Marshal Lannes
Member
Please Note - this is not the finished product, still a bit more tweaking to do .
[Overview:]
Company Level Waterloo is in short, the most detailed and intricate treatment of the battle that you will ever get. The battle itself was an epic event in military history and it deserves to be played in such a way as to illustrate that fact. The scenario itself at first glance looks alarmingly monstrous and therefore can be easily categorized as a, "Monster game". It takes a little bit of brain adjustment to move here from battalion level but your senses soon begin to adjust and then you are moving around with deft-like nimbleness, and when that happens, you are no longer the lion sizing up a zebra unwilling to risk a prolonged chase, but a blood- spattered mane and muzzle, chomping furiously away at the juicy bone marrow and meatiness of your prize. In essence, you have become a, "Monster Gamer", a rare breed who would not baulk at playing a battle at 1 to 1 scale if it meant that the experience was enhanced to be a more exact physical representation of the Battle of Waterloo. The truth is always in the detail and you get the following with this game scenario.
[ Units:]
Fitting for a " Monster" game , you get a huge amount of units. Every battalion of infantry is now sub-divided into six or more units while cavalry regiments are made up of squadrons, roughly 4 to a regiment and artillery is split into thirds and quarters of whole batteries, called sections containing 1-3 guns, mostly 2. Not convinced that it is huge ,yet; well, adjust that slack-jaw and note that these companies and squadrons can also be divided further into smaller squads or picquets, but generally, it is not necessary to do so. The option just adds to the humungousity of the game. Any nerds out there who want to add up the total count are free to do so. The typical French battalion of six companies is now differentiated into it's component parts, e.g. voltiguers, grenadiers, caribiniers and chasseurs. This obviously adds to the flavouring of the game and the detail is further enhanced by the V2.0 Mod unit pictures. These are a useful play aid as they help to keep similar units together by type, which is especially confusing, when French battalions of different formations have the same company numerical designation.
Having units at Company level creates a new, more detailed and involving experience for the Napoleonic gamer.
1.The Battlefield looks more impressive and realistic with huge numbers of units. Moving a single division with 48+ units lets you feel its power and engages you more in its functionality as you have to keep a more eager eye on its structure of regiments, battalions and of course companies. This awareness makes you interact at 4 different levels of command and so you get a more intense experience of gameplay.You become in tune with the troops at your command and hopefully aware of their potentiality in fighting over time.
2.You always have men on hand to cover a frontage or re-inforce weakened sectors, (even if only a small squad). Weakened or badly depleted units can be used to cover vulnerable artillery. In battalion level , you usually have to sacrifice an entire battalion unit to achieve the same result, even if it is at full strength as nothing else is available.
3. Except Lancers, all cavalry units have a minor fire capability allowing you to stand-off and fire against another cavalry formation of greater strength, wherein a melee assault would be disastrous or against infantry when charging is impractible.
4.Company level allows you to dress your lines in a more relaxed and realistic fashion, so that you can engage in prolonged musketry duels and therefore make finer adjustments to your positioning either in attack or defence. The 6 unit battalion presents you with a higher number of facing and concentration abilities making for a greater tactical opportunism to exploit. You always have the flexibility to cover all angles of enemy threat.
5. Routing is now less devastating in overall terms. There is nothing more irritating than a mass battalion rout leavin a line completely imbalanced; although fun for your opponent, it feels too sharp and clinical and unforgiving at battalion level. Company level redresses this imbalance by limiting it's overall effect. Sure, at Company level, you can still have a lot of routing, but large areas of your line are not swept clean within a single time period - you still have fresh rear units left to continue firing until they too are encouraged to break. In short , you do not experience blitz warfare which was not the general condition of the Napoleonic musketry duel - dribs and drabs of men would fall back but untested companies would continue to contest ground, encouraged by officers, until they too were overwhelmed. In which case you have the ability to gauge and react with reinforcements or not. The one or two move, shoot and melee or shoot and shoot is replaced by 5 or 6 rounds of musketry and a melee or more shooting. You get to savour a musketry duel and understand better, the feeling of Napoleonic line warfare.
