Carlist Debacle Battle Report

We decided Carlists might present a nice change for our latest battle, we also wanted to see if the rule amends we introduced translated to other conflicts so would be using all the various changes too.

Steve set the game up, I was Carlist with three Brigades of 3 Foot and a couple of guns on a ridge line and a further battalion in a village forward of my line supported by three units of cavalry.

The Isabelinos under Steve and Mark initially had two brigades of 4 battalions each and a brigade of four cavalry with a further brigade of 4 arriving on move 2. The troops were all pretty average except the French Foreign Legion having much better stats and a brigade of Carlists with much lower stats.

The ridge being a really strong position should be a tough nut for the Isabelino's, however in my defence it had been a long day!

I deployed my Cavalry either side of the village wihtout much thought of what the Isabelinos had done, Leaving me with one unit to the left and a brigade of 4 cavalry opposite it!

So I decided that I needed to shift one of the cavalry over to the left and the other would sneakily ride over to the far right flank in order to harass the flank of the Isabelino's and give them some food for thought.

Unfortunately the Isabelino's got some good movement, more importantly I was so not with it I actually forgot to move anything at all! Oh dear, the theme for the night had started.

Mark was playing with his own British Legion and my French Foreign Legionaires. Steve had my Isabelino Cavalry and the Isabelino Guard infantry.

Before you knew it the French were in range of the village, however it was only when they started firing at me that I realised I had not been firing back, seriously where was my head tonight. I had also forgotten to move the cavalry again. Who needs blunders when you are able to make this much of a mess yourself.

As the cavalry closed in on my right flank I threw my Carlist lancers at them in a vain charge to slow them down.

This ended in an inevitable defeat and my first unit was out of the game, two moves too late I threw my other lancers out to the right flank only to have them shot up and disordered, the third unit was also shot and disordered so neither of these was going to be able to move as the isabelino's moved into short range.

The FFL had saving throws on a 3 so I wasnt able to inflict any casualties as they closed in, meanwhile my saving throws were pretty poor and the casualties int he village began to mount with two FFL battalions, a skirmish screen and a gun throwing short range fire into them.

The Isabelino's were now closing in all around me, a further volley into the village forces a break test and the defenders retreat out of the village, the FFL move in and with the bonus of cover are now able to save any casualties on anything but the roll of a 1. whats left of my cavalry have been fired at every go and disordered every go, they are now also having to take a break test every go and steadily pushed back. My artillery is having little impact and all I ca really do now is wait for the noose to close.

Finally with a move where my troops are not disordered I am able to pull back the battalion form the village and one of the cavalry units whilst the other charges the British rifles to try and buy some time, The closing fire forces a break tests and inevitably the cavalry breaks.

On the left Steves four battalions close with my three poor battalions. The initial rounds of fire and hand to hand combat see the first two units of Isabelino's pushed back, however the reserve units then march forward and whilst I hold one the other forces a break test on my middle unit which withdraws, the Isabelino unit uses a sweeping advance to follow up and the Carlist unit breaks.

On the right Marks British close in and a brigade level firefight begins to tin the ranks on both sides.

It was about this time that Steve and Mark paused as I finished my go and said "over to you" they looked at each other and Steve said "Are you sure you dont want to do any firing?" Good grief I had fired my guns and skirmishers and literally forgotten to fire my whole front line of infantry!

Being good sports they allowed me to do my firing out of sequence.

The Isabelinos are now behind my line and I am trying to pull my reserves across to refuse my flank, I pull the badly mauled right flank unit back to the very edge of the table.

Finally I began to have some impact on the enemy as the first battalion of British breaks.

However on the left the Isabelinos have closed a gun, battalion and skirmish screen on the isolated far right unit and after a short fire fight it break, this forces a brigade break test and my third battalion also breaks. Mark advances the Legion on my centre and a roll of casualty removals by his generals sees four sixes in a row and his battalions are all suddenly in very good shape against my badly mauled force.

A volley from Steve and the unit that had retreated from the village, forced to fill the flank of the force, suddenly has to take a break test and now breaks leaving yet another hole in my line..

The units of both sides are now almost toe to toe and the Isabelinos are gearing up for a final push, I have broken one unit of British but they have broken six of my units and the rest are all very badly mauled. There is no way I can rescue this situation and I finally accept defeat.

An interesting game, I doubt I gave my opponents much of a game on this occasion, sorry fellas, but it was ice to get this very colourful collection on table