Field of Battle - Hand of Cards variant ideas, and a solo play test

 

In thinking about Field of Battle (3rd edition), and Battle Command, I wanted to try a variant using the concepts of impetus and deck composition based upon Battle Command, but using a hand of cards concept based upon the optional rules in classic Piquet, and also a "Wild Card" in place of the options in Battle Command. 

Initiative as in Battle Command - C-in-C's roll their LD, High roll chooses to go first or second, won even = 2 initiative, won odd = 1 initiative, tie =  end turn, reshuffle. 

Sequence Decks (one of each):

Infantry Fire

Artillery Fire

Move

Melee

Leadership

Brilliant Commander

Lull

Tactical Advantage

Army Morale - no initiative cost to draw or ply IF there are no units in that army that are routed, destroyed or have involuntarily retreated off the table. 

[Any Special Card(s)] - no imitative cost to draw or play

When a card is turned, it MUST be played immediately if it is  not one of the bold faced "action cards".

Tactical Advantage (new definition)  is played immediately for 1 Impetus cost, but it can still be held and used at any time until the end of the turn, at no additional impetus cost; it does NOT count against the hand limit. 

Other non-action cards must be acted upon when played (Lull, Army Morale, any Special Cards).

The Hand of Cards:

According to the C-in-C's rating, they may hold a number of cards in their hand for later action:

Abysmal - none

Poor - 1 card

Average or Skilled - 2 cards

Exceptional - 3 cards

Playing cards and using the Hand

For each initiative point, a card may be played from the player's hand, or a card mat be drawn. If  a card is played from the hand, that uses up 1 impetus. 

When an action card is drawn, it is shown to all players; the C-in-C can then decide to either play it, or take it into their hand of cards, up to the limit for the C-in C's rating; this could include swapping the drawn card for one from the hand, which would then use up 1 impetus. . 

No more cards can be played or drawn than the number of impetus won (aside from cards that have no cost to turn/play). 

 

Lull card:  should the enemy seize the initiative, then they will have the same options as a normal won 1 initiative above. 

New Card definitions

Tactical Advantage:  This now allows a REROLL of any ONE die roll (by either side), EXCEPT an Army Morale check. 

Brilliant Commander:  This is a WILD card and allows each Command group to individually use it as any of the other 5 possible actions that they choose!

 Move: Routers MUST move when this card is turned, even if it is taken into the players  hand; in that case, the routers must move again when the card is actually played and acted upon. 

 To try this out, I set up a test game using my Danish and Swedish Napoleonic armies.  I chose them as they hadn't seen action in quite a while, where my Austrians and Rhine Confederation troops have seen a lot of action ion 2024. Many of my French, Russian, and Prussian troops have already been organized in to commands for the big Spring 1813 Campaign -n - a day event in a little over 2 weeks.  2024. 

To keep things simple for the test, all leader will be rated LD 10 on both sides. 

