THE BATTLE OF LOBOWITZ

 This last weekend I ran a game of Post of Honor for two new players, and a pair of veterans. The game was the battle of Lobowitz, the first battle of the Seven Years War. The UPC was standing in for Fredrick's Prussians, while the Empire had the honor of being Browne's Austrians. We also had a guest from the store stop in to watch for over an hour. Perhaps we will be adding a new player to our ranks. 

The Battle Commenced with the Opening Bombardment Directed in Typical Fasion Against the Cavalry. The Cuirassier and Dragoons of Both Sides Lost Considerable Numbers. 

With No Hesitation Both Forces of Cavalry Charged into Their Opposite Number. Rather than Use Their Numbers to Support the Central Cavalry Battle, the UPC Chose to Cover the Flank Against a Possible Empire Advance from Across the Stream. 

On Their Left Flank the UPC Advanced to Clear the Empire Light Infantry Defending from a Forward Position in the Vineyards atop the Hill. 

With Orders to Hold the Empire's Left Flank Remained Steady in Their Position Behind the Stream, Before Finally Receiving Orders to Advance. The Cavalry Squadron Immediately Crossing the Stream and Swampy Ground to Bring Their Weight Against the UPC.  

On the UPC Left the Infantry Cleared the First Line of the Vinyard but not Without Loses. Like a Tidalwave They Moved Incessantly Forward. 

With Both Flanks Secured the Main Body of the UPC Advanced to the Assault on the Town of Lobowitz. The Second Wave can be Seen Here Advancing Up in Columns. Up to This Point Units Had Been Driven Back, but no Forces had Been Lost. 

Having Finally Driven Off the Empire's Central Cavalry the UPC's Vast Dragoon Squadron Returned to Attempt to Do the Same to the Empire's Infantry Outside the Town. On the Right the Empire's Lights Looked to Stall the Enemy Long Enough for the Left Flanks Forces to Come to the Rescue. 

The Empire's Left Flank Cavalry and Infantry Slowing Began to Advance Trying to Threaten the UPC's Main Assault. The Final Remainder of the Empire's Central Cavalry, the Undersized Hussars, Guard the Bridge Waiting an Opportunity to Attack. 

The Empire Launching Their Attack to Try Turning the UPC's Right Flank. Under Incessant Bombardment all Day the Grenadiers in Sullowitz are Still Standing Strong, with Addition Reinforcements at the Ready Should They Falter. 

Massed UPC Infantry Ready to Assault the Stoic Empire Defenders of Lobowitz. To the Upper Left Can be Seen the Dachshund's Dragoons Who Singlehandedly Drove Off the Empire's Grenadiers, Light Infantry and Artillery Defending Outside the Streamside of Lobowitz. 

On the Empire's Left Flank, the UPC's Cavalry Keeps up the Pressure. The Empire Troops Were Unable to Come to the Aid of Their Comrades in Lobowitz.  

The Final Moments Before the Inevitable End. UPC Artillery, Infantry, and Cavalry Combine to Smash the Empire's Defenders of Lobowitz. 

For a first game for half the players things went very smoothly. The Empire's Commander, some say an UPC puppet, seemed defeated from the start. The final losses go a long way in explaining just how one-sided the battle was. The UPC lost one Regiment of Cuirassier. The Empire lost two Cuirassier and one Dragoon Regiment, a Battery of Artillery, a Grenadier Battalion, a Light Infantry Battalion and at one point had both their top cavalry General and their C-in-C dead. The UPC Generals had a good plan and executed it well. The Empire seemed to be on their backfoot the whole battle. 

Will the UPC prove as decisive a second time? Stay tuned to find out. 

TRYING THEM ON FOR SIZE

 

After over a years' time of playing I felt there were a number of things missing from the rules used for the Dog Wars Campaigns. The primary goal was to get more turns in and to have a more dynamic, cascading effect on army collapse to provide a more definitive resolution. Things I felt were slowing things down was close combat not being as decisive as I wanted it, maneuvers taking too long and morale lacking a serious effect. Rules have been altered, played a number of times and things seem to be improving on overall game play. 

This was the first play test battle after the changes.

The Armies Approach. Both Sides had Little Terrain to Interfere with Their Movement to Come to Grips With Each other.  

First Clash of Cavalry. 

