25mm Napleonic Playtest - Part 1

A few days ago I had mentioned that I wanted to run a nice big playtest of my quick game "Muskets and Moustaches." I got through the first four rounds or so, and thought I would share!

The game was a game of Russians vs French. The Russians were deployed on the near table edge, with a smal ridge to their rear. On their left flank was a large field; in the center was an empty field, and on the right was a small hill and some thick woods.

The French were deployed on the far side. They had a clump of woods in front of them in the center, and empty ground to their left. To the right was a small farmhouse and a road lined with a stone wall.

The French began a general advance towards the Russians. They moved their artillery towards the hills in the rear, and their light infantry began to dash to the edge of the woods facing the empty field, preparing to pepper anyone who moved within range. On their left the Old Guard, supported by light infantry and a unit of Cuirassiers, began marching towards the woods, deciding it was better to advance through the woods using their three movement dice and being shielded from the Russian artillery than advance in the open without cover. On the French right, three columns of French infantry, supported by some Lancers, began to advance around the farm and towards the road.

The Russians sent their Guards forward to hold the stone wall on the edge of the field in their center, and began to deploy troops into the plowed field on their left. The Russian artillery dashed forward on the far Russian right, but quickly realized that it would be too vulnerable to the approaching French light infantry and cavalry and so immediately turned and retreated, losing valuable time. The mass of the Russian infantry in the center began to form up in anticipation of the Old Guard coming bursting through the woods.

The opening rounds of the fight were fired in the center, where the Pavlov Grenadier Guards took the stone wall in the center of the field. However, the French light infantry opposite them on the edge of the woods proved to be fantastic shots (they rolled six 6s out of only 14 dice) and mauled the Pavlovs, who returned an ineffective fire.
The French artillery finally made it to the hill and deployed to fire. On the French right, their columns of infantry made for the gap in the stone wall, intent on plowing through it and into the Russian position in true French style; columns for all! Their Lancer support made quick work of some Russian Hussars who moved into range; however, a second unit of Hussars spied the blown Lancers and started to gallop over... meanwhile, the Russian defences tried desperately to shore up, but even with the encouragement of their Colonel and fire of light infantry, the Russian columns ended up in a race to the thick hedges between them and the attacking French.

In the center the Pavlovs took more casualties and began to withdraw, as a second unit of Russian infantry took up position on the wall. In order to stall the oncoming French some Russian cuirassiers made use of a nearby officers Command Dice and charged across the middle, crashing into a unit of French infantry. While the Cuirassiers were beaten back in disarray and galloped off in a panic, they killed and routed a good portion of the French infantry in the center.

Meanwhile, on the French left, the Old Guard continued through the woods. The French Cuirassiers managed to catch a unit of Russian infantry who had hurried up to protect the retreating artillery and smashed into the front of their column, causing a raft of casualties and the Russians fell back. Thankfully for the Russians they had hurried a regiment of Cuirassiers over to their right for support, and this cavalry pulled up, eying their French cousins across the field.

And so the fourth turn ended. The French attack on the Russian left is about to crash home, with three regiments in column about to join the fight. In the center the Russians have stubbornly held onto the stone wall, despite taking many casualties at the hands of the sharp-eyed French light infantry, and the fact that there may not be a French attack in the center at all! Meanwhile on the Russian right the Old Guard are about to burst out of the trees; however, with three regiments of Regular infantry waiting for them, can even the Guard take the field? I'll post up the next few turns after I've played them!