to move fast to take the Russian defended town and take their LOC. As I had deployed to the left of centre, and there was a river on my right, I expected only the left (western) side Russian flanking attack to arrive before the battle was over. At least, that was the plan. 

My cavalry was in reserve so could arrive quickly with Spanish division acting as  reinforcements. I hoped the Spanish would arrive soon before any Russian flanking attack got close to the highway. The Russian left flank looked weak to my cavalry division so I would commit them there.

1st Division moves forward up the highway as a division, securing the crossroads

I finally had my LITKO markers for a battle - after completely losing my first ones. I generally dislike markers on the field but it vastly easier to know which unit is which. Even once I get flags put on, I still want to use them.

What I really want is some sort of stand I can put them on - maybe a single flag bearer on a small mount would be perfect now that now that think of it. I will have to order some from Eureka Miniatures. 

I don't have Spanish ones, but I have ordered them for next time.

The Highlanders are in position to take the farm to their front, with the  attached orchard behind it

Looking north towards the Russian lines, the Guard Regiment leads with the Portuguese in their support, the KGL to their right

The Battle Starts:

The western Russian brigades advance past the orchard towards the farm

In the centre, the Finnish Jagers secure the orchard with their light cavalry in support and a large infantry brigade moving next to the town with a gun battery

 

 

Another large unit occupies the town

The north eastern infantry brigade moves onto the hill with the Cossack's moving over it

Alerted to an enemy column approaching from the west, the Highlander regiment and light brigade turn 90 degrees to face the expected threat and refuse the flank of the 1st Division

I knew there was at least one division come in from the left, and one right. I figured it might be one infantry and maybe one cavalry division. I moved two brigades to cover it, and hoped the Spanish would arrive fast enough to hold it.

The rest of the 1st division continues to advance north. They are confident that well trained and veteran British troops will be able to take the town, and they also outnumbered the defenders

I committed to my plan and sent the rest of the division north. I outnumbered the enemy and decided to assault the town and go for the enemy LOC.

1st Division's commander looks towards the Russian defenses

The allied cavalry division arrives and immediately advances towards the low hill to the north east, which has a brigade of infantry and Cossack's on it

I brought in my reserve cavalry division and sent it on my right, as planned. I know another enemy unit would be coming down the road and crossing the river, but I thought I'd have time to get ahead of it. 

If an enemy cavalry division came down this side, I would be in a lot more trouble, but figured I could turn around if needed. I was confident my Super Heavy Shock Horse could handle any other unit.

The 1st Division approaches the town, while refusing it's left western flank. Enemy Jagers move into the orchard

A large mixed enemy division arrives down the road to the west - a cavalry brigade, two large infantry brigades and a light infantry brigade with supporting artillery!

Uh Oh.

Another smaller division arrives down the eastern road. An infantry unit comes north of the river and 4 infantry brigades south of it, moving to cross at the ford, with the allies outnumbered 3-1 on this flank!

Uh Oh!

And the Russian forces outnumber the British 4-1 on the western flank!

That was a LOT bigger than I expected, and arrived as soon as possible. I had no time to delay, I needed to win in the centre before both flanks were overwhelmed.

The allied cavalry division advances quickly to the base of the hill. Their objective is the enemy line of communication (and retreat)

I decided I couldn't slow the enemy down much faster than the river crossing would, and I didn't want the Cossack's to link up, so pushed forward as fast as I could with the cavalry. They might be the ones to take the enemy LOC.

The 1st Division deploys to assault the Russian defended town, as Russian units close in on both flanks

26 Battalions vs 20 British and Portuguese. But mine are much better quality, including a Guard brigade that can't go down more than 1 level of morale each phase.

The refused allied flank falls back to trade space for time

The veteran troops prove their worth by being able to maneuver without a division commander around. I did what the historical precedent is when facing Russian forces in western Europe - trade space for time. I needed the Spanish division arriving soon!

