Last week's scenario with Napoleonics

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to fight a scenario similar the one we did last week in ACW (using Hail Mr Lincoln) in the Napoleonic era (using Hail King Fred).  The terrain was Europeanised by removing most of scrub & fences & the railway and bowdlerising the village.  The difference in the armies was reduced from the attacker having 33% more points to 17% more.  Both sides were given a cavalry division, 4 infantry divisions & some guns.  Mike & Chris commanded the Austrian defence.  Mark, Jim & Renfrey were the Frogs.

The Austrians are on the left.  Their cavalry has not been put down as it is out of sight of the French.

The rest of the pics are taken from behind the French.  Renfrey immediately advanced on the right.  Mark was trying to advance in the centre, but the dice gods were slowing him down.

 Jim's cavalry has advanced expecting Austrian cavalry to come over the hill at them.

Renfrey's attack on the ridge has gone rather well, but he has found the Austrian cavalry lurking behind the ridge on his flank.  Mark's right is still hanging back.

The French cavalry bravely charged over the ridge to find no one home. Mark's Legere on his left is now making some forward progress, though his left is still hanging back. 

On the right the Austrian counterattack has been disrupted by a surprise charge by Renfry's blundering infantry near the village.

The French cavalry has crossed the creek, wheeled right and charged up the hill. On the far left they were beaten off by a square, but under pressure by Mark's Legere in front Chris left a flank hanging which the dice gods allowed the RH cavalry to exploit, riding down 2 battalions & a gun and exposing the Austrian centre.

Renfrey's blundering infantry have been pushed back up the hill, but still survive.  One Austrian cavalry charge has been repelled by the square on the ridge. 

On the French left two squares are holding ip the French cavalry, but Mark's Legere has come up to help.

The Austrian cavalry has now broken the square, but the blunderer's have actually beaten off the Austrian infantry & the Austrian infantry div has broken.  

Mark's Legere has destroyed one square and is wrapping around Chris's centre.  The French cavalry is regrouping while their horse gun pounds the last square.

A massed cavalry attack has finally finished off the last square on the Austrian right and Mark's Legere is chewing up the Austrian centre battalion by battalion.

Chris' 2nd division has broken so the Austrians have now lost 3 of 5 divs and thus fail their army break test.

The critical points of the battle were:
1. The French attack on the left, where cavalry, infantry and artillery combined nicely to break the Austrian flank and expose their centre to being rolled up.
2. The blunder that had one of Renrey's infantry battalions make a crazy charge that disrupted the Austrian counterattack & somehow lead to his RH division beating the enemy infantry div and also holding off their cavalry div.

Last week in ACW with 33% more men the attackers only just managed to pull off a win. This week in Napoleonics with only 17% more men it was a big win for the attackers.  Clearly there is not much advantage in defending in the Napoleonic era.  A not unexpected result, but pleasing to see how just a few tweaks to the rules and different terrain can make such a huge difference.