Sunday 18 November 2012

15mm Napoleonic "The Battle of Hal" 19th June 1815 .....or What if Napoleon had won Waterloo game?

Wellington is retreating, Grouchy had managed to do what he failed to do on the actual day which was to stop the Prussian Army under Blucher from linking up with the British at Waterloo......

The Rejects (Ray, John, Smiffy, Lee and myself) met up on Saturday for a what if? encounter the day after the Battle of Waterloo, the British have failed to hold at Waterloo, Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte fell within a few hours, the order to withdraw was given but Wellington had planned for this eventuality and as he fell back he headed North-west between the town of Hal only about 8 miles from the battlefield and Brussels which was about ten miles behind the British.

Wellington had left an army at Hal to guard the road leading to Brussels but it was also acting as a rearguard in case of defeat at Waterloo, Now all eyes are on Prince Frederick of the Netherlands command and his ability to hold the French advance.

Due to the fading light and exhaustion the French camped for the night at Waterloo with their enemy not far away, early next morning Napoleons scouts have informed of the army at Hal and he has dispatched part of Reilles corps to attack Frederick's army which is covering the retreat of the main army at Hal.

The British/Hanoverian and Dutch/Belgium forces have to defeat the French forces for the war to end a day later.....

If the French defeat this allied alliance then the way is open to Brussels, forcing the allies to sue for peace, the British evacuate their army from Antwerp, the Dutch and Belgians become vassals of the French again and victory bells are heard all over France.

Could this have happened, maybe......but it would have only delayed the inevitable as the Prussians, Russians and Austrians would have had something to say about it.......

Ray and John were the allies, myself (2nd in command), Lee (3rd in command), Smiffy (Commander), my pictures were of my position on the French left flank but the main story is of a tough battle and the urine poor dice throwing of one player (Lee), I have never seen the likes of it before or hope never to see it again!


The best picture of the initial table layout I could sort of get due to being stuck in the corner like a demented baboon (sorry but I was hemmed in all day by Lee), spent my day up and down off the fecking table end trying to move figures to the great amusement of others....

I was presented with these handy adhesive markers for my spraying needs.....

I love lancers, these I believe are the French 5th Lancers...... 

Contractual Postie picture as he lectures us in the shenanigans to come...

Prince Jerome Bonaparte leads his forces out (he had 7 battalions of elite Legere, 6 battalions of line and a 6pdr battery), Jerome was actually wounded at Waterloo.........

The white markers denote first fire (a one off extra dice to firing)......

A slightly better view of my command (I was the Comte Maximilien Foy) also wounded at Waterloo, 7 regiments of line, 3 regiments of elite Legere and a 6pdr light battery.....

The allies await us.......

...and then there's Ray's lot!

These number markers were all over the place (rolled for reinforcements)......

Dutch conscripts hide.......

Ray points out his good Hanoverian allies......

This is when the trouble started, Hanoverian Prince Regents and Bremen & Verden Hussar regiments appear, just line class.....

Contractual blog whore picture......

You may have noticed that all French units have been reduced by about a quarter (from 16 figures to 12 figures in infantry and by 2 figures to 10 in the cavalry), this had a bad effect on the firing and staying power of the French infantry ( it was to reflect the constant fighting of the French forces), reasonable but tough.......

1st and 2nd Carabiniers (elite) and 2nd and 3rd Cuirassiers arrive with a 6pdr horse artillery battery but in a really bad place..........

This was the view of Lee (Comte Hippolyte Marie Guillame Pire) I had all day, he commanded all cavalry and including the above arrivals he also had the 1st and 6th Chasseurs a cheval and the 5th and 6th lancers with another 6pdr horse artillery battery........

Nothing too bad so far, the Hanoverians Hussars charge the French Chasseurs who counter charged and the story unfolds......

In the background 2 regiments of French lancers await while the heavy boys head to the centre to stop the British coming out to flank my infantry attack.....everything seems fine!

Instead of tweeting maybe we maybe should have been practising our dice rolling!

