Quatre Bras game test (Bloody Big Battles)

 Monday, I ran a first solo test of my Quatre Bras scenario for Bloody Big Battles, intended to be a moderate size game. Units are mostly divisions with a few large divisions broken into brigades. The scale is each base represents 1,000 infantry, 500 cavalry or 24 guns. All the Anglo-Dutch artillery units are half-strength, as are a couple French ones. The opening deployment is seen below.

As soon as the game started, I realized that Grand Pierrepont (off-photo to the left) and Piraumont should not be objectives while Bois de Bossu needed one. I also need to simplify my casualty objectives. The only Napoleonic variant rule used was the K modifier for heavy and Guard cavalry. There are a couple scenario special rules, like leaders becoming hors de combat. I am considering one more period variant: cavalry disrupted by fire should retire 9”. These chaps didn’t routinely fight dismounted.

 

Yellow discs show disrupted units. The large polyhedral die indicates what turn is being played. The French moved first and found Perponcher’s division a tough nut to crack. 

Perponcher’s artillery escaped, better than they fared in the actual battle. Picton’s division of Peninsular veterans proved quite impressive. Their devastating musketry decimated the French, though the division rolled poorly in 2 assaults and was stopped by artillery in the last.

 

I counted Bachelu’s veteran division as spent too soon. They might have got a hit on Picton.

 

Guiton charged again but Piquet failed to join.

At the end of the game, the French held the Bois de Bossu and Gemioncourt, better than Ney managed in the real battle. But French losses were much heavier than the real battle. Allied losses = 1 cavalry, 4 infantry (2 Brit, 1 DB, 1 Nassau). French losses = 3 cavalry knocked out (1 guard, 2 Pire) and 3 ran off (guard, Pire’s other 2), 4 infantry KO ’ed (3 Bachelu, 1 Foy), 2 ran off. The game lasted 150 minutes, slightly over 20 minutes per turn.

 

In my rush to stage the test, both sides had some poor tactics. The Anglo-Dutch formed a grand battery of ~48 guns that was masked by Picton, never fired a shot. Pire’s French light cavalry was destroyed, as were the precious Guard Chasseurs. The Cuirassiers fought well and survived. All in all, French tactics were poor.

 

I’m about to set out on our first trip across the pond since the plague, and will be heading for Maine after our return, so the scenario is unlikely to be tested again this year. The order of battle seems OK, but other things need to be changed.

 

I had Jerome enter a turn earlier since I figured the time he got into the fight counts. I think Cooke’s Guard division should also come on a turn earlier. They did clear the Bois de Bossu in time to exit the south side and get into trouble from French cavalry. In this game they barely had time to fire into the woods.