Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part 10)

AFTERTHOUGHTS

The first thing I did after the battle finished, and before my opponent could congratulate me on my victory, was to apologise for having got the scenario wrong.

Giving the Prussians seven battalions of regular foot and 1.5 battalions of grenadiers, when the Austro-Saxons had 10 battalions of regular foot and one of grenadiers, was too much of a discrepancy.

The feeling grew on me during the battle that I had got the numbers wrong, and if I were to fight Hohenfriedberg again in similar circumstances I would give the Prussians at least one extra battalion.

Having said that, we thoroughly enjoyed the refight, with the outcome in doubt till the very last roll of the dice.

As my opponent rightly pointed out, the Prussian cause might have fared much better if he had rolled better action-points, or if I had not succeeded in rolling such good ones. Despite having a 10-sided die for his centre action-points, while I only had a normal six-side one, he only rolled more action points than me in three of the 11 rounds.

His right wing, which much as in the real battle in 1745 was victorious over the mainly Saxon left wing, was too slow, thanks to inadequate action points, to prove the decisive factor it so easily could have been.

War of the Austrian Succession - campaign standings after seven battles (Mollwitz, Chotusitz, Sahay, Dettingen, Pfaffenhofen, Fontenoy and Hohendfriedberg)
2pts for a win, plus a bonus point if the win reverses a battle's historical outcome
PLAYERS
                    Wins Losses Bonus Points Total Points Score*
Me                   5        2               4                   14             100%
Opponent         2        5               1                   5              35.7%
NATIONS
Austria              5        0               4                  14            140%
France              2        2               1                   5              62.5%
Britain+             0        2               0                   0               0%
Prussia             0        3               0                   0               0%
 *Score is calculated on the basis that two points a battle counts as 100 percent, so it is possible with bonus points to score up to 150 percent.
+This is the Pragmatic Army, which was led and primarily financed by Britain.

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part nine)

Looking from behind the Austro-Saxon left at the start of turn 11

TURN 11
Frederick again won the initiative, and rolled 2+1 (centre) and 4 (right).
He had to use one of his centre action-points to try, successfully, to rally the Porzellan Dragoons and another to try, unsuccessfully, to rally the Samuel von Schlichting Foot. He used the third one to get the Margrave von Bayreuth Dragoons to charge my Fürst von Batthyány Dragoons, winning the subsequent melee by two hits to one, which eliminated my squadron. On the right he was able to move all four remaining units, but this did not result in any combats.
After 10.5 turns the Prussians have lost 17 of 34 army points and the Austro-Saxons have lost 19 of 40.
I rolled 4 (left), 6 (centre) and 5 (right).
It only took one action point to finish the battle, when my Saxon artillery battery scored a hit on the Johann von Hertzberg Foot, which had already been reduced to 25% effectiveness and so was now eliminated. That meant Frederick had lost 19 action points - more than half his starting total, and therefore meaning he had lost the battle.

Frederick looks a lonely figure in the distance as the fleeing Samuel von Schlichting Foot rush past him

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part eight)

Overview from behind the Austro-Saxon left st the start of turn nine

TURN NINE
The situation looks grim for Frederick, but yet again he won the initiative, and rolled 9+1 (centre) and 5 (right) - no units of the Prussian left remain.
On his right the Hacke-Leps Grenadiers pivoted round Pilgramshain and fired a volley at the Niesemeuschel Foot, who immediately lost 50% effectiveness, and the unit lost a further 25% and had to flee when its morale failed. In the centre his artillery caused the Deutschmeister Foot to lose a further 25% effectiveness, meaning it is one hit away from complete disintegration, and the Johann von Hertzberg Foot scored a hit on the Prié-Turinetti Foot. Frederick pulled back the Samuel von Schlichting Foot from the Austro-Saxon centre, presumably not liking the odds of their survival. He also swung the Johann von Lehwaldt Foot away from the centre and towards my right, where the Porzellan Dragoons and Margrave von Bayreuth Dragoons had already been heading.

Prussians attack the victorious Austro-Saxon right

Indeed the Porzellan Dragoons were able to charge the fleeing Cordova Curiassiers in the rear. The dragoons, rolling eight dice because they were attacking from behind, scored six hits, only two of which were saved. The cuirassiers were therefore wiped out, but they did inflict a hit on the dragoons.
I rolled 6 (left), 6 (centre) and 3 (right).
On the left I was unable to rally either the Niesemeuschel Foot or the Prinz Xaver Foot, which meant both units left the battlefield. However the Prié-Turinetti Foot scored a hit on the Johann von Hertzberg Foot, evening the score in their long drawn-out musketry duel. In the centre my Karl von Lothringen Foot advanced passed the hamlet of Thomaswaldau and poured a devastating volley into the flank of the Johann von Lehwaldt Foot, causing the Prussians to lose 75% effectiveness, although their morale just about held firm (Frederick rolled a 2, but the presence of the Margrave von Bayreuth Dragoons counted as being a friendly unit to the rear, based on the direction of attack, and so provided a +1 modifier, raising the Johann von Lehwaldt Foot's morale to the 3 needed by regular units). On my right the triumphant Porzellan Dragoons were charged in front and both flanks. In all I was entitled to eight dice, but scored just two hits. However that was enough to win the melee as the Prussians inflicted only one hit. The Prussians had to flee, but my victory was somewhat pyrrhic as the one Prussian hit was determined by rolling dice to have fallen on the much-reduced Eugen von Savoyen Dragoons, who were therefore eliminated.
After nine turns the Prussians have lost 15 of 34 army points and the Austro-Saxons have lost 18 of 40. In other words both sides are just three points away from losing more than half their starting total, and therefore the battle.

