BLACK POWDER NAPOLEONICS

Cullison's Cards & Games, Jonesboro, AR

 

Great new store in town.  For anyone near Jonesboro, a visit to Cullison's is highly recommended!

 

Our scenario for today is that a French advance guard brigade of Marshal Grouchy's forces is moving north towards Wavre.  They are tasked with forcing a passage for follow on units to proceed past the small village by the river bridge and on off of the board along the road.

 

They hit a Prussian Landwehr Regiment hard the previous afternoon, forced its survivors to fall back out of their path, and bivouacked next to a small farm area.  Water, firewood, some rooms and beds for the officers, and a few chickens for the pots!  What a great place to stop for the night.  Grouchy get into a hurry?  Non! 



 

The Landwehr fall back to a defensive position and prepare to sell their lives dearly.

 

 

Both sides' OBJECTIVE is the road junction, and to hold it they must have forces in the areas marked A and B that can bring effective fire onto the road junction and interdict troops moving along it.   

 

Marching overnight "to the sound of the guns", a Prussian regiment reinforced with a field gun and companies of Volunteer Jager Riflemen move forward with orders to stop the French advance. 

 

Leutnant Scharf and Feldwebel Hopfer of the Jagers lead their riflemen forward!

 

The French 51st Regiment of the Ligne don't know it yet but they will cover themselves in glory in the upcoming battle.

 

But the 1st of the 13th Legere?  Ehhhhh.. not so much!  :)

 

The French seize the initiative and the 51st Ligne advances on the French right.  The 1st goes rocketing off to the woods, assumes skirmish order due to the terrain, and threatens to hold position A.  The rest of the 51st advance to threaten the Landwehr 's position.

 

The "Grumpy Old Men" of the Landwehr put up a TREMENDOUS fight, passing 3 separate morale checks, then using their auto-pass for being "Grumpy", until finally being destroyed in melee by the 2nd of the 51st Ligne.   



 

The 2nd of the 51st destroys a Prussian cannon with a brave charge through the canister.  VIVE L' EMPEREUR!

 

 

It then destroys the Landwehr, as mentioned, as well as destroying a Prussian Fusilier battalion.  Great job 2nd of the 51st!

 

 

The Prussian Musketeers and Jagers move around the right to secure position B and the Road Junction OBJECTIVE then begin hammering the French left with cannon, musket, and rifle fire.  The 1st of the 13th Legere, having taken its sweet time advancing to the front, fails its first morale test and flees the field in ignominy.  MERDE! 

 

 

The Prussians begin pushing onto the hill and into the woods to force the French back from position A to secure their victory.  

 

The battle swings back and forth until, the enemy units finally weakened, the Prussian Musketeers charge into the woods and destroy all except a single field gun and our heroes of the gallant 2nd of the 51st Ligne, which are forced to fall back.  Victory to Marshal Vorwarts' Children!

 

My buddy Brad played very well in his first game of BLACK POWDER Napoleonics and I think we put the hook in to see him join us for another game soon!  :)