More Mayhem on the Helder - Same Battle but Different Rules

Paul and Conrad offered to come down for a game today (Tuesday 6 Sept) so I ran a very slightly modified (just the orders of battle) version of last week’s game, plus we’re were going to use Paul’s own set of rules for a change. It would be interesting to see if a changes in rules impacted on the outcome of the game.

I played the French while Conrad was the Anglo-Russian commander, a certain Duke of York.

The battlefield. French on the right.

The Russians on the Allied left ready to advance against my left, which was held by cavalry and a lone horse battery. 

The British Footguards just marched forward into the teeth of a hail of musketry  and cannon fire, just soaking up the punishment without pausing.

On the French right all my cavalry was facing the bulk of the Russian contingent which was happy to  attract my attention so I ended up being unable to redeploy my superior numbers of cavalry elsewhere.

The afrench centre poised to take on the Guards.

My left wing advanced almost unopposed as there were no Allied troops between the roads and the sea. I was able to swing round onto the flank of the British, driving off a battery and some light dragoons in the process.

Russian infantry in square on the right. I launched several charges against them but  even when the squares were disordered my dragoons either refused to charge or bounced off. Fair do I guess.

One of Conrad’s battalions of flank companies charged a French light battalion, driving it back.

Back on the right/centre my other cavalry brigade had more success in attacking the Russian infantry, breaking g one battalion and bundling the entire division backwards.

Solid Russian columns advance.

A French counter attack in the centre had a moment of success as it drove back the Guards, but eventually the advance was bogged down and halted. Bum! (in French)

The large Russian battery thankfully did little damage to my cavalry and was  to spend several turns going backwards and forwards due to morale checks.

A flank attack on the Guards. It still failed to break them.

I think it’s fair to say that the French centre was crushed albeit at a terrible price to the Guards. Our right had made some progress was the Russian infantry was largely intact if immobile.  Nevertheless the game was technically a French victory, of sorts. 

Here are some more photos of the game just because I have them. Enjoy.

So, the outcome of the game was almost identical to the earlier version played using different rules a few days previously. What does that suggest? I guess that is the subject of a post all on its own. Anyway, both games were great fun, and I even got to play in the second one. The Guards were the stars of the show again, although the Russians were reliably stolid. Tremendous fun.