Today, we decided to 'Strike while the iron was hot' and have a rematch using the excellent 'Beneath the Lily Banners' rules. Unfortunately, Phil was watching the local team, Newcastle United, drawing with Southampton, in a bit of a grudge match, so neither Phil or his Turks were available for our game!
Ian (left) brought down his Austrian army, and split off the Danish allies and a few indistinctly Austrian battalions and squadrons for Lawrence (right) to fight him with.
I decided to sit the game out and act as a kind of umpire, as this was another familiarisation exercise for BTLB2. We tried a few more variations from the rules like using different quality troops to see how they worked...
Ian (left) brought down his Austrian army, and split off the Danish allies and a few indistinctly Austrian battalions and squadrons for Lawrence (right) to fight him with.
I decided to sit the game out and act as a kind of umpire, as this was another familiarisation exercise for BTLB2. We tried a few more variations from the rules like using different quality troops to see how they worked...
Ian won the choice of side, and chose a defensive position around hedged fields and woods.
Ian placed a brigade of foot and his field gun to the left of the fields...
His second brigade was placed in the fields, he obviously planned to form a redoubt!
To their right, in open ground, he placed his 6 squadrons of Kuirassiers.
Facing the Austrian horse, Lawrence placed his horse. Half were 'Bullet' horse, half 'Blade' horse.
In the centre, opposite the fields, he placed 2 more squadrons of 'Bullet' horse, and a brigade of Danish foot supported by a light gun.
Another light gun supported another infantry brigade on the right.
The Austrian positions.
Lawrence advanced his centre infantry in column.
His left wing horse advanced on the Austrians slowly.
The Danish right was happy to wait, rather than attack.
As expected, the Austrian infantry swarmed into the fields.
Their field gun fired...
..Out of range!
The Danish infantry centre paused out of sight of the Austrians..
Looking very impressive!
The Danish horse wondered why the Austrians didn't attack (a long series of appalling die rolls was immobilising them!!!)
Most of the infantry of both sides, having satisfied their orders, now halted to await the result of the cavalry battle.
Finally, the Austrian horse stirred, and advanced on the Danes.
Ah, to charge, or not to charge!
- are we in range?
The Austrian gun still banged away at a Danish light gun, but without effect.
A small move forward had put them in range.
The Austrian horse halted, and the Danish horse massed to attack them.
Of all these units, only half of the Danish horse charged!
They smashed their opposite numbers then rallied back. the rest of the Danish horse then charged, only one Austrian squadron succeeded in countercharging.
Ian's dice failed again, and another Austrian horse squadron broke. The rest amazingly kept drawing in numbers of hits caused, so butchered each other.
The infantry, unable or willing to attack, stood by and watched!
In the end, all but two Austrian squadrons failed morale checks and broke!
The Danes only lost one!
the last action occurred when a Danish squadron contacted a fresh Austrian one disordered by being burst through - as usual, the Danish dice rolling was stupendous, and the Austrian squadron dispersed in rout.
The battle ended here, as the Austrian cavalry was destroyed, leaving their infantry flank unprotected.
One wonders how the Danish attack would have fared if the Austrian dice had been kinder?, but it was clear the Austrian defence of the fields was pointless, as it only had value if the Danes had been forced to attack them! Instead, the Danish centre was free to help their horse, had they needed to!
A lesson learnt for the future, perhaps?
However, all this will make my French army's job much harder when I finally get them painted!
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