5 on 5 General de Brigade bust up!

A viscous fire fight erupts in the centre. Flaming death followed by smoke everywhere - the classic prelude to the bayonet charge. 

No posts for a while but plenty of gaming. This is an usual one for us and a formula we will try out again sometime. Read on for more details...

The battlefield from the south west looking north east towards the Russian side.  

Above and below are some shots of our field of play, 6 x 8 feet with more scenery than normal, yet plenty of space to move about in.

Looking south east from the French side towards the "iron gates" in the distance, a local landmark.

We included a large town and several woods, smaller buildings, areas of rough and a pond. Some areas of high ground, a timber yard and the "Iron Gates"...
 

Tony weighs up the landscape from the centre of the Russian side - his side. With forces limited to 5 units, some very tough choices must be made.  

"Only five units/ What kind of Marauder Moments lite is this?"

A fine question dear reader. We decided to take any five units as a brigade with the CinC as Brigadier, each unit having it's own leader for local command as well. Limits were as follows;-
Only one cavalry regiment - lights only
Only one battery - medium foot battery only
You may take either the battery or cavalry not both
If you take an elite battalion you must take a militia battalion
If you take a veteran you must have a 2nd class
You may take a redoubt instead of one unit
Simple    

Looking from the "Iron Gates" north west onto the battlefield. Russians on the right - French opposite.

I decided on a Bavarian Brigade, a simple one too! 

4 battalions of 36 line

1 6lb foot battery

Some light companies were detached to form a brigade skirmish screen 12 strong. 

Looking south west from the Russian side towards the French deployment area, pretty battlefield don't you think?  

Tony took a brigade of Russians - what else?

1 x 32 vets

1 x 32 line      

1 x 32 jaeger

1 x 32 2nd class line
1 x 16 Hussars (half a regiment) - I think this is right?

Looking west from the Russian centre.

We sketched entry points on maps and gave orders. Troops would move onto the table on turn one.

The Bavarians march onto the field of battle, the detached skirmishers are on the far left in the timber yard.

Orders for the Bavarians were simple, see the above picture; the right hand two were to move to the right of the wood and hold, awaiting further orders, the left hand two move to the left of the wood and also hold. The battery was to move to deploy on the ridgeline and support the brigade with deadly gunnery fire! The skirmishers hold the woods on the left flank. Simple and yet beautiful.

The Russians enter the fray, two battalions head for the woods and timber yard in a wide flanking move, two others and the cavalry converge on the centre.  

Tony's Russians marched on in four great coated columns with an escorting half regiment of hussars in madder red, lovely! Tony's exact orders remain unknown to me but his intentions were clear;- pin my centre and roll me up with a flanking force of two battalions.
 

The Russian centre left, infantry and hussars head off towards the Bavarian positions. The Bavarians can be seen on the distant ridge line with waving flags and beating drums, plenty of space to manoeuvre.    

The Russian right - two battalions head for the woods, the nearer one heads for the centre. All that snowy terrain is from our Bolt Action game the previous week, spectacular but not relevant here... 

I love this shot, very atmospheric and terrain rich - those are my light troops ordered to hold these woods and the timber yard. My Bavarian lights aren't ready yet so these French Legere will have to suffice, they do look pretty darn good though. 

The Bavarian position at the timber yard near the woods in relation to the rest of the battlefield.

"You shall not pass!"
Gulp!

The Bavarians complete the first phase of my plan. Both sides of the wood are defended and the guns are taking pot shots at the oncoming Russian formations, those first few casualties become important in later turns. The Brigade General is well placed to issue fresh orders once the situation is clearer.

The town looks excellent, fighting through it would have been a nightmare, all those fences and walls to negotiate, frankly better suited to Bolt Action but once again very pretty.

The centres close in on each other - action viewed from between the "Iron Gates" for extra epicness! 

The Russian right, one battalion charges, the skirmishers fire and flee!

More of that snow able you've been wanting to see, yes we even have snow trees and tree bases for this table! What I need to do is sort out a Napoleonic snow game for you to enjoy, I wonder... 

The lead Russian battalions arrive staggered, the Hussars are off screen left where they rode around the thatched cottage. The Bavarians facing the cavalry remained in column. Of the two facing the Russian infantry one formed line for maximum fire power and one column for increased resistance. The artillery on the ridge keeps up the long range sniping.  

The Bavarian General pulls off two order changes moving both groups of infantry forward to pick on the outnumbered and somehow isolated Russian battalions.

Trusting that one Bavarian infantry column can hold the hussars if they charge, the General lead the other closing in on the smaller Russian column. This could be shit or bust! 

Tony deploys half of his jaeger battalion as skirmishers sending them into the woods to sort out the Bavarian lights.

The action in the woods from the Bavarian side - they look impossibly outnumbered.

Two shots of my Bavarian battery. Foundry guns and crew painted by Nigel Cox, based by me with a glorious gloss varnish finish.  

Superb Russian foot sloggers by Tony. Foundry toys, handmade flags, Bicorne finials.

Close up of another infantry unit - details as above - really excellent painting. 

Foundry Bavarians painted by Tony Laughton, based by me in my collection, GMB flag.  
Also excellent.

More Russians by Tony, note the casualty marker, these muppets need a morale test. 

It's all kicked off down at the timber yard! Russian lights engage in a fire fight with their opposite numbers. 

Meanwhile back in the centre the two Russian battalions are shot up by the Bavarians and then charged upon which they break and then run. The Russian hussars retire to cover the retreat. The boys in the woods realise they are chasing shadows and break off too. It's all over.
  

Bavarian break through and Russian collapse - the final positions.

Victorious Bavarian general looking very pissed off indeed - his poor officer chum cannot console him!
These two and the ADC below by Foundry, picked up painted and based for a song at Salute.
Just need some dry brushing on the bases to fit right in.

Bavarian ADC poses for the camera.

Well what a fun thing to do! OK so I won, but that aside we passed a very pleasant evening moving pretty toys around a pretty table. We were forced to think slightly differently about our game play which is only a good thing. We began to explore the skirmishers rules a little more which we have rather skimmed over in the past to be honest.

Would we do it again? Yes, for sure. A very pleasant evening was had - and that is what it's all about.

I have a few more write ups to do although some may end up in the gallery section as photos only, who knows. Please feel free to comment and return, best wishes,

JJ