A cracking game of Blucher

I'm back again after time away from posting on my blog, not that I haven't been active in wargaming (actually I have been quite productive in painting, well for me that is 😂) it's just that with spare time been at a premium, something has to give and the blog posts are what suffers at the moment unfortunately. However I have got myself around to posting some pictures of my latest Blucher game against my dad which turned into a cracking afternoons napoleonic battle. 

The game lasted around 3hours taking out the lunch break with most of the action centring around the objective at the church, (there were four other objectives around the board) this was a special objective with a random number of victory points and realistically the holder of this church would probably go onto win the game. My dad playing his Austrains was the first to get a foothold into the church as he managed to grab the first turn, from then on it was a almighty scrap as the objective changed hands on a number of occasions. 

The first of many French assaults onto the church

Close combat is the only way to drive a garrison out of a urban area in Blucher 

The Austrain infantry Corp marches foward towards the French guns

The Austarain defenders are driven from the church although the attacking French brigade is all but exhausted as it takes the ground

After the leading Austrain brigade was shot to pieces by the French artilley the Jäger fix baynots and drive the battery from the hill but not destroying it.

On my right flank a cavalry engagement lasted the majority of the second half of the game as both sides on the charge had sucess, but when on the receiving end of the counter charge were driven away again. Come the end of the game the extra number of Austarain cavalry was staring to tell as my French cavalry were steadily been pushed further and further back and the brigades were to depleted to launch anymore counter chargers, although the Austrain cavalry had suffered high casualties too

Again the church changed hands in the last moments of the game and despite bringing my horse artillery into canister range I just couldn't quite drive out the Austrain defenders who just about held the objective

The Austarin advance in the centre towards the objectives is halted in its tracks as the French Currasiers launch attack after attack onto the Austrain infantry squares (prepared) 

Unfortunately the remaining French brigades were to depleted to launch another attack onto the church so at the game end it would be in Austrian hands. I had made a error in turning a brigade of French infantry away from the church when I last controlled it,  if I had remained stationary I would have been able to attack the defending Austrians with superior numbers and probably (dice gods permitting) would have reclaimed the objective, but it wasn't to be.

The final battlefield after a very exciting game

I really enjoyed this game of Blucher, maybe it was because its been a few weeks since a historical game with all my attention at the moment on 40k , but even so it was a very exciting wargame, especially after my last outing using my French which was a torrid disaster. Although the action around the church was the standout moments of the game there was still plenty of action across the field, the cavalry engagement in itself was a exciting engagement and there was plenty of fire fighting across the centre of the battlefield which I was probably edging. The command rolls were non to kind to my dad as on a number of occasions I only rolled 7 or 8points for him to use which obviously hampered his own plans but my dad repayed me in kind later in the game by rolling aon three dice a 2 1 1 giving me a shocking 4command points! Hopefully we will have many more games like this Blucher game in the future.......

Well that was short and sweet....

We ran a game of Blucher last weekend and it turned into a complete disaster for my French army as I was comprehensively beaten in a record time. My full on attack for the objectives back fired spectacularly and just after really an hours game time the game was over for the French as my brigades had been shot to pieces with very little in the way of casualties on the Austrains side. It wasn't my finest hour of wargaming tactics I must admit but when my dad rolled 5 dice and 4 rolled a six with his first artillery shot of the game which saw my lead brigade of the 1st Corp finished as a fighting unit I got the feeling it might just be one of those days! I was far to rash in attack and committed far to many troops across to vast a frontage to give myself any chance of winning, Still despite the heavy defeat I enjoyed using the rules again after alittle absence from them and I am already plotting revenge the next time I encounter the Austrains. Here are some photos of what action their was 😄

One bonus  was that my Saxon corp preformed exceptionally well and held the town for the time we played

