Sunday Game - War of the Spanish Succession

 It's taken a couple of days for me to work up any enthusiasm to write this AAR mainly because, despite looking gorgeous, this game was a bit ho-hum from my perspective. Mark over at 1866 and all That has already given his version - and he did a lot of fighting and came very close to winning the game for us - but them he didn't!

I have 60+ pix from the game - because the figures, all provided by GM Rick, really are very photogenic - so there is plenty to look at again. I will add a few captions but basically the centre of both positions was dominated by four "position" guns that could swivel to point in any direction but could not move. We had no field guns, and the Allies (Brits, Dutch and Austrians) had some battalion guns amongst their infantry units.

There were cavalry forces on both wings of both armies, and around 12-14 battalions of infantry in the centre - four forces per side - I had command of some "Bourbon" infantry on our left centre.

The Allies were in position on a ridge and despite the urgings of game master Rick (also their right-wing cavalry commander due to a late player withdrawal), commander in chief Nick sensibly declined to abandon it - so I advanced doggedly under constant fire from the enemy position guns. If I had not been rolling saving throws like a demon, all my battalions would have disintegrated before I made it halfway to the Allied position! 

Mark to my left played a masterful game with five units of cavalry - initially charging uphill into a unit of British infantry, wiping them  out, then breaking through onto the Dutch Guards who were marching down the rear of the Allied position in column. Caught deployed thus in the flank in that formation, they were also destroyed. He then took to the Allied cavalry under Rick and within a few turns had reduced them from five to two units - I fully expected him to wipe out the last two, turn the Allied infantries right flank, and I would then advance with the infantry to assault them with a decent chance of success.

Our commander Chris played a cat and mouse game with the rest of our infantry against Paul on the Allied side, with not an awful lot actually happening. On our right wing, John led the rest of our cavalry - he seemed to do very well every time Barry's Allied cavalry attacked him, generally winning the melee and pushing them back - but when he attacked, Barry rolled save after save, and gradually wore down the Bourbon cavalry on that wing.

It was a game of two halves in both ways - Mark and I v Rick and Nick on one half - a dead ground dominated by four position guns on each side that ensured no one tried to advance in that third of the table, then Chris and John v Paul and Barry on the other end - and in another context, we Bourbons dominated the first half of the game with both Rick and Barry on the back foot in the cavalry battle - and then, all of a sudden, both Mark and John rolled a 1 for activation when they had several units carrying a few hits, and both Bourbon cavalry wings collapsed. And that was the game - because without the cavalry threatening the flank, there was no hope of a frontal assault by my infantry succeeding - I started to withdraw them towards the centre, with Nicks Brits quickly quitting their defensive ridge and pursuing me! We called the game after a turn or two of this pursuit, as it was obvious that the longer we played, the worse things would become for the Bourbons; the end result was not in question!

Anyway, here are all the images 

The positions - Allies on the right Bourbons on the left

Bourbon Infantry

Brits on the ridge and their cavalry support

Bourbon commander

My repositioning march commences - trying to get out of direct LOS from the Allies battery of position guns

Marks Bourbon cavalry moving forward

The Brits respond 

French (Bourbon) cavalry charge the British line!

The cavalry destroys the British unit - note the Dutch guards in column of march closest to the camera.... 

Marks cavalry break through onto the Dutch guards in column!

My Bourbon infantry in their new position, advancing on the British

The Allied cavalry under Barry on the other end of the table

Allied infantry deploying

Marks cavalry clash with the Brits 

The cavalry clash continues with Mark coming out on top in most cases 

My infantry in a holding pattern, waiting for the donkey wallopers to gain ascendancy over the Brits - as it seemed they inevitably would

The other Bourbon infantry force led by Chris

Marks lovely Bohemian church was built for Rick

The cavalry clash between John and Barry

Marks cavalry get stuck in again!

Suddenly, there seem to be a lot fewer British cavalry in evidence!

The Allied cavalry at the other end deploy around a village

A view of my command from above the British position on the ridge

More cavalry combat between John and Barry

Where have all the British cavalry gone?!

Just waiting for Mark to finish destroying Ricks cavalry so he can get on Nicks flank - and then my infantry will attack!

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table.....

Them, all of a sudden, most of Mark's command quit the field! My infantry abandons their plans for assault and start marching back towards the central position

The Brits come forward in pursuit!

At the other end, the Bourbon cavalry also collapses 

Nicks Brits closing in for the kill!

My Walloon Guards make a last ditch heroic stand to protect the rear of my withdrawing infantry - they were destroyed by the Scots Greys!

The British line advancing - my infantry are in the top right

Infantry stalemate between Paul and Chris at the other end 

Its all over - an overwhelming victory for the Allise!

As I said, a bit of a frustrating game - all I did was manoeuvre - I did not fire once in the whole game! I did roll very well for saves against the position guns, but the sudden collapse of Marks cavalry left my command horribly exposed and I saw no point whatsoever in launching an unrealistic attack against an equal number of Brits in line, with superior fire power factors AND defending higher ground - Ricks cavalry would almost certainly have intervened on my flank or rear, as well!

A very attractive table and collection, so I have the satisfaction that there is plenty of eye candy for you to look at - but the game itself was a bit average!