School of the 18th Century Soldier

On Monday (Labor Day in the US), I entertained six of our wargaming group with an introduction to Batailles de l'Ancien Regime rules by Bill Protz (Msr. Chevert). A quick run-through of the salient points of the rules and a brief demonstration of battlefield maneuvers led to a small game. Each of the six players had two 24-figure battalions and a battalion gun. There were three players on the Elector's side and three on the Imperium's side. One player on each side had an elite command of grenadiers.

We played on a 16' x 5-1/2' main table with back tables of 16' x 2-1/2' in the fellowship hall of my church. That gave us plenty of room. We will use the same set-up for the "real" game on Sep. 19.

In the center, Lord Sterling comtemplates how best to maneuver his command of Carpanian musketeers against his Courland opponents.

On one flank, the two elite commands (Courland grenadiers in the foreground and Carpanian grenadiers and Campbell's Highlanders in the background) contest the village of Alt Kirchendorf. The church (kirche) is a paper model built with foamcore walls.

On the other flank, the Sachsen-Wachsensteiners went up against a command of Carpania fusiliers. Both sides initial volleys were devastating since the players couldn't roll "saves" to save their lives (pun intended!)

A look across the center (Courland musketeers on right and Carpanian musketeers on left) with the church in the background. Herr von Sansing is maneuvering his Carpanian grenadiers through the church side graveyard.

After defeating a charge by Campbell's Highlanders and sending them routing onto the Electoral back table, one of the Courland grenadier battalions outflanks the Carpanian grenadiers who earlier withdrew from the graveyard.

Action on the other flank as the Sachsen-Wachsensteiners and Carpanians go at each other at point-blank range. The two lines in the background are in a melee. Both lost sufficiently to drop below 50% and force a morale roll, which both failed, sending them reeling back from each other.

The six players caught on to the rules very quickly and by the second or third turn were doing their own firing without too much kibitzing from the game master (yours truly). They are all looking forward, as am I, to the big game on Saturday, Sep. 19th.