The large Cavalry attack launched by the Austrains

Austrain infantry caught unprepared by some marauderingFrench hussars 

The French Dragoons try to with stand the Austrain cavalry onslaught 

The last attempt to swing the tide as the French Currasiers are committed

My favourite artillery unit, I love the uniforms of these Saxons 

My French Napolionic army defeated followed by England's exit from the euros

On the same day that England's football team put in a pity full performance (yet again) to be sent home from the euros early (yet again) I  managed to get a game of Blucher in against my dad using our French and Austrain armies which as with the football, ended in defeat for my French (Although I put up much more spirited performance). The game had started promising for my French as I launched a large attack against my dads right flank with my 1st Corp and managed to drive the defending Austrain troops from the hill and even cause a lot of damage onto the second line of Austrains. However this is where my attack ran out of steam and ground to a halt as I was, on reflection far to cautious in committing my second Corp and heavy cavalry who I deployed rather poorly to be fair. Had I grasped the small opportunity I had and attacked with more troops I feel I could have broken the Austrain army. Another mistake I made was not engaging the Austrain  left flank, I elected to task my Saxon Corp to just hold the flank, when my dad realised I was simply just defending, he moved his infantry over unopposed to assist with the main battle on the right flank and centre, leaving some cavalry brigades to hassle my Saxons. This action from my dad really swung the game in his favour and ultimately my French army was broken late in the day. I really should have committed the Saxon brigades into action against the Austrain left, although I knew I wouldn't beat them and would probably lose the Saxons I would have at least kept the Austrain flank pinned. But the main problem I have playing Blucher is how to use my cavalry effectively, I just can't seem to get the balance right when to and not to attack. Again in this game my dad used his cavalry to good effect launching a well timed counter attack while my heavy cavalry brigades only really had sporadic sucess far to late in the game, really to far out of the action to change the result of ne game. However despite having plenty to think about in Napolionic warfare tactics I still fully enjoyed the game and although my army was in a beaten position for much of   Later stages of the game I still tried to take the game to my dad and came very close to breaking the somewhat battered Austrain army, some rather lacklustre dice rolling in the combat from yours truely in the last couple of turns ended any hope of a unlikely victory. Here are some photos of the action...

The French 1st Corp advances against the Austrian right flank

The Austrain infantry awaits the attack volumes of the French

The French 1st corps launches its assault onto the Austrain held hill

The French heavy cavalry Corp have little success against the prepared Austrain infantry

Part of the austrain II Corp supported by artillery advance towards the Saxon infantry

The French I Corp take the hill from the reeling Austrains as the Austrain commander commits his reserve cavalry in the form of Currasiers 

Austrain Dragoons and Hussars on the gallop move across the Saxon lines

How the battlefield looked at dinner time 

The Austrain view of the French I Corp attack on the hill

As the Draggons and hussars move across to the centre a brigade of Austrain Grenzer move in support

French Currasiers intercept the hussars/Ulans from there flanking move

The last real attack late in the battle by the French see's the brigades of the II Corp counter charged by the reserve Austrain infantry who halt the attack

The final assault by the French cavalry is launched against the prepared positions of the battered Austrain infantry who had seen off the attack of the French II Corp 

The Austrain squares hold firm and the routing of the French Dragoons see's the Austrains victorious.

The battlefield at the end of the game, the battlefield a lot more sparse than when it started.

Victory for the British in a game of Blucher

British infantry deploys ready to meet the French columns

Last weekend we played out a cracking game of Blucher using our French and British armies. We played our usual 300 points aside and this time my dad had deliberately left the battlefield fairly open so to encourage a attacking game from both sides. What played out over the next few hours was a game of ups and downs for both sides, just about every unit on the table was involved in some kind of action and needless to say both armies suffered high casualties. Alas though it was my French army that broke first when a brigade of British dragoons rode down a retreating brigade of French line infantry, This action saw my army reach its breaking point of seven units destroyed. The real turning point of the game was that my dad was able to retreat several units from the table when they were down to one elan point, depriving me of the points i required to break his army. Had he been unable to do this the game could quite easily been a French victory. I threw everything i had at the British lines including three brigades of Dragoons who despite catching the British unprepared could not break them despite repeated efforts. (despite having to re roll successful hits my dad has a uncanny ability to still roll enough hits to WIN! the combat in these situations). The British cavalry in the end managed to be the game winner when they were committed late in the game against a already battered French centre and repulsed the remains of the French attack and broke the centre. Once again the British infantry proved really stubborn and i was on the receiving end of a couple of rather devastating volley fire when my dads dice started to roll an alarming number of sixes. Both of us suffered highs and lows on our command rolls in the game, one time i was rolled 3 x 6's! and it wasn't a good day to be a sub commander as we both lost all of them as casualties during the game. This is probably the best game i have played so far using Blucher, it made for a really enjoyable, tense game which until the final moves could have been won by either side.

The elite french brigades of the 1st corp attack across the fields defended by the Brunswick's

British Hussars attack and rout a brigade of French infantry who have been on the end of a 'hard pounding'  from the British artillery

The initial attack from the first columns of French break through into the British lines

The French reserve corp is committed to the attack on the centre under the firing support from 12 pdr Batteries

The Brunswick's manage repulse the French attack under the watchful eye of the Duke of Brunswick who with his rally ability had kept these brigades in the fight, however he was to fall as a casualty for his troubles

With the first British line in full retreat the French reserve corp attacks the British second line

Mid way point of the battle

The french attack is repulsed and the remaining British brigades unleash a deadly round of volley fire into the wavering French columns

With the French army now on the retreat the British infantry advance to to seal the victory

British Dragoons catch the retreating French infantry brigade finally breaking the French resistance

The rather sparse battlefield as the French army is broken

An Ariel view of the battlefield shows how depleted both armies were at the end of the game

The remains of the British army out of 21 units, the back line the troops are spent (down to one elan point) with two units down to two elan points leaving 2 brigades of cavalry and 4 brigades of infantry left as a fighting force

And even worse were the French with 6 brigades down to 2 elan points leaving only 2 brigades each of infantry and cavalry that could be classed to be in a fighting condition out of a starting 21 units.

And finally the sub commanders who all fell in battle while activity trying to rally their troops in the thick of the action