Beneath Lilly Banners 4Play Mini Solo GNW Game - Poltava 1709.

Back to some of the 4Play mini scenarios that I have in my collection, courtesy of my mate Nick, I think - I got all the pdf's from somewhere, anyway. Previous games were based around the Battler of the Boyne, but this one is part of an incident in the pivotal battle of Poltava. (Cue Wikipedia!)

The Battle of Poltava (8 July 1709) was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. A Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated a Swedish army, under the command of Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle put an end to the status of the Swedish Empire as a European great power, as well as its eastbound expansion, and marked the beginning of Russian influence in Northern Europe.

The Battle of Poltava, as well as the subsequent capitulation, ended in a decisive victory for Peter I and became the greatest military catastrophe in Swedish history. It marked a turning point in the continuation of the war in favour of the anti-Swedish coalition, which as a result of the battle was revived and with renewed vigor attacked the weakened Swedish Empire on several fronts. The battle thus marked the end of Sweden's time as the dominant power in Northern Europe, a position which after the war was taken over by the Russian Empire. The battle is therefore of crucial importance in the history of Sweden as well as Russia and Ukraine.

The "incident" the scenario is based on is laid out below. Annoyingly, the 4Play format has changed slightly, from a 3' x 3' table to 4' x4' - as a result of which, I have had to split the mini scenario into two parts, to fit my card table cum gaming area!

I must apologise for the poor quality of many of the images - my garage lighting isn't designed to assist in taking well-lit pictures of toy soldiers, and the place I set up the table and how I orientated the game didn't help - note to self, consider these things next time you set up a solo game table!

The initial set up - note, only two of the four redoubts are on my table, and fewer troops too.

The Dal Regiment (King Charles XII favourite, apparently) deployed in line and supported by a light gun and a squadron of Liv Dragoons.

One base of nervous Russians in Redoubt 1

Narke Varmlands Regiment and the second squadron of Liv Dragoons

Redoubt 2 held by a slightly larger force.

The Uber aggressive Swedes commenced with an assault! Both the Dal Regiment and the 2nd Sqn Liv Dragoons were given CHARGE orders, whilst Narke Varmlands were given FORM to prepare to assist the assault. Pre charge morale tests resulted in the charge being abandoned by the Swedish infantry, but the Russians were SHAKEN nonetheless!

The Swedish artillery fired at close range - and hit nichts! Meanwhile, the Russian guns (off table to the left of the advancing Swedes), hit the Narke Varmlands Regiment with a devastating barrage - and they fled the field!

Tests for the cavalry charge resulted in the Liv Dragoons going in against the HALTED Russian Dragoons. Rolling 2 D12 per base (as they are ELITE), hitting on a 5, the Liv Dragoons obliterated the enemy with SIX hits! Before departing, the Russian cavalry rolled 1 D6 (normally D8 but reduced one level because they were halted) needing a 6 for a kill - they got NONE. The Liv Dragoons however did take a casualty, as 1 is automatic if none are caused by enemy action.

Turn 2 saw two more units of Swedish infantry arrive to support the attack. This was aided by inspirational leadership from General Roos (the Swedes rolled 10 and got orders for every unit on the field, whereas the Russians rolled 1 and got no orders at all)! The general's presence also appears to add lead to the Dal regiment who this time roll a 9 on their CHARGE test - but the already shaken Russian defenders roll low and abandon the first redoubt without a fight!

The victorious Dal regiment storm up the hill into the abandoned redoubt, as the Russian guns thunder out from their position on the flank once again, causing casualties on both the Liv Dragoons and one of the newly arrived infantry regiments. 

The battle-hardened veterans of Charles XII's Kronsbergs infantry shrug off the effects and carry on, but his elite household cavalry are forced to retire!

In turn 3, both sides rolled for 50% of their units to get an order. The 1st Sqn Liv Dragoons were given CHARGE, and they tested to assault the Russian infantry retreating towards the safety of the second redoubt - unsurprisingly, being elite, they passed! The already SHAKEN Russians, now in full RETREAT mode, rolled low again, and "dissolved".... , as the rules have it! Once again, the Russian guns take a heavy toll on both the 2 Sqn and the left-hand infantry unit - the horsemen had had enough, and retired from the field, but despite reaching almost 50% losses, the stoic Swedish infantry trudged forwards under the hail of fire.

In turn 4, both sides once again rolled for orders for 50% of the units on the table. The Kronsbergs regiment on the left used a FORM order to move from column to line, in anticipation of an assault on the second redoubt, while the Dal regiment had a MOVE order to advance from their position in the vacant first redoubt. Russian artillery did its usual damage and resulted in the Kronsberg regiment becoming SHAKEN! Both sides infantrymen exchanged musketry but to no effect at all (I should have left the Dal regiment "unfired" as they get 4 extra dice in melee if they have not fired beforehand....but I only realised that afterwards!)

Turn 5 and both sides got orders for all units on the field (not that it made much difference to the Russians!) Only the Dal regiment were in a position to attack the second redoubt, and they did so. Morale test of a 9 meant they were in like Flynn - but the Russian defenders rolled a 1 and routed off the field!

The Swedes have taken two of the four redoubts, but at some cost, with two units leaving the fray and a third teetering on the brink of breaking.

The victorious General Carl Gustaf Roos and his staff looking towards the third redoubt.

The unit that did all the hard yards for Roos, King Charles favourites, the Dal Regiment. Can they continue to work their magic in round two, when I take on redoubt's numbers 3 and 4?

Well, I enjoyed that little game and it only took about an hour to play out. Possibly I could have brought in another squadron of the Russian dragoons as they only got 1 of a possible 4 in the scenario, but the battlefield seemed a bit congested as it was. The remaining three can play their part in game two, when I get around to that!

Thanks as ever for dropping by for a gander and I hope you leave a comment to mark your visit here!