6.Cavalry battles are now longer and more uncertain as you have a lot more units to rout or destroy. The Wham, bam, thank you maam attitude is replaced by individual charges and counter-charges on a near continual basis. You may be successful in some but lose in others. Cavalry against cavalry fighting was very messy and was composed of many individual melees and battalion level is unable to mimic this and of course, your mettle as a cavalry commander is tested as you have to measure lots of individual results rather than one grand bash. Apart from that, mistakes are more readily forgiven because of the number of units , unless of course , you make too many.
7. Artillery subdivided into sections enhances the gameplay experience by, allowing you to easily micro-manage. The typical 8 gun battery is now composed of 4 individual 2 - gun units. These can be kept together or spread out to give additional firepower wherever you like. Probably the most important advantage of sub-division is that you no longer have to suffer the iniquity of having your battery attacked and destroyed from the flank or rear. At Company level you can turn 2 or more guns to face a potential threat from any direction. You also will not suffer the complete destruction of your battery as in battalion level with a single attack as now 4 separate units have to be destroyed to achieve the same effect and that is rare.
Apart from that , because of the increased gun availability , you get to experience or give a good pounding and so in consequence- you will begin to feel the resonance and performance of the artillery arm on a Napoleonic battlefield. You get to feel what it is like to be constantly under fire as was the case historically. Units had to stand and take fire for long periods of time and so do you - it is a welcome relief to move forward into a valley or engage rather than just standing about. You can't get more realistic than that. Having guns that fire from a 32 or 48 hex distance also negates the sneaky tactic of covering your troops in low ground as it is much harder to evaluate safety zones with the higher unit count and distance.
8. Your Infantry units have a firepower range of 6 hexes, (specialist units go up to 9). Because of the distance, you are less susceptible to lightning melee assaults by opposing infantry. Naturally, gameplay becomes more balanced and makes you feel a greater level of control and contribution in your minute tactical placements.
9. There is of course, a slight anomaly in the fact that companies can form their own squares. I personally override this by introducing my own rule , that if a single company feels threatened enough to go into square, then the other 5 remaining units of the battalion automatically have to do so too. There is the proviso obviously that excludes those in covered terrain from doing so and also those that are disordered cannot anyhow. It works surprisingly well and should encourage you to keep battalion formations together, which is their natural state. You can also opt for a regimental rectangle , which is more realistic, but ineffective in emergency situations as it takes too long to form.
10. The integral balance between the opposing forces seems to be more consistent with what happened historically. By that , I mean , that two opponents of equal intellect will be able to portray the battle within a realistic modality of outcome. It is difficult for the French to win outright , and that is as it should be. There is however, a capacity for an unexpected French victory which has to be worked hard for and earned. An easy battle is not on the cards, unless of course, you are a military genius..........Company level gives you more options to consider without any swift outcomes so imbalanced results are ironed out. Tactical skill in spacing and timing give a richer, more relaxed and flexible feel to your gameplay. There are no quick results to your attacks, so forcing you to think harder and of course, show greater skill which is the hallmark of a good player and general; and naturally gives a great game experience, except for your opponent. Quelle domage !
[Terrain:]
The game map is scaled at roughly 30 metres per hex and includes all the standard focal points in relation to the Battle of Waterloo, but where it stands out is in the representation of the key battle objectives. No longer do you have to be subjected to a one hex assault giving you easy possession of a historic building. Now you have to fight hard for overall control of it. The, I hop in you hop out methodology is gone, to be replaced with, I have made a melee assault and taken a small part of Hougomont or La Haye Sainte but I now have to fight hard to take the other 5 to 8 hexes to gain ownership. You have to realistically slowly push out the defenders and hope to hold it as long as possible while the defender is pouring in reinforcements and you are pushing in more to attack, and so it becomes a see-saw engagement which is more historical and realistic. Sunken lanes and ridge- lines and embankments are longer and more problematic and although not a major impedance, can be useful in slowing an attack or disordering your opponent. The woods south of the Chateau of Hougomont become a major pain as they are expansive and take quite a while just to clear out a moderate defence. You feel a sense of elation when you clear them simply because they are a substantial obstacle and prevent you from flanking , just as they were historically. In fact with enemy reinforcements, they could break your back. Even when you have cleared them, there is still the Chateau to take and the northern orchard, the walled garden and sunken lane and the open-ground enclosure to the east which is swept by allied guns from the main ridge line. Your task, In short , becomes just as you would read in a good tactical description of the French attack on Hougomont. Terrain becomes a factor in victory, rather than being just a feature. With the V2.0 Mod, it looks pretty cool too and the greener colouration is more pleasing to the eye, especially as the game is extremely long to play. No kidding ! Also the fact that you have to march a fair distance just to get to grips with your opponent, accurately reflects the actual situation on the ground for the troops. In historical terms - the French had to march under constant artillery fire until they finally reached musketry range - you now have to time an assault and commit to it and add reserves and be aware of the time it takes to move distances. Your success is crucial in this respect and so gives the game a subtle layer of movement dynamic which if ignored , is sometimes fatal.