Lots of Prussians in the foreground but most Austrians are concentrated between Günthersdorf  and Thomaswaldau

TURN 10

Frederick again won the initiative, and rolled 2 (right) and 8+1 (centre).

It proved a relatively quiet half-turn for the Prussians, although the Johann von Hertzberg Foot scored another hit on the Prié-Turinetti Foot, reducing the unit to 50% effectiveness, and the Karl von Lothringen Foot lost 25% effectiveness to artillery fire.

I again rolled great action-points: 4 (left), 6 (centre) and 6 (right).

On my left the sole remaining Saxon unit, an artillery battery, scored two potential hits on the Johann von Hertzberg Foot. Neither became an actual hit, but then the Prié-Turinetti Foot scored two hits on the Prussian battalion, which nevertheless did not break. In the centre the Samuel von Schlichting Foot lost 25% effectiveness to artillery fire, causing its morale to collapse, which meant the battalion lost a further 25% effectiveness and fled. My Karl von Lothringen Foot then finished off the Johann von Lehwaldt Foot, reducing Frederick to 17 army points - one shy of defeat. There was no substantial action on my right.

After 10 turns the Prussians have lost 17 of 34 army points and the Austro-Saxons have lost 18 of 40.

Overview of the delicately balanced battle at the end of turn 10 - getting the initiative next turn could be decisive

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part five)

TURN THREE

Overview from behind the Austro-Saxon left at the start of turn three

Frederick again chose to go first, and rolled 2 (left), 9+1 (centre) and 2 (right).
The Prussian artillery failed miserably to inflict casualties, but elsewhere in the centre the von Leps Foot scored a hit on my Baden-Baden Foot, who subsequently failed a morale test, causing the unit to lose a further 25% effectiveness and to flee. On the Prussian left the Buddenbrock Cuirassiers rallied, and the Brandenburg-Schwedt Cuirassiers charged my Liechtenstein Dragoons. Both units were at 50% effectiveness, but there was a shock for the Prussians when they lost the melee by two hits to one, and were unable to negate either hit with a successful saving throw. On the Prussian right the Red Hussars charged the Sibilski Chevauxlegers. Despite the Saxons being medium cavalry, and so entitled to two dice per 25% effectiveness against hussars, the melee was tied with each unit inflicting just one hit.

Looking from behind the Austro-Saxon left as the Sibilski Chevauxlegers battle Prussia's Red Hussars

I rolled 3 (left), 5 (centre) and 1 (right).
On the Austro-Saxon left the Graf von Brühl Foot advanced and fired at the Prussian jäger, reducing the light infantry's effectiveness by 50%, although the unit's morale held firm. The second round of the cavalry melee saw my Sibilski Chevauxlegers commit overkill with six hits, but Frederick's red Hussars scored three hits of their own, meaning both units ceased to exist. In the centre my Baden-Baden Foot failed to rally, but I sent Prince Charles to intercept the unit to try to save them next turn. My two central artillery batteries failed to score a hit, but my Los Rios-Deutschmeister Grenadiers reduced the Brandenburg-Schwedt Foot by a further 25% effectiveness, leaving the Prussians at just 25% effectiveness, but the unit's morale was good. On my right I used the one action point I had to slightly withdraw the Liechtenstein Dragoons, so they were less likely to be charged in the flank.
After three turns the Prussians have lost three of 34 army points and the Austro-Saxons have lost two of 40.

Prince Charles about to try to rally the fleeing Baden-Baden Foot

TURN FOUR
Frederick again chose to go first, and rolled 1 (left), 4+1 (centre) and 6 (right)
The Prussian artillery was slightly more effective this turn, scoring a hit on the Graf von Brühl Foot, whose morale held firm.  Also in the Prussian centre, the von Leps Foot, no doubt bouyed by driving off the Baden-Baden Foot, swung to their right and scored two hits on the Los Rios-Deutschmeister Grenadiers, who nevertheless passed their morale test. On the Prussian right the Hacke-Leps Grenadiers advanced and poured a devastating volley into the Nagy Károly Hussars, who immediately lost 75% effectiveness and, perhaps not surprisingly, broke up altogether on failing their morale test.

The surviving Austrian grenadiers in the centre look exposed

I rolled 3 (left), 6 (centre) and 5 (right).
The Saxon battery followed up its success of turn two by scoring another hit on the 1st von Hacke Foot, but the Prussian morale held up. Also on my left flank I ordered the Adeliges Kadettenkorps to charge the King's Hussars, but the cadets, despite throwing eight dice to the hussars' four, lost the melee by three hits to one and had to flee. In the centre I failed to rally the Baden-Baden Foot, despite Prince Charles' +1 modifier, but one of my batteries scored a hit on the von Leps Foot, and my grenadiers, despite losing 50% effectiveness earlier this turn, finished off the Brandenburg-Schwedt Foot. On my right flank I withdrew my two squadrons that had been reduced to 50%, and started to send forward the reserve horse.

The Austro-Saxon extreme left has collapsed

After four turns the Prussians have lost five of 34 army points and the Austro-Saxons have lost three of 40.

Overview from behind the Austro-Saxon left at the end of turn four

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part four)

MY opponent is my guest and thus has the choice of commanding the Prussians or the Austro-Saxons.

