Later Louis XIV vs some scummy Scots
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:08 am
Hi all,
I played my most enjoyable game today against my friend Martin. With no insult to my previous opponents I'll precursor my AAR with this:
I find that a severe (for me) limitation on FoG is the way games tend to result. Here is my list of pleasure in games:
1 - I have a hard struggle but get a win - I enjoy these games the most.
2 - I have a hard struggle but get a loss - I enjoy these games the second most.
(a big gap in my levels of enjoyability follows)
3 - I might as well have not turned up to play. I win, but not due to tactics. Nothing my opponent could do would have changed anything. If I keep rolling 5's even my unarmoured poor soldiers with sticks will be the Terminator - I don't enjoy these games very much.
4 - I might as well have not turned up to play. I lost, but not due to tactics. Nothing I could do would have changed anything. If I keep rolling 3's even my Terminators wouldn't beat my opponents unarmoured poor soldiers with sticks - I don't enjoy these games at all.
I have found a disproportionate number of 3's and 4's in FoG which limits my enjoyment. So, having said all the above, my game today was a '2'. I lost, but had equal luck with my opponent and it was a struggle. I think it would have ended up something like 20:5.
Armies:
Later Louis XIV
I'm not sure, but some kind of Scots.
I won initiative and selected Agricultural - double sized enclosed field, two gentle hills and two open spaces. He selected an enclosed field and a couple of broken grounds. Terrain ended up being from my left flank to right. A broken ground in my left corner, a gentle hill in my opponent's '5/6' sector, the centre pretty much clear, my right flank the double sized enclosed field in my '5/6' sector and another enclosed field on the centre line in my half against he side edge.
I deployed my mounted on the left flank except for one bg which I put in the centre to hopefully attack his musketeers with pike detached. To the right of my mounted I deployed my infantry with the artillery pretty much directly in the middle of the board, and my dragoons in the enclosed fields.
My opponent deployed his mounted facing off my mounted (he had about double the amount of mounted, but of poorer quality horse - which would do me like a dinner because of the commanded shot. He put 2 batteries of 2 light guns behind the hill ready to 'take the hill' with supporting pike detached from some musketeers. In the middle he had pike and shot. Against the rough terrain he had the detached shot, medium guns and some supporting cavalry and dragoons.
After deployment I decided to abandon my left wing and put two generals with the two Det Horse to get them the hell out of dodge. I decided to push the issue with my mounted against his detached shot... my theory being he'd have to advance to protect them or I'd ride them down. If he advanced then that's ok because my foot is better than his and I want him to advance towards my foot.
The initial phase of the battle went with my opponent successfully taking the uncontested hill. I faced it off with superior foot far enough back that he'd have to get the light guns OFF the hill to shoot at them. I pulled my mounted back into the centre behind my infantry and ended up in a huge curve from my base edge around in a semi-circle across the central sector. My centre advanced to make room and I held as long as I could with my dragoons.
My enemy pushed forward on both flanks and my ploy with my mounted against his detached foot worked as he advanced in the centre. My artillery made mince meat of one of his BG's and totally destroyed it. This gave me a gap that I tried to push my unit of Det Horse through, but failed as I became pinned. I then pushed forward with my two BG's of Impact foot and got into combat. After a struggle I won the battle in the centre.
On the flanks I was a little unlucky. On the left flank I was shot up probably too quickly. My foot just folded both going fragmented as quickly as they were shot at. The dragoons held on very well, but eventually were overwhelmed.
It was the two BG's of my foot on my left flank that saw the end of the game. I'd taken bit of mauling elsehwere but was doing reasonable damage, but losing those two BG's meant that I had nothing left. What's more my superior Det Horse who were doing quite well against the enemy armoured horse decided this was the time to go disrupted, and then fragged when the infantry was charged and broke (fragged being charged).
I also lost my Great Commander in a forlorn hope in the centre. It was a case of 'I have to do it, I don't want to but I do' and he led from the front in true French manner, dying the process of trying to stop his troops autobreaking.
I know I haven't given a very good description of what happened, but all in all it was an enjoyable game.
