Quasi-Bras with Square Eagles: Turns 9 - 15

Turn 9: Allies get a big roll when they needed it! They will have sufficient activations for all of their units. French will have to leave 2 units inactive. 

"Me thinks I hear bagpipes!" exclaims the Allied commander. Hearted by dust clouds signaling the arrival of his reinforcements, he decides to hold his ground covering the approach to Quasi Bras. A Nassau light battalion does little damage firring at a French infantry assault. 

However, the French infantry then rolls very poorly (they need 4+ on 5 dice vs 5+ on 3 dice for the LI). Their assault is repulsed!

With the objective in sight, the French press the advance!

The French then see the relief column that arrived this turn - 3 units of Highlanders! (no special properties for this battle, though). 

French LI fire. 

Shooting by the 2 Nassau Light infantry units is more effective!

Turn 10: French seize the initiative , effectively 7 to 2! Orders are issued.

If at first you don't succeed... this time the French Assault is successful, 

Eliminating the pesky Nassau LI; the victorious unit takes advantage of its free change of facing. 

French units advance again!

2 Highland units use Maneuver orders to advance 45 degrees and change formation. 

French shooting takes its toll on the Dutch Belgium line before Quasi-Bras!

Allied return fire is weak. 

Turn 11 - this time the dice gods favor the Allies, and not a moment too soon! Orders are issued. 

Highlanders advance on Quasi Bras, and the Dutch Belgian line occupies the crossroads. 

Limited French moves. 

Results of the  Allied shooting. 

French shooting is a bit less effective. 

Turn 12: both sides roll high, but Allies retain the initiative (must win by 2+ for it to change). Many orders are issued. Note that the French still have all 8 units remaining, although many are battered, while the Allies have only 5, but 3 are almost completely fresh. 

Gordon Highlanders launch a very successful flank assault!

French defenders are eliminated, and the Highlanders press forwards. !

Allied moves.

French moves - being in the Zone of control of the Cameronians, the French cavalry could NOT assault the flank of the Black Watch. 

Allied shooting.

French shooting - someone let that Legere uinit in the woods have some target practice!

The Dutch-Belgians at Quasi Bras are finally eliminated. 4 Allied units remain to 7 French, but again, most of the French have taken significant losses. In addition to the scenario victory conditions (hold Quatre Bras at the end of Turn 15),  I also decided that if an army reached 75% of it units lost (i.e. only 2 remaining), they would have to call off the battle and concede.  

Turn 13 - French seize the initiative! Orders are issued; the Chassuers a Cheval on the flank of the Gordons are salivating at the thought of an assault!

The slightly understrength Chassuers roll 6 dice needing 3+, and the also slightly understrength defending Gordons roll 6 dice, needing 4+, resulting in - a tie! The assault is (barely) repulsed. 

Remaining French moves - Quasi Bras is taken, and the French general makes an inspiring rally activation. 

British also have a (critical) very successful Rally activation!

Some decent French shooting... 

is overmatched by spectacular Allied shooting!

Turn 14 - Three French units were eliminated as a result of the shooting at the end of Turn 13! French roll a very ill timed "1" for initiative, while the Allies have more than they need. Orders are assigned. 

Allies go first and prepare for an all out attack on Quasi-Bras on Turn 15, plus setting up an impressive firing line. 

One hit is rallied off; the French lacked initiative to do anything with the distant (and very weak - 1 hit remaining) infantry unit near the woods. Their hold on Quasi Bras looks tenuous at best. 

Highland musketry scores 5 hits on 6 dice total!

French (simultaneous) return fire is very accurate as well, but the unit has reached its limit for hits and is removed!

Situation at the end of Turn 14 - both armies have but 3 units remaining, and Quasi-Bras is up for grabs!

Turn 15 (last turn): Allies come up with big win on initiative! There is little point on wasting an order on the distant, feeble 3rd French unit. 

2 highland regiments advance, seizing the Quasi-Bras crossroads, whilst the third rallies. 

Charge of the French Chevau-Leger-Lanciers - The Cameronians are driven back with heavy losses, but the Lanciers are almost spent as well! 

