Austerlitz a la Morschauser, The Battle, Part 1

 

John and I had a chance to play out the first phase of the Battle about 10 days ago. The Russians/Austrians (John) move first, and have launched their attack towards Tellnitz and Sokolnitz. 

Closer view of the traffic jam; Historically, the situation was even worse!

Elsewhere, John contents himself with moving forwards a bit. 

The vicinity of Zurlan Hill. 

The northern sector; Historically, the Allies in this sector were a mix of Austrians and Russians, but in game terms it seemed best to make these two commands all Austrian, and the other4 s all Russian. 

Lannes and Murat command the French opposition in the North. 

The French move up to the banks of the Goldbach stream.

Soult and Bernadotte's troops in the center (each has about 1/3 more in off table reserves, somewhat simulating the literal "fog of war" that covered the lower parts of the battlefield the morning of December 2, 1805. 

Tellnitz, Sokolnitz, and Sokolnitz "Castle". 

John surveys the table at the end of his second Move. 

"The Russians are coming!"

French defensive positions; at this stage combat is limited to long range artillery fire (and rallying). 

Note the (mandatory) advance on Tellnitz. 

"Chaaaarge!"

The aftermath of the Russian charge, a mixed bag of results. 

French Reinforcements arrive, first for Davout, and then for Soult and Bernadotte; the Imperial Guard is still in off table reserve. 

The hitherto fore quiet Northern sector has just seen long range artillery dueling so far. 

"Hussars in the Backfield!"

Davout cleans up the Hussars, but his position remains precarious; Soult has to detach a few of his troops to stabilize the situation. 

Peter (as Murat) decides it is time to commit the Cavalry Reserve! 

If this photo doesn't get the wargaming juices flowing, perhaps you have the wrong hobby?

"The thinned blue line" along the Southern reaches of the Goldbach stream. 

Overview of the battlefield after French Move 4.

John and his Austrian horsemen charges first!

Murat loses every single melee, and is thrown back with heavy losses!

We had to conclude the action at this point, with the French having the next move. I hope to play the rest of the battle out next weekend when I am off for 4 days. 

Newline Designs Indian Commanders and Heroes

 

A quintet of Indian Generals/Heroes. 

All are Newline Designs figures.

When I do the cavalry expansion there will be a few mounted Generals added as well. 

A variety of different skin tones were used. 

Updated Morschauser Horse and Musket Rules, Mark 3

Note: these rules are heavily influenced by Russ McFalane's  Morschauser-inspired rules for the late Renaissance era, "Rough Wooing".

Morschauser-style gridded Horse and Musket Rules, Mark 3

Organize the Army into commands, each with a Leader. Leaders only affect their Command.

Players alternate turns. Dice for who goes first at the beginning of the game. 

MOVEMENT

Unit Type	Move-boxes	Hits	Melee- Front	Melee- Other	Fire - base dice
Militia Infantry	2	4	2	1	2
Light Infantry	3	4	2	1	3
Infantry	2	5	3	1	2
Grenadiers	2	6	4	2	2
Light Cavalry	5	4	3	1	1
Heavy Cavalry	4	6	4	2	-
Foot Artillery	2	4	1	1	3
Horse Artillery	4	4	1	1	2
Guard Infantry	2	8	4	2	2
Guard Cavalry	4	8	5	3	-
Leaders	6	2	2	2	-

Counts as 1.5 boxes to move, or measure range, on the diagonal

Costs  1/2 box for each turn of 45 degrees

Increase Move by 50% if the entire move is along a road. 

Units may move directly to their rear at half speed.

Only Light Infantry may enter woods. Cavalry and Artillery may not enter buildings.

If entering an enemy zone of control [ZOC] (within the 3 boxes to the front) must stop, and

melee will result. Must face into the box of at least one enemy unit whose ZOC you enter.

MELEE

All attacking units facing into a box containing an enemy unit fight in melee.

All defending units who are attacked fight in Melee

All defending units which have an enemy in their ZOC may fight in melee. 

