Lasalle 2 Napoleonic Wargame Battle Report

Another game of Lasalle 2, but this time we were blooding some new players and experimenting to see if we could play a 300 point game on a weeknight - with an early start at work the next day. 

Both turned out successful! 

Our game was ... run up and murder each other - rather than a scenario. My opponent and I both like the 1/3 sudden death victory condition - so we used that. After an initiative roll off, it was the Austrians to go first. With great haste they rushed across the field - using their maximum movement in march column. They pushed 3 of their 4 batteries to the front of their attacks and changed formation. A bombardment activation followed - hoping for many bounce through effects on the still marching French formations. A few hits resulted by nothing too serious. 

After this, it was the French who used their MO points. Faced with three batteries in key positions - two taking up a hill in the centre of the table (supported by a brigade of grenadiers) they decided to rush to the attack. They marched within 4 BW and formed attack columns. At this stage, the Austrians could interrupt and seize the initiative but as each unit had moved, changed formation and bombarded nothing could be done. Superior French skirmishing at the beginning of next turn would decide who would move first ... at it was the French. 

Attack columns smashed into the Austrian batteries before they had a chance to fire with two falling and only one being able to withdraw. The French had struck an early blow with 2 units of the 5 needed for victory falling at the beginning of Turn 2. Another Austrian infantry unit would follow as it had strayed too far forward allowing multiple attack columns to rout it. 

But now a harder prospect remained for the French. The grenadier brigade on the central hillock. They would charge against the mix of veteran and conscript French battalions - but to little avail. The French doggedly rolled 2-3 defence dice hits denying the Austrians the 'win by 3 or more' factors needed to easily rout opposition. 

On the French right, a single Young Guard brigade stood in the path of the Austrian Avante Garde. This mixed force only pressed ahead later in the battle. A furious French assault drew the attention of both Austrian players who continually invested command points (MO) into fending off and counter attacking the French centre and right. This suited Napoleon just fine as this is where the bulk of his forces lay. 

The Young Guard used 'le order mixte' and a battery to prepare a fearsome firing line. 

On the right a French brigade of veteran battalions continued to drive forward. They attacked a Austrian brigade depleted of one foot battalion and artillery support after the initial French assault. Columns surged back and forth but the French were holding on in defence and wearing down their enemies. Having a 3/2 advantage was weighing greatly on the men in white. It was here another battalion would fall - leaving the French one away from victory. 

The French now began to suffer some casualties - losing two battalions - but they still had only one to take. 

It was not the grenadiers who would fall ... 

The Young Guard remained firm ... though they would soon be forced into squares by the approach on one regiment of cavalry. 

It was the French cuirassier who swept from their reserve position into the centre. Quickly striking at one Austrian cuirassier regiment with a two to one advantage (16 dice to just 5) it looked like the game was sewn up. But their steeds stumbled and they struggled back. 

The Austrians countered but stumbled themselves while the French reformed their squadrons and achieved the 3 or more combat factor - routing their opponents. 

It wasn't the glorious first charge of heavy cavalry that decided the battle but it was achieved in the swirling melee of countercharge that proved crucial. At this the Austrian commander withdrew his troops losing 5 units to 2. 

Lasalle 2 continues to impress. We have a bit of trouble in organising our forces (our troops keep running into each other during formation changes from march column to attack or mass formation) and I intend to make a transparent template to aid alignment and direction in charges. I really want to introduce the advanced skirmish rules and the command trait - as atm it is too tempting to commit your general to generate an additional 1d3 command points at the beginning of each turn. Having a alluring alternative gives another head scratching command choice that I like in my wargames. 

 

Lasalle 2 Napoleonics

A return to Lasalle, for me, is a return to that definitive rivalry of the Napoleonic era - France against Austria. Tonight we dusted off the cobwebs (having not played Lasalle 2 for around 2 months) and dived deep once more into this excellent and challenging set of rules. 

Above the French form their line. Having lost initiative, the French formed up to face the Austrians who rushed across the field. This caused some problems as - in the Lasalle scenario 'The Dark Forest' - extensive woodland discourages players from entering. Woodland does not slow movement in Lasalle but increased the command cost of marching troops through it. As command points are always at a premium - neither Ian or myself were brave enough to try. 

