Battle of Kolin, 1757 - at Sgt. Steiner's

Another great group game with Brent Oman's Field of Battle rules at Steinahh's today. Great company, and these rules never disappoint.

 

An epic Seven Years War clash (the Battle of Kolin), with a couple of beautiful 15mm armies. These rules are a real hit for larger battles and bigger groups. It's worth repeating the benefits:

•  Card driven, but not random, with cards directing the moves/firing/events, narrative and epic feel - your force can suffer morale checks, grand maneuver, bad luck on coordinating your vollies, brigades which don't quite do what you want them too, but with heroic commanders who pull off more than you could ever have hoped for! What's not to love.
• Players are always engaged - with opposed rolling for coordinating movement and firing/defence against fire. It's not IGO/UGO, it's using the hand you are dealt to maximum effect.
• Twists and turns aplenty. There is never a dull moment, yet the rules are quite intuitive (with a bit of guidance from our referee of course :)  )
• This is not Piquet, but a variant thereof, which retains all of the good things and none of the gaps between high and low impetus/initiative rolls in the original.

To Battle!:

Strong Austrian force on the Prussian left, on the heights, though a weaker centre and right.

...something which the Austrians hastily seek to rectify.

In 1757, assaulting the heights cost Frederick dearly, ...we might've learned from his bitter experience.

 Troops and a cavalry reserve to dice with in the centre, as the initial assault goes in..

 

 On the right - a steady advance. There would be success here, while the Prussians struggled valiantly on the other flank.

 Looks peaceful...wait for it.

The Prussian left and centre engage in vicious musketry and melee

The right flank sees some advances, but the key to the battle will be holding back what has become an Austrian assault... on the left

 ...straight off the hill in an attempt to break the Prussians.
Richard goes for the throat on the Prussian left!!!

 

A valiant struggle on the right, as the Austrians fight on - despite routs and 'flukey' die rolls for those muskets.

Prussian cavalry reserve committed to the right. It's all or nothing. 

Slowly, the right weakens, the left and centre hold.
The Prussians reached army exhaustion, but passed a morale roll. They were able to keep fighting until the Austrians reached their own exhaustion - but the Prussians recovered. It was too late for the Austrian army now...


Great game - and the narrative saw:

• Desperate holding actions
• Gambles and attacks which only just worked
• Heroic defences
• Routing in the face of the enemy when least expected
• Death of commanders - and several risky moments for them
• A system which helps the narrative, not hinders it
• Every player is engaged - it's exhausting.

You don't see that in a game of Black Powder when you curse at the arbitrary randomness of the command roll, which has stopped your brigade moving for the last 3 turns...right?