[Timescale:]
There are 132 turns in the scenario giving you 5 minute turns or if you start at 9.00am, 150 turns. The 5 minute turn treatment or as I like to call it, tempo , has some interesting qualities which enhance gameplay no-end. The smaller timescale is more forgiving of small mistakes or errors in positioning, you are given a much more relaxed gameplay experience to make minute or huge manouvers. You get to experience the initial slow build up of large formations first moving into position, then deploying and then finally engaging the enemy at close quarters. You have to pre-plan attacks ahead of their actual impact and be aware of the time it takes to move troops to critical points. You have to locate reserves ahead of time to deal with the potentiality of threat rather than an existing one. You have to think ahead of pre-existing nuance and by doing so, make your mark as a intuitive and composed commander of an army, able to not only understand the mechanics of battle, but also the creative whole. Napoleon was a great general not only because he was aware of terrain and his and opponents' abilities. He also understood the importance of time. " I can lose a division, but I cannot lose one minute of time". In Company Level Waterloo - Time can kill you, if you don't make it work for you !
[AAR. Report:] Part 1.
The following AAR Report is taken from the French point of view and may or may not be a 100% accurate representation of my style of play. It is primarily a display piece to give an idea of gameplay and of course, promote an otherwise gem of a game. It is played on the assumption of base optimality and feasibility of Allied positioning and so will reflect what was realistic and feasible on Wellington's part, i.e. Wellington is fighting a defensive , holding action unless presented with local superiority , in which case, only minor taking of French ground will be permissible to stabilize the line until the Prussians arrive. Once they are heavily winning against the French, a more aggressive stance will be permissible.........naturally, there will be no bias in my treatment... Vive L' Empereur ! A Bas les Anglais !
The Battle Of Waterloo 18th June ...................................................................................................................................1815.
Staff Meeting : Le Caillou - 11.00AM. Napoleon - " Soult !, Drout ! , Ney ! "
- " Sire !"
Napoleon - " Here are the new Battle Orders ! " Today we give France a great Victory. "
Napoleon -" Soult ! ", " Yes Sire ", " Drout ! ", " My Guns are ready, Sire " ," Ney ! " ," Wellington will return to England with only his horse and breeches ".
Napoleon - " Good !, let us begin. It would be impolite to keep our English Lord waiting any longer ". Napoleon buttons his coat and puts on his hat and steps outside.
Caulaincourt - " The sun has broken through the clouds at last ". Napoleon looks up and sees the last remnants of grey cloud drifting slowly north. The panorama of massed formations of his troops become bathed in golden light. Nature's herald is announcing the start of the momentous event to come; an event that will be remembered and written about, of the passing into History of a man who exceeded the limits of glory; who became in a short time, a new Alexander , a man whose name became Legend, even in defeat.
"Napoleone Buonaparte".
11.15am. Boom ! One of Bachelu's Divisional artillery pieces fires into the centre of the allied line. The noise is slowly enhanced by sporadic firing of artillery pieces from both sides. The whistling sound of cannonballs and reverberations of gun muzzles are then intermingled with the sound of trumpets and drums and shouted orders. The French are beginning to move forward. It is still awhile before the tramping of feet and hoof outdo the other noises of battle and so Wellington's men wait anxiously for such noise to grow as then it will be the only noise they hear.