The Highlander brigade looks out towards the oncoming horde of enemy troops

The eastern Russian division deploys into march column to move more quickly down the road

The Russian north eastern cavalry fall back over the hill while their infantry comes in behind the allied cavalry. The Russian infantry brigade falls back to occupy the eastern half of the town to their north

The allied infantry prepare to assault the town. The attached artillery batteries have caused some causalities to the defenders

I got lucky and my two artillery batteries with the large units did some damage to the town. Looking back, I needed veteran artillery to get a reroll for them too.

The Russian western attack moves forward, occupying the farm and coming through the orchard. The light cavalry brigade falls behind them in support

One good thing about my left flank is that there were so many Russians, they got in each others way. Two brigades had to fall back to squeeze in the rest, but now I had 3 divisions closing in on 2 brigades.

The British 1st brigade bombards the Russian light cavalry to the west of the town, causing them to be disrupted and unable to advance

This is about the only thing infantry can do to stop enemy cavalry charging them to form square. I only had 2 batteries in my army, and they were only drilled. I needed both firing at the same target to do anything with them.

The allied cavalry division crests the hill and the Portuguese cavalry charge down into the Russian horse at its base!

It looked like I was going to be able to take the enemy LOC. The Russians really needed a cavalry division here to stop my division, but had elected to take mixed divisions instead. My cavalry were doing the traditional role of holding a flank of the attack. The enemy infantry had to move into the town to stop my troops walking into it to the left.

The Dragoon Guard looking west towards the assault on the town

The assault goes in! Three brigades lead by the Guard charge forward into gunfire

I had left the Portuguese in support of the Guard troops, but Dave pointed out that rear and flank support don't count for town battles. Lesson learnt. Still, having the Portuguese as a reserve was no bad thing, and they were far enough back they probably wouldn't be hit by any fleeing units.

Unable to help in the attack, the Portuguese brigade swings right to guard their right flank, and the 1st brigade pivots left to hold the left flank

The Guard and KGL are disrupted, but the Russian defenders are wavering!

I was lucky with the enemy firing, but I think they were conscripts, so were poor shots. I got a good number of hits in, but not enough to rout them.

The Guard brigade rallies and prepares to continue the assault

On the left, the 1st Brigade wins the skirmish battle vs the Finnish Jagers

Superior British training wins the light infantry skirmishing.

The Spanish Lancers arrive from the south! Behind them (off camera) comes two untrained and I untested infantry brigades

I was very lucky and the Spanish arrived just in time.

The Finnish Jagers charge out of the orchard into the 1st brigade, and the light cavalry move closer towards the 2nd, but do not charge, so as not to block the line of fire from the large Russian brigade with artillery to their north

I think attacking an enemy unit when you're smaller and they have rear support and artillery fire, and and are not having any morale effects, isn't a good idea unless you have no other alternative. I've done it myself!

The Russian western division advances into musket range of the Highlanders. Spanish lancers are to their left with 2 more Spanish infantry brigades hurrying to their support

I think Dave made a mistake here, he had the numbers to move these large units in column, and I didn't have any artillery to make him regret that. It would have given room for his other northern unit to come in, and given him rear support for the attacking units.

The Spanish division commander looks to the east, with his conscript brigade to his front and poorly motivated line infantry to his right. In front of the conscripts are a unit of Spanish Lancers.

British Hussars are standing in for Spanish Lancers I don't have ready yet.

The Russian North-Western division comes in to support the Finnish Jagers

The Portuguese cavalry defeat the Russian light cavalry who flee to the north east! The Russian infantry brigade that was occupying the eastern side of the town, evacuates north to move to defend their line of communication

I think Dave got overconfident here, and let my (poor) Portuguese cavalry get in an attack on his Cossacks. A move he will not allow to happen again.

The eastern Russian flanking division starts to march down the road  and crosses the river (getting into a traffic jam in the process), while one brigade moves north of the forest to get closer the main action

The Jagers recoil from their assault!

The 2nd brigade is disrupted from the fire to their north, but is not wavering

The second assault into the town occurs, and the defenders flee!

Not surprising, and I can see why Dave got a bit desperate there.

The Russian light cavalry recoils and is spent

I think Dave believed later, that ordering that charge, may have cost him the battle.

