Napoleonic's Rank & File

 

Greg came over for a Napoleonics game using 15mm miniatures and the "Rank & File" rules at 6:30PM. Greg played the French using some newly aquired miniatures that really looked superb, while I played with my considerably less well painted Russians. Both armies were composed of 10 units: 5 Infantry, 1 two-gun light battery, 1 two-gun medium battery, and a unit each of Hussars, Lancers, and Cuirassier cavalry. The terrain had a central town (Novogord) with woods & croplands to the west and hills to the east.

I set up first and Greg moved first. We both had our medium guns on the Eastern Hills, an infantry centre, and cavalry on the flanks, Greg overmatching my cavalry in the west.

I was able to reach the town first, and occupied it with my Guard Infantry. The French did nasty work on my easternmost infantry with his artillery, finally forcing me to go into open order. Also on the Eastern Hills my Hussars and Greg's Lancers had several clashes. The Lancers were finally pushed back at great cost. My artillery destroyed one of the French guns and the troops in Novogord were just hanging on by their fingernails. A series of misfortunes beset the French flanking manoeuver to the west. Their hussars failed morale, and their resulting retreat allowed the Russian infantry to close with & destroy them. The French Cuirassier came to a similar end when charged by Russian Lancers supported by light guns and Skirmishers, but not before it had chased away the light guns.

A charge by the Russian Cuirassiers up a hill to take out the enemy guns ended in abject failure. It suffered 1/3 losses and retreated behind the infantry skirmishers.

Things also hotted up in Novogord as the French infantry forced out the Russian Guard. Half the French heavy battery was destroyed by its opposite number. The infantry fight before and to the east of town swung back and forth, with heavy losses on both sides.

In the end, French losses became too much and they fell back stubbornly. Sadly, at the moment of victory, my sub-general was captured leading the Cuirassiers, and is now a POW.

A very close game indeed, and one we both enjoyed greatly. The French are now regrouping and will launch another attack next Monday.

Pray for Mother Russia!

Hope the dice roll high.

Greg

RANK AND FILE NAPOLEONOICS

 

Well after many delays we manage to have another game of R&F. Short report below and I again only manage a few shots of the game as it progress.

 

Greg came over and we played another 15mm Napoleonics game using the “Rank & File” rules by Crusader.  Greg played the Russians, me the French, with both sides having 4 infantry, 1 Guard infantry, 1 unit each of Light Cavalry, Lancer, and Cuirassier with 1 Foot battery of 2 medium guns and one horse battery of 2 light guns. Looking at Greg’s blog will give you the best idea of the scenery, mainly rolling hills. Both sides got hurt bad in the centre and Greg’s medium guns seemed to never miss, causing a fearful slaughter to my Guard infantry. Greg swept around my left, outflanking my position with infantry across the river. He’d also taken the town. On my right things looked better as I was able to throw back his cavalry advance, though at terrible cost. I was finally able to get the advantage on this flank, even threatening his guns and routing several infantry & cavalry. In the end, Greg “hit morale” before I did, giving the French a costly marginal victory. A great game and we certainly had lots of fun.

 

 

Regards

Greg

“Rank & File” Napoleonic

 

Well another battle report and two this week, since we managed to get two games in. As always Britt wrote the report and i took the pic’s.

“Greg came over today & we had two games of “Rank & File” Napoleonic miniatures using 15mm French and Russians. It can’t be said that we’re not evenly matched opponents, since we both hit “Army Morale” on the same turn in both games. “Great minds think alike,” right Greg? In any event both were fun and enjoyable games, the rules flowed well, and we were able to complete a game using 10 units a side in about 1 & ½ hours each. Each side had two 2-gun batteries of light guns, 4 units of regular infantry, 1 unit of veteran infantry (our ‘Guards”, what a joke!), a unit each of Cuirassiers, Lancers, and Light Cavalry. I was suppose to be French, Greg the Russians, but we both figure these guys were more from one of the minor German States. In both cases our Guard Infantry ran like rabbits for little reason while our Regular Infantry fought heroically. The less said about artillery effectiveness the better! Check Greg’s Blog for more & better pictures.

Game One: The terrain was much more open than in an ACW game. Several hills were on the western side while the center & east were open except for the woods on the extreme east. Greg would slowly push a unit up this strip, though it would see no combat. The French pushed forward strongly all along the front. The ‘Guard’ got hit with some musketry & ran! I was not impressed. Soon all the ‘big fights’ in the centre had degenerated into small patches of shaken & retreating men. Pretty realistic actually! Cavalry clashes in the west proved nothing as we both ground each other down. Pyrrhic victory for both. 

Game Two: Much the same terrain, but now with a central hill. On turn 1 the sneaky (or bold depending on your POV) Russians tried to site both their batteries on the central hill and generally hose the French from that position. French Lancers chased the limbered artillery for 2 turns, but was forced to withdraw. Still, this averted a catastrophe. There was a lot more activity in the western hills this turn. Talk about the “ebb and flow’ of cavalry!  The climax was Greg’s successful charge against my battery there. It was glorious, but there were few left to celebrate the victory on either side. In the eastern woods, 2 units of French skirmishers finally evicted a unit of Russians. Otherwise, it was massive losses on both sides which finally led us to once again reaching our critical army morale level for losses on the same turn.

Both games were very good fun. They were fast (even more so than the ACW due to more open terrain), provided excellent tactical opportunities, and a lot of laughs. Great games Greg. We’ll do the same again next Sunday, upping one battery to medium guns and the other to horse artillery. ( & replacing the blind gunners?)”

Hope you enjoyed the read and may the dice roll high for you.

Regards

Greg