General Durutte's Battle Orders : You are to take your 4th Infantry Division and immediately assault the farmhouse complexes of Papelotte and La Haye and sieze hold of the hamlet of Smohain and also ascertain if any allied forces are in the vicinity of the Chateau of Frischermont. You are required to engage and push back any cavalry formations that you find and by so doing, protect the eastern flank of our army. I also entrust you with co-operation with the main assault on the allied line with the rest of the 1st Corps , to which , you will provide at least one brigade. His majesty has given you the additional command of the 1st Cavalry Division and further regiments of cavalry and guns will be sent to you upon request and availability. Marechal Soult, Chief Of Staff.
Strength : Durutte's 4th Infantry Division. Jacquinot's 1st Cavalry Division.
8th Line Regt. ( Colonel Ruelle - 890 men). 7th Hussar Regt. ( Marbot - 404men).
29th Line Regt. ( Colonel Rousselot - 1140 men). 3rd Chasseurs Regt. ( Lawoe -(404men).
95th Line Regt. ( Colonel Gamier - 1092 men). 3rd Lancer Regt. ( Martigue -400men).
85th Line Regt. ( Colonel Masson - 624 men ). 4th Lancer Regt. ( Bro - 300men).
Artillery - Bourgeois - 8 Guns. Artillery - 4 Guns.
Map 1.
An Allied gun battery opens fire on Durutte's men as they march along the track to Smohain.To their left, more allied guns are firing but as yet have failed to find their mark and inflict miniscule losses because of distance. Durutte orders the 2nd brigade off the track to allow the artillery to pass quickly and temper further loss , however slight. Marbot's 1st squadron of hussars have run off a group of Dutch-Belgian skirmishers attempting to occupy the Chateau of Frischermont. It is not defended and is therefore ignored.
Map 2.
Map 3.
Map 4.
Map 5.
Map 6.
Map 7.
Map 8.
Map 9.
Map 10.
Strategy Outline. A successful attack on the farmhouses is in my opinion, a significant pre-cursor to winning the battle as a whole. You can in fact use the measure of your success here as a barometer of how the battle will pan out, in it's first half anyhow. It is going to be the first clash of close arms on the battlefield and so will give you a good indication of the mettle of your opponent.The Allied player, (Wellington), will be exposing his tactical mind-set and showing in no uncertain terms, what sort of a player he is and that is worth it's weight in gold. There is no room for trickery here as 2 objective hexes are up for grabs and of course the dishonour of early defeat and loss of tactical momentum. The farmhouses untaken, give the allied player free range to interfere with the French right flank and that should not be allowed.The situation should be reversed. Apart from that, you are pushing away the flank of the enemy from linking up with the Prussians when they eventually arrive. Let the Prussians fight for ground rather than just strolling in to link up with Wellington. On the assumption that the allied player is aware of this fact; what can you readily expect; well, the farmhouses are defended by a single brigade of Dutch- Belgians of quite good quality and morale and can cause problems if handled effectively and if you give them too little to worry about. It is almost a given that Vivian's cavalry brigade will assist them, not only for the simple reason that they are the closest allied forces, but on the fact that Jacquinot's Cavalry Division, if given free range behind Smohain; will quite happily cut to pieces any infantry routers and will naturally go for the only allied gun battery in this sector, i.e . Stievnarr's guns. It is almost a textbook situation and so because of this fact, you can make it work for you and against your opponent. An attempt to take on all defensive points at once leads to heavy loss and should be avoided, especially if both allied cavalry brigades are committed. Since the French have a superiority in artillery and can easily add more from nearby horse batteries- make good use of them to prevent enemy movement beyond the relatively safe environs of the farmhouse complexes themselves. Do not be surprised if the allied player sets up a defensive cavalry screen 4 hexes beyond the right-hand branch of the Smohain brook extending north-east as the option of using his 4 hex carbine fire range is available but more importantly, any attempt by the French player to cross over, will meet with an enhanced strength cavalry charge , while the French horsemen are crippled by a lower, disordered melee strength. Subtle but deadly, until of course, Smohain is cleared and then infantry and artillery can be used to move them on. The Smohain brook and the embankment to the west look deceptively innocuous but should be factored in to French plans for early success.The use of all three arms should make things go smoothly enough but a sneaky and good usage of the allied cavalry could cause real headaches for the French player, and that is why I always bolster my cavalry with a Cuirassier regiment , just in case.
