Seydlitz? where is Seydlitz!?

 Today, with Lawrence still off, it was left to me and phil to sort out a game for this week.

We opted for Seven Years War as this would allow us to add players bereft of a game into ours. As it happened we had IPhil and Mick turn up so we had a full foursome!

Amazingly my Prussians got Initiative against the Russians, a very rare event in our games!!!

Phil got Mick as sub commander, and they deployed in the centre sector of the table, between two woods to their front.

IPhil took my left, and we had a flank sector to deploy in, so I placed it on the right.

I put Seydlitz's strong cavalry wing on the right.

IPhil had a stronger infantry contingent, his horse was hampered by the wood to his front, so was placed in reserve.

Phil (left), Mick and IPhil!

The Prussians got almost all Average brigadiers (and Frederick!), our Brave brigadiers were on either wing.

Even Seydlitz was average, but he was Brave, a good trait for a cavalry commander.

Against us, the Cavalry of Mick's wing also had a Brave commander. A Competent Brigadier was in the centre with their infantry.

Their reserve cavalry had a Brave, but incompetent commander!

Seydlitz only managed to get his Hussars moving in the vital first turn!

Mick got all his horse moving up the hill on his left.

The Russians had no such problems, their left wing horse all moved out on their left.

The Incompetent was struggling to get his brigade moving, but he signalled his intention to move left to support Mick's wing.

To protect his weakened right, a reserve Grenadier brigade moved out on the Russian right, extending their line.

Eventually, Seydlitz got my Heavy Cavalry moving past the difficult ground.

IPhil got his weak horse in position to defend the left of the Prussian army.

The Russian Serbski Hussars met mine in the rough ground...

The Prussians prevailed!

...they followed up the beaten Serbs into two Russian Cuirassier regiments!

The Russians easily beat the exhausted Prussian lights...

...who of course Routed!

They disappeared into the woods, and safety. 

One of the Russian regiments pursued, but were slowed by the disordering ground.

Seydlitz led KR7 forward.

The rest of my horse withdrew, afraid the Russians in the wood could emerge on their flank.

The Russian Cuirassiers charged but lost heavily, my KR7 took heavy losses too, but won. The Russians, inspired by their Brave commander did not Rout, but retreated.

KR7 followed up and hit them again! - STILL they didn't Rout!

In the Centre, our Infantry let the Russian line advance, my Artillery was soon in effective range...

A Six saw one of their guns destroyed as it advanced.

KR7 continued to advance but were countered by a fresh Cuirassier regiment.

My Kuirassiers had run out of steam...

...and Routed.

The Russians chased them off table.

The Russian infantry deployed a gun which opened fire...

...one of my Fusilier battalions was disordered. 

My guns were engaging the Corps of Observation.

The Russian infantry got into range and fired, I was lucky, only a small proportion of their fire was effective.

On the right again, my Kurassiers second line attacked the Russian Cuirassier regiment which had withdrawn from the rough ground.

My third and fourth regiments again failed to move up in support.

My charge failed to do much damage!

Even the wrecked regiment I had driven off returned to join in!

In the centre, both sides were trading volleys, the Prussians were all in all getting the better of the exchanges.

IPhil had had to leave at this point, so I took command of the left, and moved his cavalry out of danger to support the right.

I had high hopes I could beat the Corps of Observation.

On the left, Phil had moved two regiments to attack IPhil's horse, but with this gone, they started taking my left to pieces, some Russian Grenadiers destroyed one of our guns. I moved IR6 to stem the Russian advance.

My Infantry in the centre were knocking seven bells out of the Russian infantry...

...In the end, the Corps of Observation Grenadiers Routed!

On our left, my front line regiment retreated under pressure through the second line.

On the right, I tried to force more Russians to break.

On the left IR6 was fighting valiantly in defence of my last gun battery on the left.

The Russians were bravely standing and fighting, on Phil's right they came into point blank range!

My Infantry withstood their attack and cut swaths of their attackers down!

STILL, they would not break!

IR6 and the gun crew had killed over half the Russian grenadiers...

...but in the end, IR6 retreated honourably from the fight...they had got time for the brigade to their right to get back in good order.

At this point, we decided to end the game, the Russian infantry were doing ok on their right, but they were running out of men in the centre.

My regiments, too, were looking shot up, so it was a good call.

Seydlitz could have won it for me, but a series of four '1s' on his command dice out of five (the other was a 2!) meant he couldn't get into the Russian cavalry effectively, leaving much of the Initiative to them.

It was a good, but tiring game, and but for a long series of excellent morale rolls by the Russians it could have been a win for my men, but I cannot complain, my Melee rolls were mostly excellent!!!!

Next time.....!!!!