More Maurice

I wanted to give my WSS collection a bit of an outing and Lenin was keen to try Maurice again but using the full rules - so we did a pick up and play game using the set up from the book.

The key additions from our previous game were National Characteristics, Notables, early 18th Century artillery and variable weather.  National Characteristics are handled through points for this type of game but I suspect we would choose them for a more historically based one.  We chose to have two Notables each - these are drawn from the whole period the rules cover and so you can get some rather strange combinations (as indeed we did!).

Lenin took command of the English forces and chose Lethal Volleys as his only National Characteristic and drew Jonathan Russell, Earl of Bragge and Kershaw, Earl of Brent as his Notables.

I reprised my previous role as commander of the French choosing à la Baïonnette! as my only National Characteristic.  I then drew the Reverend Howard Whitehouse and Giovanni di Tripodi as my Notables.  We both decided to utilise one of our Notables as a Chief of Staff and placed the other with the cavalry.

Terrain placement was an interesting phase as Lenin focussed on creating an excellent defensive position for me to assault and so missed the chance to mess up my deployment and communications with some awkward placement.  We ended up with a hill in centre with woods and a marsh around it and a large town to Lenin's left.  The objective was, of course, in the town.

Lenin deployed his artillery on the central hill with most of his cavalry massed to their left and most his infantry between them and the town, with one unit as a garrison force.  His remaining cavalry and his other infantry were placed in column to his rear (something I suspect he would have done differently now) with the cavalry behind the town.

I deployed my forces with my infantry on my right in two lines facing the town, my artillery in the centre and my cavalry to the left.

Initially my foot advanced towards the town.  So the English advanced their horse to threaten my infantry's left and moved the remainder of his cavalry through the town to reform and threaten the centre of my foot.

I countered the horse on my left with my own horse and my foot stood and volleyed the English horse as emerged from the town.

A cavalry battle ensued with the Earl of Bragge leading repeated charges at my horse but having squadron after squadron shatter against the superior French!

Meanwhile the English horse facing the centre of my infantry were being decimated by volley after volley of musketry and eventually fell back.  I then advanced on the town extending my right flank to concentrate my fire on the English garrison.

The English advanced their foot in the centre but I threatened them with my horse and my foot eventually overcame the English garrison in the town.  The remaining English advanced to the rear of the town to prevent me outflanking them and moving into their rear.

With the English morale failing but the objective still contested dusk fell and the engagement was declared a draw.