Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Just an observation ... I have played the 534 turns campaign on this outstanding map of Bavaria several times now (sure, they never actually went all the way [;)]) and I have come to wonder why the battles never take place up in the North where they did historically. The fighting usually happens mainly between the Große Laber valley and the western map edge, well south of Abensberg.

I have now come to realize why, and it is this: The campaign battle starts with a gigantic "what if" situation, namely "what if Davout would have marched from Ratisbon on 17 April"? In reality, Davout didn't get his command together and on the road before 19 April. That's three days in which the Austrian army could press northwards towards the Danube and trap him, and that's why it was even possible for a battle to take place at Teugn-Hausen--because Davout hadn't come very far yet on his march up the south bank of the Danube.

Now in the campaign in-one-battle game, as Davout I know that the Austrians are coming, and nothing on earth can prevent me from getting my command on the road already on the 16th and march on the morning of 17 April at the latest, keeping well clear of anything wearing white and make it at least to Abensberg for a link-up with the Army of Germany. If Davout makes a dash for safety at the earliest possible moment, there is nothing the Austrians can do about it, and all fighting will take place in the southwestern quadrant of the map, far away from the historical fields of Teugn-Hausen and Eggmuhl.

Seeing how the entire historical Eckmuhl campaign hinges on Davout's marching too late to escape the trap created by the advancing Austrian columns, not preventing him from marching earlier pretty much ensures that the campaign takes a radically different course from reality right from the start. Maybe Davout's command should be fixed until 19 April? Or at least scattered badly over the countryside, disrupted, fatigued, etc., so to induce him to delay and get organized? A poor solution, I know ...

<center>Général de Division D.S. "Green Horse" Walter
Baron d'Empire, Duc des Pyramides
Commandant [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/3_VI_AdR_Home.htm"]3ème Division[/url], VIème Corps Bavarois, L'Armée du Rhin
Brigade de Tirailleurs de la Jeune Garde
</center>

[;)]I agree Dierk, now in our campaign if would be so kind as to march Davout back to Ratisbon where he belongs... eh, eh

Ed

Major Ed Blackburn
Commanding 6th Div, II Corps, AAA
3rd Bn / 1st Regiment of Foot Guards

Gen. Walter:

Why not just agree to "fix" Davout for 36 hours? That should change things a bit. [8D]

FM Sir 'Muddy' Jones, KG
2nd Life Guards, Household Cavalry
CO, Cavalry Corps
Allied CiC

Dierk,

Additionally, Herzog Karl decided to rest his troops for a day, and the roads coming up from his direction were still poor from winter thaws, and early spring rains. This explains why the more northern battles weren't fought two days earlier.

My apologies for using a four-letter word, REST, in this post. I understand may gamers are offended by the phrase "rest his troops." [:D]

An alternate solution would be have Davout's troops arrive as reinforcements a day or two later in the Ratisbonne vicintity. Reinforcements can appear on any hex of the map. With this method an opponent can't take advantage of a fixed force.

I use this method in my CCC games. It models troops "falling in" and forming up. In Davout's case it would reflect the higher command deciding if they were at war or not, and how to react if so. Until the final decision was made Davout's Corps would be on a more PEACE TIME footing and cantonment ... thereby not comabt capable every minute of the day.

Pickets and scouts need to be placed to protect the assembly area.

Colonel (ret) Al Amos
1er Dragoons
AdN

I am with Al Amos with this.
If Davoust`s men was fixed the other player would just move his men as fast as he could to take them out,Not much of a Game,
I am also in my last 100 turns of this Campaign scn,And it was hard trying to get Davs men together as it is,And also being out numbered when they do come to battle,
Why change some thing that is working ok,Maybe why the Battles are not in the same place as they were is Because The Flag points are not there,or we just like to try somthing Nappy and his Marechals did not do.

<font color="red">Marechal</font id="red">
<font color="red">BEECHAM</font id="red"> Commandant
1ème Division de Cuirassiers,
1 Corps Res Cav,ADN.

"Toujours féroce,jamais étourdi"

Another interesting wrinkle would be to start Davout's command (with the exception of pickets, etc) as fatigued. If you rest them, they will be fine when you need them, move them and you could be in trouble when you meet the enemy.

<b>Général de Division Michael Cox</b>
<font size="4"><i>Principe <font size="1">della </font id="size1">Toscana</i></font id="size4">
Comte de Moselle

<i><font size="4">Armée du Rhin</font id="size4">
<font size="2">2e battallion, 1er Regiment de Chasseurs a Pied, Inf. de l'V. Gde.</i></font id="size2">


<font size="1"><u>In Regards to Skirmisher Flop by Melee Losers:</u>
<ul><li>Make it an optional rather than fixed rule (at the very least). </li>
<li>Skirmisher stack size relative to retreating formed unit should be a factor (whether in clear or covered terrain). </li>
<li>For skirmishers, (not leaders or wagons) covered terrain (swamp, building, city, town, forest, marsh, and perhaps orchard) should negate the overrun result.</li></font id="size1"> </ul>