Company Level Waterloo
A Study In Tactics & Gameplay
By
Marshal Lannes
A Study In Tactics & Gameplay
By
Marshal Lannes
[Overview:]
Company Level Waterloo is in short, the most detailed and intricate treatment of the battle that you will ever get. The battle itself was an epic event in military history and it deserves to be played in such a way as to illustrate that fact. The scenario itself at first glance looks alarmingly monstrous and therefore can be easily categorized as a, "Monster game". It takes a little bit of brain adjustment to move here from battalion level but your senses soon begin to adjust and then you are moving around with deft-like nimbleness, and when that happens, you are no longer the lion sizing up a zebra unwilling to risk a prolonged chase, but a blood- spattered mane and muzzle, chomping furiously away at the juicy bone marrow and meatiness of your prize. In essence, you have become a, "Monster Gamer", a rare breed who would not baulk at playing a battle at 1 to 1 scale if it meant that the experience was enhanced to be a more exact physical representation of the Battle of Waterloo. The truth is always in the detail and you get the following with this game scenario.
[ Units:]
Fitting for a " Monster" game , you get a huge amount of units. Every battalion of infantry is now sub-divided into six or more units while cavalry regiments are made up of squadrons, roughly 4 to a regiment and artillery is split into thirds and quarters of whole batteries, called sections containing 1-3 guns, mostly 2. Not convinced that it is huge ,yet; well, adjust that slack-jaw and note that these companies and squadrons can also be divided further into smaller squads or picquets, but generally, it is not necessary to do so. The option just adds to the humungousity of the game. Any nerds out there who want to add up the total count are free to do so. The typical French battalion of six companies is now differentiated into it's component parts, e.g. voltiguers, grenadiers, caribiniers and chasseurs. This obviously adds to the flavouring of the game and the detail is further enhanced by the V2.0 Mod unit pictures. These are a useful play aid as they help to keep similar units together by type, which is especially confusing, when French battalions of different formations have the same company numerical designation.
Having units at Company level creates a new, more detailed and involving experience for the Napoleonic gamer.
1.The Battlefield looks more impressive and realistic with huge numbers of units. Moving a single division with 48+ units lets you feel its power and engages you more in its functionality as you have to keep a more eager eye on its structure of regiments, battalions and of course companies. This awareness makes you interact at 4 different levels of command and so you get a more intense experience of gameplay.You become in tune with the troops at your command and hopefully aware of their potentiality in fighting over time.
2.You always have men on hand to cover a frontage or re-inforce weakened sectors, (even if only a small squad). Weakened or badly depleted units can be used to cover vulnerable artillery. In battalion level , you usually have to sacrifice an entire battalion unit to achieve the same result, even if it is at full strength as nothing else is available.
3. Except Lancers, all cavalry units have a minor fire capability allowing you to stand-off and fire against another cavalry formation of greater strength, wherein a melee assault would be disastrous or against infantry when charging is impractible.
4.Company level allows you to dress your lines in a more relaxed and realistic fashion, so that you can engage in prolonged musketry duels and therefore make finer adjustments to your positioning either in attack or defence. The 6 unit battalion presents you with a higher number of facing and concentration abilities making for a greater tactical opportunism to exploit. You always have the flexibility to cover all angles of enemy threat.
5. Routing is now less devastating in overall terms. There is nothing more irritating than a mass battalion rout leavin a line completely imbalanced; although fun for your opponent, it feels too sharp and clinical and unforgiving at battalion level. Company level redresses this imbalance by limiting it's overall effect. Sure, at Company level, you can still have a lot of routing, but large areas of your line are not swept clean within a single time period - you still have fresh rear units left to continue firing until they too are encouraged to break. In short , you do not experience blitz warfare which was not the general condition of the Napoleonic musketry duel - dribs and drabs of men would fall back but untested companies would continue to contest ground, encouraged by officers, until they too were overwhelmed. In which case you have the ability to gauge and react with reinforcements or not. The one or two move, shoot and melee or shoot and shoot is replaced by 5 or 6 rounds of musketry and a melee or more shooting. You get to savour a musketry duel and understand better, the feeling of Napoleonic line warfare.
