Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

I just had to quit playing the Battle of Eylau after having Marshal Davout Corps totally routed in a blizzard by cossacks!!!!

Every attack I make with my army is total failure and the French are being totally routed everywhere.

BY COSSACKS FFS!!!!

I like this battle But I've never had an experience like this.

I remember playing the old Cobxham knockoffs and they were a better experience than this.

I cannot do ANYTHING in this battle.

NOTHING...

I mean the French are being SLAUGHTERED EN MASSE!!!!

No one has played this battle?

and on top of this I cooked my soft boiled eggs runny.

Hissy fit almost over.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

Maybe I should just play the AI in this battle?

I'll bet it would kick my ass.

I don't look to win every game I play. But I expect them to be fairly historical...

The Cossacks Destroying Davout?

Come on.

the French cavalry has been TOTALLY dominated by Russian cavalry- on all fronts.

French cavalry not rallying.

Even where the French have numerical superiority over the Russians they're suffering heavy casualties and making no head way.

The Russians won't rout. and when they do, they instantly recover.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

when I get my shit back together, I would like to try this again.

I did make a lot of mistakes, but I really think the Russian cavalry has to be fixed.

They're undefeatable.

Further, I understand infantry couldn't fire during heavy snow and blizzard turns.

Why not allow them to assault cavalry during those turns? Otherwise, cavalry can just surround them and wear them down while guns and infantry and brought up and the infantry can do nothing.

the weather is a key factor in this battle, and I don't think we have it right.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

Could you tell us which scenario it was?

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Z_M15-056_Eylau_H_HTH.scn
Scenario file name M15-056. The Battle of Eylau

I may have made a couple of mistakes. My opponent had a good strategy.

But something was off about the cavalry- I was totally dominated by Russian cavalry from turn one. ON all fronts.

It seemed like my cavalry routed out right away and didn't rally and his never routed.

Even the Cossacks.

The snow rules are a mess because cavalry totally dominates the battlefield in the heavy snow.

Basically my infantry couldn't protect themselves and the Cossacks rode around them and then a couple of infantry units came up and artillery and the squares became untenable.

Davout was isolated and an entire division destroyed (by COSSACKS!!!!). When they tried to retreat into the woods, couldn't even dislodge skirmish units to gain sanctuary.
Infantry couldn't fire. They couldn't melee the cossacks to cut their way out.

and I attacked with my 4th, 7th, and elements of Davouts corps against two Russian divisions and could make no headway at all. With heavy losses.

ONe of the biggest fiascos I have ever had playing these excellent games.

I played the Cobexlaw (spelling) years ago and it played much better than this.

I don't in any way mean to criticize the designers of the battles. But this one didn't seem right.

Granted I made some big mistakes.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

A first look makes this hard to understand what you describe, cossacks opposite of Davout have D ratings while Davout's infantry has B rating.

What Optional Rules did you use?

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I am planning on playing some other battles to see.

and I will come back to Eylau again.

I noticed no one seems to have played it.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

anyone wanting to test out this title, give me a holler.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

Take a look at this game.

Just started trying to play Friedland.

The Russians have 60 plus guns up on the position by the fourth turn!!!!

The position is IMPOSSIBLE to hold.

If the French can't hold this position, they're behind the woods and can't attack.

The French can't win this battle...

like Eylau, an aggressive Russian player will win the battle.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

Well at the start it's pretty one-sided, whole Russian Army against Lannes reserve corps and a bit of the coming French cavalry. The Russian player knows he has to strike now or face a build to full strength French army later.
Here a video of how it went:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTy2Ghbt3Vs&ucbcb=1

What irritates me is that the scenario description sounds in part like we would have another version of the historical scenario.
It says:
"This is the full battle scenario starting at 0600 featuring no restrictions on the Russians as it regards movement."
To me it sounds like there may be a version that has restrictions on the Russians in regards of movement, but I don't see such a version, maybe missing or it failed the playtests.
I guess such a version could lessen the trouble of the initial situation that the French are in.

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I think the historical version should play fairly close to the parameters of the battle.

The alternative version(s) could allow this type of attack on Lannes.

I didn't play it through because I didn't want it to cost me another total defeat, but I would like to test it again without it being a club battle.

I am trying Eylau again and adjusting my strategy.

The people who design these games are amazing. I'm not trying to criticize their work- I just feel this game isn't exactly right and it would be nice to get people to play it to see if I'm right.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

I basically play these games NOT to get a lot of points in the club (although I HATE LOSING) but to get a historical realization of the factors in the battles and how they played out.

They are fantastic teaching devices- and the people who created them really understand the history.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

I just tried another replay...

Six turns into it, same problems.

Number one- The Russians have an unlimited artillery supply. SO that's either a mistake or the game description is.

Number two- The cossacks again.

It's NOT REALISTIC>

I just quit after 100 cossacks charged 130 skirmishers, Destroyed them, and then I had a form unit RUN OUT OF AMMO that didn't even shoot (So I can't shoot at them) and another FORMED UNIT disrupt...

around COSSACKS...

This needs to be fixed. IT's insane.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

Basically the game's premise is that around 2000 cossacks can hold up and disrupt Friant's corps and render them ineffective.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

What is limited artillery supply? Usually the number of rounds is limited.


That 100 cossacks can overrun a skirmisher unit, even if it's larger, can indeed happen.
That a unit runs out of ammo without firing is impossible, this is either a bug or your installation is corrupt.
If a formed unit disrupts then usually through attacks, if you haven't been attacked its again a bug, corrupt installation, or maybe you use the OR "Movement Threat Disorder" what is a bad idea.

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