WSS: Neues Ritterheim - noch einmal...

 Monday afternoon was the date for the second Zoom re-run of Neues Ritterheim. If you would like to see a map and the OOBs, you'll find them in the report of the original face-to-face game I played with Stryker, here.

My opponent for this second re-run was David, keeper of the very fine Not by Appointment blog. I am pleased to be able to confirm that the flags for most of the French units in our game were his designs, which is a nice touch - I am a big fan.

Once again I was the French commander, Marsin, while David took the role of Prince Eugène. Because I have now remembered that Zoom games run quite a bit more slowly than face-to-face events, we reduced the victory requirement from 9 points to 7. The game went well enough, though we had some technology glitches which were mostly my fault, as it happened, and we did run out of time, the Austrians being 5-4 ahead; we agreed it was a draw, though, since David was leading on points, held the village and had disabled one of my brigade commanders (Maulevrier), it could be argued that he probably had the best of it. We certainly agreed that neither army would have been in great shape to continue a campaign any time soon!

 

Yes, once again the action started with the cavalry on the flanks trying to assert themselves. From behind the Allied left you can see Kegel bringing forward his horsemen against the enemy, while beyond him General Backer, with infantry from the Duke of Lorraine's regiment and from Hessen-Kassel, moves to occupy the village

 

On the other wing, Niederhammer faces up to the French, and his Cusani Cuirassiers suffer an early thumping, which discouraged them somewhat. Over the day, the Austrians won this flank

 

I had some early doubts about how useful it was to throw a lot of effort into possession of the village; after all, if the village is worth 1 victory point and you lose 3 units contesting it, what have you done? However, when Backer's Austrian brigade advanced toward it, my chaps in Bligny's brigade found themselves shuffling forward to stop them. So much for analysis?

 

The remainder of the Austrian forces - Furneburg's infantry brigade - were withheld while matters elsewhere developed. Accordingly, the French troops opposite them waited to see what happened. If this sounds uninspired, the reality is often that, since a turn normally ends before all brigades have been activated, anyone who is a second priority may miss out on occasions

 

 

Back on the French left/Allied right, the early French cavalry success stalled very quickly. Niederhammer employed some skillful evading manoeuvres in this area

 

The Austrian centre, still developing relatively slowly, about an hour into the action...

 

...here's a closer view

 

 

The infamous ploughed field - this time occupied by dismounted French dragoons. No, they achieved nothing in particular, but at least they did it in the approved manner. What's in the sacks? - no idea, but it might be turnips

 

At last the Austrian centre advances - note that the command base behind the leftmost battalion in the second line is Prince Eugène himself - some say he was becoming impatient...

 

By this stage, Kegel's Austrian cavalry on the left flank had a short pause, during which they got their breath back and glared at the French Gendarmérie...

 

...who were far too superior to glare back...

 

General view from the French right flank

 

View from behind Furneburg's Austrians. The artillery unit in the left foreground actually scored a hit on the dragoons in the ploughed field from 800 paces, which is not bad at all, considering they hit little else all day

 

The Victory Point markers on the table edge indicate this is around the end of the day, and the action on the Allied right peters out with protracted bickering (between the toy soldiers, I hasten to clarify...)

 

General view along the field from behind the French left 

 

As it became obvious that a draw was imminent, both sides were careful to avoid throwing it away late in the day - battered troops were pulled out of harm's way, and no risky attacks were undertaken. Here in the French back line, 2/Navarre is conspicuous by the 3 loss markers - they had obviously been withdrawn from a hot spot at the front. This is Maulevrier's brigade, though by this stage the brigadier had been seriously wounded and removed from the field

 

The cavalry action on the French right had gone very quiet - the troops watching each other but avoiding unnecessary risks

 

 

More general views, to show where the troops were at the end

My thanks to David for an enjoyable game, and my apologies for the techie problems, which I shall explain here, not least so that they can remind me of things to be careful about...