Denmark

1st Brigade

1 Jager  DD 6 CD 12

2 Line  DD 6 CD 10

2nd Brigade

2 Line  DD 6  CD 10

1 6# Foot Battery  DD 6 CD 12

3rd Brigade

1 Jager  DD6 CD 12

2 Line  DD 6  Cd 10

4th Brigade

2 Line  DD 6  CD 10

1 6# Foot Battery  DD 6  CD 12

1st Cavalry Brigade

Light Dragoons DD 6 CD 10

Hussars  DD 8 CD 10

2nd Cavalry Brigade

Dragoons  DD 6 CD 12

Bosniaks (2 UI)DD6  CD 10

6# Horse Battery  DD6  CD 12

Reserve Brigade

King's Livjager's  DD 8  CD 12

Livgard til Fods  DD 8  CD 12

Danish Liv Regiment  DD 8 CD 12

Livgard til Hast  CD 8  DD 12

12# Foot Battery  DD 6  CD 12+1

Sweden

1st Brigade

1 Jager  DD6  CD 12

2 Line  DD 6  CD 10

2nd Brigade

2 Line  DD 6  CD 10

1 6# Foot Battery  DD 6 CD 12

3rd Brigade

1 Jager  DD 6 CD 12

2 Line  DD 6 CD 10

4th Brigade

2 Line  DD 6  CD 10

1 6# Foot Battery  DD6  CD 12

1st Cavalry Brigade

Light Dragoons  DD 6  CD 10

Hussars  DD 8 CD 10

2nd Cavalry Brigade 

Dragoons  DD 6 CD 12

Light Dragoons (2 UI)  DD6  CD 10

6# Horse Battery  DD6  CD 12

Reserve Brigade

Russian Guard Jagers  DD 8  CD 12

Andrea Livgard  DD 8  CD 12

Life grenadiers  DD 8  CD 12

Cuirassiers  DD 8  CD 12

12# Foot Battery  DD 6  CD 12+1

Starting positions, Swedes near, Danes far. 

Swedish left

Swedish center

Swedish right

Danish left

Danish center

Danish right

The minor river takes 2 segments to cross, artillery may only cross at bridges. All hills, woods, and buildings are Class II terrain. The next post will start the recounting of the playtest...

4e Regiment of Dragoons

 

This regiment traces its creation back to 1667, in 1684 they were named Chartres-Cavalerie. In 1724, they became Clermont and 1771 La Marche. Their name changed once again in 1776 to the Conti-Dragons, finally becoming the 4e Regiment de Dragons in 1791.

War Record  1792: Fontoy and Valmy,  1793: Martinses and Wissembourg, 1794: Aldenhoven, 1796: Passage of the Rhine, Memmingen, and Friedberg, 1800: Burg-Ebrach and Nuremberg, 1805: Passage of the Lech, Wertingen, and Diernstein, 1806: Golymin, 1807: Deppen, Hoff, Eylau, Heilsberg, and Friedland, 1809: Talavera-de-la-Reine, Ocana, and Medelin, 1811: Albuhera, 1813: Vitoria, 1813: Leipzig, 1814: Bar-sur-Aube, Sezanne, and Fere-Champenoise, 1815: Ligny

 Battle Honors:   Valmy 1792, Aldenhoven 1794, Eylau 1807, and Medelin 1809

3 officers of the regiment became Generals during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars:  Pierre Wathier - General de Brigade 1804,  Count of the Empire 1808, General de Division 1811; Auguste-Etienne-Marie Lamotte - Baron of the Empire 1808, General de Brigade 1809,  Commander of the Legion of Honor 1814; Pierre-Joseph Flour - Baron of the Empire 1812, General-de-Brigade 1813.

I need to add the regimental number to the wreaths in the corners  of their Guidon style flags; The flags are free downloads from Lucas Luber's Piano Wargames site, enhanced by some paint. The Figures themselves are Piano Wargames 28 mm metals, of course! Lucas' next Kickstarter will begin in less than 1 month on October 14, 2024. 

The trumpeter wears the usual reversed colors, in this case a scarlet jacket with green collar, cuffs, turnbacks, and pocket ornamentation. The colonel has outfitted him with a red shabraque instead of the regulation dark green one, like the troopers have. Actually, I couldn't find any documentation to support this, but I liked how it looks, so I went with it... just like the Colonel might have! White horsehair on the helmets was pretty standard for trumpeters, although the colors of the plumes for the trumpeters were quite varied. Elite company trumpeters are often shown wearing white bearskins. 

7th Chasseurs a Cheval

The 7th Chasseurs a Cheval had a fairly extensive lineage. Formed in 1745 as the Volontaires Royaux, renamed as the Legion Royale in 1747, and disbanded in 1776. Reformed in 1779, the Regiment became the 1er Regiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval, and was later renamed the Regiment de Chasseurs de Picardie in 1788, before finally being  designated the 7e Regiment de Chasseurs in 1791.

The regimental facing color was Rose, which honestly would have been a bit lighter in hue than the Delta CC Lisa Pink I used for these figures. 

