Pike & Shotte at Barrie's

Poles (Leigh & Mark)
v. 
Turks (Barrie, Jim & Richard)

1000 points each.  The Poles had 4 divisions with commanders rated 8 or 9.  The Turks had 5 divisions with commanders rated 7 or 8.

The Poles are on the right in the pics.  Their initial deployment is, from their right: Pancerni, Winged Husssars, Pike & Shotte with 3 guns, Cossacks.

(The battlefield ends at the river).

The Turks deployed, from their left: Tufeki Fusiliers, 4 guns, Janissaries, Sipahis of the Porte, Feudal Sipahis plus light cavaly skirmishing across the front.

The Turks advanced their light horse to skirmish with the Pole's main line.  The Poles swung their Cossacks to the right and advanced their left.  Their foot advanced slowly at manhandled artillery pace.

(There's a bit of a gap in the photo sequence as the photographer got too engrossed in the action).  On the far flank the Pancerni attack on the Turkish foot was disrupted by the artillery and bounced off.  The artillery and musket fire then broke the division.

On the near flank, part of the Turkish skirmish line was disrupted and unable to withdraw and was ridden down by the Cossacks sweeping across the line.

The Sipahis charged the flank of the Cosacks forcing them to fall back, but not breaking any units.  The Winged Hussars then charged the Sipahis.  They smashed their way through them, then turned around and came back.  Both Sipahis divisions broke, but with the help of light cavalry & musketry sniping the Winged Hussars also had 2 of 3 units shaken and that division also broke.

Both sides had 2 divisions broken, but the Poles had lost 2 of 4 so failed the army break test (half divisions broken) while the Turks with 5 divisions passed, so the Turks won the battle.  it was a close run thing as the Turkish light cavalry was on the verge of breaking with 3 of 6 units broken and the unit on the right end under heavy fire from Polish muskteers - but Richard's dice saved all the hits so the unit did not break preserving the division...and the army.

The battle was very entertaining & enjoyed by all.  My main concern with P&S (and the HC) is the army break test.  I feel it can be a bit arbitrary and it gives armies with an uneven numbers of divisions a significant artificial advantage - not sure how to fix it though.