My Metal Meneken: 1870 - Battle at the Bois the Chemin

Friday, 17 March 2023

1870 - Battle at the Bois the Chemin - FPW new rules test for 10mm

This Thursday we all had a bash with my 10mm FPW collection, the French Guard corps (Bart and Mike) and my newly painted anonymous/generic reserve (half division) played by Tim. Peter and Alisdair were playing the Prussians the III corps von Alvensleben, while I was the cavalry division von Rheinbaben - in a TOTALLY fictional battle of 1870 at Bois de Chemin, as we also tested (for the first time) my newly designed rule set... I will call it Second Empire.

Bart just bashed, at the beginning of the terrain set up, a mega big forrest (with a road through it) bang in the middle. This was to become the centre of the complete battle soon, we just didn't knew it then.

I was just holding the left flank with only feeble cavalry and a few horse cannons against Tims HALF division!! So I needed to attack, soon my Death skull hussars were frontally charging a Mitrailleuse, huzzah! AND because Tim failed to hit (in close range!!) I wiped them out! But only to get blasted away from his second line of guns ...

Mike was advancing with all the grenadiers (a complete division, four regiments, 8 battalions) into the centre forrest. Peter and Alisdair let him - the visibility was only 6cm in the woods - what was to become a major problem for his grenadiers later. I bow my head Peters supreme strategy of letting them soak into the dense forrest and then get shot away from multiple sides.

Bart just slowly advanced to the hill and waited or attacked too late.

It looked like the French would roll us up. But then - the longer range of the chassepot was not bearing down in the forrest and Peters and Alisdairs troops could give the grenadiers hell for leather. Slowly they were melting away - faster than my flank was.

So at the end of the time the Prussians had the advantage of more kills than the French, although I would not have given my flank anymore than three turns before its collaps. A Prussian victory! Never go with longer ranged firearms into a dense forrest that eliminate your advantage!

I think everybody had a blast, and we will test this again! Even Jack announced interest!

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The Rules are tailored towards my collection (artillery and cavalry on 30x30mm, infantry on 20x30mm). A bastardised Black Powder were the units stats are in relation to the number of bases. 1 for hand to hand and 1 for firing and 1 for stamina. French had 6, Prussian had 9, all cavalry had two and artillery had 1 base (but 2 stamina). The Regiments were actually 3 (or 2 in case of the French) battalions (I know ... it was just for a test). the cannon/gun ranges were adapted, some new mods introduced and the morale/ was eliminated and a 4 stage cohesion system introduced (normal => disordered => shaken => retreating => lift off, each giving different malus). You would collect hits and bases would fall away AND you could lose a cohesion level by a natural 6 on a firing hit or a lost melee.

Each gun had ammo for 6 shots, ammo carts had 12 refills.

The engine works - it is quite fast and brutal, especially fire. Cavalry is cannon fodder. The fire distances work. We all forgot the Prone rule and we had some ideas for new modifier - so it was very positive!

The best it is very fast and good for multiple player games.

More test games to come!

If you are interested, you can follow the development under the following page:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/p/franco-prussian-war-10mm-rule-set.html