6.Cavalry battles are now longer and more uncertain as you have a lot more units to rout or destroy. The Wham, bam, thank you maam attitude is replaced by individual charges and counter-charges on a near continual basis. You may be successful in some but lose in others. Cavalry against cavalry fighting was very messy and was composed of many individual melees and battalion level is unable to mimic this and of course, your mettle as a cavalry commander is tested as you have to measure lots of individual results rather than one grand bash. Apart from that, mistakes are more readily forgiven because of the number of units , unless of course , you make too many.
7. Artillery subdivided into sections enhances the gameplay experience by, allowing you to easily micro-manage. The typical 8 gun battery is now composed of 4 individual 2 - gun units. These can be kept together or spread out to give additional firepower wherever you like. Probably the most important advantage of sub-division is that you no longer have to suffer the iniquity of having your battery attacked and destroyed from the flank or rear. At Company level you can turn 2 or more guns to face a potential threat from any direction. You also will not suffer the complete destruction of your battery as in battalion level with a single attack as now 4 separate units have to be destroyed to achieve the same effect and that is rare.
Apart from that , because of the increased gun availability , you get to experience or give a good pounding and so in consequence- you will begin to feel the resonance and performance of the artillery arm on a Napoleonic battlefield. You get to feel what it is like to be constantly under fire as was the case historically. Units had to stand and take fire for long periods of time and so do you - it is a welcome relief to move forward into a valley or engage rather than just standing about. You can't get more realistic than that. Having guns that fire from a 32 or 48 hex distance also negates the sneaky tactic of covering your troops in low ground as it is much harder to evaluate safety zones with the higher unit count and distance.
8. Your Infantry units have a firepower range of 6 hexes, (specialist units go up to 9). Because of the distance, you are less susceptible to lightning melee assaults by opposing infantry. Naturally, gameplay becomes more balanced and makes you feel a greater level of control and contribution in your minute tactical placements.
9. There is of course, a slight anomaly in the fact that companies can form their own squares. I personally override this by introducing my own rule , that if a single company feels threatened enough to go into square, then the other 5 remaining units of the battalion automatically have to do so too. There is the proviso obviously that excludes those in covered terrain from doing so and also those that are disordered cannot anyhow. It works surprisingly well and should encourage you to keep battalion formations together, which is their natural state. You can also opt for a regimental rectangle , which is more realistic, but ineffective in emergency situations as it takes too long to form.
10. The integral balance between the opposing forces seems to be more consistent with what happened historically. By that , I mean , that two opponents of equal intellect will be able to portray the battle within a realistic modality of outcome. It is difficult for the French to win outright , and that is as it should be. There is however, a capacity for an unexpected French victory which has to be worked hard for and earned. An easy battle is not on the cards, unless of course, you are a military genius..........Company level gives you more options to consider without any swift outcomes so imbalanced results are ironed out. Tactical skill in spacing and timing give a richer, more relaxed and flexible feel to your gameplay. There are no quick results to your attacks, so forcing you to think harder and of course, show greater skill which is the hallmark of a good player and general; and naturally gives a great game experience, except for your opponent. Quelle domage !
[Terrain:]
The game map is scaled at roughly 30 metres per hex and includes all the standard focal points in relation to the Battle of Waterloo, but where it stands out is in the representation of the key battle objectives. No longer do you have to be subjected to a one hex assault giving you easy possession of a historic building. Now you have to fight hard for overall control of it. The, I hop in you hop out methodology is gone, to be replaced with, I have made a melee assault and taken a small part of Hougomont or La Haye Sainte but I now have to fight hard to take the other 5 to 8 hexes to gain ownership. You have to realistically slowly push out the defenders and hope to hold it as long as possible while the defender is pouring in reinforcements and you are pushing in more to attack, and so it becomes a see-saw engagement which is more historical and realistic. Sunken lanes and ridge- lines and embankments are longer and more problematic and although not a major impedance, can be useful in slowing an attack or disordering your opponent. The woods south of the Chateau of Hougomont become a major pain as they are expansive and take quite a while just to clear out a moderate defence. You feel a sense of elation when you clear them simply because they are a substantial obstacle and prevent you from flanking , just as they were historically. In fact with enemy reinforcements, they could break your back. Even when you have cleared them, there is still the Chateau to take and the northern orchard, the walled garden and sunken lane and the open-ground enclosure to the east which is swept by allied guns from the main ridge line. Your task, In short , becomes just as you would read in a good tactical description of the French attack on Hougomont. Terrain becomes a factor in victory, rather than being just a feature. With the V2.0 Mod, it looks pretty cool too and the greener colouration is more pleasing to the eye, especially as the game is extremely long to play. No kidding ! Also the fact that you have to march a fair distance just to get to grips with your opponent, accurately reflects the actual situation on the ground for the troops. In historical terms - the French had to march under constant artillery fire until they finally reached musketry range - you now have to time an assault and commit to it and add reserves and be aware of the time it takes to move distances. Your success is crucial in this respect and so gives the game a subtle layer of movement dynamic which if ignored , is sometimes fatal.
