"Plancenoit 1815 AAR with photos" Topic

The Corlears Hook Fencibles played a game of the 1815 battle of Plancenoit, part of the larger battle of Waterloo using our home-brew "Bonaparte Waltz" rules. Tom and Ken commanded the outnumbered French VI Corps of Lobau. Rick and Bill commanded the Prussians of Bulow's IV and Pirch's II Corps. I umpired and tended the dinner. Our rules use a Memoir-style hex mat, each unit being a brigade/regiment or an artillery battalion. We didn't use the whole mat, since the Plancenoit sector was constricted.

I had to tend dinner more than planned and so missed a bit of the first half of the game. It seems that the French were successful in delaying the Prussians for the first four turns. As we broke for dinner, I noted that the Prussians had seized the heights before the town but

had not yet made a lodgment in the town itself. The Prussians had a lot of yellow disorder markers on their front lines.

After dinner the game picked up again. Prussian cavalry and horse artillery threatened the French left flank.

The first attacks on the town were driven off with loss to both sides. Then the Prussians attacked again and surged into the town. The churchyard held, but some of the garrison fled.

The Prussians came on again and took the churchyard. This triggered the arrival of the Young Guard and they stormed back into the town, capturing the two town hexes. On their last turn the Prussians recaptured one of the town hexes.



I had thrown the scenario together quickly. The victory conditions were based on who held the town, nothing about the town being held by both sides. I declared a tie. The French hadn't done well enough to change the end result of Waterloo, but Napoleon's defeated troops had somewhere to run.

We played 8 turns in exactly two hours. I think the losses were about 3750 Prussians and 2500 French, half the toll of the actual fight. This might mean that the Prussians weren't sanguine enough, though I was busy in the kitchen for much of the first half of the fight.

Oh, yes, Lobau was wounded during one of the attacks on the Churchyard. He was captured when the Prussians seized it. Post-game we determined that he was back on his feet 5 weeks later, with a story to tell.

Thanks, I enjoyed that. Dropping the scale of the buildings looks great on the hex mat. Are they 5" hexes?

Yes. Most troops are on 2" square stands or sabots.

I like very much what you have done. I think it is a great way to game and your work looks wonderful. I'll have to give that a go.

Really like your Prussians.

The battle from behind French lines, a big 1st wave of Prussians attacked immediately and were thrown back in confusion.

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View from Churchyard by Tom Loback, on Flickr

The French withdrew into Plancenoit while the Prussians put their hats and shoes back on and more Prussians arrived.

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Holding Placenoit by Tom Loback, on Flickr

The first assault on Plancenoit was thrown back in great confusion, their next assault would carry the town. The Young Guard was summoned and retook 2/3 of Plancenoit with some timely support from Lobau's artillery. Lobau himself was not there to see it. The French line of retreat was held open and the Old Guard battalions went to join the assault on Wellington perhaps to win.

url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/29483647@N00/12423059394/]

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End Game by Tom Loback, on Flickr

Looks very nice, and sounds like the game played well also. If those are 5" hexes, are the troops 15/18mm?

15/18mm

And those pretty Prussians are AB, with a few Fantassin/Warmodeling thrown in.

Hmm, Tom, don't think that Boney won based on that game. But perhaps someday we'll set up the whole battle, when we can devote two sessions in a row to finishing the game.

Vince, I think Waterloo lends itself to be played in sections (in space and/or time) and that this scenario section will be better scaled up so that Plancenoit is 6 hexes of town, there are 2X the units and more time (more turns).

Except then I need more Prussians.
I don't have twice as many. We could always draft other Allies.

There are plenty SYW Prussians. lol

So will there be a need for indirect fire, as the rules currently are LOS?

I see the field between Hougomont & La Haye until 6pm as a section.