I got an email this morning to say that Graham and I's Partizan demo game made it to the pages of Charles Grant's "Wargames Annual 2022" and that he also mentioned this blog.
This weekend it was time to catch up with Graham H and have a game with his 40mm collection, which is never a chore.
Graham sent me a map to which I was to sketch my deployment, internet gremlins made this more difficult than it seems and for a while it looked like my Prussians would be lacking orders as the courier (ie email) was not getting through!
Not being sure of what I was expecting I set up a fairly balanced deployment. Two lines of infantry with my heavy cavalry on my right and my lights and grenadiers on my left, these to capture a village on that side of the table while the cavalry were to deny any flanking moves by the Austrians until such time as I was able to shift my rear line to one flank or the other to decide the battle.
Graham with the Austrians began the game with his troops in March column, intent on moving across the table quickly to take the high ground in the middle of the table. While his Hungarians to the village to his left while two big units of infantry threatened the village on the right
Graham's centre was this bunched up and didn't have a lot of room to deploy. This meant I was able to pick them off with musketry with the odds in my favour rather than facing units one to one in a line similar to my own. The deployment of Austrian cavalry as the "hinge" between the Hungarian left and the rest of the Austrian army at times masked the Austrian guns which otherwise would have carved up my right.
On the left my freikorps were able to get into the village, but facing two full infantry regiments they and their supporting grenadiers were outnumbered and the flank march was quite a ways from the main body. So instead of fighting it out they looted the village and set it alight ! Their accompanying dragoons demonstrated and kept the Austrians in place long enough for them to be kept out of the battle.
Back in the centre the decisive moments of the game had been reached. I'd lost two units of Prussian infantry from my front line but my second had come up in support and stabilised things. These now poured in a weight of shot and caused the Austrians in their turn to break. On my right I was able to bring an artillery battery and battalion guns to bear and staved off involvement from the cavalry.
The odds had shifted in my favour. The Austrians on the hill were shattered and my centre stabilised, my left flank was secure and my right had occupied a village and was sitting with three fresh heavy cavalry units. Graham had recalled units from his right, pulled his central cavalry back to cover the hill and set his Hungarians in place on his left, but it was clear that he had nothing to attack with and would, with the arrival on the rest of my heavy artillery from flank duties on my left, would have to quit the field.
Huzzah! Victory for Prussia!
Good to be playing a big game once again. We will be getting together for another game in December.
Afterwards we chatted about the demo game at Partizan and kicked around some ideas for what to do for next year. No details or indeed firm plans yet, but we shall be making an appearance at what was a great show. I understand from Graham that there will be photos and details of the game in next months WI and MW.
A quick post - just to say thank you to the organisers, attendees and traders at Partizan today. I had a fantastic time and I can honestly say it was the best show I've been to. Everyone was very friendly and it was great to catch up with so many people and to chat to many many more.
As the Friends of Am Military Gentleman, Graham Hilditch and I put on a demo game of a "Descent on the French Coast" featuring Graham's rather excellent 40mm figures and buildings and of course his wonderful ships. Thanks to all of these the game won Best of Show.
Watch the wargames press for more on this game, meantime there are a few pictures below.
Hello to Colin and Katherine, Roddy, Peter, Graham, Steve, Stuart, Mark, Dave, Phil, Martin, Dave, Henry and everyone else I talked to!
Quick update - https://www.facebook.com/427825860606117/posts/4301381749917156/
Tomorrow I shall be kicking off a long weekend trip to Newark to visit Partizan for the first time. I won't be sneaking under the wire incognito though - far from from it!
Graham H and myself shall be putting on a display as The Friends of a Military Gentleman. This promises to be quite a fame with two great 18th century ships of the line firing in support of a descent on the French coast. Without giving more away let me remind you that Mr H games in 40MM and so this will be a BIG game in every sense of the word!
If you are at the show please come and say hello - we will be DG13 right next to Warlord and the Writers Corner.
I have been quite busy over the last few weeks, both at the painting bench and off it.
However it hasn't been quiet on the painting bench either. I have managed to paint a frigate to use as a support vessel for the landings on Cuba.
