[Although this is a Franco-Prussian War scenario, I'm cross-posting it as it is readily adaptable to eg ACW. For my initial post about the BBB rules this was designed for, see here:]
TMP link
This is possibly my favourite of all the many Franco-Prussian games I've done! This is a prime example of the value of "drawing the frame wider". If you just try to represent the battle of 19 January 1871 around St Quentin, you are likely to be bored: it's a straight attack-defence game with the French trying to hold their line around St Quentin, and the Germans trying to smash it. The really interesting action to game is what happened the day before.
To set the scene briefly: this is where the third and last of the French field armies, the Army of the North, comes to grief, within just a few days of the other two also being defeated. Faidherbe is making a last desperate effort to relieve Paris. He tries to do so by racing round the flank of the Germans facing him, and thereby exposes his own flank. So on 18 January, Germans pushing east to intercept Faidherbe manage to catch not only the French troops in long straggling march columns, but also even to pounce on the French corps wagon trains. More Germans are expected next day, to block Faidherbe's advance south.
This situation presented a wonderful opportunity to get wagons on the table, not in an artificial "tabletop teaser" way, but in a genuine, real-life, army-scale historical battle; and to make the victory conditions revolve realistically around the wagon trains.
It is another exercise in French quantity versus German quality, and it is another "game of two halves". The French have a chance early on to turn on and crush the greatly outnumbered Germans clinging to their tail. But at the same time, they need to push enough troops south to ensure they can move south of St Quentin in strength on Day 2.
I love this game because there is so much movement, so many possibilities, the situation changes so radically during the course of the game – and I get to use my wagons!
Scenario map:
FPW St Quentin map by
bbbchrisp, on Flickr
Confrontation south of St Quentin:
13 Repulsed counter attack – Isnard does just enough for French wagons to get on the hill by
bbbchrisp, on Flickr
The full scenario is in the files section of the BBB Yahoo group:
link