I approach the allied lines, in particular I am targeting the Hanoverian conscripts (the red flags denote these conscript regiments, allied brigades were a mixture of conscript and line quality)......

The Hanoverians win both cavalry combats and pursue straight into the lancers (yellow marker denotes disordered), I feel a little uneasy but Lee is still confident........

Both lancer regiments lose and the Hanoverians ready themselves again (the blue markers represent captured flags, the black represent lost flags, the red denotes routing), WTF??????

Another round and they're fecking charging again.............

I'm in and going toe to toe with musketry to weaken and break the allied line and get my elite Legere who are following behind a gap to exploit but my size of units is telling against me and where's that bleeding cavalry?

.....they they are getting there arses kicked, in three rounds of combat Lee hasn't rolled a hit (I'm thinking of shooting him between the eyes)......

3 regiments of cavalry running for their lives, Lee has failed a brigade check but pass a division check, units have dispersed........these two Hussar units would finish the game still on the table...after 7 turns!

Hit in the rear again, this loss (yet another, Lee never won a round of combat, lost 9, drew 2, failed one brigade check, passed one brigade check and failed another division check at the end again), I passed my last brigade check and unfortunately the allies passed their 2 brigade tests (caused by losing entire regiments or regiments routing in their brigades, 2D6 and roll high) and with that we lost the game by a whopping 20 points to 10 points but really Lee lost us the game......

Towards the end with cavalry in the rear I dressed my lines with British regulars on my flank..........and my camera died so I didn't get any pictures of Ray's smug laughing face!

A good game but Smiffy (Bonaparte but Reille was on the table) stood still too long and then his flank was threatened and he never advanced, the cavalry were torn to shreds and my attack was unsupported and was blunted by the allies, artillery ammunition was rolled for ( some people had more than others) but.......

.....the best plans of mice and men mean nothing to the Dice gods!

The rules are Posties home brewed General De Brigade bastardised version!

On a side note between the shenanigans of the game table climbing (some really unnessecary pictures taken by other Rejects) and some new underwear which has caused me to sit and pinch my crackers twice at work (work trousers and work seating is shocking quality) I am now walking with a limp and a pained expression.

75 comments:

  1. Are they still mocking you about the varnish Fran?Bad sods....
    It's always a pleasure to see you and the rest of Rejects play Fran! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Very nice batrep Fran, I've just read Ray's one, and there are some (little) differences in your points of vue : it is undeniable that the French would have won (cursed dices!)...Really a great, and very funny, report!
    Best,
    Phil.

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  3. Thanks for the batrep, Fran. And never let an English commander lead the French cavalry ;) If you had led them otoh...

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  4. I loved the game, sorry about the crackers. You need ice and whiskey, and the ice is not for the drinks.

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  5. A travesty to be sure. Cavalry is never where you need them.

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  6. Very nice Fran. I enjoyed the AAR (from the other side's point of view). I feel for Lee. I have been known to blow some pretty good tactics maneuvers with awful die rolling...

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  7. Hi Fran,

    Great read old chap! I suggest that perhaps some of the Posties Rejects dice be immediately made available to Lee....;-)

    There is nothing like a swirling cavalry melee to get the inspiration going - especially when it goes to plan....NOT!!

    Loved it, well done for the read.

    All the best,

    DC - wrecking cavalry reserves since 1983

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  8. What if? stories are pretty fun to do, and I think you provided an excellent story there.

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  9. Very nice batrep Fran and sorry to hear you lost the game. There are some things you just can't control-like dice. But you can control the problem with your britches. Take the bloody thing off man and go commando!!

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    Replies
    1. Only at home, those work trouser zips are deadly and faulty!

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  10. Well, at least you spared us from the full ass-crack. Though had it been Ray's ass, I think we would not have been so fortunate.

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  11. Pinched nads aside, it was a great battle report and an awesome looking game. I have a theory that the reason Big Lee is such a nice guy is that he's making up for eating orphans or sodomizing nuns in a previous life.

    But the dice ALWAYS remember...