As I have explained before, he is a huge Francophile, and so he has chosen to command the Prussians, who were allied with the French for much of the War of the Austrian Succession.

Accordingly he has sunk his identity into the persona of King Frederick, soon to be Frederick the Great (apparently it was after the Battle of Hohenfriedberg that people began applying that sobriquet), and I will refer to him as such in my write-up.

As usual I will be describing the battle as it happens.

Overview at the start of our refight, looking from behind the Austro-Saxon left

TURN ONE

Frederick chose to go first and for action points rolled 2 (left), 8+1 (centre, with Frederick's bonus) and 6 (right).

His artillery batteries opened fire - all three were in range, although two barely - but to no effect. Otherwise he ordered a general advance, but holding back somewhat on the left where he only had two action points.

The Prussian right advancing on the Austro-Saxon left-wing horse beside Pilgramshain

I rolled 4 (left), 6 (centre) and 3 (right).

My artillery batteries were just as ineffective as the Prussians'. On the right I advanced the front line of my cavalry, making a melee almost inevitable next turn. I also advanced two infantry battalions in the centre, and one to the right of Pilgramshain in the hope it can take on the Prussian jäger next turn.

Looking from behind Thomaswaldau on the Austro-Saxon right

TURN TWO

Frederick again chose to go first, and rolled a feeble 2 (left), 1+1 (centre) and 1 (right).

But in the centre his artillery battery nearest Pilgramshain found its range on my Graf von Brühl Foot, who had advanced on his jäger, scoring two hits. The Saxon infantry's morale held firm, but they had been reduced to 50% effectiveness. On his left the Brandenburg-Schwedt Cuirassiers charged my Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons, and the Württemberg Dragoons charged my Liechtenstein Dragoons. We fought the cuirassier-dragoon melee first, and it proved a bloody affair with the cuirassiers inflicting four hits while suffering two. The cuirassiers' saving-rolls for wearing a cuirass did them no good, but nevertheless they had wiped out the Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons. But the Prussian joy was short-lived as the result of the other melee was the exact reverse, meaning the Württemberg Dragoons were destroyed.

I rolled 1 (left), 6 (centre) and 2 (right), prompting my opponent to take a mock-serious close-up look at my centre die.

My Saxon battery scored a hit on the 1st von Hacke Foot, but their morale held. In the centre the Los Rios-Deutschmeister Grenadiers, despite a -1 modifier for moving, scored two hits on the Brandenburg-Schwedt Foot, although again morale proved satisfactory. On the right the Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers charged the von Buddenbrock Cuirassiers, winning the subsequent melee by three hits to two (no saving throws were successful). The Prussians narrowly missed losing a further 25% effectiveness to poor morale, but had to retreat for losing the melee. Unfortunately my Liechtenstein Dragoons missed a golden opportunity when the move-variation rule prevented them charging the Brandenburg-Schwedt Cuirassiers in the flank.

In the foreground are the Cordova Cuirassiers (nearer Thomaswaldau) and the Eugen von Savoyen Dragoons, while in the far distance the von Buddenbrock Cuirassiers can be seen fleeing the Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers

After two turns the Prussians have lost one of 34 army points and the Austrians have lost one of 40.

Overview at the end of turn two

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part three)

Command & Control

This is straightforward for the Prussians.

In the centre, getting a 10-sided die for action points, are seven battalions of foot, three guns, two squadrons of horse and Frederick.

The Prussian centre in front of Gräbner Fuchs-Berg ... front row with the guns are (left to right) battalions of  1st and 2nd Johann von Hacke, Margrave von Brandenburg-Schwedt and Otto von Leps, with behind them battalions of Johann von Hertzberg, Samuel von Schlichting and Johann von Lehwaldt. Frederick is on a grey charger with the Margrave von Bayreuth Dragoons, and beside them are the Porzellan Dragoons

On the Prussian right, getting a six-sided die for action points, are three cavalry squadrons, 1.5 battalions of foot and a unit of light infantry.

Prussian right ... front row are (left to right) the Red Hussars, King's Hussars, Hacke-Leps Grenadiers and Jäger von Noble light foot, supported by the Garde du Corps and a half-battalion of von Lehwaldt Grenadiers

On the Prussian left, getting a six-sided die for action points, are five cavalry squadrons.

Prussian left ... front row are (left to right) von Buddenbrock Cuirassiers, Württemberg Dragoons and Margrave von Brandenburg-Schwedt Cuirassiers, supported by von Platen Dragoons and Prinz von Preussen Cuirassiers

Command & control is somewhat different for the Austro-Saxons.

Although Charles of Lorraine was in overall command, the left wing, which comprised all the Saxons with support from some Imperialists, was commanded by the Saxon Duke of Weissenfels.

It consists of five infantry battalions, three cavalry squadrons and a gun, and will have a six-sided die for action points.

Austro-Saxon left ... leading the cavalry are the Saxon Sibilski Chevauxlegers followed by the Austrian Nagy Károly Hussars and the Saxon Adeliges Kadettenkorps. In the front row to the right of Pilgramshain are the Saxon Graf von Brühl and Königin Foot, with behind them the Prinz Xaver and Niesemeuschel Foot. The sole 'Austrian' battalion on the left  is the Prié-Turinetti beside Günthersdorf

The centre, stretching from Günthersdorf to Thomaswaldau, has six infantry battalions, two guns, a squadron of horse, a light infantry unit and Charles. It too will get a six-sided die for action points, as will the Austro-Saxon right, which has seven cavalry squadrons.