At the bottom of the image above can be seen my brigade of Chasseurs. These I kept in the centre - a tactic that is becoming repetitive for me. Centrally placed cavalry can run riot in Lasalle or just halt an enemy advance. They would play a key - but not decisive role in this game. 

Next, an image of my friend's well painted AB Austrian grenadiers. He's been aching to put these on the field but they are a bit pointsy. In this battle they struggled to get into action. As the Austrians rushed up, they then encountered problems in shaking out. Their batteries were impeded. Ian made the choice to hang back with his grenadiers to allow his batteries to fire. 

Above are the poor Austrian brigade who led the attack. Due to holding the grenadier brigade in the centre back, these were thrust forward making them the key French target. The village on Bosco was also an objective for this evening but Austrian morale would crumble before this would fall. 

The glory of the French lines. We too struggled to get clear of the forests but they did protect our flanks wonderfully. The French were in two lines throughout the night - but the second line was only needed once. This played a key role as the right brigade poured forward in attack columns repeatedly smashing into the projecting Austrian brigade around the village. This would ensure victory as four battalions fell in this area while not French losses were suffered. 

A good battlefield shot. The depth in French deployment, while offering excellent support in reserves, did mean we faced bounce through cannon balls throughout the game. Fortunately, timely rallying enabled us to stave off the worst of these result. The recruits of 1813 stood manfully while cannonballs slashed through their ranks for the glory of their III corps and Emperor. 

 

Sculpting Foam Wargames Terrain for Mordheim

Unfortunately there are no images of the creative process. I hacked up my previous pieces of terrain that were not very functional. I glued to new mdf bases then added more foam blocks. 

My aim was to create easier access to high terrain without too much reliance on successive initiative tests. This limits too heavily those who will even attempt to climb in Mordheim. I really want to see daring battles high from the ground to make games more dramatic. 

This is just a really good beer. 

I table from a recent Mordheim game. My new foam pieces blend quite well with the Hirst arts moulded pieces. 

As you can see with the Spider Tower, I wanted to create multiple ways up many of the pieces. 

Previous forested terrain from foam blocks also goes quite well with the new terrain. I'm quite happy now with the dry brushing of my new skirmish gaming table. It has no flock. I might flock one day but I need to get some darker flock to make it work. 

I like to envisage an older Mordheim, years after the comet impact ... considerable ruined and overgrown - or areas just outside the city walls. 

 

Mordheim, Sigmarite Mausoleum and a New Skirmish Board

This post is about a few things and nothing much really. 

Firstly, I've been meaning to assemble the Sigmarite Mausoleum in the configuration shown on the box for some time. I wondered if it would be too cluttered to allow easy access to figs. It looks great and works well. I'll be using it in a game soon - I think gamers won't knock the buildings over too easily in play. 

The next two images feature my new board for skirmish play (actually ALL these images show the new board!.) I used the same method as my earlier desert skirmish board. It is 3x4 feet in dimension as is 6mm mdf board. 

(I do love the Knight of Shrouds - I'm always on the edge of buying a Nighthaunt army to paint ... and then I remember what an average gaming system AOS actually is. Not sure GW have ever made a good battle game but they do make good skirmish games.) 

I stipple multi-purpose filla onto the board to create ridges. These are these pretty easy to dry brush. I added some patches of green too - but need to brighten these. I added some flock but couldn't get it right. The flock was either too bright or the patches I applied it in didn't look right. I've been scrubbing the flock off. The project had currently stalled as I can't decide what to finally do. I think I'll just be painting it. Covered in terrain it looks good. 

My daughter hard at work in designing a setting for one of her stories. 

This is the table from last Tues night's Mordheim game. It worked very well. I have included my scratch built blue foam terrain too and my buildings made from Hirst Arts pieces. 

I do still need to give those bridge sections a light drybrush of bone paint to complete the look. 

Oddly, it is the trees that really complete the graveyard appearance for me. Overall, i think the dark board suits the gothic atmosphere I was going for. In my mind, the cemetery at Mordheim should be enormous - like a whole suburb - or a Grave World with the living surviving from looting the remains of more glorious ages - and avoiding the guardians of the dead and the sinister Undead looking to manipulate all three (graves, guardians and the living) for their own nefarious ends. 

