Monday, February 28, 2022

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. 





18 comments:

  1. A very impressive looking table Peter and seems like a hard task for the Allies - but what a dramatic last move, the Allied cavalry whupping some French ass! Its going to make things interesting in the next session!

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    1. Thanks! I find it is often difficult to replicate the French success at Austerlitz unless the French are given major advantages, and the Allies penalized heavily. Justifiable historically, but no very fun as a game!

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  2. Marvellous stuff - really enjoyed the pictures and the report - also very interested by your tweaked Morschauser rules in earlier post. I am, of course, a devoted fan of big battles.

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    1. Thanks, Tony. I think I may have some rules tweaks after I fight out the rest of the action. I think infantry fire may be a bit too weak, and it may be possible to make the rules a little more internally consistent.

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  3. Super looking table. Is play easier than with FOB or just different ?

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    1. With no formations, set moves, grid, and Igo-Ugo format definitely and intentionally much simpler. It would really need formations added, IMHO, to make it really feel Napoleonic. It's close enough though, and simplicity of rules an play is the objective here.

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  4. Excellent stuff! That table gives a real sense of distance. Good to see the table was not crowded.

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    1. Thanks, I think the look is just about right. It was definitely good that I pared down the rosters by 1/3!

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  5. Impressive stuff and that cavalry action with Murat leading the charge looks very impressive. It will be interesting to see the rest of the report once you have had a chance to play the rest of the battle.

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    1. Thanks, Lawrence; I am looking forward to finally finishing the game (solo from here on out).

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  6. Great pix, Peter. It's just like being there. Oh, wait! I was!

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    1. Indeed you were, and I am very grateful for your participation, John!

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  7. Wonderful, wonderful post (as usual) from you Peter. A favourite campaign of mine and your table looks just superb.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Carlo! It's a good campaign for the Francophile; La Grande Armee at its best. Even then Napoleon needed a fair amount of luck, too!

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  8. Excellent, Peter! Large cavalry clashes having waves upon waves of horsemen is, indeed, a wargaming spectacle.

    I am interested in learning how your Morschauser rules and amendments worked in this very large battle.

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    1. They have worked well so far; adding a bit of a morale effect has made a big difference. I think the infantry shooting is a bit underpowered, and I have some ideas to address that.

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  9. An interesting version of Austerlitz Peter and a most intriguing start that is playing so differently to the history—*that's* one of the real joys of wargaming, eh?
    I think your Sokolnitz castle stole the show!
    Regards, James

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    1. Thanks, James. The "castle" bears at least a passing resemblance to the real thing. I Still have to finish this one up - this weekend, I think!

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