Austro-Saxon centre ... front row with the guns are battalions of (left to right) Prinz von Sachsen-Hildburghausen Foot, Los Rios-Deutschmeister Grenadiers and Baden-Baden Foot, with behind them the Los Rios Foot, Deutschmeister Foot, Karl von Lothringen Foot with Charles of Lorraine and Modena Cuirassiers, and grenzer light infantry

Austro-Saxon right ... in the front line of horse are (left to right) Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers, Liechtenstein Dragoons and Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons, with behind them Kaspar von Cordova Cuirassiers, Eugen von Savoyen Dragoons and Fürst von Batthyány Dragoons. Lagging back to the right are Nádasdy Hussars

The poorer command & control for the Austro-Saxons reflects their relative disorganisation and split command.

In addition, because Frederick is an exceptional general, he will get a +1 modifier for the action-points die in whichever sector he is in. He will also have a +1 modifier for deciding the initiative each turn, when attempting to rally a unit and when attached to a unit that has to take a morale test.

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part two)

The Prussian army consists of King Frederick (rated exceptional), seven battalions of regular foot, 1.5 battalions of grenadiers, one unit of jäger, four squadrons of cuirassiers, four squadrons of dragoons, two squadrons of hussars and three guns.
The Austrian army consists of Prince Charles, 10 battalions of regular foot, one battalion of grenadiers, one unit of grenzer (light infantry), three squadrons of cuirassiers, one other squadron of heavy horse,  five squadrons of dragoons and other medium horse, two squadrons of hussars and three guns.

Overview of the battlefield as dawn breaks with the armies already very close to each other

Looking from behind Pilgramshain and the Austro-Saxon left

Looking from behind Günthersdorf in the centre

The situation on the Austro-Saxon right

For a battle not involving British troops, Hohenfriedberg is surprisingly well-covered in English-language publications.
As usual I will be relying mainly on the accounts of two historians: Thomas Carlyle, who walked the battlefield while preparing his biography of Frederick, and Reed Browning, whose book The War Of The Austrian Succession came out in 1993. There is also a short account on Wikipedia, a surprisingly full one at BritishBattles.com and another one online at   https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Hohenfriedberg
All the units on my battlefield are Pendraken figures painted in the uniforms of the three countries, and in several cases I have managed to put regiments in more-or-less their exact positions on the battlefield.
For example in a prominent position on the Austrian right are the Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers and Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons, whose defeat by Prussian horse led to the wounding and capture of an Austrian commander, General von Berlichengen, who was later reprimanded by Frederick, tongue-in-cheek it would seem, for verbally abusing his captors.

In the front line of Austrian horse beside the hamlet of Thomaswaldau are the Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers (right) and the Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons (left), and between them are the Liechtenstein Dragoons

The battle is considered to have been quite a close affair until the Bayreuth Dragoons, an oversized regiment of 10 squadrons, held back in the centre for just such a moment, charged into a gap in the Austrian infantry line and began a general rout.

Frederick, on a grey charger, can be seen attached to the Bayreuth Dragoons in the rear

Victory in our refight, in which I will be up against my regular wargames opponent in our continuing campaign of recreating the War of the Austrian Succession, will be decided as usual on army points.
The relevant rule in Game Of Kings reads: "Total each side's army points at the start of a battle using 3pts for a general, 2pts for a foot battalion and 1pt for each other unit (including light infantry) ... an army loses when its army points fall below half the starting total."
In this case, Frederick's half-battalion of grenadiers on the Prussian right will count as an 'other unit'. So the Prussian army points are: Frederick (3), seven battalions of regular foot (14), 1.5 battalions of grenadiers (3), one unit of jäger (1), four squadrons of cuirassiers (4), four squadrons of dragoons (4), two squadrons of hussars (2) and three guns (3). That is a total of 34pts.
The Austro-Saxon army points are: Charles (3), 10 battalions of regular foot (20), one battalion of grenadiers (2), one unit of grenzer (1), three squadrons of cuirassiers (3), one other squadron of heavy horse (1),  five squadrons of dragoons and other medium horse (5), two squadrons of hussars (2) and three guns (3). That is a total of 40pts.
Prussian foot, excepting the jägers, get a +1 modifier for musketry throws.
Grenadiers in both armies count as elite, as does Prussia's Garde du Corps cuirassiers, who are on Frederick's right supporting the attack on the Saxons, and Austria's Modena Cuirassiers, who are in reserve with Charles behind Thomaswaldau.
The river can only be forded by cavalry, and it takes them a complete turn.
The hamlets played little part in the battle - they were apparently too insignificant, among so many troops. to be garrisoned. Accordingly they provide no cover but do affect line-of-sight. and they slow movement by half.
Charles's forces were somewhat demoralised by the realisation they had been caught on the hop - not for the first time - by their enemy. Frederick has the initiative for the first five turns, which gives him the right to go first or second in those turns, and any Austro-Saxon unit having to take a morale test in those turns suffers a -1 modifier.
By the way, reports of the sizes of the two armies nearly always show the Prussians having a huge preponderance in artillery. This is usually the case in the War of the Austrian Succession, but it is because the numbers include tiny battalion guns which were given to Prussian infantry. It is partly to account for these that I give Prussian infantry a +1 modifier (but the main reason is that Prussian foot were the best in Europe).

