Blucher Playtest - Part 1

I've heard some good things about Blucher and always keen to try Napoleonic rules out, so I've bought a copy and started setting up a test game to play. The rules are at a similar level to the Grand Tactical version of my SLS rules - so manoeuvre units are Brigades or Divisions rather than battalions. Reading through them there are some things that match exactly to the way I'd do them (eg handing of Divisional guns) but others that seem really odd (every artillery round is less effective than the previous one!).

Blucher - Board Set-Up

The image above shows the Along the Danube introductory scenario set up. Needless to say I'm using hexes, and luckily 1BW in Blucher is suggested to be 75mm, which isn't far off a 100mm hexon hex. Figures are 6mm, with 2-3 battalion bases combined to make each Battalion - just as I do with Grand Tactical. All units are originally shown as blinds.

Austrian front line revealed

The scenario starts with the French turn, so on their initially Intelligence phase they can get all Austrian units within 4 hex and in sight to declare. I quite like this use of blinds and think I've finally worked out what to do with them in SLS. I've always wanted to give units not in the activation deck some form of benefit (as having them not in the deck speeds a turn), so what I'll do is say that you put a units card face-down on the table as its blind, so disguising its true nature, and then bring a card into activation (and reveal its units) at the start of any turn, or by spending a command point.

More on the playtest as it unfurls over the next week or so.

Blucher Playtest - Part IV (Final)

Turn 18 ish

All of a sudden it looked like the French were in with a chance. The Chasseurs started a wide left flanking move, and most of the Austrian cavalry decided to retire off the board rather than risk being eliminated and counting towards French victory points. The left flank infantry were making headway against the Austrians, despite a pesky gun battery on the flank (more on that later), and on the right flank the French infantry were again pushing forward, supported by III Corp's Chasseurs which had so far sat the battle out.

So the French commander decided on a death or glory charge on the two key objectives (marked by tree stumps), one on the central Austrian hill and one between the corn fields behind the river. Against the hill the cavalry tried to complete their flanking action and the infantry charged straight forward. The infantry got there, claimed the hill, were pushed off by a weakened Austrian Kuirassier unit which had been sulking on the back line. Then a second French battalion charged the Kuirassiers (its in the rules...), and despite losing the melee pushed the cavalry off and stayed put themselves (in the rules again...). The cavalry finally managed to make contact with some of the Austrian defenders but too late. On the other flank the Chasseurs were busy chasing two Austrian battalions as they all raced for the objective. In the meantime the Austrian guns got mauled, so did another battalion, and the Austrian Grenadiers were making mince-meat out of the flank guard French battalions. The Austrian infantry arrived at the objective just in time, turned, prepared, and met the French cavalry charge which washed harmlessly against their flanks and returned to the French lines to recover.

The French battalion (Brigade? Division?) claims a key objective

At this stage the Austrians only needed one kill to make the French break their morale level (8 units) - but the French only needed 2 kills themselves, and everyone was pretty weak. An Austrian charge against a French battalion helping guard the Hill objective failed to deliver. The Austrian commander considered sending one or two Strength 2 battalions against one or two Strength 1 French battalions - but the chances of it backfiring and the Austrians losing were too great (the rules definitely favouring defenders). In the end it was that pesky Austrian gun battery that won the victory, send a shot straight through one of the Strength 1 French battalions, 8 units lost, game over, turn 27 or there abouts.

The Austrians guard their remaining objective, French cavalry retiring in the distance

So a close run thing in the end, which was to be expected given the balanced forces. But for me the rules just have so many elements that just don't feel right I can't see myself playing them again. Pity, I really wanted to like them, but I'm really glad that I didn't spend an extra £25 on the custom 100 Day cards!

ENDEX - The Austrians win by a knock-out

Blucher Playtest - Part II

Got to the end of Turn 6 so far (so both sides have had three turns). On their left (near end of above photo, French attacking right to left) the French Dragoons have routed one Austrian Hussar unit, and wasted another. One of the Dragoons is in retreat though - odd that there is usually no way to rally fatigue off of a unit (it's only a special trait or a scenario condition). The Austrians are moving their Cuirassiers across to stop the French cavalry from coming around the Austrian flank, and also to defend the secondary objective on the hill.

