A 1762 game?

Today, we had a last 7YW game for the time being, just to play test the recent modifications. (The current version rules can be downloaded from this link )

Lawrence brought down his Austrians to face my Russians, in a sort of 'What if' game.

The terrain was 4 woods, 2 low hills and a marsh!

I just about won the die rolls determining the attacker, so got Phil as my co player. Naturally, the dice made Phil our Commander in Chief!

Lawrence got choice of side, so deployed between 2 woods...

Phil's infantry brigade, on the Russian left, had a Grenadier front line, and an average brigadier.

His cavalry deployed behind the line, 2 Cuirassier regiments backed by Horse Grenadiers, with, again, an average brigadier. 

 I had the 2 infantry brigade with 2 s on Phil's right, but was cursed with 2 incompetent brigadiers to command them.

I had planned to put a group of dismounted dragoons under my cavalry commander, but he was a Cavalry only commander, and would have been  incompetent had he commanded infantry too! He had plenty to command though, 2 Cuirassier regiments, a Dragoon and a Hussar regiment. He was an average Brigadier.

Opposite my Cavalry, Lawrence had 2 Austrian  Kuirassier regiments, backed by a Dragoon regiment, commanded by a competent brigadier.

His centre consisted of 3 brigades... 

...all of their brigadiers turned out to... 

...be Cautious! - his right brigade was composed of Grenadiers. 

 He, too, had a reserve cavalry brigade, with an average brigadier.

The Austrians deployed. 

 The Russians!

My cavalry moved first, trying to bypass the large marsh to engage the Austrian Kuirassiers. 

Phil, on the left, advanced his Grenadiers and artillery. 

My infantry stood, I did not trust their Incompetent commanders to hold things together. 

My cavalry began to deploy. 

With his infantry out of the way, Phil's cavalry began to filter behind them to the left wing. 

My Heavy gun fired when the Austrian horse came within range... 

Regiment Trauttmansdorff  lost a stand!

 My Serbski Hussars ran past the advancing Austrians!

 My other cavalry followed them...but more cautiously as I did not want to meet the Austrians disordered by the marsh!

The Austrian infantry left moved to cover their flank, as my Hussars approached.

Phil's Grenadiers came under fire as they approached the Austrian line. 

I had decided I needed to send my infantry forward to protect the Grenadiers right, immediately, I ran into difficulties keeping the lines ordered. 

The Austrian horse moving to engage my cavalry near the marsh, detached  their Dragoons to deal with my Hussars. 

 The Austrian reserve cavalry moved out from behind their infantry to engage Phil's cavalry wing. 

Phil's Grenadiers approached the Austrian line. 

The combined fire of their artillery and steady musketry tore great holes in the Russian ranks! 

The Russians supporting artillery was severely mauling the Austrian cavalry columns moving behind their infantry... 

...but the Grenadiers and their supporting infantry were soon retreating...

 ... from the solid Austrian line.  

 One of my incompetents led a regiment against the Austrian right, but they were cut to pieces like the Grenadiers.

They fell back through their supporting line. 

The brigadier doffed his hat to the Austrian infantry before trying to recover his command. 

Lawrence tried to deploy to fight my advancing Cuirassiers, I hastened them on to try and catch the Austrians as they deployed. 

On the other wing, Phil had advanced against the Austrian cavalry there, but his lead Cuirassier unit retreated when the Austrian charged! 

My other Incompetent led another regiment forward against the Austrian left. One battalion took damage from the vaunted Austrian guns.

They bravely soldiered on, though, and silenced one of the guns. 

Austrian Regiment Bretlach met and routed my lead Cuirassier regiment

...but was stopped by my second regiment, supported by the dismounted Dragoons. 

Phil's horse broke their Austrian opponents and chased them off.

 The other regiment, already weakened from artillery fire, now looked to be run down by Phil's Horse Grenadiers!

My infantry was suffering fighting the Austrian infantry left! 

 ...but my Cuirassiers finally beat Bretlach after a long and bloody fight...

 ...and chased them past the recovered Trauttmansdorff...neither side was able to attack, so the action here petered out.

 In the centre, the infantry lines had separated - the Austrian line had held.

Phil's horse had done the best, threatening to envelop the Austrian right. 