Game Of Kings - Pre-Hohenfriedberg Update

I AM only making one major change to the rules ahead of refighting the Battle of Hohendriedberg, and that is the change mentioned in the afterthoughts to last month's refight of Fontenoy.
It is in bold below and basically makes infantry more able to stand up to frontal attacks from cavalry.
There have also been minor changes to the wording to help with clarity.

INTRODUCTION

The rules are, to a large extent, old school in their deliberate simplicity. I want victory to go to the player with a better understanding of generalship rather than a better understanding of the rules.
They are adapted, heavily at times, from Neil Thomas's inspiring books, specifically Wargaming: An Introduction and Napoleonic Wargaming.
To fully comprehend the thinking behind the rules, you will need to read his books; most of my explanations here will be about those instances where I have changed his concepts.

Game Of Kings is designed to put you in the position of a mid-18th century European general.
He would not have known exactly how many men he had under his command. Instead he would have known his army consisted of so many battalions of foot, squadrons of horse and guns of artillery.
European armies of this period resembled each other in terms of arms, formations and tactics, eg battalions moved in columns but fought in lines, and squadrons, including so-called dragoons, charged home rather than engaging in caracoling firefights.
Unit strengths varied between armies, but they varied much more within an army. Sickness, desertion and unreplaced casualties meant the fact that nation X's squadrons had a paper strength of 15 troopers more than nation Y's squadrons was of little relevance to what turned up on the battlefield.
That is why battalions, squadrons and guns in Game Of Kings are represented by the same number of figures in each army. However, that does not mean their fighting abilities will be the same.
One of the main features of Neil Thomas's rules is that his armies have a set number of units. I think this can work well with ancient armies, where the reported numbers for the contending sides are often pretty fanciful.
This is much less so with the 18th century, especially when most battles have multiple contemporary accounts rather than a single author writing possibly centuries after the event.
So in Game Of Kings, when refighting a historic battle, the number of units in each army will reflect the original strengths.
There will certainly not be a 1:1 ratio in terms of battalions, squadrons and guns, but there will typically be many more units than in Neil Thomas's armies.
This required me to speed up combat mechanisms in order to prevent battles dragging on to the point where players might start looking at their watches.
Another difference between Game Of Kings and Neil Thomas's books is that I have introduced simple command & control and morale rules.
Even so the rules, stripped of their explanations, fit comfortably on one side of a sheet of A4 paper.

ORGANISATION
An army consists of a general on a base 20x20mm, and units of foot, horse and guns on bases 40x20mm.
A foot battalion has two bases, normally in a line, each containing eight musketmen arranged in two ranks, and an 'officer' - it could be a drummer - to indicate the unit's state of effectiveness.
The officer is placed centrally behind the bases when the unit is at 100 percent effectiveness. After it suffers a "hit," which reduces the unit's effectiveness to 75 percent, the officer is moved to behind the righthand base.
After a further hit, reducing effectiveness to 50 percent, one of the bases is removed and the officer is placed centrally behind the remaining one. A third hit, reducing effectiveness to 25 percent, sees the officer removed, and a fourth hit means the remaining base is removed.
Note that this does not mean the unit has been wiped out, nor does losing 25 percent effectiveness mean the unit has suffered 25 percent casualties. Instead it represents a loss of effectiveness, which may be a combination of casualties, faltering spirit and disintegration.
Light infantry is organised similarly, except each base has three figures.

George II overlooks four battalions of British and Hanoverian infantry (left to right): von Klinkowström at 100% effectiveness, Royal Foot at 75%,  The Buffs at 50% and 5th Marines at 25%

Cavalry can be heavy, medium or light, but each squadron consists of two bases, each with three troopers, and an 'officer'.
Heavy and medium horse can be distinguished by their equipment, eg a heavy cavalryman often wears a cuirass, while light horse should be placed on their bases in ragged formation.
Cavalry bases are positioned one behind the other. Neil Thomas, who uses a similar system, explains this is to reflect the way cavalry kept a reserve when going into combat (and remember that a tabletop squadron represents several real-life ones). The exception is that light cavalry in a screening role may operate with bases in a line.

Prussian horse parade past an isolated farmhouse led by Brandenburg-Schwedt Cuirassiers at 100% effectiveness, followed by Posadowski Dragoons at 75%, Prinz von Preussen Cuirassiers at 50% and Bayreuth Dragoons at 25%

A gun and four gunners are arranged lengthways on a single 40x20mm base. Loss of effectiveness can be shown with a marker, eg a miniature boulder.

COMMAND & CONTROL
I have tried everything, from going without command and control altogether (Neil Thomas's preference), to Bob Cordery's card-based system from The Portable Wargame, which is essentially a stripped-down version of Brent Oman's Piquet set-up.
But in the end I found that what works best is Phil Barker and the Wargames Research Group's pips, or action points as I like to call them.
How it works in Game Of Kings is that an army is normally divided into three sectors - typically a centre composed of foot, the general and probably guns; and two flanks, each composed of horse and possibly light infantry (but the exact composition of each sector will partly depend on the particulars of the battlefield).
Players dice at the start of each turn for the choice of going first or second. When on turn a player rolls a 10-sided die - this is normally the only time a die other than a six-sided one is used - to see how many action points the centre gets, and two distinguishable, eg differently coloured, ordinary dice to see how many action points each flank receives.

For each sector, use action points in the following order, the player choosing which sector goes first.
1. Try to rally retreating units (this is the only compulsory use of action points).
2. Fire guns.
3. Move units (a gun that has been fired cannot also be pivoted, limbered or otherwise moved).
4. Fire muskets, carbines and any other missile weapons.
5. Resolve melees.

