Northern Exposure --some Napoleonics in a tussle

 Well, you know that new units usually perform sub par in the first adventure on the table. But what happens when a game has over half the troops..... on each side....making their debut? This is what we will try to find out in this battle. 

Roger laid down the challenge.  He has  a lot of troops, Bavarians mostly  over the last couple of years painted but unblooded.  Ok, said Greg, owner of nearly a dozen Danish/Norwegian units.. I could hardly wait to volunteer my Swedes to  the Nordic horde.

Getting a table at the local games store lined up, we emailed during the week the rough outline of the game. We'd use PK's l'Grognard, this time using the stripped down poker deck variant for impetus.  The armies were to be 30 units each, with the infantry units at 12 castings, cavalry at 8 and 2 gun sections making up a battery.

We pushed two "6 by 4" foot tables together and played the table as 6 wide and 8 long.  The battle needed to stop at 4 pm at the latest, to allow for arrival back for Friday dinner.  The scene was set, one army almost all in mid blue coats, the other force in dark or light blues as well as green or grey.

  

Marching to glory!  These veterans from the 1980's Know how to fight.

  Whilst these fellows are fresh from the drill field,

having been painted in the last half decade .

Swedish O.o.B

CiC  

1st Brigade: Guard and Grenadier units

2nd Brigade: Line infantry

3rd brigade: More Line infantry

4th Brigade: The Rest of the Line infantry

5th Brigade: Cavalry

(News flash....due to an illness, Greg was not able to attend Friday's game. Therefore only blue coated units will appear on the Nordic side. Well, one Jaeger unit in green.)

and because we need two sides

The Bavarians

Heavy Cavalry : Brigade General Baron Zandt

Light Cavalry:GeneralMajor Graf Seydewitz 

Command group Group 3 (Reserve): GeneralMajor von Vincenti

Command Group 1:von Rechberg

Command Group 2: GeneralMajor Graf Minucci

CiC : GeneralLieutenant von Deroy

We played through two 'turns' which saw plenty of action---and no notes means at best a sketchy memory of blow by blows. The pictures are what you came for, anyway. My only regret are the lack of up close shots of some magnificent Bavarians. Most of the Bavarians were painted in a whirlwind of about 18 months.

The photo dump

Bavarian center, start turn 1

 

Turn 1, Swedish right and Bavarian left .

 

Center , end turn 1

 

Bavarian right flank early turn 1

  my response, mostly militia in the brigade meant caution

Swedish left-center area

A lucky move got a portion of the town occupied first by Swedish troops.

Swedish center to right wing  

  Swedish center early in game.

 

 Daharran commander (Roger) nearest camera

Edgar, the ruler of Arquady in center background is observing the ritual of a PK game.

 

After several exchanges on flanks and center, Roger declared he was woefully below the morale chip level he would need to prevail. I guess I eked out a win although I did believe the momentum had shifted in the Bavarians' favor.  I guess the cards were neutral but the dice favored me mid game. 

Shameless Plug ---you can view much better photos of the Swedes on the page set up for the Swedish Napoleonic Army .