Grunberg for Lasalle. An analysis

The charge of the 19th Hungarian infantry regiment in the Battle of Leipzig (1813) against the French

The main conclusion to be drawn from the combat of Grunberg, is the huge advantage that enjoy in Lasalle the 'large units' of six figures, like the Austrians of 1813, when facing 'normal' units of four figures like the French (and incidentally 'the rest of the world'). This 50% advantage appears at different times of the game:
1) Fire. In Lasalle, the musket fire effect is determined with the firing unit rolling a number of dice equaling the number of figures in its first rank. The comparative efficincy of the skirmisher screens can modulate this, but the French had a poor skirmish performance in 1813, so the Austrians are more likely to cause more fire casualties than the French.
2) Hand to Hand Combat. In this case, both sides roll a number of dice equal to twice the total of their respective figures. The final numbers can change depending on various tactical aspects, but the result is that the Austrians habitually will roll more dice, so it is quite difficult to break an Austrian unit in hand to hand combat.
3) Morale of the units. The number of casualties that a unit can absorb in Lasalle before to be broken and eliminated, depends on its initial number of figures. Here the Austrians of 1813 have again an advantage that is often decisive, as they can absorb a 50% more of casualties than the French, and consequently they have a larger resiliance.
4) The Army moral. The morale breaking number, i.e. the level when a side becomes routed in Lasaale and must concede the day, depends on their morale number, that is calculated with 'normal' units being worth 2 morale points, while the 'large' ones are worth 3 morale points, the breaking level of an army composed from 'large' units is always greater than the corresponding to an army composed of 'normal' units, so it is more difficult to break it.
During my solo-gaming I act in a god-like way. I made that the French followed their usual 'en avant' attacking tactical doctrine, while the Austrian followed their habitual and more cautious defensive approach. The net result of these opposing doctrines, when combined with the four points described above, was that the French crashed their heads, again and again, against the sheer weight of the Austrian numbers. The battle became thus a matter of attrition and consequentlythe winner was the side that could absorb more losses.
This combat has shown the power of the 'big battalions' or that, as we said in Spain, 'God helps the bad when they outnumber the good' (Dios ayuda a los malos cuando son más que los buenos)
 
The next project will be a combat between Frech and Prussians and both sides love the attack!

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