Resolve multiple unit melees so as to involve the fewest possible units in each. 

All units in Melee roll as many dice as they have hits remaining.

Each die that has a score less than or equal to the Melee rating of that unit is a hit!

Minus 1 to melee rating when attacking uphill, from stream, into woods, or units in buildings.

Minus 1 to melee rating if their Command is Shaken. 

Units losing a melee (causing fewer hits than the enemy) Fall Back 2 boxes, facing the enemy.

MISSILE FIRE (Shooting)

Unit Type	Range-boxes	To Hit	Firing: Base Dice
Militia Infantry	4	5, 6	2 dice
Light Infantry	4	4, 5, 6	3 dice
Infantry	4	5, 6	2 dice
Grenadiers, Guard	4	5, 6	2 dice
Light Cavalry	3	6	1 die
Heavy Cavalry	N/A	N/A	N/A
Artillery-Shot	12	4, 5 ,6	3 dice
Artillery-Grape	6	2, 3, 4 ,5, 6	3 dice

Units may Fire at the beginning or end of their move, but not in between; EXCEPTION - Foot Artillery may not fire at all if it moves, other than to change facing.  

Guard Artillery adds 1 to its score when shooting - a "7" = 2 hits at close range only

Losses: Roll 1 die less if the unit has lost 50% or more of its hits

Long Range: Roll 1 die less if non-Artillery unit is shooting from over half range

Minus 1 to shooting into woods, at targets behind walls, or in buildings.

Minus 1 to shooting if their Command is Shaken. 

Units in a stream or ford may not shoot.

Units suffering 2 or more hits due to fire in a single turn Fall Back 2 boxes, facing the enemy. 

MORALE

Command MoraleWhen ½ of the units in a Command have been removed it becomes Shaken and must

immediately retreat 12”/4 boxes. Units which are part of a Shaken Command move at half

speed, except to the rear (retreating), and suffer an additional minus 1 penalty to shooting

and melee. 

Army Morale When all the Commands in an army are Shaken the General must concede. For large battles,

could certainly use HALF the commands in the Army Shaken as the point where the General

must concede

LEADERS
Must stay w/in 6 boxes of his command; units farther away move ½ speed (round up) 

Leaders can’t shoot, but do participate in melees.

If a Leader is in a box that is shot at or engaged in Melee, roll 2D6, on a total score of 2 or 3,

the leader takes a hit. 2 hits eliminates a Leader, all his units then move half speed (round up)

May Rally 1 unit within 6 boxes at the start of their Move:

1.2 = Fail, 3,4,5,6 = unit  regains 1 hit, 7+ unit regains 2 hits!

Leader Quality 

Assigned Historically, or  Roll a D6 for each Leader at the start of the game:

1 = Abysmal (minus 2 to Rally rolls)

2= Poor (minus 1 to Rally rolls)

3,4 = Average (no change)

5 = Good  (plus 1 to rally rolls) 

,6 = Superior (plus 2 to rally rolls)

The quality roll itself could be modified -1 for armies with overall poor leadership, and +1
for armies with excellent overall leadership.

NAPOLEONIC EXTRAS

(I am as yet undecided whether to use any or all of these).

Formations: 

Cost 1 box move penalty to change formation

Column: +1 die in Melee, add 1 extra die to shooter when shot at. Increases base move to

3 boxes for infantry.

Line:  No change.

Square +1 die in Melee, no Flanks or Rear, cannot move, add 1 die extra to shooter when

shot at.

Rifles: as Light infantry, but with Range of 6 boxes

Sharpshooters: Hit on 4,5,6

National (leader) Characteristics:

Napoleon: All infantry may move an extra 1 box; +1 to all French Rally rolls (7 = 2 hits regained)

Wellington: Rifles (light infantry that shoot out to 6 boxes), British Line infantry (only) rolls an extra die when firing at close range.

Erzherzog Karl: Gets two roll TWO rally attempts, but if either is a "1" he has a seizure, and NO rallying takes place that turn.

