Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Batreps => Topic started by: Tranbichou on 14 December 2014, 05:08:19 PM

Title: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: Tranbichou on 14 December 2014, 05:08:19 PM
Vaires am Danube is a non-historical battle supposed to oppose a austrian army versus one french army and one franco-bavarian army in 1714. To play it, we used only Pendraken miniatures and the rules sets Age of Eagles and the add-on Age of Honor.

The austrian army counted around 45 000 men, the franco-bavarian had 35 000 men and the french on had 30 000, including la Maison du Roi (Elite Super Heavy cavalry).

The scenario was rather simple : the austrians tried an attack in Bavaria but soon faced the franco-bavarian army then reinforced by the french column coming from Flanders. Out-numbered, they had to fight for one day to allow the supply trains to pass a bridge a few kilometer from the battlefield. At the last moment, the austrian army got reinforcements from Hungary and 3 brigades of english line troops (and their nasty habit of good firing discipline!). At 1100, the french and the austrian emissaries met between the two armies and decided that the battle would begin at 1200.

The french players decided for a plan and at 1200, an austrian gun gave the signal of the start of the battle.

The austrian right wing had the hungarian troops and the english battalions. The Center wing had only infantry and the left had some infantry and two dragoons brigades.

The franco-bavarian army decided to attack at once with cavalry. They had some success as they repulsed the grenzers from their defences. After this, they did not advance anymore. The Saint Julien hungarian regiment and the british brigades, helped by charges from hungarian Hussards repulsed the bavarian horses while the bavarian infantry was late (bad order dices !).

The Center was rather calm : the french advanced in the face of heavy austrian guns and these scored lots of hits.

At the austrian left, the french dragoons brushed away my own dragoons and I had to send my cuirassiers to stop theirs successes. French infantry come close but discovered that one of the austrian brigade was a mercenary danish brigade that shot like brits ! They then withdraw when my grenadiers came to charge them !

At the end of the day, when night fell, the austrian was able to withdraw despite 4000 lossess while the french armies had lost more than 8000 men.

Here are some photos posted on my own blog : http://abaqlesjeux.canalblog.com/archives/2014/11/25/31027681.html (http://abaqlesjeux.canalblog.com/archives/2014/11/25/31027681.html)

We are now painting prussians, english, dutch and spanish units to have more troops at hand.
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: toxicpixie on 14 December 2014, 09:33:04 PM
Looks like a big game and a lot of fun! well done the Austrians :)
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: Tranbichou on 15 December 2014, 09:40:37 AM
Not that big, in fact.

Age of Eagles is a brigade-level game as was Fire and Fury from which the rules come.

For example, the Austrian Left Column had : 1 light inf brigade, 1 hungarian brigade, 1 hussards brigade and 3 british infantry brigade. The Center Column had 4 austrian infantry brigade and the right had 2 austrian infantry brigade with 2 austrian dragoon brigade and a Reserve made of 2 grenadier brigades and 2 cuirassier brigades. Add to this four heavy batteries and four medium batteries.

In fact, I only played 18 units and 8 batteries (which are not supposed to move !). Playing my turn was a 5 to 6 activation die roll process about 10 - 15 minutes in all.

The battle was supposed to happen in November, the battle started at 1200 and ended at 1700 (night coming) so it was a 10 turn game. In a full day battle, I would have been swept away by the french

We began the meeting at 1000, one player had to learn the rules while playing (the franco-bavarian one) and the other had played Fire and Fury (the other french army). I had only read napoleonic rules once for my part. The meeting ended at 1830 with a stop to eat (sorry, no fast food and no burritos !  ;D) at 1300.
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: Westmarcher on 15 December 2014, 02:11:22 PM
Looks terrific, Bertrand. Did not know until now that you have your own blog! One more blog to distract me from the household chores!  :-bd
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: KTravlos on 15 December 2014, 03:24:36 PM
Pretty cool!
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: Hertsblue on 16 December 2014, 10:11:35 AM
Excellent game, Bertrand, with a decent number of troops.
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: Chad on 16 December 2014, 11:09:59 AM
Light infantry brigade in 1714? 😳
Title: Re: Lace Wars Vaires am Danube, November 1714
Post by: Tranbichou on 16 December 2014, 12:25:16 PM
The "light infantry brigade" as well as the hussards were a import from turkish frontiers !  :D They are not supposed to be in any western armies. But I lacked some troops to fight these 60 000 french bavarian armies.

At this time, grenzers are considered Irregular and Conscript while the Hussards are Irregular but Elite ! I wanted to have some frontier troops to play battle like Peterwardein where irregulars were in the line.

The Grenzers were swept away by the bavarian horses (the first clash of this battle) despite the fact they defended my right fieldworks. The Hussards repulsed french and bavarian dragoons several times as they waited for the enemy brigades to get salvoes from my english troops !  8)

Then and only then they charged.  :d