Technology hiccups. For a start, the first one was my fault. I got all the cameras set up and everything running about half an hour before kick-off, but I forgot to switch on the mains supply for my laptop (which was serving the East camera), and it has a duff battery, so about 5 minutes before David was due to check in it went flat, made a pathetic chiming sound and shut down. As I recall, in this situation the laptop is supposed to go into hibernation, so switching on the power should get everything back to where you were, but no - the camera was signed off - gone. In the ensuing fiddling around, I did get the East camera admitted to the session again, but managed to knock out the close-up camera in the process, so decided to run with just the two main cameras [the close-up camera would have been useful, so that was a bit of a nuisance - I may have uttered an oath or two, for which I apologise as necessary..]. 

Late on there were 2 momentary power failures, about half an hour apart (thank you, Scottish Power) - the Zoom session kept running, but the Bluetooth switched off both times, so I had to poke about in System Preferences to get the audio working again! Ach well - war is hell.

WSS: Neues Ritterheim - 2nd house

 This is a repeat of a battle I fought with Stryker, face-to-face, on 9th October, and if you'd like to see map and OOBs you will find them on my blog report here. At that time, my intention was to leave the field set up, and stage a couple of re-runs via Zoom the following week.

Inevitably, a few inconveniences manifested themselves on the Real World front, and it became obvious that "the following week" was going to slip quite a bit. So I took notes, packed away the soldiers safely into A4 boxfiles, in the correct order and all correctly labelled, and promised myself that I'd arrange to get the follow-up games set up as soon as possible.

Well, I may not keep promises to others, but I'm always careful not to disappoint myself, so yesterday the days were accomplished, and I was delighted to host the Jolly Broom Man (all the way from France) in this first repeat performance. JBM took the part of Prince Eugène with the Imperial army, and once again I was Marshal Marsin, with some of King Louis' finest. Since I lost the first game, I was keen to do rather better this time.

 

General view of the table, from behind the French right flank, early in the day - troop movements have started, and there is a sprinking of early loss counters (which are white for Zoom games, since the official black ones don't show up well on screen!)

We started at 11:30 GMT, which is a tad brisk for me, but we expected the game to last about 4 hours, and JBM was keen to have some French daylight left at the end to allow him to put his hens to bed. As with the October session, the target for the win was 9 Victory Points, one of which was available to whoever held the village at any moment. [In October, by the way, I was the French, and was beaten decisively.]

 

From the French left - you can see the Austrians getting about their business, advancing in the centre. One scenic change from the original game was that the enclosure near this end of the table was a ploughed field, since I couldn't find the printed paper kale field I used last time... 

 

 

One thing I remembered from the original game was that the French right wing cavalry had an advantage in quality and numbers (they are coming towards the camera, from the opposite side of the table), but were deployed in a wooded area which restricted them. Accordingly, I made the effort to get them out in the open, where I could use them. I have to say it was better, but still not as good as I hoped

 

On the other flank, history repeated itself, since one army seized the ploughed field and was pretty much stranded there for most of the day. This time it was the Austrians' turn to do some unintentional farming

 

There was a long struggle for control of the village - the Imperialists captured it very quickly, but here the French have just taken it back - General De Bligny is in personal command - that's him next to the blue cube (which indicates that his brigade has been activated). The fight continued here, and the Austrians recaptured it later

 

French cavalry trying to remember to behave sensibly, for a change

 

Back at the ploughed field, Heimo Niederhammer finds he has a major scrap surrounding him, but is not able to contribute much...

 

The little soldiers don't get much of a view - and then there's all that abstracted smoke. Here we are behind the French second line - regiments of Toulouse (on the left) and Saintonge - things are sweatier in front

 

In this game we had no staff casualties at all, which is surprising, since most of the generals were actively involved in the fighting. Here is a moment of disappointment for the French; the Marquis de Vertilly (blue cube) comes in with fresh cavalry on the right flank, to mop up the very battered 3/Lothringen, who have suffered considerably in the fighting for village, and are being held together by Generalmajor Backer (pale horse) - 4 white counters and you're out! Not only are the Austrian unit on the edge, but they are also exposed on the end of the line - this is the equivalent of a flank attack in these rules. The dice, despite all appropriate advantages, achieve no hits, though the 2 is a retreat, which the infantry may ignore, since Backer is alive and with them...

