When I've got a couple of beauties, I get 'em out for the lads

With the Prussian and Russian SYW armies now finished, the temptation to fight at least one battle with everything is too tempting to pass up. However, there is a slight problem. My table is quite a big one - it is six feet wide and almost fifteen feet long  - but the troops, if lined up in a contiguous line, would be sixty six feet long. The battle would be 'wall to wall' in two lines on each side of the table. Therefore to make the battle more interesting I decided to make it a meeting engagement with troops arriving gradually.

The game would start with an advance guards, of about twenty units each, deploying up to 24" onto the table. Further troops would be introduced in commands at predetermined (by the players) points during the battle. Given the vagaries of the Piquet system, a simple additional random element, and the chance to change the points of entry as the game progressed, a game with some space to operate and which threw up tactical choices and problems might be achieved.

Last night we started to play the game. It is a big game for two players and myself (umpire and dog's body) to do, but the game progressed reasonably quickly. This short pictorial report shows how the game has progressed so far. At the end of turn three, the Prussians had deployed about two thirds of their total available force, the Russians slightly less and the battle had really just started. I think this game will be fought out over the next two to three weeks. It was a very simple scenario to set up, and being very short of time at present, this is a very good thing. The game will now truck along without a further draw on my time beyond 'gaming nights'.

Predeployment. The Russians have four commands as a van and the Prussians have three. One of the Russian commands is solely of fairly useless Cossacks.

Towards the end of the first night the Prussian van and Russian van are contesting the mill.

The Prussians have secured this flank by refusing their infantry line. Their cuirassier are about to arrive.

Russian Cossacks try to oppose reserve Prussian heavy cavalry at a stream. Defending the bank, they do reasonably well.

Russian infantry reserves move up to the top of the large hill on the Russian right whilst their mounted comrades buy them time. 

In the centre both sides have not committed.

As can be seen from this shot, space to manoeuvre is still very much available, as Prussian cavalry manoeuvres to the flank.

Action at the stream. White pompoms (much more serviceable than cotton wool) are for 'having fired' markers. You can get these from craft hobby shops - no more pulling shed whisps of cotton wool off of figures and bases for me.

Russian grenadiers gallantly defend the mill after throwing an unfortunate unit of jaeger from it.

Russians defend a village. In the distance, Prussian cavalry move to envelop them.

A close up shot of reserve Prussian infantry advancing in the centre. This is a typical command. The Prussians have eight commands, The Russians have nine.











The following tables give the OOB of each army. Shaded commands are the vanguard. Note that the Russian units are named by the first three letters of their name (e.g. in command A the infantry unit Apc is the Apcheronski Regt. Prussian units are named by unit number. 

The table edge was divided into seven two foot sectors.

RUSSIAN FORCES: C-in-C:

Command A:		Arrival point:
Infantry	Bel, Apc, St.P,		GR 1, 2
Artillery	Field guns x 1

Command B:		Arrival point:
Infantry	Ria, Kex, Smo, Azo,		GR 3
Artillery	Field guns x 1

Command C:		Arrival point:
Infantry	Nev, Sch, Nov, 2Mos, Nar		GR 4
Artillery	Heavy guns x 1

Command D:		Arrival point:
Infantry	Ros, Kie, But		CG x 3
Artillery	Field Guns x 1

Command E:		Arrival point:
Infantry (OC)	1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th		OCG x1
Artillery	Secret Howitzers x 2

Command F:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	CR Nov, Kie	HR Gro, Ven, Ser	HGR Stp
Artillery	None

Command G:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	Cossacks x 5
Artillery	None

Command H:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	CR 3rd, Pri	HGR Nar	DR Niz
Artillery	None

Command I:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	HR Hor (x 2)	DR Tob	Cossacks x 3
Artillery

PRUSSIAN FORCES: C-in-C:

Command A:		Arrival point:
Infantry	IR 25, 29, 14, 4	StG VI	Jaeger
Artillery	Field guns x 1

Command B:		Arrival point:
Infantry	IR 34, 24, 31,	CG 8/46	Gar 3
Artillery	Field guns x 1

Command C:		Arrival point:
Infantry	IR 1, 2, 5		IR (fus) 37, 46, 49
Artillery	Heavy field guns x 1

Command D:			Arrival point:
Infantry	IR 10, 19, 23	IR (fus) 40		CG 9/10	IR (guard) 15
Artillery	Heavy field guns x 2

Command E:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	HR 7 x 2		DR 1, 5, 11
Artillery	None

Command F:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	CR 1, 10		DR 8, 6 (x 2)
Artillery	Horse artillery x 1

Command G:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	HR 2 (x 2), 5 (x 2)
Artillery	None

Command H:		Arrival point:
Cavalry	CR 2, 8, 5, 7, 11		CR 13 (guard)
Artillery	None

Commands must enter within 12” of the specified numbered mark on table edge.

Commands may enter in any order.

Commands arrive on ‘arrival cards’. When the card is turned 1D3 is rolled. On a result of 1, no command arrives; on a result of 2, one command arrives; on a result of 3, two commands arrive.

Commands may enter on a frontage of two units in line or four units in column of route.

On a major morale card uncommitted commands may adjust entry point by plus or minus one.