Thanks Martin - a good game.
I played my most enjoyable game today against my friend Martin. With no insult to my previous opponents I'll precursor my AAR with this:
I find that a severe (for me) limitation on FoG is the way games tend to result. Here is my list of pleasure in games:
1 - I have a hard struggle but get a win - I enjoy these games the most.
2 - I have a hard struggle but get a loss - I enjoy these games the second most.
(a big gap in my levels of enjoyability follows)
3 - I might as well have not turned up to play. I win, but not due to tactics. Nothing my opponent could do would have changed anything. If I keep rolling 5's even my unarmoured poor soldiers with sticks will be the Terminator - I don't enjoy these games very much.
4 - I might as well have not turned up to play. I lost, but not due to tactics. Nothing I could do would have changed anything. If I keep rolling 3's even my Terminators wouldn't beat my opponents unarmoured poor soldiers with sticks - I don't enjoy these games at all.
I have found a disproportionate number of 3's and 4's in FoG which limits my enjoyment. So, having said all the above, my game today was a '2'. I lost, but had equal luck with my opponent and it was a struggle. I think it would have ended up something like 20:5.
Armies:
Later Louis XIV
I'm not sure, but some kind of Scots.
I won initiative and selected Agricultural - double sized enclosed field, two gentle hills and two open spaces. He selected an enclosed field and a couple of broken grounds. Terrain ended up being from my left flank to right. A broken ground in my left corner, a gentle hill in my opponent's '5/6' sector, the centre pretty much clear, my right flank the double sized enclosed field in my '5/6' sector and another enclosed field on the centre line in my half against he side edge.
I deployed my mounted on the left flank except for one bg which I put in the centre to hopefully attack his musketeers with pike detached. To the right of my mounted I deployed my infantry with the artillery pretty much directly in the middle of the board, and my dragoons in the enclosed fields.
My opponent deployed his mounted facing off my mounted (he had about double the amount of mounted, but of poorer quality horse - which would do me like a dinner because of the commanded shot. He put 2 batteries of 2 light guns behind the hill ready to 'take the hill' with supporting pike detached from some musketeers. In the middle he had pike and shot. Against the rough terrain he had the detached shot, medium guns and some supporting cavalry and dragoons.
After deployment I decided to abandon my left wing and put two generals with the two Det Horse to get them the hell out of dodge. I decided to push the issue with my mounted against his detached shot... my theory being he'd have to advance to protect them or I'd ride them down. If he advanced then that's ok because my foot is better than his and I want him to advance towards my foot.
The initial phase of the battle went with my opponent successfully taking the uncontested hill. I faced it off with superior foot far enough back that he'd have to get the light guns OFF the hill to shoot at them. I pulled my mounted back into the centre behind my infantry and ended up in a huge curve from my base edge around in a semi-circle across the central sector. My centre advanced to make room and I held as long as I could with my dragoons.
My enemy pushed forward on both flanks and my ploy with my mounted against his detached foot worked as he advanced in the centre. My artillery made mince meat of one of his BG's and totally destroyed it. This gave me a gap that I tried to push my unit of Det Horse through, but failed as I became pinned. I then pushed forward with my two BG's of Impact foot and got into combat. After a struggle I won the battle in the centre.
On the flanks I was a little unlucky. On the left flank I was shot up probably too quickly. My foot just folded both going fragmented as quickly as they were shot at. The dragoons held on very well, but eventually were overwhelmed.
It was the two BG's of my foot on my left flank that saw the end of the game. I'd taken bit of mauling elsehwere but was doing reasonable damage, but losing those two BG's meant that I had nothing left. What's more my superior Det Horse who were doing quite well against the enemy armoured horse decided this was the time to go disrupted, and then fragged when the infantry was charged and broke (fragged being charged).
I also lost my Great Commander in a forlorn hope in the centre. It was a case of 'I have to do it, I don't want to but I do' and he led from the front in true French manner, dying the process of trying to stop his troops autobreaking.
I know I haven't given a very good description of what happened, but all in all it was an enjoyable game.
Thanks Martin - a good game.
