Waterloo - Turn Three

Situation after turn two, with the French in the foreground

The French grand battery again fires at my men on the hill, again needing 5+, but roll a 2.

Napoleon wins the dice-off (5-4) to see who moves first.

He starts by personally, in the shape of his WoFun figure, leaving La Belle Alliance and heading three hexes (commanders, and subordinate commanders, can move three hexes a turn) due west, joining the so-far stationary II Infantry Corps, which then at last advances on Hougoumont.

III Infantry Corps also advances, and I Infantry Corps does likewise, sparking the battle's first infantry combat.

France's I Infantry Corps assaults Hougoumont, with II and III Infantry Corps in close support - and Napoleon right behind giving encouragement

Combat involves one base from the attacking side fighting one base from the defending side, in this case each base representing a division.

We start with a division from the extreme left of the French attacking a division in the Hougoumont hex.

The French modifiers are: friendly division in the same hex (+1); corps commander in the same hex (+1); enemy is in a fortified hex (-2); enemy has a friendly division in the same hex (-1). Total modifiers: -1.*

The Allied modifiers are: friendly division in the same hex (+1); enemy has a friendly division in the same hex (-1). Total modifiers: =.

Each player rolls a die for his own base, suffering a hit if the modified score is under 3.

Napoleon rolls a 1, meaning his base suffers a hit, while my roll of 6 means my mean were unaffected.

To resolve the hit, another die is rolled. For any but elite or poor troops, a 1-3 means the loss of a strength point, while 4-6 means the base must either retreat a grid of lose 1SP.

Napoleon rolls a 1, meaning the division loses 1SP, which is shown by removing one of the base's two lines of infantrymen.

In addition two dice are rolled for the corps commander when a division he is with loses a strength point, 12 meaning he is killed (costing the army 3SP), 11 or 10 meaning he is wounded (losing 2SP).

The dice land 5+1=6, so the corps commander is unscathed.

We then fought a combat between my division at the front of Hougoumont against a division from the other hex occupied by the French I Infantry Corps.

The Allied modifiers are the same as before, ie =, but the French, without the corps commander in the same hex, are -2.

However we both roll a 6, meaning no (significant) casualties are suffered.

Napoleon's other orders see the Imperial Guard finally advance to beside La Belle Alliance. and the two right-flank infantry corps move west towards La Belle Alliance.

Finally I Cavalry Corps fails to give closer support to the left-flank infantry, but II Cavalry Corps moves behind La Belle Alliance, not being slowed by the muddy conditions.

Strength points remaining: French, 102 of 103SP; Allies, all 84SP.

Taking a leaf out of Napoleon's book, I move the figure of Wellington three hexes along the ridge to be closer to the action at Hougoumont.

I then order the commander of Allied I Infantry Corps to join his furthest-forward men in Hougoumont, taking a division with him, and then to attack the French. However the order is again not followed, meaning the Allied troops in Hougoumont cannot engage the enemy this half-turn.

I unsuccessfully order the Allied Reserve Corps to descend from the ridge.

The other three infantry corps commanders are told to concentrate their troops in a single hex, prior to possibly advancing on the French, but this is only carried out by II Infantry Corps, which has the figure of Wellington with it, and III Infantry Corps around La Haye Sainte.

Close-up of Wellington to the rear of II Infantry Corps - the rock beside the corps commander at the front indicates it has superior firepower

Situation at the end of turn three

*We agreed that infantry having the advantage of fortifications could not also gain from having a superior firing line (British two deep v French three deep) as troops would not have the regular formations of combat in the open.