[Timescale:]
There are 132 turns in the scenario giving you 5 minute turns or if you start at 9.00am, 150 turns. The 5 minute turn treatment or as I like to call it, tempo , has some interesting qualities which enhance gameplay no-end. The smaller timescale is more forgiving of small mistakes or errors in positioning, you are given a much more relaxed gameplay experience to make minute or huge manouvers. You get to experience the initial slow build up of large formations first moving into position, then deploying and then finally engaging the enemy at close quarters. You have to pre-plan attacks ahead of their actual impact and be aware of the time it takes to move troops to critical points. You have to locate reserves ahead of time to deal with the potentiality of threat rather than an existing one. You have to think ahead of pre-existing nuance and by doing so, make your mark as a intuitive and composed commander of an army, able to not only understand the mechanics of battle, but also the creative whole. Napoleon was a great general not only because he was aware of terrain and his and opponents' abilities. He also understood the importance of time. " I can lose a division, but I cannot lose one minute of time". In Company Level Waterloo - Time can kill you, if you don't make it work for you !
[AAR. Report:] Part 1.
The following AAR Report is taken from the French point of view and may or may not be a 100% accurate representation of my style of play. It is primarily a display piece to give an idea of gameplay and of course, promote an otherwise gem of a game. It is played on the assumption of base optimality and feasibility of Allied positioning and so will reflect what was realistic and feasible on Wellington's part, i.e. Wellington is fighting a defensive , holding action unless presented with local superiority , in which case, only minor taking of French ground will be permissible to stabilize the line until the Prussians arrive. Once they are heavily winning against the French, a more aggressive stance will be permissible.........naturally, there will be no bias in my treatment... Vive L' Empereur ! A Bas les Anglais !
The Battle Of Waterloo 18th June ...................................................................................................................................1815.
Staff Meeting : Le Caillou - 11.00AM. Napoleon - " Soult !, Drout ! , Ney ! "
- " Sire !"
Napoleon - " Here are the new Battle Orders ! " Today we give France a great Victory. "
Napoleon -" Soult ! ", " Yes Sire ", " Drout ! ", " My Guns are ready, Sire " ," Ney ! " ," Wellington will return to England with only his horse and breeches ".
Napoleon - " Good !, let us begin. It would be impolite to keep our English Lord waiting any longer ". Napoleon buttons his coat and puts on his hat and steps outside.
Caulaincourt - " The sun has broken through the clouds at last ". Napoleon looks up and sees the last remnants of grey cloud drifting slowly north. The panorama of massed formations of his troops become bathed in golden light. Nature's herald is announcing the start of the momentous event to come; an event that will be remembered and written about, of the passing into History of a man who exceeded the limits of glory; who became in a short time, a new Alexander , a man whose name became Legend, even in defeat.
"Napoleone Buonaparte".
11.15am. Boom ! One of Bachelu's Divisional artillery pieces fires into the centre of the allied line. The noise is slowly enhanced by sporadic firing of artillery pieces from both sides. The whistling sound of cannonballs and reverberations of gun muzzles are then intermingled with the sound of trumpets and drums and shouted orders. The French are beginning to move forward. It is still awhile before the tramping of feet and hoof outdo the other noises of battle and so Wellington's men wait anxiously for such noise to grow as then it will be the only noise they hear.