British fire eliminates the Lanciers. 

French fire to moderate effect on the occupiers of Quai Bras, but would have needed 4 hits on 4 dice to eliminate them.

The Allies have won... barely. They hold Quasi Braas, and the French have only 2 units remaining and are thus at their break point. A near run thing indeed!

Quasi-Bras with Square Eagles: Turns 1 - 8

 

I had a week off from work earlier this month, and had recovered enough form Historicon that I decided that I wanted to do a relatively brief solo game. I settled on Square Eagles. It would also give me a chance to test the modifications and clarifications to the rules made back in the Spring. I chose Scenario #11, "Surprise Attack", from Neil Thomas's One Hour Wargames. As this one is based upon the Battle of Quatre Bras, Red would be Anglo-Allied and Blue French. The building at the crossroads is for show only, and doesn't count as cover, etc.; likewise the wheat field. 

I rolled a "2" for the red forces, and a "3" for Blue; adding 2 infantry units to each force gave Red 5 Infantry, 2 Light Infantry, and 1 Artillery. Blue wound up with 5 infantry, 1 Light Infantry, and 2 Cavalry, as depicted above. 

The scenario has 2 red units positioned as above, which I increased to 3, while all the Blue forces enter via the road. With the additional units, Red would get 2 units of reinforcements arriving via the Northern road on Turn 3, and 3 more via the Western road on Turn 9. I determined the composition of each of the three red forces randomly, and only when I needed to know them. Blue's order of arrival was also determined randomly. Turn1: Red rolls far more activations than needed, while blue fare poorly with 2 (plus 1 for the general =3). Blue moves first by scenario conditions on Turn 1 regardless.

Using the grid and having to start form a single box meant no too much more could have entered on Turn 1 anyway! British artillery scores a hit on the advancing French. The large swamp is impassable. 

Turn 2: British again get more activations than they need whilst the French... do not! British also seize the initiative, having won by 2+!

British Artillery scores 2 hits!  French bring on 2 more units.

Turn3: Allies retain the imitative; even with 2 units of reinforcements entering, they again roll high enough for every unit to activate. British artillery scores another hit on the ? advancing French. 

Having rolled poorly again, French form a battle line and enter a 6th unit. 

Turn 4: French win the initiative, are finally able to activate 7 units this turn! Allies still roll well enough to activate all 5 of their units on the table. 

With British reinforcements approaching, this turn they advance with alacrity!

Cannister fire from the British battery drives back a French infantry unit with heavy losses!

French infantry fire leaves something to be desired...

The Allied general curses - it seems the two Dutch-Belgian/Nassau units put the powder in their muskets, but for got the musket balls!

Turn 5- British seize the initiative in a big way, with the French sputtering.

French infantry suffer anther 2 hits from bombardment.

Assault by the French infantry eliminates the battery (Artillery that is contacted in melee is automatically removed after defensive fire, if any). 

Allied fire; infantry hits on 4,5,6, Light Infantry on 5,6.

French infantry fire is about average in effect. 

Turn 6: French seize the imitative, while the Allies can't activate every unit for the first time in the game. 

Defensive fire against a French assault scores a single hit. 

French eliminate the defenders (they had only 1 hit left). 

The victorious French infantry takes the 1 box advance. 

A second French Assault is successful (the target had no Order to issue defensive fire). 

Victorious French advance again. 

Remaining French moves. 

"Fall Back!", orders the Allied commander. 

Situation at the end of the turn. 

Turn 7: French advance loses steam big time, while the Allies have initiative to burn!

Allies pull back to form some semblance of a defensive line, while the General rallies 2 hits off a shaky Nassau Light Infantry unit. The French then use their limited initiative to form up their own lines. 

Turn 8:  Allies retain the initiative but the French will be pressing them!

Allied main body withdraws towards the vital crossroads at Quasi Bras. A Nassau Light Infantry battalion clings to the edge of the woods; too many French cavalry around to risk being out in the open!

Seven of the eight French units advance; straggling unit has only 1 hit left anyway.  

British fire.

French fire. Allied commander asks where are those darned reinforcements. "Hang on, help is on its way!"