My friend brought out into the light his latest project. A 10mm Napoleonic demonstration game of Leipzig 1813 for Battleground 2019 at Stockton, in November later this year. The inspiration comes from an old SPI/Avalon Hill game I think (see below, the portion of the battlefield we are play-testing, French to the left Austrians to the right):
The Allies (on the right below) move forwards, the troops being changed into more atheistic configurations which is pure chrome but it is a demonstration game after all (see below, the French artillery welcomes them warmly):
Given the condensed frontage the and intensely concentrated Austrians the French saw an opportunity for a localised forestalling counterattack along the river (see below, the initial results are encouraging to Boney's men):
The French advance into a vacant town to secure a better defensive position and bring up support brigades which initiates and inconclusive firefight of sorts (see below, the battle is developing into a continuous front of skirmishing):
The Allies discover that attacking a town without preparatory bombardment is very risky and find themselves in headlong retreat (see below, the closely packed Austrian formations are thrown into disorder by their routing friends, nevertheless the Austrians have one opportunity against a disordered French infantry brigade facing a fresh Austrian infantry brigade [see bottom below]):
The French seem to have purchased by feat of arms a brief breathing space while the Austrians seem to be disadvantaged by their own "masse" (see below, coming out from the rallying phase of the rules is the keen ability of the French to rally from disorder quicker than their Austrian foes - an interesting national characteristic):
The Austrians come hard again at the French, focusing on a disrupted French infantry brigade that routs and a soak off attack in the centre that causes mutual disruption. The attack against the town continues unconvincingly (see below, their id a French unit moving (running away) in the 'wrong direction' which is of slight concern to the French Commander - who hopes Napoleon does not see it, but fears he does):
Reserve French cavalry brigades are brought up to support the flagging French infantry in the centre and protect the dangerous "one-hex-gap" that has appeared between the fiercely defended town and the rest of the French Line Infantry - just above the "hand of God" in the picture below. The success along the river is a mixed blessing for the French as it allows the Austrians to isolate French units if they stray too far forward in search of an easy victory (see below, the French have 'just enough but no more' forces to cover the ground they need to defend, the loss of even one unit could unpick their defensive position):
Seeing the Austrian infantry around the town so disorganised the French commander can see that the time is ripe for a vigorous cavalry action. If the disorder Austrian infantry fail to "make squares" then the French cavalry could in theory massacre then (see below, the die is cast and the French commander awaits "fate's" answer - death or a Marshal's baton for the French Cavalry Commander methinks, perhaps even both):
The French cavalry has successfully plugged the hole, causing great grief and strife in the Austrian rank and file. The situation is stabilised, but the French have committed a great part of their cavalry reserve in the process. The Austrians still possess vast reserves of troops, including their Guard. The second round of this contest is going to be far harder for the French (see below, The French commander in this sector is already scribbling a note to Napoleon for more reinforcements):
Play-test complete, the game was fun and seems to have great potential.