General Durutte's Battle Orders : You are to take your 4th Infantry Division and immediately assault the farmhouse complexes of Papelotte and La Haye and sieze hold of the hamlet of Smohain and also ascertain if any allied forces are in the vicinity of the Chateau of Frischermont. You are required to engage and push back any cavalry formations that you find and by so doing, protect the eastern flank of our army. I also entrust you with co-operation with the main assault on the allied line with the rest of the 1st Corps , to which , you will provide at least one brigade. His majesty has given you the additional command of the 1st Cavalry Division and further regiments of cavalry and guns will be sent to you upon request and availability. Marechal Soult, Chief Of Staff.
Strength : Durutte's 4th Infantry Division. Jacquinot's 1st Cavalry Division.
8th Line Regt. ( Colonel Ruelle - 890 men). 7th Hussar Regt. ( Marbot - 404men).
29th Line Regt. ( Colonel Rousselot - 1140 men). 3rd Chasseurs Regt. ( Lawoe -(404men).
95th Line Regt. ( Colonel Gamier - 1092 men). 3rd Lancer Regt. ( Martigue -400men).
85th Line Regt. ( Colonel Masson - 624 men ). 4th Lancer Regt. ( Bro - 300men).
Artillery - Bourgeois - 8 Guns. Artillery - 4 Guns.
Map 1.
An Allied gun battery opens fire on Durutte's men as they march along the track to Smohain.To their left, more allied guns are firing but as yet have failed to find their mark and inflict miniscule losses because of distance. Durutte orders the 2nd brigade off the track to allow the artillery to pass quickly and temper further loss , however slight. Marbot's 1st squadron of hussars have run off a group of Dutch-Belgian skirmishers attempting to occupy the Chateau of Frischermont. It is not defended and is therefore ignored.
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Strategy Outline. A successful attack on the farmhouses is in my opinion, a significant pre-cursor to winning the battle as a whole. You can in fact use the measure of your success here as a barometer of how the battle will pan out, in it's first half anyhow. It is going to be the first clash of close arms on the battlefield and so will give you a good indication of the mettle of your opponent.The Allied player, (Wellington), will be exposing his tactical mind-set and showing in no uncertain terms, what sort of a player he is and that is worth it's weight in gold. There is no room for trickery here as 2 objective hexes are up for grabs and of course the dishonour of early defeat and loss of tactical momentum. The farmhouses untaken, give the allied player free range to interfere with the French right flank and that should not be allowed.The situation should be reversed. Apart from that, you are pushing away the flank of the enemy from linking up with the Prussians when they eventually arrive. Let the Prussians fight for ground rather than just strolling in to link up with Wellington. On the assumption that the allied player is aware of this fact; what can you readily expect; well, the farmhouses are defended by a single brigade of Dutch- Belgians of quite good quality and morale and can cause problems if handled effectively and if you give them too little to worry about. It is almost a given that Vivian's cavalry brigade will assist them, not only for the simple reason that they are the closest allied forces, but on the fact that Jacquinot's Cavalry Division, if given free range behind Smohain; will quite happily cut to pieces any infantry routers and will naturally go for the only allied gun battery in this sector, i.e . Stievnarr's guns. It is almost a textbook situation and so because of this fact, you can make it work for you and against your opponent. An attempt to take on all defensive points at once leads to heavy loss and should be avoided, especially if both allied cavalry brigades are committed. Since the French have a superiority in artillery and can easily add more from nearby horse batteries- make good use of them to prevent enemy movement beyond the relatively safe environs of the farmhouse complexes themselves. Do not be surprised if the allied player sets up a defensive cavalry screen 4 hexes beyond the right-hand branch of the Smohain brook extending north-east as the option of using his 4 hex carbine fire range is available but more importantly, any attempt by the French player to cross over, will meet with an enhanced strength cavalry charge , while the French horsemen are crippled by a lower, disordered melee strength. Subtle but deadly, until of course, Smohain is cleared and then infantry and artillery can be used to move them on. The Smohain brook and the embankment to the west look deceptively innocuous but should be factored in to French plans for early success.The use of all three arms should make things go smoothly enough but a sneaky and good usage of the allied cavalry could cause real headaches for the French player, and that is why I always bolster my cavalry with a Cuirassier regiment , just in case.
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