 

Lasalle 2 Napoleonic Wargames in 15mm

After a few weeks without games, we returned (under some compulsion) to Lasalle 2. I would play Napoleonics every week but this is not our small clubs mood. Nonetheless, there is enthusiasm for these rules. 

These images are from near the end of the battle. We played a 250 pts match with sudden death of 4 units. This gives a good weeknight game when a working day follows for most in our club. 

The Austrian attack consisted of a bludgeoning move at the French left. Their cavalry, which outnumbered the French, all combined to strike this side. No attempt was made to get around the flank. This may have been an unsubtle tactic but it was influenced by the concerted French push which threatened to swamp the Austrian left. 

In any case, the squares held firm against cavalry and infantry attack for several turns. 

Meanwhile, the French had massed their guns on a small hillock. After being joined by the horse battery, 18 guns fired in unison at Austrian targets. By the end, two of four units needed for victory fell to the concentrated fire of the guns. Cannonballs smashed through units and bounced into the enemy. 

The French right hook attack - this consisted of an entire brigade being flung forward accompanied by the light cavalry reserve. Attacks here would bounce off as the defender rolled a six - making numerical advantage and amount of attackers irrelevant. I can feels mods to this task growing. 

More images of the main battle attack. French troops swarmed through the village claiming food and other items. High Austrian rolling slowed this advance for a turn but as unit attrition mounted - not even a good roll would save the Austrians long term. French losses were very small. 

Launching an attack through rough terrain is a costly affair in Lasalle 2. Doing this was a major commitment of available MO (it was well worth the investment as this attack forced the Austrian player to attack without properly preparing his assault.) However, I forgot a key French rule - assaulting columns gain a 1 MO saving when attacking. This represents the enthusiasm of French columns to charge home - the extra point could have been quite useful.  

Again, same as above - but I do like the images of that mass of columns smashing onto the less organised Austrian brigade. If the Austrian had formed their troops into a line of mass columns it would have been harder. As it was, the Austrian commander did not managed to spread his battalions into an effective defence before the French struck home. In Lasalle 2, using the high movement available while in column of march is vital to gaining advantageous field position.  

Charge on. The squares stood up to the attacks. In Lasalle 2, a infantry and cavalry attack cannot be launched simultaneously. However, attackers always have the advantage as any win by 3 or more will see the defender routed. An attacker does not face the same risk - unless charging enemy cavalry. Being in square only offers a +1 bonus. While significant, this does not protect the defender from being routed. Unless I rolled 3+ for each of my combats, the French stood the risk of being swept away. 

The point of victory ... a massed right hook, aggression in deployment, cavalry support ... 

Any Austrian troops who attempted to support were struck by 18 guns. By the end of the game the Austrian centre was smashed and their left surrounded. 

As we packed up I took a last shot of my cavalry. Currently I need to use one regiment of dragoons to represent chasseurs. Soon this will change as I'm painting up the 1st Chasseurs to complete a light cavalry chasseur brigade. 

I really like Lasalle 2 and wish to use the advanced rules for commanders and skirmishers soon as well as some scenarios. High work load has muddled my mind and slowed my painting of late - making some rules difficult to remember. The only aspect that bothers me is the combat roll. One or two low rolls can see fresh units boxed. This certainly caused certain outcomes in games but it can be a little hard to swallow when you've tactically performed well but suddenly lose through dumb luck. 

Yes, yes ... I know ... all wargames are dice games ... but I like a little more certainty or less severe results just because of Tyche's curse. 

Lasalle 2 ... Game 2

 These images are out of sync ... as this game occurred before the last post. 

It was a French victory of the highest order. A quick thrust on the right started to roll up the Austrian line and the cavalry poured through the middle causing significant pain. The cavalry eventually pierced the line and began attacking flanks ... it was all over. The Austrians never got their attack going in time. 

Lasalle 2 seems to be much about claiming the initiative and not letting go. Having lots of MO helps too! 

