Tuesday 23 September 2014

The combat of Thiessen (III)

The Beier's Prussian detachment advance against the Wurttemberger flank...

The 1/7 Wurttemberg IR is broken by the combined attack of the 1/ and 2/2nd Reserve IR, and... 
... then, the 1/1 Wurttemberg is routed by the 1/2nd Reserve IR...
... and the 2/1 Wurttemberg is routed by the 2/2nd Reserve IR...
... and the Prussians advance cutting the first Wurttemberger line.
Meanwhile, in Thiessen...
The 1/1st Reserve IR expels the 4/1 Italian IR from the village
... isolating the Italian Light battalion in the northern side of Thiessen
The Prussians have gained a momentaneous advantage...
Watch this space!





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Monday 22 September 2014

Napoleon's Battles Marechal Edition (NB4) is coming!

Napoleon's Battles Marechal Edition (a.k.a. NB4) will see the light in the next weeks!
See this entry in the Yahoo's Napoleon's Battles Forum posted by Javier Gámez, the soul behind the project:

"Dear folks,
The NAPOLEON'S BATTLES MARECHAL EDITION project is gathering momentum: this weekend we have updated the website, improving its design (which is far from definitive, anyway). We have also started to add some extra contents on it, this time two articles with comments on aspects of the rules and some of the changes that are being introduced in this new edition. You may find the website with all this info in the following link: www.napoleonsbattles.org.
Regarding the printed edition, we are still in negotiations with the publisher. We are currently preparing graphic material and other extra contents while waiting for the publisher. We will continue posting updates on the contents and the edition state in the following weeks.
Cheers,
Javi"

Watch this space!



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Saturday 20 September 2014

30th anniversary of the first ELITE

The 30th anniversary of the BBC Elite, the first released versión of this game, was celebrated on 20th September. There is a small BBC machine emulator available on the Elite Dangerous site (only for Elite Dangerous buyers, sorry!), to play it.
Watch below the Elite Dangerous commemorative video


And below a Youtube video from the Commodore-64 versión, the mine!



I still remember the trepidation of the game.... and the veeeeeeeeery looooog loading times with the old cassette storage unit of the Commodore 64!

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Friday 19 September 2014

The combat of Thiessen (II)

The combat of Thiessen is still developping, with the Prussians advancing along all the line.

The Italian Light battalions are defending Thiessen and the forest in the "French" left flank
The Italian line continues towards the center, defended by the foot artillery and the strong point of the cemetery
The Wurttembergers are defending the center-right with their artillery in the line
The Wurttemberger Lights are garrisoning Eupen anchoring the French right flank
The French (really their Italian and Wurttemberg allies) are defending without problems. However the Prussian renforcements are arriving.


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Saturday 13 September 2014

Elite Dangerous Beta has arrived!

Elite Dangerous Beta 1 has been released (see this post).



I am fighting the 'Solar Fluke' in the Eranin System


Visit the Elite Dangerous site if you interested in this re-born space trading/fighting game.


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The combat of Thiessen (I)

The Borstell's Prussian forces of the 5th Brigade are converging on the Italians and Wurttembergers of the Bertrand's IV Corps defending the northern approach to Wittenberg

The Thümen's advanceguard approaching Thiessen
The main body and reserve of the 5th Brigade moving through the forest
The Beier's flanking detachment in the open advancing against the Wurttembergers
The Italian lights, hidden in the forest, firing against Thumen
The Italian foot artillery firing at long range against the Prussians
The Prussian artillery detachment covering the Beier's advance
Watch this space!

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Sunday 7 September 2014

Thiessen for Lasalle. The definitive map

The battlefield for Thiessen has taken shape at last. As always, there are some small variations from the original map, because of the scenery ítems that are actually available (they call it the 'fog of war'!).
You can see the final scheme and some pictures of the table game.

Central-Eastern view
Western side
Eastern side
At last, you can see the forces being reviewed by their commanders.
French (really Italo-Wurttemberg) forces
Prussian forces

Watch this space!



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Thursday 4 September 2014

Thiessen for Lasalle. The rules for the Scenario

These are the specific rules for this Scenario

Duration
The basic duration of the game is 24 turns (3 hours). Seven dice are used, instead five, to test Army Moral. Bonus Turns are allowed rolling 2D6 (p. 66 of the e-Lasalle book.
The Prussians are the attackers and the first side.


Deployment and Reinforcements
French units
Fontanelli’s command must be deployed on the Thiessen area (C1-C3). Franquemont’s must be deployed in the Eupen area (C3-C5). The Jett’s cavalry is near Trajhun. Bertrand is in Trajhun
The reinforcements may enter in: Moroni: D1w-D1s (60%/40%); Wolff: D2-D3 (50%-50%); Morand: D4-D5s-D5e (40%/30%/30%)
Prussian units
Thumenn’s advance guard is deployed in A1-A2; Beier’s detachment in A5; Merkel and Schoon enter in A3 and A4, respectively, in Turn 1. Bulow and Borstell are with Merkel or Schoon.
The reinforcements may enter in: Krafft’s 6th Brigade: A3; Dobschutz and Kroos (4th Brigade) A5e-B5 (30%-70%).

All reinforcements follow the Lasalle arrival rules (p. 91 of e-Lasalle).

Optional rule: Irregular cavalry (Cossacks)
1) Irregular cavalry units may charge enemy units standing in 'limbered' or 'march column' formation in open terrain.
2) Irregular cavalry units must to pass a 'Discipline' test to initiate the charge in open terrain.
3) If routed in 'decisive combat', the irregular cavalry unit is immediately broken.

Victory conditions
The French aim is to reach the duration limit of the game (24 turns) without breaking. The Prussian aim is the opposite one. There are no Objectives.




