My Metal Meneken: 1759 - Battle at Minas-Triritzen - a total fictional Seven Years War Big Sunday Game

Sunday, 26 March 2023

1759 - Battle at Minas-Triritzen - a total fictional Seven Years War Big Sunday Game

BIG SUNDAY GAME - and why not yet again a wonderful Seven Years War bash! Bart and myself brought our collections out, I played the outnumbered Prussians (6 brigades, my collection) versus 12 Austrians (mine as well) and Saxonians (all Barts collection) brigades, to test some new minor rules amends and of course to enjoy such a huge heap of wonderfully painted lead.

Bart would come on in at the short edge of a 12x6ft table with the whole might of this Austro-Saxon moloch of an army, while I had already 2 cavalry brigade on the table. The overall objective was that Bart had to cross the river AND get both towns (villages) to claim victory, unit kills would not count!

To prevent such unstoppable magma from pouring over the river let alone the table, was just futile, so I gave him the bridge town (which we named Osgiliatow) send my horses to the front to harrass him (and mostly to screen my deployment from his cavalry) to defend the town we duped Minas-Tiritzen. He shall / cannot pass!

In the first hours, Bart was getting stronger and stronger, while my few feeble attempts to attack his cavalry were repelled. It was becoming clear that he would dominate my initiative soon, but also that he would struggle to bring such a force to bear any effectiveness in time - movement logistics mainly (but we might also alter the march column bonus for such scenarios).

After some time his artillery finally arrived and prompt shot one of my medium batteries off the table. Austrian gun batteries are and should not to be trifled with!!! My cavalry was slowly melting away and losing its effectiveness and my guns started to give fire. I had more shots than the Austro-Saxonians... but to no avail, my firing and aiming was ABYSMAL. The bulk of the white flood was slowly coming nearer ...

At 18pm I had to leave, so we finished things up, Bart did unleashed the last fire and some attacks, but he could not dislodge me from Minas-Tiritzen in any near turn... maybe, if we would have played until midnight. But even then he would be running out on ammo, I would so as well 2 turns later, our cavalry would have little or no effect (both rallied and "coming back" as raw units). So the Infantry would have to fight it out again, and he had still a ratio of 2:1. So - he accepted defeat under the given, very difficult, scenario settings, but the Prussian would have just about held out until nightfall (and would be gone in the morning very likely).

Maybe I should have been more aggressive, who knows. But we were both, very typical of the era, not to eager to engage into any daring attacks as we know it can have dire consequences ... ;)

The game was a total blast of fun, apart from my uncharacteristical aiming fumbles, and the testing was successful as well - I will update in due time soon.

If you are interested in the rules we played, please see under:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/p/seven-years-set-of-rules-for-gaming.html