The current move happened to fall over the busy holiday season, with only the data collection of the probing cavalry to happen ... this called for another skirmish series.
The first set was between Russian and French Hussars.
The French won handily.
The second series were run by players on opposite sides of the globe, one in Australia and the other in the United Kingdom.
The first game report came back; the result: a Russian victory.
The second game report came back;
The scenario I ran involved 60 men a side, literally running into each other in a small valley.
It was a straight forward cavalry melee with both sides needing to chase the opposition away without getting too badly mauled.
Experimenting with an adaption of
SCRUD I rolled the dice for each opposing squad of 10 troopers.
Troopers suffered wounds depending on the difference
between the two sides' dice. An accumulation of minor wounds or a
severe wound would render that trooper unable to continue.
There was always a chance that a kill could happen.
Arguably each roll of the dice took up 2 minutes of combat.
With that premise the whole action took just short of 90 minutes.
The Russians eventually retreated having suffered 11
dead, including their officer, as well as 18 walking wounded (5 severe /
critical).
The French had 3 dead and 16 wounded (non severe / critical).
A particular sequence of results would require that side to take a test and to retreat / fall back if the test was failed.
The Russians failed that test and turned tail and ran: fortunately for the French did not pursue.
This left the contest at a tie, 1 game each. I was able to get the UK player to run one more game.
The result came back;
"The landscape was slightly undulating, bordered by a small stream and marshy ground to the north.
The opposing troops approached each other cautiously, jockeying for
an advantage fighting breaking out all across the front lines.
However casualties on both sides were few and far between as neither side could exploit any advantage over the other.
After 2 hours of engagement both commanders ordered their troops to pull back and re-group.
Nightfall approached with neither side trying to attack again.
Both
sides pulled back to their own lines, under cover of darkness, and
reported the engagement to their respective commanding officers."
I had hoped for a clear victory, best 2 of three situation ... so I would have to 're-roll' one last throw to see what little information could be gleaned or protected.
 |
| The French win the narrowest of results in the skirmish series. |
Now the Allies are denied information for the next day's move ...
