BIG SUNDAY GAME - Warsaw 1764 - an obsession ...

28mm - BIG SUNDAY GAME!! - this time Seven Years War or better the Second Polish War of Succession - Me (Prussians, Russians and Austrians) and Bart (Saxoniand and Poles) with our respective collections.

The Russian- Prussian forces were positioning on a hill to hold onto, while the Poles, Saxonians and Austrians would make their day count.

It was magnificent! The onslaught on the Russo- Prussian lines was relentless, Bart opted for a pincer attack and nearly succeeded! his Tartars were bheind my lines harrassing the Prussian defenseless guns.

But his Saxon army had bled to death while attacking the centre village and the fortified hill. Also the Austrian cavalry was beaten, a little too late but nevertheless!

The Russian cavalry was able to secure the flank (wow!) after it looked most of the battle like a clear breakthrough.

Bart fought hard, but my guns were devastating and too much for the few Saxons. I agree that the next storming of a artillery fortified position needs double if not triple the amount of battalions. Not Everybody can be as good as the Prussians ... ;)

The initial lines...

The Russo-Prussians advancing to the right flank ...

The first clashes of cavalry...

The seydlitz hussars in front of the Austrian ocean of white ...

The Prussian half of the hill...

The Prussian artillery position...

The Russian artillery position ...

The Russian advance to the centre village ...

And the Russian left flank advance ...

BUT the Poles slide through the trees ...

While the  other stay in reserve ...

The battle continues into chaoes ...

The Prussian cavalry has its difficulties vs the Austrians ...

Still the Austrians don't move ...

The fight of the centre starts ...

The rules used ...

The Russian Cavalry is ... suboptimal ...

The height of the battle ...

The Prussian Hussars are tough, but not unbeatable ...

A little too late the Austrians move ...

The poles harass the Prusian guns ...

Nothing that I could do ...

Then the Russian cavalry close the gap ...

The end of the battle ...

The Prussians Horse break through ... too late ...

The polish attack is successfully blocked ...

The centre is held ...

And the Austrian attack is halted ... with a heavy cost ...

The Prussian guns are running out on ammo ...

Still harassed by the Poles ...

But the centre is still safe ...

The Russian guard plugs any gaps ...

The Polish cavalry can't break through ...

Even though they look nice ...

The Seydlitz Hussars retreat ...

1735 or so, right on the way to Krakow, the Polish Succession War - a fictional bash...

It was time to let the Seven Years War minis out again! So we organised a fictional bash (using this time Black powder 2 plus assorted useful rules from var. supplements) between my Russians and their (fictional) allies the Prussians vs Barts Saxonians and my Austrian cavalry, as Barts Saxon cavalry is still rather haemophilliac at the moment, but we come to that later.

It would be a multiple player, short club night scenario, and as Bart set up the table he volunteered as umpire later he joined his Saxon side. 

The scenario would be both sides would enter with their cavalry and try to hold a village and a bridge in the "middle" (I use that term here very loosely) of the table. 

Some national specialities were  also introduced, namely the Saxonian "Geschwindstück" (I will hold a workshop for the correct pronounciation, if anybody is interested), The superior Austrian cavalry, the Saxonian Lancers, the superbly drilled Prussian Infantry (incl. platoon fire) and the abysmal command of the Russian (brigade orders minus 1, and no CinC re-roll), to name a few. In hind sight they worked a treat, very playable. 

So we diced about the initiative and the Austro-Saxonians won, and their cavalry promptly occupied the bridge and the village. It was decided to use the full movement of the rules, just in case some Saxons would stumble the short distance to the bridge. Then the Russian failed to turn up for two turns (see above), which basically sealed the fate of this well thought through scenario.

Just to cut it short, like the suspension of excitement of this subtle set-up, the Prussian Hussars attacked the Austrian Dragoons and Cuirassiers and destroyed them. The Polish Uhlans attacked and ... well it might be Bart's fascination for all things with a lance (I blame Polish Catholicism) but they died pretty quickly and were halted by Russian understaffed Line infantry in marching column and then shot off by some few Prussian Jägers who just happened to be near. A mess in white and red "glory" with blood and horse gore on the battlefield (much like politics today).

Then when the Russians were finally at the shooting range to the village the time ran out. What a victory for the Saxonian Infantry! And of course, for the heroic self-less stand of the BEST cavalry in the world, no sorry, the Austrians! The Polish Uhlans were today, sadly, just mentioned as men on horses with sticks. I do not mention their artillery, it didn't participate in the battle.

It was a lot of fun ... and the rest. :)

The Russian finally found the battlefield ...

The Russian Guard Dragoons attack the Austrian cavalry

The Prussians came on the battlefield ...

After the v. Seydlitz Hussars dealt with the Polish Horse things

The objective in firm hands till turn two...

Don't attack phlegmatic Russian march columns in the flank with tooth pics!

The Saxon brigadier ordering new cavalry over the phone ...

The Russians finally in front of their target ...

The Saxons getting drunk in the village ...

The Prussians finally on the hill to begin the bombardement...

The Russian Cavalry defeat the "rest" of the men on horses ...

And as we lit up the muskets ... the time ran out!

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

The Prussian initial deployment

The Austrians And Saxons all off table initially

Our first cavalry  encircle around Osgiliatow ...

... to keep the Austrians at bay ...

... as the Prussian army needs some time to deploy ...

But the emperors horses stay in line ...

screening for their lot to come ...

All the Prussian cavalry is as far as possible up front ...

Let them come - huzzah!

While the rest of the army is in position ...

The we retreated to one line.

Waiting for the storm to come.

But the Austrians took their good time.

Let them come.

Our guns were primed.

All Austro-Saxon forces were finally on the table!

The last 2 brigades were all grenadiers!!!

The cavalries had done their best, now the guns would start ...

The beautiful Saxons march!

The Austrians on the other side of the river...

... a bit bottlenecked ...

Then they started to fire ...

The Prussians took it on the chin ...

... as their guns had 4 shots ...

... but we had 6 ...

Then half of my medium guns were shot to pieces!!!

6 medium guns is a lot!

While the infantry slowly crosses ...

The huge battalions of the emperor!

The guns that shot my guns ...

But then my skirmisher sand my light gun did the same ...

Blasting away and destroying 3 guns of the Austrians ...

My cavalry was rallying ...

My line were starting to waver, but the grip on the town was still firm - when we stopped the slaughter.