Two battalions of Bavarian Kurprinz Foot flank a 9pdr gun. Behind them a half-battalion of Kurprinz Grenadiers is beside a horse-and-limber team, illustrating why I no longer use limbers (the space they take up is disproportionate) 

MOVEMENT
Foot in line (as with the Kurprinz above): 6cm
Foot in column, foot retreating and light infantry: 8cm
Limbered guns: 6cm
Heavy and medium horse: 10cm
Light horse and generals: 12cm
But see The Variation below
As mentioned in the caption to the picture above, I no longer use limbers for my guns as I think they look out of proportion to other troops, but a marker can be used to show if a gun is limbered. Alternatively the barrel of a gun facing away from the enemy can betaken as showing it is limbered.
A pip is required for a foot battalion to change from column to line (but changing from line to column is free), and the unit may not otherwise move or fire that turn.
Heavy-cavalry troopers carried more equipment than their medium-cavalry brethren, but had better mounts, hence their movement rates are identical.
A gun needs an action point to limber or unlimber and cannot otherwise move except to pivot as part of unlimbering.
Foot and horse can make a single 180-degree about-face in a turn without loss of movement, although it does cost an action point.
All troops can pass through friendly light foot without penalty to either group, provided they have enough movement to take them beyond the light foot. Similarly, light infantry can pass through any friendly troops.
There is no bonus for charging, either in terms of movement or melee effectiveness - such matters are deemed to be at a tactical level far below the immediate concern of the general.
When a unit wheels, measure the distance from the front-centre of the unit.
The Variation
Dice are generally used to help decide the effectiveness of musketry, artillery fire, hand-to-hand fighting and morale, but in most rules movement distances are fixed.
I believe this is unrealistic - a general can order a squadron of dragoons to seize a hill, but he cannot know exactly how long the squadron will take to reach the hill. Perhaps an unsuspected feature of the terrain will hold it up, or maybe it will be inspired to gallop faster than an enemy squadron trying to take the same hill.
Accordingly uncertainty is added by rolling a die if a unit is moving three-quarters or more of its maximum move distance. If 6 is thrown, add 25 percent to the distance covered; if 1 is thrown, subtract 25 percent.
Exception: if a unit has clearly been ordered, say, to line a river bank, it would be absurd to make it overshoot and enter the water thanks to The Variation rule.

My regular wargaming opponent is a huge Francophile, and his hero is Maurice de Saxe, shown here with the Picardie Foot in column and the Gendarmes de la Garde

MUSKETRY
A unit can fire within a 45-degree arc of its front.
Musket range: 8cm
Carbine range: 6cm
Roll a die for each 25 percent of effectiveness that is remaining and is in the front line of bases (ie the second base of infantry in column cannot fire).
Minimum score for a hit: regular foot in firing order, 4; light foot, 5; regular foot not in firing order, and dismounted horse, 6.
-1 if the unit moved this turn, is in column, or has become disorganised, eg by retreating, and has not spent a pip to reorganise.

ARTILLERY
A gun can fire within a 45-degree arc of its front.
Canister: 0-6cm. Roll a die and halve the score to get the potential number of hits.
Roundshot: up to 24cm. Roll a die and quarter the score to get the potential number of hits.
(Separate rules for howitzers are unnecessary as they were a small part of any army, and Game Of Kings is not at the low tactical level where their different performance might become relevant.)
Halve the number of potential hits if the gun's effectiveness is 50 percent or less.
If the final result is a fraction, round the number of potential hits to the nearest whole number, but if the fraction is exactly a half, roll a die with a 50:50 chance of the half becoming a potential hit.
For each potential hit, roll a die. A 4 or more means a hit on foot or horse, but a 6 is needed if the target is a gun.

Artillery was often sited on a hill

MELEES
A melee occurs when bases of rival units come in contact and continues for each half-turn they remain in contact. No action point is charged.
Foot cannot initiate contact against horse.
Guns and light infantry never initiate contact and never inflict melee casualties (exception: light foot in a wood or built-up area can melee as regular foot).
A gun can only be contacted if it has no friendly regular foot (ie light infantry do not count) within 4cm. Guns so contacted are automatically eliminated.
When a melee occurs, roll the following numbers of dice for each 25 percent of a unit's effectiveness (casualties are inflicted simultaneously by each meleeing unit):
Enemy unit:...……..H/MCav...Lan...LCav...Inf (ff)...Inf (oth)...LInf
Own Unit
H/MCav...…………….1...…….2...…..2...…..1...……..3...…….2
Lan...………………….1...…….1...…..1...…..1½...…...4........…4
LCav………………….1...…….2...…...1...….1...……..2...……..3
Inf...…………………..1...……..1...…..1...…..1...……..1...…….1
H/MCav = Heavy or medium cavalry
Lan = Lancers
LCav = Light cavalry
Inf (ff) = Infantry in firing order and attacked frontally
Inf (oth) = Close-order infantry at other times
LInf = Light infantry
Inf = Close-order infantry (remember, light infantry cannot inflict melee casualties except when in a wood or built-up area)
Add one die per 25 percent effectiveness when attacking in flank or rear, on higher ground, defending a river bank or defending a built-up area against troops outside the built-up area. Bonuses are cumulative. A half die has a 50:50 chance of becoming a full die.
A unit meleed from the rear rolls only half its normal dice.
For each die rolled, a 4 or more is a hit.
If infantry is contacted frontally by an enemy unit, the infantry may fire prior to the melee being fought, but have a -1 modifier on each throw for a hit.