The Opposite Flanks Cavalry Eyeing Each Other Up.

With the Empire's Cavalry having Driven off Their Opposite Number They Prepare to Assault the UPCs Flank. 

In the Center it was the Clash of the Titans. Both Sides Guards and Grenadiers Went at it. While Heavily Battered the Empire's Guard Held Like a Rock. 

On the Southern Flank Both Sides Cavalry are Fully Engaged, Both Battered and Reforming for a Further Clash. In the Central Background the UPS Infantry Begins to Open a Hole and Start Turning the Exposed Empire Flank.

In the end the game was very close with the UPC having a slight edge with fewer units lost. The additional Victory Points being tested for captured artillery. captured flags and loss of Generals made the swing a bit more pronounced. Further battles will continue to test the value of the changes. 

THE BATTLE OF HARMS WOODS

 

This battle was a sort of meeting engagement, with the UPC starting partially entrenched, the Empire arriving with their artillery ready, and a very soggy field preventing artillery bounce through. Both sides needed to drive the other from the field. 

 

The Opening Bombardment Caused Only a Few Casualties to the UPC. 

With No Artillery of Their Own the UPC Decides Attack is The Only Option. They Launch a Massed Assault Against the Empires Right Flank. The Green Markers Show Where Artillery Fire has Dug the Guns into the Mud Making them Unable to Move or Pivot.  

The Empire's Close-Range Fire Fails to Produce the Kind of Casualties Against the UPC Forces They had Hoped for. 

On the UPC Right They Hold Back, Suffering Only Minor Damage from Artillery Fire. 

The Close Up Fighting Begins in Ernest. The Initial UPC Assaults are Halted and Pushed Back, but not Without Serious Damage to the Empire Forces Holding the Line. More UPC Formations are There to Continue the Work. 

The UPC's Numbers Achieve a Breakthrough, as the Empire Finally Responds to This Attack by Bringing up Reinforcements. 

The Empire's Left Continues to be Quiet, While the Center is Starting to Receive Action. On the Right the UPC has Eliminated One of the Artillery Batteries and is Pressing Home Their Local Numeric Advantage.

The UPC Begins to Turn the Empire's Right Flank, as the Center Now Comes Under Assault. 

The Empire's Right is Now Completely Turned and the Whole Line has Become Vulnerable. In the Center the UPC's Losses are Becoming Serious, but as Usual There are Reinforcements at Hand. 

As the Sun Sets and the Days Fighting Nears its End the Empire Begins its Withdrawal from Another Battlefield with Their Tails Between Their Legs.   

The UPC needed to overcome a number of problems, such as the lack of artillery, heavy congestion of their forces and a false sense of security from their earthworks. The Empire was slow to respond to the buildup on their right with sufficient reinforcements. They seemed very focused on winning by their artillery, even when they became bogged in the mud and that contribution became less and less. Still a close battle that either side had the opportunities to win right up to the end. 

A NEW YEAR AND SOME CHANGES TO THE OLD RULES

 It has been a long Holiday season and I have spent plenty of time working on games, but none of it talking about them. 

So, what happened in the Fall '23 Campaign? As the UPC began its advances after the Battle of Janesville, the weather took a major turn for the worse. Heavy snow, driving winds, freezing ice storms from the Great Lake all forced the respective forces into early winter quarters. All thoughts of continuing the campaign were abandoned. Old Man Winter had won this round. 

On the tabletop front what this meant was I felt games were taking too long to arrive at a conclusion. I had a new set of modification ready to go and it seemed to me a better use of time to get them working than to continue an indecisive campaign. So begins the play test sessions. Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures of the first game back in December. 

The goal of the new rules was to get speedier results so that games would be fought to a conclusion in their allotted time of four hours. I felt it would also address an issue of players leaving early if the games looked like they would be concluding soon. The changes are to speed up formation changes, increase the decisiveness of melee, and have routs be more influential on units nearby. Both games have shown these changes are speeding up action with no perceptible changes to players abilities to play the game. 

Now on to the game. 

Massed Cavalry on the Southern Flank. A key test of the Support rules. 

The Battle Opens with the UPC Advancing Across the Entire Line. Empire Skirmishers Move Forward to Delay Them. In the North Empire Infantry Prepare a Flanking Position, while in the South the Cavalry Await Developments. 

