Impromptu Games

But Kevin, you always take the Russian side.

LOL

OK so THAT is why the courier messages from him to me were annotated with “intercepted”

The AI took Kevin in as the Russians

I can play today at the usual time, 14:00 EST 19:00 GMT. A surprising upset in Weds. battle as the Russians gave the AI French a real drubbing. Today, we'll take the French side on the Eylau map.

I just might make it today.

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I shall be there to command division or brigade and, as is my wont, to cast unjustified aspersions at any C-in-C or scenario designers who might chance to be around.

I can play today if we can start at the unusual time, 13:30 EST 18:30 GMT.  The last battle took place on the snow covered Eylau map.  The result was an unexpected French victory.  Xmas must have come early.  We'll fight another wintery battle today, this time as the Russians.

I will try to be there for 18:30 GMT

I will make it then.

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As will I

I am all ready to play today. Are we starting at 1330EST or 1400EST?

I can play today at the usual time, 14:00 EST, 19:00 GMT. In a do-over, we will try to erase the embarrassment of Sunday's beating by replaying the same scenario. Let the record show I remain somewhat pessimistic of a different outcome.

Same here I am going to go play checkers and tiddlywinks instead.

That was the worse randomly generated scenario troops I have ever seen or maybe it was the scenario maker who gave us Russians who were afraid of the snow.

I believe the cause of the disaster in that battle can be summed up in two words: bad generalship. I'll say no more.

Says the scenario maker.....

After that shocking statement made by the scenario god I will cancel my parlor games and be there at the assigned time.

Kevin will no doubt have a new modules for us that will make the day easier for us.  

Plan for tonight.

I shall rise to clearly a Great Challenge (tm) and take command.

Kevin - you will take Gallitsin with the cavalry and move NE to the road. From there move East towards Brod Novaya and attack any unsupported targets of opportunity such as infantry not prepared to receive cavalry and any unsupported guns. After that, await orders. As you advance send messengers to von Dierecke and establish a close working relationship with him. Stay in physical contact with him on your right.

Pat - you will take von Dierecke's division. Face NNE and advance down the hill. It is likely the enemy will come south from Brod Novaya to engage you in which case fight a defensive battle intitially and destroy them. Contact Gallitsin to your left and co-ordinate your attack. Take Brod Novaya in concert with Gallitsin then face East.

Mike - you will be Docturhov. Come north across country and contact von Dierecke's RIGHT flank. Hold on the highest ground you can find but that proviso is subordinate to you moving your division downslope in close contact with von Dierecke's right in order to maintain close contact. You are the only division comander required to send out cavalry patrols which should be sent in the direction of Yakshino and Sorokino to observe enemy movements there. You are tasked with supporting von Dierecke by attacking any French division that comes west from Yakshino to contest Brod Novaya.

Phil, Grog & Peter if you play - take brigades of your choice. I suggest one in each division.

I'll take a brigade or prefereably Corps C-in-C.

Here is the plan with pretty coloured arrows as we used to see:

red = stage 1
green = stage 2
orange = stage 3

Great game. Tough AI

I was cruising along quite nicely until that next division hit ... hard

What part of, "not enough colors", was confusing?

The red part went ok insofar as I sent Grog to help u as I turned east.

It was the green part that got dicey. My division melted away

I take solace in the fact that my artillery got almost 3000 kills.

I was cruising along quite nicely until that next division hit ... hard

That was the division my plan intended Mike and Phil should intercept (it was the one that destroyed Kevin and me on Sunday), but Mike extended too far east and got tangled up with part of another division and it all began to unravel from then on. I gave Mike very clear instructions NOT to do that but players do tend to (rightfully) interpret the situation on the ground differently to my Lord Melchett sitting 20 miles behind the battle in front of a roaring fire at his HQ.

Its terribly frustrating being a C-in-C and seeing trouble unfolding before you and messaging players but nothing happens. Its why I rarely play C-in-C, its just so much more work and stress than commanding a division.

You did very well especially in terms of ensuring brigades were detached to local commanders when the battle required. Then reattaching. You kept me aware enough for me to do what I needed to do and reaffirmed my decisions (except when you were asking me why I was falling back and as I looked at Grogs brigade Inwas wondeimg samenthing lol)

And along same lines at first is was disorienting being a division cc since I am not always doing that in our games.

Opening up it was Supremely frustrating to have to set up my battery in 4 different locations before it started shooting. Digby you literally rode to the spot and said “try here” and it worked! Thereafter there werent problems regardless of where I placed them

I only knew the spot because I had the same problem in the same location last Sunday! There is a very weird curve to that slope that stops the sprite eye-level view seeing down it at all. On Sunday I started my division up near the trees and had to shift my battery forward about six or eight times before I reached that spot. Notice that the enemy battery wasn't shooting at you either and when Kevin and Grog went around the enemy right, his batteries shifted that way because they could see targets over there but not where you were.

Here's an archive file containing some screenshots. Most are from behind where Phil was fighting because that gave an excellent viw (it was also quite peaceful there and my artist had plenty of time to set up his easel). A few of the shots are over behind Grog's brigade as he tried his last 10 minute push on Lipki.

The number of bodies on the ground was just.... terrible. What must these battlefields have really been like the evening after a big engagement?

One pic shows me talking with Pat; I think it needs a caption competition. BTW the square behind Pat is all he has left of his command

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vjhcnh7waliu18e/Yakshino-ScreenShots.rar?dl=0

PALM TO FACE.

The sun rose on February 9 to illuminate a ghastly scene: "the snow was soiled by wide stains of blood, turned yellow by the trampling of men and horses. The spots where the cavalry charges had taken place, and the bayonet attacks and the battery emplacements were covered with dead men and dead horses...In short, no matter where one looked one saw nothing but corpses, and beheld men dragging themselves over the ground, one heard nothing but heart rending cries. I went away horror struck." - Jean-Baptiste Barres, French Officer, Chasseur, Imperial Guard

Same time, same place, Friday?

I would rather not play that scenario again to be honest.

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Aww, come on Mike, where's your spirit of masochism? Don't you have a burning desire to fail, fail and FAIL AGAIN! ?