FoGR at The Worlds in Koblenz 2014
Early Swedish vs Later Swedish
Game 1 Early Swedish vs Hungarian Transylvanian
Game 2 Early Swedish vs TYW Germans
Game 3 Early Swedish vs Later Swedish
Game 4 Early Swedish vs LoA Anglo Dutch
Game 5 Early Swedish vs Caroline Imperialist
Game 6 Early Swedish vs LoA Anglo Dutch
Game 3, and after antipodean Teutons its, erm, Swedes led by a Swede !
The lists for the Early Swedish and Later Swedish from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at The Worlds in Koblenz can be seen here in the Renaissance Wiki.
The terrain selection is dominated, nay, swamped with a vast number of forests as the Swedes decide that their civil way will provide much opportunity for harvesting the raw materials on which the entire country's economy is built (apart from those Saab fighter jets of course). This has created, through the woodlands on my base edge, a natural bastion into which the early Swedish army fits. The opportunity for a flank march is so obvious that the early Swedes even choose to deploy in a proper box, aiming to unfold their army in a de-flat-packing sort of way once they first dice are rolled by the opposition.
Learn to Speak German
"Vorgehaltenerwaffegezwungenkompetentzusein"
"Choosing the right option against your own better judgement"
And, with no flank march happening the unpacking begins. Cavalry and commanded shot wheel out from the flank, and the rest of the line gently steps forwards to build a solid formation some distance in front of their own artillery park bridging the gap between the hill on the right and the wood in the middle in a way which almost invites the creation of a dark and foreboding Swedish crime drama.
Outside the line, life still goes on. Two units of early dragoons are performing delaying tasks, seeking to buy time for the Early Swedish artillery park to do some damage to the advancing enemy before they hit the main line of troops. With 2 units of dragoons against 1, there is even a chance of notching up some points here too…
As the Later Swedes advance the Early Swedish artillery does it's work efficiently - a base loss, and what will probably be a temporary cohesion loss will make life tough for this unit once it gets into fighting range.
The two sets of dragoons skirmish indecisively, and close to dangerously close quarters. Of course, but now the 2x3 dragoons have lost a base to the fully intact 1x3 unit...
TYW re-enactors
The Later Swedes advance is going fairly well - after the initial artillery success not much else has happened. In any case the Early Swedes are digging in ready for the assault.
Pinned and being shot up by two units of enemy dragoons, the Later Swedes take a bold, but arguably necessary decision and charge into combat. 5 vs 3+ a general is a little dicey, but probably better than being shot up
And that is proved in spades as the Later Swedes record a cohesion victory against the 3-pack. That early Swedish general, one of only 3 on table, is sadly going to need to stay with this sideshow instead of rushing across back to where the real action will be
Learn to Speak German
"Siegdurchmangelanderenmöglichkeitenerreicht"
"Winning when all other options are exhausted"
The Later Swedes are continuing to lose the odd base here and there as they advance, and with their rather lightweight mounted force they are starting to realise that they cannot force a way past the Early Swedes combined Commanded Shot and Harquebusier flank either.
The Worlds, Every Country Explained
In the inconsequential dragoon fight, the tide starts to turn - the Early troops rally, the Later ones drop cohesion…
The two lines are now pretty close, and the visible effect of base losses is clear on the Later formations as many of them are now two or more bases down. On the near side the two early Swedish Brigades have lost one ((the average Green Bgde) and two (Superior, Yellow) respectively so the exchange of fire has not been entirely one sided so far.
Viewed from a Fiesler Storch flying high above the artillery park the difference is more visible - both of the central Later Swedish units have taken a beating, and the two 8-packs of pure shot are both down to 6, but the early Swedes losses are concentrated on their left.
What's Going on Here Then?
The Early Swedish army maintaining a coherent line as the enemy advance towards it in a more piecemeal fashion, allowing time for the Early Swedish artillery park to do them some damage as they advance. The terrain has mitigated the small size of the early army as well.
The two sides get close enough to recognise each other as brothers in the defence and enlargement of Greater Sweden. The Early Swedes flags are bigger, and their origin as Lancashire Games ECW figures is perhaps a little more obvious at these distances - but the Later Swedes are more concerned about whether they will survive to even get into contact than how they look..
The soft metal of the Lancashire figures shows up here in the rather erratic musket barrels as the enemy Essex figures (plus what looks like some Mikes Models Swedes in the distance) look on in bemusement.
They are in! Salvo matches salvo in a dead even matchup for the two sides - with casualties already racking up the likelihood is that base losses will determine the eventual outcome here.