The regiment had a similarly lengthy combat record:

1792: Worms, Mainz, Frankfurt, Hoxchfeld, and the Siege of Mainz.

1793: Hochheim, Haguenau, Cholet, Laval, Montaigu, Le Mans, Dol, Savenay, and Granville

1794: Landau, Fort-Vauban, Machecoul, and Noirmoutier

1798: Capture of Rome

1799: Gaete, Capua, Naples, Modena, La Trebbia, and Novi

1805: Embs

1806: Jena, Wismar, and Hamien

1807: Eylau, Koenigsberg, and Heilsberg

1809: Pfaffenhoffen, Raab, and Wagram

1811: Fuentes d' Onoro

1812: Polotsk, Drissa, and The Beresina

1813: Danzig, Bautzen, Liegnitz, Katzbach, Reichenbach, and Leipzig

1814: Bar-sur-Aube

1815: Suffel

The 7e regiment produced 6 officers who rose to the rank of General de Brigade or higher, most notably Hippolyte-Marie-Guillaume de Rosnyvinen Piré,  and Alexandre de Montbrun, younger brother of the more famous cavalryman,  Louis-Pierre De Montbrun. 

Battle Report: Poitiers 1356

 

A week ago Kyle and I play tested the scenario for Poitiers  for Test of Resolve: Hundred Years War. Tim Couper had kindly sent me the scenario. I was planning on doing it solo, but fortunately Kyle was available. Given the scenario, and the fact that it was his first game with the rules, I gave him the Anglo-Gascon forces. 

The first group of two mounted Men at Arms and 2 units of Crossbows with Pavises benefited from a good play of cards and high movement dice rolls, and waded through the Arrow storm with only minor losses. Here they are just shy of the hedge that marks the defender's position. 

One of the mounted troops has been repulsed ("turned tail", but the other is locked in combat. Meanwhile, the 2nd group is moving up. Despite the horses, these units are in fact dismounted and advancing on foot. 

Bow fire takes out one unit of my Crossbows. 

French men at arms closing on the Defenders! In Melee, they actually manage to take out 2 units of Anglo-Gascon Men at Arms!

The Black Prince moves his men up up to fill the gap! Shortly thereafter, the French commands run out of Battle Morale Points, fail their tests, and disperse!  But wait, there are plenty more French where those came from! 

After the defeat of the French first wave, the defenders do a "Wave Reset". This scenario then allows the defenders the option to defend their position in the same fashion as the first, OR, the Black Prince's command can mount up along with up to 2 units of other Men at arms if they have not taken excessive casualties; no units qualified in our case. Also in that case, an ambush by a small Gascon force of mounted Men at Arms and Archers makes a flank attack. In both cases a D12 is rolled to determine how far from the French those two commands will set up; the remaining Anglo Gascons start just the other side of the hedge. Kyle rolled for both attacks - and rolled a "1", twice. Talk about a good time to get your "ones" out of your system. Yikes!

Per the Scenario rules, the front line of the French must take a "panic test". 2 of the French units failed, and dispersed (with the loss of their precious Battle Morale points). "Run away!" The remainder of the french front line musty then withdraw behind the second line, composed  (mostly) of inferior troops. 

Things get ugly fast for the French and King Jean. In combat, the opposing commanders are captured and recaptured with great regularity. The dazed back Prince is heard muttering something incoherent about "shubbery", a result of one two many blows to his nibs' noggin!

"It's just a Flèche wound.... arrgh!" Frenchmen are dropping like they were uncertain as to the wing speed of a swallow. 

Swallow's eye view of the approaching doom of the French....

Crunch!

and crunch again!

The rest of the Anglo-Gascons are approaching now, too!

The few remaining Frenchmen break and run, a few being heard muttering some nonsense about bunny rabbits; in the process, the Black Prince escapes from his captors! "Hey Dad, I just saved you fortune in ransom!"

