Battle Of Cacabelos - French Playthrough: Introduction & Turn One

THE Allied playthrough of the Battle of Cacabelos required the human to defend a river crossing, reacting to the AI's moves.

The French playthrough is very different, because this time the human must be active as the French win by exiting the top of the map with one unit before the end of turn 10.

The French start below the blue dashed line

As well as General Colbert-Chabanais, the human gets four units of infantry and two of cavalry.
Some of the British setup is randomised, but five units of infantry have fixed starting points on the seventh hex down of each area, putting them in position to defend the River Cúa.

The French deployment area is so restricted I have had to spread my men across four areas, which will not make for a fast start

The AI gets General Edward Paget, seven units of infantry, three of cavalry and one of artillery.

Unfortunately for me, my cavalry wing is on the same flank as the AI has chosen to site its artillery, General Paget and an extra unit of infantry

TURN ONE

I roll 4 and two 3s as my activation dice. I reroll a 3, but get another 3.

I advance the infantry that are to the left of General Colbert-Chabanais, and leave it at that as I do not want to move the commander into range of British infantry.

The AI gets two 6s, 5 and 2. The 6s are rerolled, but become two 2s.

The infantry in area 2 roll 5, meaning they want to move towards the nearest French unit, with the furthest up having precedence, which is my right-flank infantry, so they advance into the river. The cavalry in area 2 roll 5, with similar consequences except that they move two hexes forward obliquely to their left. General Paget rolls 1, which has no effect.

The infantry in area 5 roll 5, meaning they move obliquely towards my right-flank infantry.

The British have reinforced their centre