Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Battle of Sahay - the refight

PRE-TURN
My opponent, as I knew he would, chose to command the French army and so take on the persona of Marshal Broglie.
Because this is a relatively small battle, I decided each general should be allowed to re-position two units, rather than the usual three, before the battle began. As it happened, we both chose to stay pat.
I will write up the battle phase-by-phase.

TURN ONE
The first card turned over is a red 6.
I used one activation point to fire my gun at extreme range at the Touraine Foot, getting a potential hit but narrowly (I threw a 3 instead of the minimally required 4) failing to inflict casualties.
The remaining points I used to advance my three foot battalions, with the two heavy horse squadrons in support.
The next card is a black 7.
Broglie's gun fired ineffectively at my Guiterez Foot.
Most of the French foot advanced, with the Grenadiers de France just getting within range of the pandours in Sahay. They scored a hit, reducing the pandours' effectiveness by 25 percent, but the light infantry passed their subsequent morale test.

Marshal Broglie's view of the battlefield's right-centre (from his standpoint) after phase two of turn one
The next card is a red 4.
My gunners improved their accuracy, scoring a hit on the Touraine Foot, whose morale nevertheless proved satisfactory.
The pandours scored a hit on the French grenadiers, while on the other flank the Prié-Turinetti advanced and unleashed a devastating volley on the Poitou Foot, reducing them to 25 percent effectiveness. Both French battalions passed their required morale tests.
The next card is a black 5.
Broglie's gunners also found their mark, scoring a hit on the Deutschmeister Foot. Not only that, but my infantry would have failed their morale test if not for getting rear support from the Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons.
His devastated Poitou Foot failed, not altogether surprisingly, to inflict casualties on my Prié-Turinetti Foot, but his red-coated Swiss battalion of Wittmer Foot scored a hit on my Guiterez Foot, as did his grenadiers on my pandours; both units' morale held firm.
The next card is a red 6.
My gun switched targets to the Wittmer Foot (the nearest enemy within range), but missed.
The remaining Poitou Foot were destroyed. I also scored a hit, with musketry, on the Wittmer, but otherwise Austrian musketry was poor.
Austrian victory points remaining: 14 of 14.
French victory points remaining: 18 of 20.
French left-centre view of the battlefield
The next card is a red 5.
A phase taken up almost completely with firing. The Wittmer foot were reduced to 25 percent  effectiveness and the Touraine Foot to 50 percent.
My luck continues as the next card is another a red 5.
My gun finished off the Wittmer, and the pandours reduced the grenadiers to 50 percent effectiveness.
But the biggest  success was scored by the Prié-Turinetti, who advanced and destroyed (three hits plus a failed morale test) the Champagne Foot.
Austrian victory points remaining: 14 of 14.
French victory points remaining: 14 of 20.
Bird's eye view from behind the surging Austrian right
The next card is a joker, ending Turn One.
TURN TWO
The first card from the reshuffled pack is a red 6.
My gun finished off the Touraine Foot, who suffered a hit and a failed morale test.
The pandours continued their heroics, completing their destruction of the Grenadiers de France.
Austrian victory points remaining: 14 of 14.
French victory points remaining: 10 of 20 (one more point lost means defeat).
The next card is a red 6.
My opponent forestalled the inevitable by conceding.

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