I played the 'On to Brussels' song a lot ... an annoying amount really. It was great. 

Lasalle 2 ... The Learning Curve Continues

Today was my third game of Lasalle 2 with my good friend Austrian Ian. The French had a emphatic victory in the last game ... and I promised myself that I wouldn't use the same tactic of running the cav down the middle again. What a shame - it was the tactic to use and the French tasted defeat. 

Simple rule ... play the game that is in front of you. 

We played 250 points and both of us changed our armies. I was keen to put my Young Guard brigade on the table and hope the two batteries it could take would help me. Ian chose more cavalry and maxed out his good skirmishing troops in the avant guard - Jaeger and Grenz. This would aid in addressing the skirmish imbalance. 

Above my two chasseur (yep, one is dragoons preteneding to be chasseurs. I rushed these to the right flank to stop the large Austrian cavalry advance. They achieved nothing - not even a charge. 

In the centre the French stretched a brigade a little too thinly - I think in retrospect. I'm not sure Lasalle 2 has managed to adequately respond to the criticism laid against the original - that lines are not strong enough when confronted by attack columns. 

I tried to put my infantry in line and use the firepower this gave me to put disruption on the enemy. In Lasalle 2 the enemy closes to 4 BW away then slow down drastically. If timed well, the defenders can release a volley into the advancing troops (hopefully) weakening them. At the moment this is largely theory as - from what we have seen - attack columns that press straight on and charge can break the enemy. The advantage is with the attacker. 

My other mistake was spreading my Young Guard too thin. I allowed one battalion and a battery to pass beyond the 4 BW needed to retain coherency of the force. This meant a drain on my MO - the points generated at the beginning of each turn and spent to move, shoot, charge ... everything. 

Above the Austrian fell back before the YG advance leading to an outflanking opportunity I had to respond to. 

In the centre a unit of Jaeger performed well against the combined guns and volleys. 

A trouble spot for the French. Above, two battalions of Austrians press through the wheat field against a line. My shooting proved poor and I failed to break the Austrian Grenz in the centre. These rallied then participated in a 2-on-1 combat breaking the French line. 

Successful Austrian combats decided the day. A plentiful supply of sixes saw 3 French battalions broken while a failed artillery withdrawal roll consigned a battery to the broken box. This handed the game to the Austrians in quite quick time. 

Above the chevau-leger, left, had broken the guns then stood there until game end. This right was a stalemate but drew in significant French forces. I saw four cavalry regiments descending on my wing and reinforced it. Was this right? Probably not but it seemed logical at the time. In reflection, I think my army was too spread out leaving 7 French battalion to take on 9-10 Austrian. With this advantage (and several rounds of poor French shooting and constant good Austrian combat dice) the Austrians could press home several charges with the outnumber advantage. 

In all I really like Lasalle 2 and want to like it even more. One thing has worried me since game 1 ... combat is very 'swingy.' The D6 roll added to the unit strength is a VERY significant random factor. This is emphasised by an attacker who beats a defender by 3 or more - breaks the defender. The advantage is with the attacker. (The huzzah rule would increase this by giving the attacker bonuses for breaking a defender AFTER it has happened.) Roll well in combat and your unit strength doesn't matter too much. Even a full strength defender breaks if they roll a 2 and a attackers (on the same strength) rolled a 5. Also, is the line formation worth it? Not sure yet - but it doesn't look good. 

We still got some rules wrong - parts of the skirmish rule and we forgot shaken altogether. Maybe we forgot shaken as we aren't using unit cards - just two types of dice for temp and perm disruptions. The Elite guard troops were very tough but didn't shoot or fight any better than anyone else - they were just harder to injure. My next experiment will feature some conscript in larger numbers to press home the massed attack column advantage. 

But ... I really want lines to work as a realistic choice. I'm going to try Ordre Mixte and keep battalion with flanks in contact to reduce an attackers ability to gain the outnumber bonus. Lots of things yet to figure out about this tactically demanding rules set which gives the players lots of choices. 

Will it replace Blucher as my favourite rules for Napoleonics ... atm I don't think so ... but it is a clear 2nd thus far. Then again, I think VERY highly of Sam Mustafa rules.