SAVING THROWS (for hits from firing and in melees)
Cuirassiers suffering a hit from anything except roundshot roll a die, needing a 6 to cancel it.
Troops suffering a hit when behind cover roll a die, needing a 4 or more to cancel it.

A large cavalry melee during my 275th anniversary refight of the Battle of Chotusitz

MORALE
Test any unit which, during a half-turn (a turn consists of Player A's actions and then Player B's), has lost effectiveness to firing or has lost a melee.
Roll a die, needing the following minimum score to avoid losing a further 25 percent effectiveness: elite, 2; regular, 3; poor, 4.
+1 if a general is attached to the unit (he is eliminated if the unit is eliminated).
+1 if a friendly unit (not light infantry or a gun) is to the rear and could reach the testing unit in two normal moves (a friendly unit can only add support in this way to one unit per half-turn).
A unit that fails its morale, and a unit that loses more hits in a melee regardless of whether it fails a morale test, immediately retreats one move (with the normal possible Variation), ending with its back to the enemy.
On subsequent turns, action points must first be used to try to rally retreating units. A 5 or better is required to halt the unit so that it can return to normal action on the following turn. A general with the unit gives +1 to the rallying throw.
A retreating unit is eliminated on the first move if a retreat is obstructed by horse or foot (except if the foot are light infantry). If the blocking unit is friendly, it must take a morale test, unless it is horse retreated into by foot.
Retreating foot that have rallied need a pip to reorganise before they can fire without suffering a -1 modifier.

Looking from behind the French lines at my refight of the Battle of Sahay

WEATHER
This, with minor amendments, comes from Charlie Wesencraft's With Pike And Musket.
At the start of the game, roll two dice to determine the weather according to the weather gauge below.

A simple weather gauge

2 = fog
3 = light rain
4-10 = fair
11 = light rain
12 = heavy rain
At the start of each subsequent turn, roll one die to determine if the weather has moved down one notch (a throw of 1 or 2), stayed the same (3 or 4) or moved up one notch (5 or 6).
Weather affects units as follows:
Fog = visibility reduced to 6cm (unseen foes cannot be fired at); movement reduced by 50 percent.
Light rain = all musket and carbine firing suffers -1 per die.
Heavy rain = movement reduced by 25 percent; all musket and carbine firing suffers -2 per die.
Fair = no effect, unless the gauge stays on the same fair number for a third turn, in which case extreme heat reduces movement by 25 percent for as long as the gauge does not move.

RANDOM TERRAIN GENERATOR
For non-historic battles, a random terrain generator can be used.
Because my figures are 10mm scale, and the move distances and firing ranges are suitably small, my 6ft by 2ft 6in table might seem overkill.
In fact I deliberately went for an oversize table to prevent a flanking edge-of-the-world effect that in my opinion spoils too many wargame set-ups.
Anyway, here is how the random terrain generator works.
1. Mentally divide the board into 12 sectors (two rows of six) each 1ft by 1ft 3in.
2. Roll a die for each sector, a 4-6 indicating a terrain piece.
3. If a terrain piece is indicated, roll again: 1-hill, 2-water (stream, river, lake or marsh, etc), 3-wood, 4-built-up area (anything from a farmstead to a walled town), 5-Player A's choice, 6-Player B's choice.
If the exact nature and size of the feature cannot be agreed by the players, more dicing will be necessary. This is also a good way to decide the route a river takes across the board.
Note that on average a battlefield generated under this system will have six terrain features, but a stream or river might well run through several sectors while still counting as a single feature.

NATIONAL/ARMY CHARACTERISTICS
Decide these on a battle-by-battle basis.
For example, Prussian foot at my Mollwitz refight added 1 to musketry throws, while Prussian horse in melees inflicted a hit on a throw of 5-6 instead of 4-6.

VICTORY
Total each side's army points at the start of a battle using 3pts for a general, 2pts for a foot battalion and 1pt for each other unit (including light infantry).
Unless specific objectives have been agreed, an army loses when its army points fall below half the starting total.

KEY SUMMARY

MOVEMENT
Foot in line and limbered guns: 6cm
Other foot: 8cm
Heavy and medium horse: 10cm
Light horse and generals: 12cm
Variation die throw: 6 +25%; 1 -25%
MUSKETRY
Musket: 8cm
Carbine: 6cm
One die per 25% effectiveness
Score needed for a hit: firing-order foot, 4; light foot, 5; other foot and dismounted horse, 6.
-1 if firers moved, in column or disorganised.
ARTILLERY
Canister: 6cm. Die halved gives potential hits.
Roundshot: 24cm. Die quartered gives potential hits.
Halve hits if gun's effectiveness is 50% or less.
Fractions rounded to nearest whole number, but a half is diced for.
Roll each potential hit, needing a 4 against foot and horse, a 6 against guns.
MELEES
Enemy unit:...……..H/MCav...Lan...LCav...Inf (ff)...Inf (oth)...LInf
Own Unit
H/MCav...…………….1...…….2...…..2...…..1...……..3...…….2
Lan...………………….1...…….1...…..1...…..1½...…...4........…4
LCav………………….1...…….2...…...1...….1...……..2...……..3
Inf...…………………..1...……..1...…..1...…..1...……..1...…….1
Add one die per 25% effectiveness for each of the following: flank/rear attack, uphill, defending river bank or built-up area.
Unit meleed from rear only rolls half its normal dice.
4 or more scores a hit.
SAVING THROWS
Cuirassiers: 6, except if hit by roundshot.
Behind cover: 4.
MORALE
Test after losing effectiveness to firing or losing a melee.
Score needed to avoid losing further 25%: elite, 2; regular, 3, poor, 4.
+1 general attached.
+1 friendly horse or foot (not light) to rear and within two moves.
Unit that fails morale or loses a melee retreats one move (include variation roll). Needs 5 to rally (general +1).