The Guard occupy the town, while the 2nd brigade falls back and is disrupted, along with the KGL

The Guard take the western end of the town!

Under heavy fire the 2nd brigade is wavering!

As does the Highlander brigade on the left flank, and they fall back!

The Portuguese cavalry continue their pursuit and force the Russian light cavalry to the north east to retreat

This is my problem with Marauders- irregular light cavalry. Nothing will ever catch them!

The Spanish lancers charge in, but the Russian infantry form square!  They are disrupted by the charge.

With the Highlander brigade retreating I needed to slow the Russian advance down. I knew the Lancers wouldn't do much, but I needed time to get the Spanish infantry in position.

But force the lancers to fall back, spent! This also disrupts the Spanish conscripts they fell back through. Note also the Highlanders are still wavering and now have enemy skirmishes attacking them

An overview of the western end of the battlefield. The western side of the town has fallen  and the Guard have advanced past it towards the enemy line of communication to the north. The KGL has occupied the town. The 2nd brigade is to the towns south and the 1st brigade to their left, with enemy units closing in on 2 sides, but with British Riflemen and light troops slowing them down.  To their south, the light brigade and highlanders have fallen back while the Portuguese brigade comes to their support to their north and the Spanish division forms a line to their south. The Russian advance in the south has been delayed by needing to form square and are still recovering from the charge of the Spanish lancers

With the line now forming, I felt a lot better. I'd broken the enemy centre and got enough space traded for time to form my flank. I had the Portuguese coming over in support.

Under heavy artillery gunfire, the 2nd brigade starts to waver, but elite British light and rifle troops pin down all three enemy brigades

I got lucky with the skirmish battle.

The Guard and Dragoon Guards close in on the enemies line of retreat

I decided taking the LOC was more important than dealing with the Russian's to the west and moved the Guard out to take it with the Dragoons. 

I needed to rally the Guard (but didn't) and should have faced the Russian troops directly.

The 2nd brigade recovers somewhat but the KGL are now under assault and have not had time to defend the town from the enemy brigade assaulting from the west!

I really needed to have the large unit in town, but had to send the smaller KGL unit in. And there were already disrupted.  This is why you have more than 1 division!

The Highlanders start to recover

But are then still being fired upon by enemy skirmishers.

The Jagers in the orchard start to get disrupted by the well trained and experienced British Rifle skirmishers

The Russian eastern division slowly marches towards the sound of the guns, still not having completed their slow crossing of the river

The Cossack's simply...walk away from the Portuguese cavalry, who are incapable of catching them

In the western side of the town, the Russian attackers overwhelm the KGL who retreat from the town , while the other large unit charges the guard in the flank!

The 1st Brigade holds off 3 enemy units, with a Russian cavalry unit returning to the fray to their north

The Russian western attack moves into musketry range once more of the Highlanders

The KGL is thrown out of the town and is wavering!

The guard fall back and are disrupted by the charge into the flank. They are now cut off from their division AND corps HQ

The Russian musketry fire causes the Highlanders to start to waver again!

But to their north, the 1st brigade charges the enemy infantry coming out of the orchard

Who rout! The Jagers to their north are now wavering

The Cossack's far to the east continue to unhurriedly walk away from the frustrated Portuguese horse

But the western enemy infantry division has finally come into sight of the Allied line of retreat

To the north, the Dragoon Guards take the enemy LOC! News of this sweeps the Russian army!

The new rule is that if you lose the LOC, you lose one dice for morale tests. Meaning conscripts can't recover at all, but veterans still get 2 dice on a 5+.

With their line of retreat cut, the Russian unit advancing from the east approaches the rear of the allied army, whose units are disrupted in front of the now re-occupied Russian held town

I'd taken the LOC but now I had to defeat more Russian units before time (and the approaching division from the east) ran out.

The Russian western attack comes forward again to engage in close range firefights, but the 1st Brigade turns south to flank them as the Portuguese and Light brigade pour fire into them

If the Spanish can hold long enough, I can flank the enemy from the North.

Which causes the unit to rout!

