2mm Napoleonic test battle: 'Austria 1809'

This is a fictional battle to try out my new 2mm Napoleonic figures. The reason for having a look at this scale is the possibility of playing the largest Napoleonic battles on my maximum (7'6" x 4'6") table and not taking years to paint the figures. Each base represents a brigade and therefore suitable rules will be used. In this particular action I am using my version of Fast Play Grande Armee. Essentially this is pretty much as written with a few tweaks.

This scenario is by Tom Barkalow and is downloadable from the Grande Armee website. 

http://www.deepfriedhappymice.com/html/gw_ga_scenarios.html

The setting for this battle in the 1809 campaign and is a fictitious corps engagement assumed to be fought a few weeks after Apern-Essling. The premise is that French scouts have located an unguarded road that leads behind Austrian positions and a corps is dispatched as an advanced force to get as far along the road as possible. The Austrians detect the movement and hurriedly rush the nearest corps into a blocking position while pondering what to do next.

The French goal is to open the road being blocked by the Austrian forces and to hold it open off the table. The Austrian goal is to prevent this.

Weather: sunny.

Ground is hard

Game length is 4 turns.

Continued - 

The map is for a 4'6" x 3' table with each square representing 9".

Deployment areas are as shown. The river cannot be forded and can only be crossed by the road bridge. The towns shown can each be garrisoned by 1 infantry unit. Woods are treated as rough.

ORBATS

The bases column was purely for my reference and shows the number of different strips of figures for each brigade. The casualty column was not needed - more of that below.

Figures used are all Irregular Miniatures.

Overview at start. Note no roads! My 6mm versions turned out too big so have omitted them for now. Something I will have to consider for the future.

French 2nd Division in centre

Austrian 1st Division

French left flank

French cavalry division

French 1st Division and Corps troops.

Austrian 2nd Division and Corps troops.

French line from Austrian position

Austrian 2nd Division.

Rather than attach Grande Armee style labels, I have adapted 'Blucher's design with the unit strength displayed. This allows casualties to be marked on on the label rather than continually referring to the roster.

The French 1st and 2nd Divisions quickly advanced into artillery range with both sides opening fire and taking casualties.

The French 3rd Division suffered a 'Hold' command test result and thus failed to advance with the rest of the French force.

The French had the initiative with both 1st and 2nd Divisions advancing to contact. 

Part of the Austrian line is pushed back but all did not go the French way with one brigade being comprehensively repulsed (middle left). 

The French 2nd Division found themselves outnumbered without the 3rd Division. 

 The French 2nd Division fail to break through and take heavy casualties.

The Austrian 2nd Division becomes steadily worn down with a new threat emerging on their right flank. The French cavalry division swung around the Austrian flank towards their rear (top of photo). 

In response the Austrians move their mixed brigade that had been held in reserve to counter the threat (middle right).

 On the French right flank, the 3rd Division finally joins in the attack and stabilises the line.

An overview at the end of the 3rd pulse in turn 1.

The French cavalry charge into the Austrian mixed brigade -

- and were repulsed. The French 1st Division suffered heavy losses but the Austrians fared little better.

On the Prussian left, the strong brigades of their 1st Division held out well against the mounting French pressure but with the French 2nd Division, having broken through the Austrian line, threatened to encircle them.

The inevitable happened with French numbers beginning to overcome the Austrian 1st Division. 

With the French 1st Division reduced to just one weakened brigade, the cavalry division threw themselves back into the fray. 

This photo and the following two is the situation at the end of pulse 2, turn 2. The French have pulled a brigade back to rally with losses on both sides pretty evenly spread.

A close look at the Prussian left show the 2 surviving brigades cut off from the rest of the Austrian force and in a precarious position. The French though are severely weakened with several brigades down to just one strength point.

The Prussian right is still holding with the French failing to decisively overcome Austrian resistance.

The situation in pulse 3 with the 2 surviving Austrian brigades in a face-off with the French cavalry division.

Another Prussian brigade is destroyed on their left flank by a combined French brigade attack. 

Two photos of the situation at the end of pulse 3, turn 2. I called the game at this point as a French victory. Including artillery bases the Austrians had lost 9 to the French 6. The Austrians had also reached their break point but I could see little sense in continuing with the game as there was no way back for the Austrians.

So, my thoughts on this. Allowances had to be made as this was just a basic test game and I was not expecting anything earth-shattering. However, there was something lacking compared to my 6mm games with the General de Brigade family of rules. Over the past few years I have got used to seeing everything from battalions through to divisions fighting for survival or performing heroic feats of arms.

It's probably the fact that I have always struggled to really enjoy element based games as they tend to feel more like boardgames. In this game, as it progressed I started to look at each base merely as a counter with a value rather than the formation it was supposed to represent.

All that said I am not entirely giving up on these rules or 2mm Napoleonics. A large game - Aspern-Essling comes to mind, should produce a more exciting encounter.

Another aspect that caused me a little concern was the size and appearance of my bases. In my desire to make them scenic they have at least partially overwhelmed the figures. I am considering reducing the size to something like DBM 40mm x 20mm from the current 50mm x 30mm. Omitting skirmishers and having less scenic bases will hopefully make the figures stand out a little more.

I had intended to try out 'Blucher' rules but there is a conundrum that I have yet to resolve. The command and control system revolves around 'momentum' which your opponent rolls for. You are not aware of that result until you have reached a point with your orders (or momentum) would exceed the result diced for by your opponent. At that point you have to stop and your opponent takes his turn. There is no easy way around this that I have found yet when playing solo. I will therefore place on hold the testing of these rules until when or if I find a solution to this.