28MM BLACK POWDER SYW: RIVER LIPPE 1758

River Lippe

Westphalia autumn 1758 – the 3rd year of the Third Silesian War.

Most of the games at my home recently have been fighting thru Charles Grant's Raid on St Michel Campaign book.  However as there were 5 of us present I decided this time to do a larger fictional game set in the SYW.  The players were Colin Jack, Tim Watson. Dave O'Brien and Mr Ray Neal while I umpired.  As always we used Black Powder 2 with our amended sequence of initiative moves, shooting, commanded moves and hand to hand combat.

Below are the briefings and OB for both sides and later the troop ratings.   The forces were almost numerically equal but the Prussians have a serious qualitative advantage with their Superbly Drilled infantry including 3 units of elite grenadiers and more effective Cuirassiers.

In the end the game turned into an unexpectedly impressive Franco/Imperial victory.  For a full account of the action see Tim Watson's blog report here:

 https://moth107.blogspot.com/2021/11/one-never-learns.html?m=1  

Allied Centre

Prussian Centre Right

ANGLO-PRUSSIAN BRIEFING

The allied French and Reichsarmee forces have gained ground on the right bank of the Rhine.  They have advanced along the River Lippe cutting a major supply route between the allied Army and Prussian controlled Saxony. To counter this threat Frederick II of Prussia has despatched a force from Saxony under his brother Prince Henry to join the newly organised British subsidy detachment under Charles Spencer 3^rd Duke of Marlborough.

Following a consultation the Anglo-Prussian commanders decided to capture the vital river crossing at Lunen and the nearby important road junction at Ober Beedeburg.  Spies report that he French have completed a blockhouse to defend the river crossing at Lunen.

The Prussians and their allies have 3 infantry brigades including an entire elite grenadier brigade plus numerous cavalry and artillery.

Their opponents are reported to also have 3 infantry brigades with supporting cavalry, artillery, and numbers of Croats. 

British

1^st Brigade

Hanoverian battalion

2 Hesse-Kassel battalions

Jaeger detachment

Artillery Battery

Prussian

1^st Brigade

3 Grenadier battalions

Artillery Battery

2^nd Brigade

3 line battalions

Jaeger detachment

Artillery Battery

3^rd Brigade

2 Cuirassier Regts

4^th Brigade

2 Dragoon Regts

5th Brigade

2 Hussar Regts

Prussian Cuirassiers sweep forward

Great cavalry melee on Allied right

FRANCO-REICHSARMEE BRIEFING

The allied French and Reichsarmee forces have gained ground on the right bank of the Rhine.  They have advanced along the River Lippe cutting a major supply route between the allied Army and Prussian controlled Saxony.   To counter this threat Frederick II of Prussia has despatched a force from Saxony under his brother Prince Henry to join the newly arrived British subsidy detachment under Charles Spencer 3^rd Duke of Marlborough.

On receiving the news of their enemies approach the Franco-Empire commanders decided to defend a position at the vital river crossing at Lunen and the nearby important road junction at Ober Beedeburg.  To strengthen their line the Allies have built a blockhouse to control the river crossing at Lunen.  They have deployed an infantry unit in the blockhouse, another at Ober-Beedeburg and a light unit at the crumbling ruins of Schloss Cappenberg.  The remainder of their troops are encamped to the south of that line.

The allies have 3 infantry brigades with supporting cavalry, artillery, and numbers of Croats.  Spies report that the Prussians and British each have 2 infantry brigades plus cavalry and artillery. 

 French

1^st Brigade

2 Irish line battalions

2 Recruit battalions

Soubise Volunteers

Artillery Battery

2nd Brigade

2 Dragoon regiments

Reichsarmee

1^st Brigade

3 Line battalions

Artillery Battery

2^nd Brigade

3 Line battalions

Grenz Detachment

Artillery Battery

3^rd Brigade

2 Cuirassier Regts

4^th Brigade

2 Hussar Regts

BELOW ARE THE TROOP RATINGS FOR BOTH SIDES

REICHSARMEE/FRENCH	Weapon	Type	H_H	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Useful Rules
Line Infantry	Musket	Reg Infantry	6	3	4	3
Line Infantry Recruits	Musket	Reg Infantry	5	3	5	3	Freshly Raised or Levy 4+
Grenzers (small)	Musket	Reg Infantry	4	2	4	2	Marauders, Skirmish
Irish Infantry	Musket	Reg Infantry	6	3	4	3	Tough Fighters
Cuirassiers	Sword	Cavalry	8	—	4	3	Hvy Cav +1
Dragoons	Sword	Cavalry	7	--	4	3
Hussars	Sword	Cavalry	6	--	4	3	Marauders
Artillery	Artillery	Smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4	2
Battalion Guns	Light Artillery	Smoothbore	1	2-1-1	4	2

Other small units reduce Hand to Hand by 2, Shooting by 1 and Stamina by 1.