Marshal Kutusov - Russian infantry does NOT retreat when suffering 2 hits, nor when their command becomes shaken.

Blucher - Prussian Militia infantry add 1 die when ATTACKING, only.

Spain - When a Militia unit is eliminated, a 1 hit stand of Guerillas (fight as as Militia) is placed anywhere on the table of the Spanish player's choosing, but must be at least 5 boxes from any enemy.

Army Composition:

France: Imperial Guard

Great Britain: Rifles, no Militia

Austria: Less Light Infantry

Russia: More Artillery

Prussia: More Militia Infantry

Spain: More Militia infantry, less Cavalry

Preliminary set up for the Austerlitz Test game -looking South, with Murat's Cavalry Reserve in the foreground. 

Looking Southeast

Looking North from Davout's position

Looking North from Russian side

Eagle's eye view from above the Pratzen Heights

View from behind the Russian lines

Overview from the South. Both sides have their Imperial Guard/Oudinot Grenadiers in reserve off the table 

Overall, I have decided this is just too many troops, and will be decreasing the numbers from those in the OOB below by about 13. I think the terrain needs a bit of simplification as well; less swamps/lakes top the South, eliminate all of the streams except the main course of the Goldbach, and move the Southern course of the Goldbach back 1-2 boxes. All of these changes will have the added advantage of speeding up set up of the game as well. I also think half of Davout, Soult, and Bernadotte should start off the table to simulate the fog and deception that were a key part of the battle. 

Austerlitz 

Orders of Battle are based upon the following ratio

1 unit = 1200 Infantry, 800 Cavalry or 12 Guns.


French Army - Emperor Napoleon I

Imperial Guard, Marshal Bessieres 
3 Guard Infantry
2 Guard Cavalry
2 Guard Horse Artillery
4 Grenadiers
1 Foot Artillery

1st Corps, Marshal Bernadotte
7 Line Infantry
2 Foot Artillery
2 Light Infantry

3rd Corps, Marshal Davout
3 Light Infantry
5 Line Infantry
1 Foot Battery
1 Heavy Cavalry
2 Light Cavalry
1 Horse Artillery

4th Corps - Marshal Soult
2 Light Infantry
11 Line Infantry
3 Foot Artillery
2 Heavy Cavalry

5th Corps - Marshal Lannes
2 Light Infantry
10 Line Infantry
2 Foot Artillery
2 Heavy Cavalry

plus

2 more Foot Artillery (deployed on Santon Mound, cannot move except to change facing)

Reserve Cavalry Corps, Marshal Murat
5 Heavy Cavalry
3 Light Cavalry
1 Horse Artillery

ALLIED ARMY - Tsar Alexander I, and General Mikhail Kutusov

Russian Imperial Guard - Grand Duke Constantine
1 Light Infantry
4 Guard Infantry

2 Guard Foot Artillery
3 Guard Cavalry
1 Guard Horse Artillery

1st Column  - Lieutenant General Buxhowden
2 Light Infantry

2 Grenadier
5 Line Infantry
2 Foot Artillery

1 Horse Artillery

2 Light Cavalry

2nd Column - Lieutenant General Langeron  
1 Light Infantry
2 Grenadier
5 Line Infantry
1 Heavy Cavalry
2 Foot Artillery

3rd Column - Lieutenant General Prebyshevsky

1 Light Infantry
4 Line Infantry
2 Foot Artillery

(This command can be included under the same player as the 2^nd Column if there are fewer than 7 Allied players)

4th Column - Feldzeugmeister Kolwrat 

2 Light Infantry
9 Line Infantry

1 Grenadier
4 Foot Artillery

5th Column - Feldmarschal Leutnant Prinz Johann von Liechtenstein 

3 Heavy Cavalry
3 Light cavalry

2 Horse Artillery

Advance Guard of the Army - Major General Prince Bagration

2 Light Infantry
4 Line Infantry
4 Light Cavalry
2 Heavy Cavalry
1 Foot Artillery
2 Horse Artillery