"Kolin 1757 - thoughts on when the scenario should start" Topic

When re-fighting historical battles, deciding the start time for the scenario is one of the key issues. It's not always best to start at the beginning, and the battle of Kolin is a case in point. I've pondered the question over the weekend and these are my thoughts.

link

I went with option 1. Since much of the Austrian movement was hidden from Prussian observation, I used movement blinds. I think this battle is much more interesting at the grand tactical level and, by using Volley and Bayonet, I had plenty of table to explore the Prussian options.

Hi Rich,

Yes, you mentioned that on my previous Kolin Post. Although I can see the attraction of the grand tactical aspects, virtually all of my games are more concerned with the battlefield tactics of eighteenth century warfare, even if some battles are done on quite a big scale.

When doing the game as you suggest, I'd be worried, knowing the players I play with, that given the options that the grand tactical game would give, the battle wouldn't look anything like Kolin – it would probably get fought on a different axis, or the Austrians would attack, or something.

Of course, they might attack in my game. I'm certainly going to have to come up with a scenario ruse to prevent Puebla launching a flank attack of his own. I think it might be something for Pennevaire's off table reinforcements to prevent.

Anyway, All the Best,

James

Yes, that's the issue. If you're doing any historical battle, some clever mind is likely to try a different approach. If you're interested in the tactics, then you might want to narrow the battlefield even further an feed in troops on the historical schedule. Overall, this is a tough battle for Fred and in my mind, his only advantage is the superior mobility provided by the Kaiserstrasse. So his best bet is to drive as deep as possible before he turns to battle. Which means the Prussians have to win the Hussar fight.