Refighting Fontenoy (part nine)

War of the Austrian Succession - campaign standings after six battles (Mollwitz, Chotusitz, Sahay, Dettingen, Pfaffenhofen and Fontenoy)
2pts for a win, plus a bonus point if the win reverses a battle's historical outcome
PLAYERS
                    Wins Losses Bonus Points Total Points Score*
Me                   4        2               3                   11             91.7%
Opponent         2        4               1                   5              41.7%
NATIONS
Austria              4        0               3                  11            137.5%
France              2        2               1                   5              62.5%
Britain+             0        2               0                   0               0%
Prussia             0        2               0                   0               0%
 *Score is calculated on the basis that two points a battle counts as 100 percent, so it is possible with bonus points to score up to 150 percent.
+This is the Pragmatic Army, which was led and primarily financed by Britain.

AFTERTHOUGHTS
It was a thoroughly deserved French victory and, from the viewpoint of casualties, a convincing one.
My opponent had a strong hand to play, to be sure, but I felt he played it well.
I knew that using my right to help in the assault on Fontenoy would expose these troops to flanking action from the main body of the French, but I did not do enough to prevent this, and de Saxe waited until I was committed before unleashing his forces.
Similarly on the other wing he only ordered a general advance once my troops there had exposed their left flank in their attempts to attack Fontenoy.
I do not think Fontenoy is as difficult for the Pragmatic army to win as Dettingen undoubtedly is, but nevertheless it is very hard.
As a result of this refight, I intend making one change to my Game Of Kings rules, and that concerns frontal attacks on infantry by cavalry.
Under previous command & control systems, I believed such attacks would (rightly) prove too costly. But under the current system, which we both like, where action points are diced for and it is possible for one army to move on successive half-turns, cavalry can unrealistically ride down properly formed infantry.
Accordingly, I am adjusting the following rule:
If infantry is contacted frontally by an enemy unit that began its move outside of musketry range, the infantry may fire prior to the melee being fought, but have a -1 modifier on each throw for a hit.

In future it will read:

If infantry is contacted frontally by an enemy unit, the infantry may fire prior to the melee being fought, but have a -1 modifier on each throw for a hit.

Refighting Fontenoy (part eight)

TURN 10

The battlefield at the start of turn 10

De Saxe won the initiative, opted to go first and rolled 3 (right) and 6+1 (left) action points.
The Cuirassiers du Roi charged round the rightside of the fortifications of Fontenoy and slammed into the flank of the Oranje-Groningen Foot, who were completely swept away, although they did manage one hit on the horsemen.
On the French left de Saxe's artillery and the Alsace Foot failed in their firing, but the depleted Wittmer Foot scored a hit on The Green Horse, who narrowly passed a morale test.
I rolled 8 (right) and 6 (left) action points.
I achieved nothing on the left flank, and on the right both my artillery batteries and the full-strength von Klinkowström Foot failed to score a hit. But The Buffs had more success, inflicting a hit on the Alsace Foot, who promptly disintegrated thanks to poor morale. The other notable action in this part of the battlefield occurred when The Green Horse charged the remains of the Wittmer Foot. Both units scored a hit, which reduced the horsemen to 50% effectiveness but eliminated the Swiss.
Army points at the end of turn 10: the French have lost 8pts out of 36; the allies have lost 15pts out of 34 (and so are 3pts away from losing the battle).

The Pragmatic left, having to all intents and purposes given up hope of capturing Fontenoy

The situation between Fontenoy and the Bois de Barry

TURN 11
De Saxe won the initiative (thanks to his +1 modifier), opted to go first and rolled 10 (right) and 10+1 (left) action points.
He ordered all units on his right, apart from the artillery and the Normandie Foot in Fontenoy, to advance, with the Genderames de la Garde, who are part of the right command, charging the Green Horse, who were eliminated. My unit inflicted two hits on the gendarmes, but one was negated by a saving throw (the gendarmes wear breastplates). There was further bad news for the Pragmatic cause when the Normandie Foot inflicted a hit on the Buddenbrock Foot, who promptly failed a morale test (they would have been all right if there had been rear support) and so lost a further 25% effectiveness and fled.
On the other flank The Buffs suffered a hit from artillery fire, but their morale held. Then the Queen's Own Dragoons suffered three hits from the Poitou Foot. The Chasseurs de Fischer emerged from the wood to also fire at the dragoons, but ineffectively. The Beaufremont Dragoons charged the von Klinkowström Foot, who were unable to get off a volley because the dragoons started from less than a musket-shot away. The dragoons won the melee by three hits to two, prompting the Hanoverians to flee. And on testing the morale of the Queen's Own Dragoons, who had suffered three hits from the Poitou Foot, it turned out the survivors had broken up (in other words the unit was eliminated).
Army points at the end of turn 11: the French have lost 8pts out of 36; the allies have lost 17pts out of 34.
With defeat inevitable, I conceded.

The Duke of Cumberland has the unblooded Royal Horse Guards to his right but otherwise cuts rather a lonely figure

Next: Updated campaign standings and Afterthoughts