This is a belated report on a second game of the 1811 Battle of Albuera, played on October 24. The rules were Bloody Big Battles, the scenario from Bloody Big Peninsular Battles. Jay played Beresford, Bill was Soult and I umpired. The result was quite different from our first game.
We got off to a slow start when Bill had trouble finding a
parking spot. After lunch we proceeded to the table. Jay spent a bit of time
deploying his British, Portuguese and Spanish troops (all in italics from
here). Hindsight indicates we should have done this while Bill was looking
for the elusive parking spot.
The initial deployment saw Bill’s French opt for a heavy
French flanking move against the Allied right flank, as Soult did in
reality and as I did in the first game. Red arrows = assaults, yellow arrows =
retreats from assaults, yellow counters = disruption or silenced artillery, .22
cartridges = low on ammo, blue counters = spent units.
Most French units, aided by their 6 leaders (properly-functioning staff), moved at a good clip towards the enemy right, with Godinot threatening the Allied center, keeping a lot of British and Portuguese pinned for the first 3 turns. The Spanish division CO Zayas (the only Allied general represented in this battle) moved to block the French attack.
French troops seized the first objective and Allied reinforcements began to shore up the flank.
On turn 3 a combined infantry/cavalry assault took a hilltop
from Zayas’ infantry that made a second objective. The French need 4 at
game end for a win, 3 for a tie.
The photo editor (me) erred here. The next 3 photos are all the 3rd turn, not turn 2 as labeled. Can’t get good help any more.
On the 4th turn Bill got excellent movement rolls, mounting a coordinated attack all along the enemy right. Jay must have sacrificed to the dice gods. Every assault was repulsed. BBB assaults are opposed D6 rolls. Jay rolled 3 sixes in a row, beating attacks that with even odds would have been costly defeats. He rolled some more after a merely mortal roll. Bill’s dice were middling but not terrible.
Losing every assault, even those where he had serious modifiers in his favor, broke Bill’s morale. After Jay straightened out his line, even managing a small counterattack, Bill threw in the towel. He had a straight shot at a tie since an objective on the western table edge was open. French cavalry superiority made it an easy bid. But the Spanish Army had a decent line cobbled together. British and Portuguese reinforcements were bolstering the line, with more on the way. French victory looked like a distant mirage. Jay has serious time issues and had to go. Bill was done.
The previous game had seen a strong French victory, with the Spanish Army in ruins and 5 objectives in French hands, including one for smashing a British unit. I could not see why this was so different. Losses were minor for both sides instead of the previous abattoir. Certainly, dice were part of it. It’s been a couple weeks and I don’t have my notes here in Maine. But losses were 3 to 5 bases for each side. 4 turns played in under 2 hours. This might call for yet a third try in January or so. No more miniatures game while in Maine, though I hope to get some board games done.
