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| Unit for unit starting positions - all the French left is further back! |
As a second test of our plans for Waterloo Nick and I tried to play a game remotely. I had my main desktop webcam, and an iPhone on a small Gorilla tripod that I could move around the table so Nick could see what was going on. We used Jitsi as its free for unlimited duration multi-participant calls. I put out playing card size labels for each of the British brigades so Nick could see which of his units were which. I did all the dice rolling as Nick didn’t have any FATE dice. The whole set up actually worked pretty well and we were able to rattle through the turns.
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| Remote gaming set-up - iPhone on small tripod and Bde labels |
On the first evening we did the attack of d’Erlons Corps. I played the French historically but gave Nick some latitude. He drew the Dutch back behind the sunken road so as to avoid them being blown away, and moved Pack and Kempt’s brigades up into the sunken road.
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| A full Grand Battery this time |
d’Erlons divisions surged forward, this time with a full 8 battalions each.
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| Some awesome looking Divisional Columns |
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| Donzelot's Division |
Bourgeois' Bde came straight onto the 95th in the sandpit and managed to push them back. Roger's battery opened up right in front of them, causing the to falter. 1st Life Guards then surged forward past the Duke’s elm and straight into their flank, routing them nicely. Meanwhile Donzelot’s column had got up to the sunken road having taken some artillery damage, but was again staggered. With 1LG having cleared Bourgeois out of the way was clear for 2LG to charge into Donzelot’s flank.
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| Just before the Life Guards strike |
Quite how any rule set handles one cavalry regiment flank charging 8 battalions in one go is a good question. We decided to treat it as one cavalry regiment against one battalion not in square. That was a rout, but nicely the morale tests then cascaded through the whole column and pretty much every battalion routed, and the LG picked off the remainder. With just a very exposed Marcognet Division left we decided to call it a day after about 6 turns.
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| In come the French Cavalry again |
Two days later we played out the French cavalry attack on the British squares. Again I managed a 1:1 unit match, so the French had 9 cuirassier, 2 dragoon and 4 guard regiments, and the British an ominous looking like of 11 batteries. The first French wave charged but the gun line forced them all back. The French guns came up so as to soften the guns and squares. Counter-battery achieved a bit, but the worse damage was from bounce-through into the squares with Kielmansegge's Hanoverians looking very shaky. A second wave of cavalry then charged, the Cuirassiers on the (French) left flank being hit first by the remnants of the Household Brigade, and then by some Light Dragoons.
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| Guns firing and casualties being taken |
It was the Guard Lancers that made the most progress, the only unit to actually close with the gun line. They charged through the guns and onto the Hanoverian square, were faltered and then hit in the flank by Light Dragoons. Although the rest of the Guard Cavalry was uncommitted it had very little left in support, but after 6 turns we decided to call it a day.
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| Dutch Light Dragoons hit the Polish Lancers in the flank |
All-in-all it went pretty similarly to the historical battle - and perhaps closer than the programmed game. Again every action was believable and we rattled through the turns - even though I was doing all the moving, rules and dice rolling. The remote play worked pretty well as well - and the big cards I had for Nick to spot the Brigades certainly helped.
All being packed away now, but perhaps we'll do another remote game in the Spring, and perhaps a face-to-face rehearsal in late Spring/early Summer. For now its back to the logistics of the big game - getting more terrain done, sabot bases and the like!
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| The French repulsed - but battered units everywhere |
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