Trial of Eagles

Played a test game of Age of Eagles in preparation for Dave M's Play By EMail kicking off. Smallish forces of French and Prussians clash in a large area, interspersed with woods, and with plenty of room to manoeuvre. A game that saw a small force of battered Landwehr Cavalry take on fresh Polish Guard Lancers. Of course, since dice were involved, there was only ever going to be one outcome in a situation like this...

Tony was the main Prussian commander, with Tel taking on the right flank. Dave S commanded the French aided by Dave M.

The opposing main batteries deployed out of firing range of each other, preferring to hit the infantry targets as both groups closed on each other. It appeared that the Prussians had the numeric superiority but the quality of the French troops were unknown. The Prussian forces were a mix of Regulars and Landwehr.

The cream of the Prussian forces on the left remained lost in a forest and even the arrival of the Corp Commander with a map could not help them that much. The rest of the Infantry matched along the road supported by the Landwehr Cavalry and covered by the guns.

On the right the low troop density on the field allowed the Prussian attack columns to hit the flanks of the French Brigades, who were deployed in unsupported lines. It was this flank factor that gave the combat to the Prussians as they were matched in all respects, including the die rolls.

Just to make sure the Prussian Cavalry joined in with the Infantry in the next round of attacks. The main Prussian cavalry successfully followed up on the broken French Infantry and attempted to charge the French Artillery on the hill. This prove to be too much for the cavalry and they ended up dissipating.

It was at this point that the French Guard Cavalry made there appearance, two brigades worth supported by Horse Artillery. The Prussian Infantry, now out of support range from the Artillery, decided to form square. A dangerous thing as there was both French Infantry and Artillery near by.

Meanwhile on the Prussian right flank, the only remaining french infantry unit on that side remained disordered right in front of the Prussian guns, which did enough in repeated turns to keep them disrupted but not enough to destroy them. Eventually the guns were reinforced by the battered Landwehr Infantry who finally made up their minds to return to the battle.

Back on the left a combined Infantry-Cavalry attack broke the square, pushing it back in disorder, but also disordering the Polish Lancers. In what was seen to be a suicide run the battered remnants of the Landwehr Cavalry, newly re-ordered after being hit by artillery, charged into the Lancers. In a shock result the Lancers were pushed back and the Landwehr followed up into them again. Once more, against the odds, they were pushed back, this time through another Cavalry Brigade and disordering them in the process, and the Landwehr crashed into this lot as well, but this time with an indecisive result.

At the same time, the Prussian Infantry crash into the remaining French Infantry defending the guns. It was thought disaster had struck as the Prussians rolled a 1 and the French a 10, but once factors were figured in it turned out it to be a no lose situation for the Prussians as the opposition evaporated.

With little hope of victory the remaining French surrendered the field.
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