"1809 Casa de Salinas Prelude to Talavera AAR" Topic

I had the opportunity to run a Napoleonic game at the TSS club's Cauldron game day on the 16th Jun.
The game scenario was borrowed from a great scenario designer/gamer of JJwargames or our TMPer "carojon". This scenario is truly a diamond in the rough and makes a great little tactical challenge.
I made some changes to JJ's for the game day and to support a 3 per side play.
Some of the main changes were:
a) rotating the field to a wider front and lesser depth for more maneuver opportunities laterally, adding to the uncertainty I wanted in this wargame.
b) And which created more latitude as to the French plan of approach.
c) A semi double blind approach of the forces using blocks and presence of bluff/dummy ones to keep opponents guessing as to what exactly was going on and, remove most of the helicopter view/intel. that most wargames suffer to.
d) Added some more units so 3 per side could play with a reasonable size command.
The specifics of the scenario borrowed from JJ is located here:
link
The rules used was Empire V modified for ~1:20 unit size play and simplification of the fire table/mechanism to speed up play.
To recreat the chaos created by the limited sight and due to the woods, all activity rolls had -5 penalty so most turns were 1 or at an exception, just to 2 impulses.
For the game start nothing was on the table. The French could maneuver on at three different entry points with up to 12" of that edge of the board at any of the two sides of the table. The French planned first then the British planned with their slight adjustments to the Historical deployment being allowed. Their blocks were then placed on the board prior to the first game turn's move. The French had to maneuver from off board, per their game plan made before view of the British blocks.
Movement was halved through the woods and LoS was 75 m max, so all sighting occurred with close range fire and always became a fire fight., if not chosen to become an attack upon sighting.
To replicate the British under prepared their battalions were left in columns and could not change them until sighting or musket fire is heard along with their tactical turn.
The French choose to:
1) Move with the Laplanne's brigade ‘s left anchored within sight of the main road, to guide the maneuver, otherwise drifting could have occurred from their target. Solignac's Brigade then deployed to support LaPlanne's right, using them to guide their maneuver.- see first slide.
They manage to hold their maneuver direction with only a slight drift, both to the right some 125 m.
2) Then have Victor's unit move down the newly discovered trail, so not to alert any enemy watching the main road, which was their only other approach ( if the guns were to be brought in since they could not move through the woods). Then make a flank move through the open ground suited to maneuver the guns.

The only change made by the British was:
to switch places between the two brigades and place Donkins facing the open ground for any flank approaches by the French.
The battle was a close affair and followed quite closely to the historical outcome. Col Guard's Brig and Laplanne's brigade were exhausted. Donkin's brigade would end up fighting as the rear guard for the withdrawal, as the British were forced from their position with Solignac's end around of the British position.
All enjoyed and the rules worked very well.
Slides can be seen here:
link

thanks for viewing

Nicely done. Wish i coulda made the trip from Charlotte.

Nice AAR1 Thanks for sharing

Thanks guys!