Another English Lord escapes (the loser of the battle returns all of their captives). The English have captured King Jean, as well as one of the French Commanders from the first attack. Time to roll for ransom; as a VIP, King Jean is worth 10,000 gold ecus x die roll, which is a ... 12!  That will 120,00 gold ecus for his Majesty's return, s'il vous plaît! "He really shouldn't have said those uncouth things about my mother and elderberries", remarked the Black Price dryly. 

 Historically, Poitiers was a very hard fought, yet decisive Anglo-Gascon victory. After lengthy negotiations, the English gained sovereignty overt roughly 1/3 of France, and King Jean's ransom was set at 3 million gold ecus, equal to the entire income of the Kingdom of France for 1 year! The French proved unable to p[ay such a massive amount, but what they did pay still markedly profited the royal treasury!

28th Chasseurs a Cheval

 

This regiment was formed in 1808 from the Tuscan Dragoons, which themselves were raised earlier  that year in January. 

The regimental facing color is Amaranth, a color beloved of Marechal Murat. I used Delta Ceramcoat "Dusty Mauve" for the hue. 

These are the first of the cavalry from the Great Horse Project.

oThe figures themselves are by Lucas Luber and Piano Wargames. 

The regiment fought in Spain at Figuieres in 1810, Fuentes d' Onoro in 1811, and Los Arapiles in 1812.

The regiment then saw service in Russia at Smolensk, Moskowa, Wiasma, Krasnoe, Beresina, Wilna, and Kowno. In 1813 it was in action at Koenigsberg, Ebling, Goerde, and the defense of Hamburg. Finally, in 1814, it saw action at Willemsbourg.

Battle of Golymin, December 26, 1806

 Catching up with a report this battle fought way back the end of April this year; Battle Command rules by Brent Oman. The scenario was covered in an earlier post back in April; here's the Wikipedia article on the combat. 

I had the attacking French; Kevin couldn't make it due to a sudden work issue. Barry and Thomas had the Russian defenders. They were out numbered but had a good defensive position, and the French would have little or no artillery, most of it being mired in mud on the abysmal Polish roads

The French infantry advance at the Northern end of the Battlefield got off to a good start, with the French Light Infantry threatening the flank of the village position. 

French Legere maneuvering through the swamp, and bayonet charges along the roadways! 

The initial French attacks were very successful, and the Russians were hemorrhaging Morale points! 

The second French Division attacks the other woods. 

"The bayonet is a good fellow, but the musket is a fickle freind!", said Suravov. The Russian Jager skirmishers are outshot by the French Legere despite their advantaged position. 

Murat arrives with a pack of French cavalry. The problem is that the terrain just isn't very suitable for its maneuvering and deployment, with the Russians well supplied with artillery as well! 

Czar Barry is hoping to bring on the Russian reserves; say, that doesn't look much like Vodka in that bottle! You expect us to hustle for some dubious brown liquid?  Nyet!

The Russians commit their Grenadiers and Heavy guns to the defense of the village position!

A cavalcade of Cavalry for the French.... but without artillery and infantry support, the options for the French horsemen are limited. 

Overview of the battle in mid game. 

Davout has arrived with his infantry, but the masses of cavalry have cramped his deployment! 

French attacks keep up the pressure to the North. 

The French light cavalry make a gamble trying to slip around the edge of yet another woods position. It ends... badly! 

Overview of the Southern end of the Field. 

Russian Cuirassier launch a fierce charge, trying to buy time and constrict the maneuver of the crowed French. Nightfall comes early in Poland in late December! 

Situation to the North. 

Russian cavalry threatens to attack!

Un croque chasseur!  And croak they certainly did! 

Russian light cavalry charge; severe congestion hampers the advance of Davout's much needed infantry

Situation at the end of the game. There was probably another hour to play before nightfall, but Czar Barry had to drive all the way back to Maine. Morale points were about even at this point, and there was little chance the French could achieve anything decisive in the short time remaining. This means the result was very similar to the historical one; despite the early French successes, the Russians fought well, using the advantages of their position, and the ability to use all three arms, to hold off the French long enough to make good their escape after nightfall.