Great Northern War, First Game for a Couple of Years AAR

 So with the week off  Dave invited me around for a game, like me his Great Northern War collection has not been out of the box for some years so he suggested we remedy that. Chum Si took the day off to join us for what promised to be a pretty large scale game.

We played on Daves 14 foot table and even that felt full with pretty much the whole collection being used.

The Swedes would have 

15 Battalions of Foot

18 Regiments of Horse

3 Guns

The Allies

26 Battalions of Foot

22 Regiments of Horse

10 Guns

The Swedes would of course have the advantage in quality but the disparity in Guns and two brigades of less enthusiastic Poles supporting them would make a difference.

The Allies were a much more mixed bag with Russian Guard and Veteran Saxons alongside Foot Cossacks and the Horse a mix of Regular Dragoons, Horse Grenadiers, Cossacks and Polish Pancerni.

We would be playing Black Powder with the fairly large amends we have made for the Great Northern War. These amends for the most part benefit the Swedes to give them the Historical advantage they enjoyed.

Dave and Si deployed with Infantry massed in the centre and guns arrayed in large batteries, their cavalry massed on the wings with the left wing under Si having the Poles, Saxons and Cossacks.

I went for aa similar arrangement but kept a brigade of Swedish Cavalry back in reserve in the centre to exploit any gaps I might create. On the left one of my infantry brigades was slightly less good being a Tremanning Brigade (Literally third man, essentially reserves battalions called up during war time) these deployed behind my cavalry as a wood restricted deployment on the left. On my right my Poles faced Si's Poles.

First move and the cavalry advanced quickly on both wings and the artillery began to inflict casualties on the Swedish foot and horse immediatly.

The Cavalry were quickly in action on both flanks with the superior Swedish cavalry having the better of the encounters whilst taking some pasty from the artillery and larger numbers of Allies.

In the centre the Swedish foot press forward with plenty of Elan but quickly run into trouble with multiple batteries of siege guns and field guns, the Guards brigade take heavy casualties.

Before long the last of both regular Saxon and Russian cavalry on the Swedish right had been destroyed or driven off, but the Swedes had all taken casualties and were nearly all now shaken and unable to charge just leaving one unit to face the Poles and Saxons, supported by my own Polish cavalry.  

In the centre, the Guards continue to be raked by massed artillery and the Guard Grenadiers break still half a table away from the Russians.

As we break for lunch things are not looking good for the Swedes, having broken multiple units of Allied cavalry the Swedish Cavalry have all but run out of steam and the infantry in the centre have almost been stopped by artillery before they even reach the Allied foot.

As we start again the Swedes see off the last of the Allied regular horse.

The last unit of partly damaged Swedes now take on the first of the Poles, whilst they defeat them they are now pretty much finished as a fighting force.

On the left the Swedes are still fairly intact and push back most of the Russian horse but have not really finished off any of the Russians. 

Finally Swedish foot have closed with the Russians but they have taken so many casualties from the artillery in closing they are in trouble.

Daves Russian foot form a line on the flank of the Swedish Guards giving me something of a dilemma, I can try two more moves advancing on overwhelming artillery and foot or turn to try the foot on my flank. 

I opt to turn and attack the flanking Russians, this does allow the guns to inflict another round of fire into one battalion and the foot inflict further casualties but at least we have closed with the Russian foot at last and started to fight back.

Meanwhile on the left the Swedish horse have charged the Russian foot.

The Poles of both sides now attack each other and the last remaining Swedes attempt to support them.

On the left the Swedish horse are driven off by Russian foot and the Russian horse have pushed the Swedes back.

The Guards brigade destroy one battalion of Swedes but are devastated by the other three battalions of Russians and 5 batteries of guns leaving the Guards brigade essentially destroyed. The remaining Swedish regulars now have two brigades of Saxons closing on them to support a brigade of Russians and they are in real trouble.

With the Guards brigade destroyed, most of the Swedish cavalry shaken and two of my other Swedish infantry Brigades in a very tattered state we were in no condition to carry on the fight and concede to the Allies. 

A fun game with the large volume of Allied artillery leaving the Swedes unable to cope. 

Chees Dave and Si, hope you enjoyed it.