Another Black Powder Report

Kent and I popped down to the club for another game of Black Powder, this time with 10 battalions per side. My cunning plan this time was to use the extra battalions to make a small reserve brigade of two battalions.

I took the following formations:

• 4x line battalions
• 2x jager and 2x grenadier battalions
• 2x line battalions
• 1x Cuirassiers, 1x Dragoons, 1x Lancers

We used John's rules for the Borodino weekend so my infantry had a stamina of 4 but only 2 dice in shooting. 

Kent had:

• 6x line battalions
• 2x Middle Guard
• 2x Old guard
• !x Cuirassiers, 1x Dragoons, 1x Chasseurs 

I decided to use the small brigade on my right flank to hold the flank while I attacked on my left flank.

 Kent's deployment.

 Turn 1: Kent attacks my weak right flank with four battalions while also advancing on the left.

 I actually advanced this time, drawing up on the edge of a road as they steeled themselves to advance into the teeth of the French defence.

 On the right the small brigade prepares to throw back the French attack.

 A view form my ;left flank- I forgot to take some trees down to the club but the base in the foreground represents a wood. At this point I felt if i threw my infantry forward the 8 battalions I mad massed should be able to punch through the extremely thin Blue line.

 Unfortunately, my infantry threw themselves straight at the Old Guard who repulsed the assault although they were shaken by the ferocity of the initial charge (the first of three such failed assaults against them).

 My elite brigade (Jagers and Grenadiers) also attacked but were again repulsed in the hand-to-hand phase.

 Meanwhile our Cavalry had turned up and prepared to clash on the far right of my line. Kent's raced across the table and mine ere pinned in against the table edge but for 2-3 turns we both failed to pass command roles and so stood there glaring at each other (memo to self: must remember to do initiative charges).

 Kent managed to disorder my my battalions most turns and so my advance faltered.

 Finally, our cavalry clash. My Dragoons came off second best and withdrew off the table, only to return later.

 Unfortunately my far left brigade broke and then in the final turn my other two infantry brrigades also broke so game to Kent.

A much closer game than the final result indicated. I managed to destroy two battalions of infantry and also some of Kent's cavalry but in the end the Old Guard held held off three determined assaults and then Kent's fire managed to disorder my battalions so although I had sufficient mass (IMO) I was not able to quite execute my plan. What I probably need to do is take advantage of the mixed battalion rules to run a skirmisher screen to better protect my infantry. A good fun game though and the much closer than the week before.

We are still not sure about John's ratings for the Russians and will use them for Borodino and go back to the suggestions in the BP book after that.

Finally we both enjoyed the more options that another two battalions allowed, we are starting to hit a sweet spot game sizewise for our games.