Friday 21 July 2017

Kolin

This is the last day of the school holidays and I am gutted to say that I am still getting over a flu that started on the first day! At least now I am only hacking my lungs out, not like the first week where I couldn't get off the couch. Needless to say, all of my holiday hobby plans went right out the window. No games and a very limited amount of painting. But today was Mike's birthday, so I set up a Seven Years War game so he could come around and play. Then it turned out that he had a client who could only make it today, and so had to be at work. The fates hate me. Luckily, John finished work early and this afternoon we got five turns of the game played.

Kolin has been fought out by Jonathan Freitag several times, and can be found on his blog here. I used the exact same set up that he did, in an effort to see whether the Prussians had any chance at all. My plan was to fulfill Frederick's original intention of an oblique attack to the best of my ability - attack on the left and take Krezcor town and hill. From there, hopefully I could move onto the defensive and ride out the arrival of the Austrian reserves. Good plan, eh? Well, not so much...

The view from Frederick's position

The initial deployment. The Austrian reserves will come on from the top right of the picture. What you see is what you get for the Prussians.

The Prussians initially gain the upper hand on their left.
The lines close up.



In the end the Prussians decide to launch their right hand cavalry into the fray as well, hoping to win a knock-out blow before the Austrian reserves arrive.

The Prussians struggle to make any progress in the face of the Austrian artillery

The situation at the end of the game. The Prussian cavalry on the right have forced the Austrians into an awkward defensive position. In the centre Bevern is frustrated by the Austrian artillery battery.
On the Prussian left a space has been cleared for the Prussian Cuirassiers directly under Frederick, but the Austrians are rallying and are unlikely to be an easy nut to crack.

So, although we could have played on, it was unlikely that the Prussians were going to change history.
Honours of War are a very good ruleset, but it has been a while since I last played them. There is also quite a difference between playing solo where you can make mistakes and playing an opponent who wants everything to be how the rules say. Considering John had never played them before, he adapted very quickly, but two of us playing such a big battle with the rules the second time out was probably a  bit ambitious. I'm going to play a few smaller solo scenarios and make sure that I have the rules down-pat for the next time I play an opponent.
In terms of the Kolin scenario, I think the design has too much artillery. I've seen it mentioned before that artillery is powerful in these rules, and batteries even more so. The Austrians effectively held the centre with their two gun battery as the supporting infantry fell back around them. Charging artillery frontally can be suicidal, but is doable, but not when two guns are firing together. The same for the poor Grenz defending the foremost village. They were kicked out in the first turn by the Prussian battery. I wouldn't mind trying the scenario again with less artillery.

Nate

14 comments:

  1. Nice looking game, a splendid period to play!

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    1. Thanks Phil. I do love the mid-eighteenth century.

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  2. Sorry to hear that you have not been well, but a great game to end the holiday with.

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    1. It was, although the shed could have been warmer...

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  3. That's a great looking Nate! I bet that by Monday you will be feeling awesome!
    BTW, thanks for the Chosen men rules. Our mate Gavin has now bought them as well so maybe a game is not too far off in the future.

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    1. I'm still coughing today, but, yes, I feel the most alive I have in two weeks. Sigh. Good luck with the Chosen Men games.

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  4. Thanks for the plug, Nathan.

    Good looking game and glad to see you give Kolin a whirl. We have found it a very tough slog for the Prussians. The Austrian artillery is potent in this one. If you reduce the number of Austrian batteries, is it still Kolin?

    Perhaps the secret for the Prussians is not to stand under the beaten zone of the Austrians for long. A quick attack may be the answer.

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    1. Hi Jonathan. I just wonder about the ratio of guns to models with the rules... It seems that Frederick did a little better in the historical battle. And he wasn't being a genius that day. I guess if all the replays give a historical result, then the scenario is OK.

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  5. Having tried this scenario from both sides, I think Jon is right. Prussia's advantage under these rules is their ability to pull those double moves with the leadership advantages. If you're lucky, the Austrians will fo us on counter battery fire and your infantry might just make it.

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    1. Yes, you're right. And also deciding where to attack. a broad frontal assault just doesn't work, but switching the weight of attack eats up time. It is a tough nut to crack for the Prussians.

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  6. Good looking game Nathan. I hope the flu is well and truly gone and that the storms of the last couple of weeks haven't caused you too many problems.

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    1. We've had enough cold to cause light snow in town, enough rain to see things float past the back door, and enough wind to knock down our feijoa tree. It has certainly been a wild and woolly couple of weeks. Perfect for staying inside and playing games - if I'd been feeling better!

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