The Cavalry Clash in all its Glory. The UPC's use of the Beginning Bombardment Against the Empires Cuirassiers has Given Them an Advantage. Both Side Have Lost Units, but the UPC is Slightly Ahead. 

The Cavalry Melee Continues. The UPC's Infantry Advance is Slowed by the Spread of the Fight Up the Valley. 

On the Northern Flank the Empire is Doing a Fine Job of Holding One of the Key Roads. The Butchers Bill is High and Not One Sided. 

The UPC's Cavalry have Claimed the Southern Flank. Only a Few of Their Dragoons Remain Battle Fit, but it is Enough to Pressure the Flank. The Rest of the Cavalry Arm is in a Perfect Position to Withdraw and Recover for a Further Assault on the Empires Flank. 

In the Central Part of the Field the Empire and UPC Forces Begin to Clash. The Empire Hold a Dominate Position, but the Massed Cavalry on Their Flank Leaves Them Vulnerable. 

Game End as Can be Seen by the Missing Road Sections. A Better View from Behind the Empire's Northern Flank. The Hill Top is Open, but the Grenadiers Behind will be able to be In Place by the Time the UPC Forces Arrive. The unit in the Right Corner are Casualties.  The Damage Disks Have Already Been Removed, but the UPC's Line is All in Need of Reorganization. 

While there was no decisive conclusion, but things were on the brink. We had lost time due to the need to explain fully the rules and changes, especially as we had a new player. All the changes seem to be moving the games in the right direction. More play testing will be needed, but I will now move this to a lower player base. 

THE ANNEXSTION OF THE NORTH 2 - THE BATTLE OF JANESVILLE

 

The Starting Locations. The UPC on the Left and Empire on the Right.

The second battle of the western front of the Fall Campaign has a repulsed but still highly motivated United Packs Commonwealth (UPC) army attacking the well positioned Empire of Wolfenstein army at the town and heights of Janesville in the Dane County area. With their flanks secured by the Fox River on their left and a massive forest on their right the Empire felt secure along their line of defense. The UPC needed a major success if they were to be able to attack the capital of Dane County by campaigns end. 

The UPC's Well Supported Cavalry Arm Facing Off Against the Empires Grand Battle Cavalry. Questions Remained if These Two Forces Would Clash Today. 

Empire Forces Have Concentrated Their Elite Infantry on and Around the Hill. The UPC have Massed Their Infantry for a Direct Assault on the Town and Valley Beside. 

After the Initial Bombardment the UPC Begin Their Advance. The UPC has Concentrated Their Artillery Attack on the Empires Cavalry, While the Empire has used Theirs to Damage Units Across the Whole UPC Line. 

The Cavalry Arms of Both Sides Leave no Doubt as to Their Intentions as They Open the Battle with Charges Across the Line. 

In the Center the UPC Infantry Advance as the Empire Stand Ready to Meet Them. 

The UPC Spring Their Trap as a Mass of Light Troops Begin to Emerge from the Woods. Both Side Cavalry has seen Success, but the Empire is Finding Itself Suddenly Caught by Concentrated Fire. 

In the Center the UPC Infantry Continues the Advance into the Teeth of the Empire Defenses. So Far Neither Side has made Much Impression on the Other. 

The UPC First Line Falling Back to Recover Yet Still Advancing Along the Entire Length. On the Right the Empire is Bringing in Their Elite Forces to Meet the Attack, but in the Process is Diminishing the Hills Defense. 

The Route of the Empire Cavalry. Unable to Stand Against the Combination of Firepower and Unrelenting Charges the Empire Flank Forces are Swept from the Field. 

After a strong defense the Empire's collapse was both sudden and unexpected. With the hill's troops stripped to concentrate against the UPC's center attack the UPC's right flank commander who had been tasked with holding the Empire in place seized the initiative and went over to the attack. This proved to be the turning point as while the Empire still held, they were being both worn down and pushed back. A sudden failing from a particularly devastating volley of UPC musket fire caused a catastrophic cascade morale failure to the Empires center. Along with the left flanks cavalry collapse it left the whole of the Empires position untenable. What moments before had looked like another Empire success suddenly became a disaster with the Empire needing to quickly retreat to save what was left of the army. 

While a major setback for the Empire the campaign continues with the battles to the east still to determine the fate of these Counties.