Skirmish           Can adopt skirmish formation

Reliable            Add1 to Command Level

Levy X+            Need to roll off disorder at end of their turn by rolling X+

Freshly Raised  Test when first in action see page 102

Marauders         Ignore command radius

Tough Fighters  Reroll 1 miss in HtoH

 

PERIOD SPECIFIC HOUSE RULES – mainly from Last Argument of Kings

Cavalry which become Disordered by closing fire retire disordered one move.

Infantry in combat with cavalry get a +1 combat resolution if they have a flank which is secure against cavalry even if the flank is not supported by a friendly unit, The flank is secure i.e. by a building or terrain impenetrable to cavalry.   

Artillery, other than battalion guns, once deployed cannot be manhandled or relimbered but can turn in place as move.

Infantry in line cannot use more than 2 moves.

 

Prussian	Weapon	Type	H_H	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Useful Rules
Guards/Grenadiers	Musket	Reg Infantry	7	3	4	4	Elite 4+, Superbly Drilled
Line Infantry	Musket	Reg Infantry	6	3	4	3	Superbly Drilled
Allied Infantry	Musket	Reg Infantry	6	3	4	3
Freikorps	Musket	Reg Infantry	5	3	5	3	Freshly Raised or Levy 4+
Jaegers (small)	Musket	Reg Infantry	4	2	4	2	Skirmish, Marauders
Cuirassiers	Sword	Cavalry	8	—	4	3	Reliable, Hvy Cav +D3
Dragoons	Sword	Cavalry	7	--	4	3	Hvy Cav +1
Hussars	Sword	Cavalry	6	--	4	3	Marauders
Foot Artillery	Medium Artillery	Smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4	2
Battalion Guns	Light Artillery	Smoothbore	1	2-1-1	4	2

 

Other small units reduce Hand to Hand by 2, Shooting by 1 and Stamina by 1.

Elite X+            Rally of disorder at start of their turn by rolling X+

Freshly Raised  Test when first in action see page 102

Levy X+            Need to roll off disorder at end of their turn by rolling X+

Hvy Cav +D1/3  Add1/3 to combat result resolution

Marauders         Ignore command radius

Reliable            Add1 to Command Level

Skirmish           Can adopt skirmish formation

Superbly Drilled Get a free move if they fail command like march columns

Prussian line attack the village but are held

Wild Geese tough fighters hold and eventually push back the grenadiers

BLACK POWDER HOUSE RULES BP2 – UPDATE May 2021 version 3

As you will know from the reports in the blog I am an enthusiast for the Black Powder rules. I find them simple and fun to play. But a few issues have appeared in our games. I have a page setting out ideas on house rules as well as some notes on commonly forgotten rules and important clarifications.  Latest changes are to the section on the Napoleonic Must Form Square Rule as shown below. Changes are in italics.

SQUARES (NAPOLEONIC MUST FORM SQUARE RULE)

This is a 2021 revision of the rules for squares which we have used successfully since June 2013.  The new element is that infantry cannot form square if the cavalry start their charge from only 1 move away.  They had their chance to form square in their previous turn. This idea could be used with the standard square rules.

Rule - Non disordered infantry in the open charged by cavalry to their front must attempt to form square as their charge response.  However if the cavalry are within 1 move the infantry cannot form square as a response and can just give closing fire. 

To form a square as a response infantry must pass an order test based on their brigadier’s command rating counting normal modifiers (except command radius) plus optionally the following: If cavalry need 3 moves to contact then infantry have a command modifier of +1

If they fail they stay in their formation, become disordered and deliver closing fire.

Note - Normal square combat rules apply i.e. cavalry receive no charging bonuses.  However a square testing for a non cavalry combat break test applies all the break tests results.  If they retire they become disordered and form line formation.  As per the rules a square testing for losing or drawing a combat against only cavalry ignore all results except Break.