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Thiessen for Lasalle. The forces

The OOB's have been taken from the Nafziger's Orders of Battle Collection, using the listings for the battles of Gross-Beeren and Dennewitz. Some units have been deleted to make a more manageable scenario. The names of some Prussian officers are fictitious (can you find these?)

Henri Gatien Bertrand
French Army
Army Morale: 48; Morale break point: 16
17 Battalions/5 Regiments/4 Batteries

C-i-C Bertrand IV Corps(-/¶)

15th Division Fontanelli (-1/*)
1st Brigade Martel (-/¶)
3/1 Italian Line IR R/A/SK1
4/1 Italian Line IR R/A/SK1
2/4 Italian Line IR R/A/SK1
2nd Brigade Saint Andrea (-/-)
2/1 Italian Legere IR R/A/SK1
3/1 Italian Legere IR R/A/SK1
3/6 Italian Line IR R/A/SK1
13/1e Foot Artillery Foot 3Guns/M/1Hw

38th Division Franquemont (-1/-)
1st Brigade Stockmayer (-/¶)
Wurtemberg Light IR R/E/SK2
1/7 Wurtemberg Line IR R/E/SK1
2/7 Wurtemberg Line IR R/E/SK1
2nd Brigade Spitzenberg (-/-)
1/1 Wurtemberg Line IR R/E/SK1
2/1 Wurtemberg Line IR R/E/SK1
1/2 Wurtemberg Line IR R/E/SK1
1st Wurtemberg Foot Artillery Foot 3Guns/M/1Hw

24th Light Cavalry Brigade Jett (-/-)
1st Wurtemberg Chevauleger S/E/Pu
3rd Wurtemberg Chevauleger S/E/Pu
1st Wurtemberg Horse battery Horse 2Guns/M/1Hw

Reinforcements
3rd Brigade Moroni (+1/-) (15th Division)
Milan Guard Battalion R/A/SK1
2/7 Italian Line IR R/A/SK1
3/7 Italian Line IR R/A/SK1

29th Light Cavalry Brigade Wolff (-1/¶)
Westphalian Chevauleger Lancier S/A/Ln/Pu
Hessian Chevauleger S/A/Pu
Bavarian Chevauleger R/A/Pu
3/5e Horse Artillery (3-6pdrs & 1-24pdr how) Horse 2Guns/M/1Hw

12th Division Morand (+1/-)
1st Brigade Blair (-/-)
4/8e Legere R R/A/SK1
2/8e Legere R R/A/SK1


Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow
Prussian Army
Army Morale: 51; Morale break point: 17
18 Battalions/5 Regiments/4,5 (6) batteries/1 Cossacks

C-i-C Bulow 3rd Corps (-/-)
5th Brigade Borstell (-/-)

Adv. Guard Thümen (+1/¶)
Fus/1st Pommerania IR R/E/SK2
3/2nd Reserve IR R/A/SK2
Pommerania Hussars V/E/Pu
1/2 6 pr Foot Battery #12 Foot 2Guns/M/

Detachment Beier (+1/¶)
1/2nd Reserve IR R/A/SK2
2/2nd Reserve IR R/A/SK2
W. Prussia Uhlan Regiment R/E/Pu/Ln
1/2 Horse Battery #11 Horse 2Guns/M/

5th Brigade
Schoon (+1/-) (Reserve)
Pommerania Grenadiers V/E/SK2
1/1st Pommerania IR R/E/SK2
2/1st Pommerania IR R/E/SK2
Merkel (-/*) (Main body)
1/2nd 1/st Reserve IR R/A/SK2
2/2nd 2/1st Reserve IR R/A/SK2
1/2nd Kurmark Landwehr U/A/SK1
2/2nd Kurmark Landwehr U/A/SK1
6 pr Foot Battery #10 Foot 3Guns/M/1Hw

Reinforcements
6th Brigade Krafft (-/-)
1/Colberg IR R/E/SK2
2/Colberg IR R/E/SK2
Fus/Colberg IR R/E/SK2
1/9th Reserve IR R/A/SK2
1st Pommerania LWr Cavalry S/A
6 pr Foot Battery #16 Foot 3Guns/M/1Hw

4th Brigade
Dobschutz (+1/-) (Main body)
2/1st Kurmark Landwehr U/A/SK1
1/1st Kurmark Landwehr U/A/SK1
1/1st Silesian Landwehr U/A/SK1
6 pr Foot Battery #17 Foot 2Guns/M/
Kroos (+1/*) (Cavalry)
Brandenburg Dragoons R R/E/Pu
1st Silesian LWr Cavalry S/A
1/2 Horse Battery #6 Horse 1Guns/M/
Karpov #2 Cossack R S/I/Pu


Next, the rules for the Scenario!

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Tuesday 2 September 2014

Thiessen for Lasalle. The map


The general area of the battle was found in the Nafziger's bookNapoleon at Dresden: The Battles of August 1813”. The Emperor Press, Chicago, 1991.
A visit to the GeoGREIF site, a map repository of the German Univesity of Greifswald, and a search for Wittenberg, provided a first 1/100,000 scale map

A search in the MTBL zone of the site, provided a series a of 1/25,000 scale maps, (090733 ;090734; 090743; 100711; 100712; 100721; 100713; 100714 and 100723) that were assembled with Photoshop, to make a map of the north of the Wittenberg área:

Zooming in the above map, the area of interest can be located, and the movements of the involved forces can be plotted, with the help of the bibliography (See the previous post)

Producing at last, the following game table map:


Woods and streams are rough terrain for cavalry and infantry and impassable for artillery except by roads and bridges, respectively. Each built-up area may contain one infantry unit

Next, the troops. Watch this space!


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