Held the game on Saturday with 8 people, only one with AOE experience, at least one complete newbie, one of the original BOFF designers and several BOFF veterans. Played 11 30-minute turns in 5 1/2 hours, scale is 120 yards to the inch, each stand represents 360 foot, 180 horse, 6 – 8 guns.
The Confederates (Marlborough and Eugene) attacked almost exactly as happened historically with one exception. They used Whithers as almost an Advance Guard, swinging right two divisions of Schulenbourg's foot (Friesheim and Bettendorf) and all of Eugene's Danish Heavy Horse behind him to crush the French left flank. Schulenbourg (-), supported by Webb's British brigade, easily took the fortified French salient in the Sars Woods and advanced forward. Villars immediately pulled the Irish and Champagne brigades from the center and sent them into the Sars to stabilize the situation
Elsewhere on the Confederate left, Fagel's division advanced cautiously while the Prince of Orange's Dutch division initiated a sustained assault, only to be thrown back each time. In the center, Lottum's and Orkney's foot attacked the reduced French center and had better success. The French and Swiss Guards bolted under heavy British attack. Reinforced, the Garde retook their fortifications and advanced forward of them to pursue their retreating foe. At this point the Confederates committed Bulow and Wurttemburg's horse to the attack and despite one brigade being severely repulsed, were successful enough to force the French to commit a division of heavy horse to drive them away.
Meanwhile back in the Sars Woods the fighting was slow and painful, tree to tree with every Confederate success followed by a successful French counterattack. Nevertheless, the Confederates slowly but surely pushed the French out of the woods until by game's end Marlborough and company had finally cleared the woods and stood in front of the town of la Folie. Three brigades of French dragoons immediately attacked the Confederates as they neared the edge of the woods but were forced to withdraw, albeit in good order.
At this point the game closed assuming a French withdrawal, little molested.
Notional casualties were 9720 French with 12 guns captured, vice 15480 Confederates.
Regards, Bill Gray
ageofeagles.com
gets in his first game of the convention.