 

The game went smoothly enough, but we were a bit slow getting the losses to levels where the morale checks start to bring on a decision. This is probably because (1) we felt we had plenty of time (2) we both did a lot of work pulling battered units out of the line, and sending fresh ones in (3) I maybe talked too much (it has been known). I got a nice fat chance event bonus (black cube here), which gave Maulévrier's brigade extra moves and extra fighting dice for this activation. You can see his units with blue "order" chits, whose job it is now to make the final push for the French

 

I had glorious visions of winning the day in some style, but my attack was only moderately successful.

 

 

The Austrians still held the village, but, though the VP score was only 6-3 to the French, JBM was concerned that he had quite a few units close to elimination, and now conceded with such dignity and so graciously that I was almost tearful; then I remembered that his hens would be getting anxious about the fading light...

 

Hooptedoodle #491 - Fowl Play Suspected

 Invaded again. A couple of chickens from the other side of the farm steading were here today checking out our new squirrel-proof bird feeder, which may feature in a post soon. I went outside to discuss it with them, and they ran away. They are quick - not graceful, but quick.

 As long as they stay away from the power cables... 

Hooptedoodle #490 - Power Supply Management in the Post-Truth Age?

 

Last night I received a text message from our electricity supply company, apologising for frequent short outages over the last few months, and especially during 27th-30th Sept (?). This remarkable note explains that these are due to environmental situations such as trees touching overhead lines and cattle rubbing against electricity poles - yes - you did read that last bit correctly. They go on to state that they are going to build some fences and do some tree-trimming to address these problems.

 

Of course we have to be grateful, and one is keen not to say the wrong thing, but it seems there may be evidence of bulls making a bit of a mess as well. I would be more convinced if the lady on the supply company's helpdesk in Birkenhead hadn't told me a month ago that the problem seemed to be the supply being (automatically?) switched between areas at times of peak load. [We the customers have already done some investigation to check whether the outages coincided with time-switches turning on the big grain dryers on the local farms, which was interesting, though inconclusive.]

 

It also surprises me that cattle should rub against the poles at exactly 6:30am or 7pm each day - creatures of habit, obviously. I consider it unlikely that there are any livestock (apart from horses, which are fenced away from poles, and pigs, which are kept indoors) within 30 miles of here. Generally, I'd be more convinced if the note didn't read as if it were written by AI, or maybe Ms McOswald's class at the primary school.

WSS: The Battle of Neues Ritterheim, June 1703

 Busy day today, as I was delighted to welcome my good friend Baron Stryker to take part in my first face-to-face wargame at Chateau Foy for more than two years.

The Baron had to travel by a relay of stagecoaches, so we were under a little pressure to crack on with the action in the available time. Stryker was Prince Eugène, commanding the Imperial troops, and I was Marshal Marsin, in charge of the French. Let's start here with a battlefield map and the OOB:

French Army (Maréchal de France Ferdinand, Comte de Marsin)         
(9 horse; 14 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Vertilly’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Marquis de Vertilly)

Gendarmérie de France (6 Sqns) (elite)

Régt de Grignan (3 Sqns)

Régt de La Baume (3 Sqns)

Régt de La Vallière (3 Sqns)

De Broglie’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Marquis de Broglie)

Régt du Mestre de Camp (3 Sqns)

Régt du Roi (3 Sqns)

Régt de Tarnault (3 Sqns)

Dragons de La Vrillière (3 Sqns)

Bligny’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Marquis de Bligny)

Régt de Béarn (2 Bns)

Régt de Champagne (2 Bns)

Régt du Dauphin (2 Bns)

Régt de Languedoc (1 Bn)

1 field battery

De Maulevrier’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Marquis de Maulevrier)

Régt de Navarre (2 Bns)

Régt de Nettancourt (1 Bn)

Régt de Poitou (2 Bns)