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  12. I gotta ask, each time I read your game recaps it seems Ray always wins. How is that possible? And if you had to look at Lee's backside all game you lost either way.

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    1. He rarely wins, what are you talking about???????

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry, buggered the spelling up.

      What if napoleon had won?...decent wine in Aldi :-D

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  14. I wonder if you played Abba in the background :P

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  15. Great report there Fran and you had to loose playing the bleeding French and all, lol. It was all a master plan

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  16. Those contractual obligations are killers.
    Maybe you should've put black varnish on the dice?

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  17. Looks like a great ame, thanks for the write-up.

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  18. Those damn dice gods really can be tricky buggers haha

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  19. You guys have more fun at your games, I am jealous

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  20. Great battle report, enjoyable looking game

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  21. God that was a thrashing. Honestly, I'm still sore...

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  22. Brillian!!! Were lee's dice a present from Ray by any chance??

    Just a thought!

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  23. Great batrep Fran. Despite your loss it sounds like you had a good time.

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  24. Great report. I think dice for cavalry can be meaner than anything.

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  25. Pretty interesting seeing both sides of the story

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  26. I love seeing the results of "big day" games like this. Good stuff.

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  27. Great looking game Fran and a highly amusing report! When Lee's dice hit the table did they inexplicitly land on a 6 then flip to a one? Perhaps you should have paid more attention to Ray's low whistling and pointing to other areas on the table.;-)

    Christopher

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  28. Nice report Fran, though must confess to not being a fan of GdeB... you seem to have to take a morale test first before you try and do anything with your troops, and all our games seemed to take forever to play and got nowhere fast...

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    1. It felt longer than the time we actually played!

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  29. What a big, beautiful mashup. I love a good "what if" scenario.

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  30. Wow...another epic confrontation of mighty armies. Well, done! Wedgies are not good, Supreme General. I have felt your pain.

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  31. what had lee done to anger the dice gods??? seems as if the french were just too exhausted. at least thats all I can think of to explain that tragic loss.

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  32. Thanks for the great report and pictures. Nice looking models too.

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  33. I kicked him in the crackers instead!

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  34. Great game again; however, every time I see one of the Reject's AARs, I always find myself equalling marvelling at the size of Postie's garden shed - no euphemism intended missus :D

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  35. None taken my friend (I had to look it up first):D

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  36. That was a great read Fran. Very nice photos too, well most of them anyway. Better dice luck next mate.

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  37. Great looking table. Some scary moments amongst these pics.

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  38. Superb battle report - The dice god's seemed particularly unhappy that day.

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  39. Fascinating stuff. Love the What if idea for the game.

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  40. Tough loss, I must say I was slightly confused by Jerome Bonaparte's lack of action, was he worrying about that flank attack the whole time? And as far as the old Frank & Beans I refer you to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzRuKnb2uuY

    Perhaps a kilt would be suitable for work.

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  41. Urine poor dice throwing aside, it looks like a fun time. Just remember, bad luck rubs off on people, so hopefully that bad dice throwing didn't taint your game forever!

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  42. Good stuff and what a super looking game.

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  43. "This was the view of Lee (Comte Hippolyte Marie Guillame Pire) I had all day" <--- that line and the picture had me laughing, Fran! Sorry to hear you lost, oh and sorry about your crackers too....

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  44. Cracking looking game and still receiving stick for the tragic mix up I see - the swine!

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  45. It's hard to explain to your boss why you're suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of the office. Saying that I've just read a report about wargaming and crushed nackers doesn't seem to make much sense when you say it out loud.

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  46. Great report. And a very good looking game. It's an interesting "what-if," I may have to give it a try. Fickle cavalry; I once lost three French cavalry divisions on three consecutive tuens in a Dennewitz refight.

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  47. Wow, the Black and Varnish stickers. That stings a little. Mind you, from my friends I'd expect no less. Still, that does hurt.

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  48. Thanks. Nothing like a good Napoleonic bash

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  49. I can see, literally, all the fun you guys had here with this game. Interesting.

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