With both sides exhausted, we declared it an honorable draw.

The French strike back!

Today, we had our last game before the Easter break, and Lawrence was determined to better his armies previous performances - so it was 7 Years war again!

As usual, we used my own set of rules (Link)

--I had a slightly different composition Russian army against Lawrence's Franco-Reichsarmee one.

We, as usual, drew 3 quality chits for our C-In C's - Phil, on my side, drew 3 identical Average chits, so no choice there!

 Our opponent managed the same trick!

After allocating other counters for our brigadiers, I declared some troops I had hidden behind a hill in my deployment area! 

I had given the Russians a slightly stronger front line, which overlapped the opposing French line. Phil put his Cuirassiers, Horse Grenadiers and Cossacks on our right, facing an equivalent Reichs cavalry brigade. 

Opposite me, 2 Austrian Kuirassier regiments supported by the French 'La Reine' regiment of Cheveaux legeres. 

 As attackers - I moved my hidden cavalry quickly to take a low hill.

Our infantry advanced on the French, hoping our extra numbers would tell. 

Opposite my wing, the Austrians only managed to get one regiment, Bretlach, moving to face me. 

Opposite Phil, the enemy cavalry began to advance and deploy. 

The French centre stayed in front of a wood - as usual, the Reichs artillery got a 6 on his first roll!

 ...and disorganised a battalion of Russian grenadiers!

My Prince Fedorovitch Cuirassiers had almost reached the hill...

...backed by 3rd Cuirassiers, and flanked by my Kalmuks and Arkhangelogorodskiy Dragoons. My artillery was having problems, as they were under my Incompetent infantry brigadier!

He had only just managed to get his infantry advancing! 

On Phil's wing, Lawrence's Kuirassiers failed to charge! Would Phil be able to catch them at stand? 

...er, no! - another 1 on the D6! 

Lawrence, meanwhile, was bringing some hidden infantry out of the wood in the middle of his deployment area to back up the Austrian cavalry.

A quick overview of the battle at this point, from Phil's side of the table. 

I had the hill! and was ready to take on the Austrians! 

My infantry had engaged their French opposite numbers. 

 Phil had advanced on the reserved French centre. 

He had his horse facing the Reichsarmee and was sending his Cossacks round their flank. 

The French centre opened fire! 

The first Russian line recoiled through the second line. 

Lawrence's Reichs kuirassiers had routed Phil's first line cuirassiers, and barreled into the Horse Grenadiers, who not only held, but wiped the Germans out!

My first line infantry had been driven off by the French, despite their greater numbers, but the second line drove the victorious french back through their own second line!

I tried to send my dragoons in to rout them, but my die roll was another 1!

My Prince Fedorovitch Cuirassiers charged regiment Bretlach...

...and promptly routed, pursued by the victorious Austrians!

On Phil's side, his grenadiers were fighting Blau-Wurtzburg, surely we would win here?

In the centre, the second line had taken over from the shattered front line.

Phil's Horse dragoons routed the Reichs cavalry second line, supported by the Cossacks.

On my wing, things were going from bad to worse as 3rd cuirassiers broke and were chased off by the remnants of Bretlach!

At least my artillery was still firing, and the front line infantry was reforming as the new second line.

The heavy gun destroyed a stand of La Reine, who were moving to engage my dragoons.

Again, despite this giving my men the advantage, La Reine was soon chasing my poor Arkhangelogorodskiy Dragoons off table too!, I had only my Kalmuks, guns and some battalions from the centre left.

Blau Wurtzburg was holding its own against our vaunted grenadiers!

On their flank, the indomitable Horse Grenadiers were advancing on the last line, dragoons, of the Reichs cavalry.

The enemy dragoons, threatened from the flank by the Don Cossacks, fell back.

Back on my wing, fresh battalions secured the French right.

The Russian centre was in tatters, the front line routed and the rest withdrew from the massed artillery.

On our right, Phil's grenadiers were still unable to progress past Blau Wurtzburg, and his Cossacks had charged...and been routed by the Reichs dragoons, but Phil's Horse grenadiers were ready to pounce on them.

So ended the battle, I reckon the French had the day, though both sides had exhausted themselves. It was a good game though, and it was good to see Lawrence getting some luck this week!