And to their south the Highlanders are now wavering

And the Russian units charge home!The Spanish line infantry forms square and is disrupted by the enemy horse charging them. A large Russian brigade charges the wavering Highlanders

The Russian eastern division starts to shake out into battle order in their interminable march

The Highlanders flee, opening a hole in the allied lines!

However, the allies lines stabilizers and the Russian attackers need to recover from their assault

Quality overcomes quantity.

An overview of the entire battlefield. The Russian line of retreat is cut but in turn the Guard are cut off and unable to rally. The Russian counter attack has retake the town and has closed in to the British and KGL units outside. However, the Russian centre has a hole in it south of the Orchard, and the British, Portuguese and Spanish are holding a line south. Only the spent Spanish Lancers are available to delay an entire Russian Division coming in from the east. Far to the north east the Cossack units runs rings around the Portuguese cavalry who are completely incapable of catching them

The 1st Brigade turns north

I figured the west flank was now secure and I could move the 1st brigade north to threaten the town. This was a mistake - I should be reinforcing success, not failure! 

The Dragoon Guards, lead by a brilliant commander, charge into the Russian conscripts, who form square and are disrupted by the charge

I got annoyed here - The heaviest cavalry you can get...and the conscripts just form square and I bounce off. Granted they needed to succeed in a roll to do it but it's not great that charging cavalry into the flank or rear of an enemy unit...can not do anything.

In turn to the south, the Russian light cavalry charge the Spanish Foot, who form square and force them off, but are wavering! A large Russian brigade charges the light infantry brigade. With the news of the line of retreat being cut, Russian units start to have difficulty rallying

Still, I got to do the same thing here, though forming square was better for me than standing and firing that the British troops could have done instead.

The Russian units recoil from the experienced veterans of the light brigade who win the hand to hand combat

The light brigade cheers their victory and can sense the the tide is turning. However both Spanish brigades are disrupted

To add insult to injury, the light brigade gets skirmish fire on the retreated Russians

South of the town, now defended by Russian troops again, the 2nd brigade turns around and attacks the Russian infantry who had been sneaking up on them

To the south, the Russians assault the Spanish conscripts, and break them!

This now leaves the Allied LOC open, with only the wavering Spanish regulars barley holding it! The Spanish lancers to their rear try and delay an entire enemy division closing on them off camera to the east

The Cossack's continue to waltz away from their Portuguese pursues 

The Spanish lancers waver from the enemy artillery fire

Allied rifle and light infantry pin down and disrupt the Russian forces to the west, with all three units getting pinned down by accurate rifle fire

To the north, the sneaking Russian infantry fall back from British steel, while the fire from the town is too inaccurate to have an effect

I was lucky here- getting shot at in the flank by a large unit with artillery should have hurt.

With the Russian eastern division now wavering, the British move to close range

They rout under disciplined British volleys. The entire Russian right wing is disintegrating 

Though the Russian pincer movement on the allied LOC continues

The sneaking Russians rout from superior British firepower

The Russian eastern division closes in on the last wavering Spanish unit holding the allied line of retreat single-handed

The allied left flank turns towards the remains of the Russian western attack

While the last Spanish unit continues to barley hold on by their fingernails!

The Russian rear moves towards surrounding the Guard, who will not be able to withstand such an assault

The Russian eastern division still needs to move forward to be able to engage fully

...and with that...the Russian general orders the retreat. Too many units have fled or been destroyed by allied bayonets, muskets and rifles. With their LOC cut and unable to rout the last Spanish unit, the Russians throw down their arms and discuss terms of surrender. The Battle is over!

The battle was over. I'd done enough damage and routed enough enemy units, without losing enough of my own, to win. The game lasted about 3.5 hours, pretty normal for a GiF game. 

My plan had worked, though I'd as usual made a number of mistakes. However, I think Dave's plan failed when the eastern division took too long to reach the front, though it was always going to be constrained by the terrain, and it was still a close run thing. A few bad or good rolls either way would have changed the outcome. 

More post battle thoughts and a copy of my army list were previously posted here.