Nigel organised a small General de Armee game with a division a side with the French facing a Austrian, Prussian and Bavarian force.
The game started with the deployment and scouting as usual and with great skill and dexterity the French (me and Nigel) did not manage to spot any of the allied brigades so had to deploy relatively blind.
The French could hold 2 brigades in reserve, which we did with the Poles and the cavalry. The Allies could have a single brigade in reserve and they also left their cavalry in reserve.

The French deployed the Marine brigade on the left and the Recruit brigade on the right with the artillery in the centre.

The French plan was that the right flank (the Recruit brigade) was to advance through the farm and then drive forward on the right while the Marines held the Austrians and Prussians on the left.
However this plan was scuppered on the first turn as the Allies won the initiative and advanced a battalion to grab the village.
As the Bavarians were unformed in the village I threw in a battalion to try and push them out! This failed as the garrison held and the French battalion was forced back with heavy casualties!

While I was fighting over the village the rest of the French had advanced and were engaged all along the line and my skirmishers to engage the garrison.

The French Marines had advanced and were driving back the Austrian skirmishers and were preparing to launch a charge on the Austrians.

On the left I launched another assault on the village this time the lead battalion was supported.

The engage the Prussians the Poles were deployed from the reserves and advanced through the woods.

To counter the advancing Poles the Bavarian cavalry advanced from the reserves.

While the last French assault on the village was beaten off by the garrison however the garrison itself was dispersed through casualties.

The next turn the French managed to win the initiative so this time a French battalion could advance and seize the village.

The Bavarians immediately launched an attack to retake the village but was beaten off and retreated.
This was a lucky break for the French as my recruit brigade had taken heavy casualties and was looking decidedly iffy.

With the Bavarian brigade having two “retreating” battalions it had faltered and “Broken Dice” first rolled a 2 which would mean that he would have a “Sauve qui Peut” result, basically “run away” but he had a reroll so rolled a “1” so not only did the Bavarians “run away” the brigade was also broken and would quit the field.

So I managed to grab a victory from defeat for the French as we called the game (or it could be that “Broken Dice” grabbed defeat from victory).
Another cracking game with great friends.









































































































































































