Battle Of Roliça - French Playthrough: Setup & Turn One

ALL the battles in Mike Lambo's Napoleonic book are designed to be fought twice - once from the allied side and once from the French.

I will be General Delaborde, with three units of infantry, two of cavalry and one of artillery

To win I have to prevent the Anglo-Portuguese forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley from occupying the darker-shaded hill-hex at any point before the end of turn 10.

I have to setup my troops below the blue dotted line*

My dispositions take into account that it seems to me the best place for the French artillery is on the further-forward hex in area three, from where their line of sight to approaching units on the lines of hexes they can shoot along will not be affected by trees or high ground.

The AI, in addition to Wellesley, gets six units of infantry, four of cavalry and one of artillery. Their initial positioning is partly fixed and partly determined by rolling dice.

This led to multiple dice-rolling for the infantry as the results kept meaning units were due to be placed on hexes already occupied, but eventually all was resolved.

The AI has split its forces into two columns*

As usual I will write up the refight as it goes along.

TURN ONE

My three dice are 5 and two 4s. I keep one 4 but reroll the other dice, getting 3 and another 4, meaning I will only be able to activate the four furthest-right units of my army.

I duly advance them, with the horse occupying high ground rather than advancing further.

The AI rolls 6, 3, 2 and 1. The 6 is rerolled, but again comes up 6. The result is the AI will be able to activate all of its right-flank column, but none of the left.

The cavalry units roll 4 and 6, meaning they both move straight down two hexes. Both infantry units in area 1 also advance, as do the infantry in area 2.

The artillery roll 2, meaning they move obliquely downwards if that puts them in range and line of sight of an enemy unit, but that does not apply, so they remain where they are.

The allied right is advancing without much discipline*

*I have carelessly, not for the first time, failed to put all the infantry counters the right way up so they are shown as being three-strength - this will be corrected for turn two.