In the centre and right its been going less well for the French. They moved quickly to occupy the central ridge but then as per doctrine decided to have a couple of turns at short range artillery to soften up the Austrian line. Artillery fire was not too effective (and with only 6 shots for the entire game, and reducing effectiveness they tend to be used judicially). However musketry was pretty devasting. At 2 hex the Austrians score a hit on 6s from 3 dice, and plus one five for the Avant Garde and French battalions. One Austrian battalion scored two hits on a French battery which for Artillery is enough to Retire (rout) it from the game! As you can see from the chits below one French battalion is already down to its last elan, and others are taking damage. Can't see the central Division breaking the line.

On the French right things are even worse. Deciding to forego a softening up but still taking musketry damage on the approach move both of the attacking battalions lost their combats, and are shown below falling back to the second line. Time to send those Cuirassiers up to test the "prepared" rules that simulate infantry squares.

Feelings so far? The game is certainly quick to learn and already playing just off the play sheets. The activation system works well, and the French are already quite separated which means not many units get activated each turn. The shooting does seem just too effective for musketry, particularly against artillery, and the melee is biased to the defender (defender wins draws) so given the impact of their musketry on troops on the way in trying to break a defensive line is going to be very hard.

Blucher Playtest - Part III

View from French left, Austrian cuirassiers make their flanking move bottom right

Up to turn 15. On the French left flank the Austrian cuirassiers have tried to turn the French flank but have been repulsed by three French cavalry regiment. Left of the ridge the French infantry assaults have failed to break through and the Austrians are now going on the offensive, but meeting with little more success. The centre is more or less devoid of troops, both sides having worn each other out. On the right flank the French cuirassiers charged the prepared Austrian lines to no effect. However once they regrouped and charged again they managed to send one battalion packing, just as the French infantry moved up to deliver the coup de gras. The Austrian III Corps which had been idle across the minor river has now been given orders to cross and along with the just activated Grenadier battalions launch an attack on the French right flank. However the French overall position doesn't look as hopeless as it did a few turns ago.

Infantry clash on the French left flank, note both battalions well weakened

Still finding lots of oddities in the rules:

- French light cavalry charged the rear of a retreating Austrian battalion, but not only didn't decimate it but got sent back themselves. There is some benefit to infantry in being prepared (i.e. square, see below) but apparently no penalty for not being prepared

- When cavalry charge prepared infantry their penalty is having to re-roll any success (i.e. 4+ rolls). But to my simple mind since dice have no memory it's just another roll, it's not reducing the chances of rolling those dice high - just your perception of it - so no real penalty at all

- Prepared infantry suffers no penalty to firing, odd since it's meant to reflect being in square

- You end up with loads of battalions facing rearwards as they've previously been retreated but need an activation (which at 2pts you're normally not willing to spend) to turn back around, which just all looks messy

- One infantry units charging a gun battery got 1 hit against the artillery's 0. But the rules only talk about 2x or more, or equal, not 1+. So since 1 is infinitely greater than 0 the battery got routed.

Will play out another evening of the game but then probably call it a day as I can't say I'm falling in love with the rules.

Western Desert "Combat Wait Out" Playtest

The Crusaders are late to the game!

Over the Bank Holiday weekend Nick and I got the chance to playtest my Combat Wait Out Mechanised Warfare rules in a Western Desert scenario - more on that below. It was a scratch force on either side, 1 model = 1 tank, so about a squadron plus on either side, and no check as to in service dates!

The Grant hull gun did untold damage on the PzMk IIIs

Whilst CWO had played well in the last "Baltic" play test it seemed very unbalanced this time round. The -2 TM for fighting in the desert was just too much (on a D10) and the Brits were hitting every time (woudln't have been so bad if Nick hadn't spotted the Matilda's range limitation). Penetration was also too easy for guns below the armour class (only +1 per difference), and initially I made the mistake of having over-powered guns automatically penetrate (which also meant kill).

The final tank melee, with tanks flying everywhere - which seems realistic!

Day 2 we made changes and the whole thing played much better, but by then it was all over for the Germans! Question is are the rules now too unbalanced at the cluttered terrain/modern kit end. Will try again in a few months, and also mature my Desert Force.

Pesky Matildas too - shooting well beyond their 1000m range!

Scenario Generator

One of the reasons for the game was to play test the MechWar scenario generator I've been working on. I love the pre-game in Blucher and wanted something similar but a) more suited to MechWar and b) added even more rationale rather than just collide with and kill the other guy. I think it worked pretty well - Nick was trying to move in line of march along the coast whilst my German's had a seek and destroy mission, so we weren't sure where the battle woudl take place, and I managed to get all my troops on the table early on whereas his Crusader's really only turned up when it was all over!

We'll give the model a bit more testing and then I'll hopefully get it into one of the wargames magasines.

More or less the only German kills, two humble Honeys