Régt de Saintonge (1 Bn)

Régt de Toulouse (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

Imperial Army (Prince Eugène de Savoie)         
(8 horse; 15 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Niederhammer’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Generalmajor Graf Niederhammer)

Alt-Hannover Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Cusani Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Gronsfeld Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Aufseß Dragoner (Franconian) (3 Sqns)

Kegel’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Generalmajor Dieter-Sebastian von Kegel)

Jung-Darmstadt Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Lobkowitz Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Leibregiment zu Pferd (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Spiegel Karabiniere (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Furneburg’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Generalmajor Furst von Furneburg) 

IR Alt-Salm (1 Bn)

IR Gschwind (2 Bns)

IR Palffy (1 Bn)

IR Scharfenstein (2 Bns)

IR Thürheim (2 Bns)

1 field battery

Backer’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Generalmajor Von Backer (Osnabrück)) [3 Bns have battalion guns]

IR Lothringen (3 Bns)

IR Erbprinz (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Leib zu Fuß (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Prinz Wilhelm (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Stückrad (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

We started the game at 11am, and Stryker clinched victory with the required 9 Victory Points at close to 3pm, which is good going, allowing for a 45-minute lunch break. Rules in use were my own CJ Lite set - a streamlined version of Corporal John. This was also the first time CJ Lite rules have been used in a f2f game - no problems, I'm pleased to report.

 

Before the soldiers came (and before the dining chairs were taken away), here's a peaceful view of the field, showing the coach road to Landau passing through the village of Sankt Albertus Magnus. Possession of the village was to be worth 1 bonus VP

 

More Tripadvisor stuff - here is the monument to Charlemagne on the south side of the valley...

 

...and here you see the statue of the Saint, with a very fine dunghill at the end of the church. [Merde]

 

First action was the cavalry on the French right [Allied left] squaring up to each other; a lively start, but the ground was not ideal for mounted action, and this quickly bogged down. The units with the red counters attached are the two sections of the Gendarmérie de France, no less, the only elite troops on the table, who performed very disappointingly throughout...

 

...here you see this position from behind the Allied lines, with General von Kegel putting pressure on the French elites

 

This is Furneburg's brigade, preparing to advance

 

Predictably, there was some cavalry activity on the French left also; Niederhammer's Austrian brigade managed to gain the initiative, but this, too, ran out of steam. Here you see the French Régiment du Roi suffering the embarrassment of being forced to take shelter in a kale field, to avoid the Imperial cuirassiers 

 

 

French elite cavalry making very heavy weather of a situation which Vertilly expected to dominate

 

In the French centre, Marshal Marsin (grey coat) brings up the Regt de Nettancourt

 

The infantry engagement in the middle of the battlefield developed into a grim struggle, both sides managing to gain some successes. Furneburg made excellent use of some favourable movement bonuses to bring up his line

 

 

At this stage the Austrians have an impressive line across the centre, but they are getting short of reserves

 

The French took possession of the village very early, but were driven out rather easily - the Austrians made effective use of battalion guns in this particular fight

 

A sight to chill the bones of any commander: Baron Stryker seen looming over the field, photographing his troops' glorious progress for posterity

 

Thus the battle settled into a situation where the Imperial troops had a firm hold on the village, and the two cavalry fights were indecisive...

 

...though the French did manage to lose both their cavalry commanders in quick succession

 

The Gendarmes were still failing to impress anyone...

 

...and Eugène/Stryker won 9-6. No complaints from the opposition - a worthy victor

 

 

A couple of incidental shots; this is the Régiment de Lavallière, on the French right, who spent most of the action in reserve, trying not to block possible retreat routes for their more illustrious colleagues

 

 

The French still had some units in good shape at the end, but they had no opportunity to make a comeback

 

The village is in Imperial hands

 

One of Eugène's Hessian auxiliary units - they didn't do very well; looked nice though

 

Random shot of an Austrian gun - this is a real oldie - 1970s miniatures from the original Eric Knowles collection I purchased in 2019

My thanks to Stryker for his company and courageous disposition; excellent fun!