Or perhaps not… the initial impact sees cohesion losses for the Later Swedes, and also some rather painful base losses too for the former 8-pack on the left. The Yellow Brigade is hanging on by its fingertips with only one base remaining before it too breaks…
TYW re-enactors
Meanwhile, the dragoon on dragoon battle has been grinding on so long that another unit of proper soldiers from the Later period have had enough time to saunter over to a position where they can pickle a few herrings before charging the 2-pack in the flank
On the right of the line, the Later Swedes seem to have attacked in waves - or, "piecemeal" as it is sometimes known. Taking on two separate fully intact Swedish brigades with a 3-base unit is perhaps unusual, but with an alternative of risking being broken by shooting within 3" of the rest of their line the option to maybe do some damage in combat and then be evaporated a long way away from anyone who might conceivably care is arguably a more sensible option!
The herring-rolling flank attackers might unfortunately be denied their moment of glory, as the 2-pack is now fragmented after a series of poor outcomes against the enemy to their front!
The left of the main line is a bit of a dogs breakfast (probably involving ham or pork based breakfast biscuits given the location of the battle). The Yellow Brigade has been broken through base losses… but the Salvo MF commanded out shot who have caused this result are themselves already FRAGGED and on their final base - not an ideal unit to have to exploit such a victory! Against the Green Brigade, the Later Swedes are on their last legs…
The Early Swedes move up a carbine-armed Horse unit to threaten the FRAGGED salvo unit at the bottom of the picture, shutting off any hope they had of capitalizing on their victory, as across the rest of the line the Later Swedes continue to thin out alarmingly…
It is the end of the 2-pack…
But it is also the end of the Later Swedes on the left facing the Green Brigade - they rout (Aha-ahaaa) and with plenty of friendly units behind them they are praying for a low roll on the rout dice…
They get away with it, but in clearing their own gunnes the allow the pursuing Green brigade to capture them. This spooks the disassociated pikemen, who drop cohesion just as they are hit by the Salvo brigade!
Learn to Speak German
"Einerschwedischpersonindeinemarschninsterted"
"Being overwhelmed by a Swedish Brigade"
The pikemen are now in some disarray as the Later Swedish horse look rather nervous as well..
What's Going on Here Then?
The Later Swedish high water mark seems to have been reached, and the effects of shooting on their many 6-packs prior to combat has meant they are losing the attritional battle across the line. The Early Swedes are now getting onto the front foot as they see opportunities to roll up the enemy army
On the other flank the battle rages on far longer than it has any right to do…
Realising that they are risking being shot away, and perhaps heartened by the longevity of their suicidal colleagues the rest of the Super Troupers in the Later army charge home on the right.
On the left a Russian roulette game between units who cannot afford further base losses is won dramatically by the Early Swedish carbine Horse, as they successfully charge down the barely-alive former 8-pack of shot.
In the pursuit the enemy general is cut down, further spooking the by now reeling pikemen behind!
WSS-almost re-enactors
They turn and flee, and the flank of the Later Horse is exposed to a salvo charge from the now somewhat tired but still unseasonably happy Green Brigade.
They lose bases and cohesion, and turn to try and hang on…
On the other flank a tremendous number of dice get ready to be rolled… The Early Swedes have 2 Superior Brigades, 2 Superior files of Commanded Shotte and a 4-pack of Average carbine horse = the weak link in their line. The Later Swedes are facing them with some already-depleted Pistol horse and 2 6-packs of Pike and Shotte (one of whom may possibly have stepped forward a little too far looking at this picture) The odds are clearly with the bigger, better early Swedish army
But, that's not really how things work out… as the early Swedes have a bit of a dice nightmare, especially the Red Brigade, who manage a rather impressive zero hits from 7 dice, all needing 4's and re-rolling 1's. The Red Brigade have been caned, but the Later Swedish Horse have also lost marginally..
Learn to Speak German
"Würfelnwieinblindeshuhn"
"Having poor dice rolling skills"
The tedious dragoon combat grumbles on, and freed from the yoke of having to support their hapless colleagues the remaining early Swedish 3-pack starts to gain the upper hand. By now the general has joined in - he is too far from any other combat to realistically influence the battle in any other way, and now his force of will is paying off as he drives his men forwards - their opponents are now Fragmented!
As are the remaining Later Swedish horse…
And, with the right flank of their army already swept away, this tips the Early Swedes over the edge and into defeat! The battle ends with the Early Swedes victorious and the Later Swedes a mere shadow of their former selves as barely any front line units are left intact
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition, or read on for the post match summaries from the Generals involved, as well as another episode of legendary expert analysis from Hannibal
Post Match Summary from the Early Swedish Commander
Like, yah - totally yah! This is a case of brother on brother action, although I know many of you would prefer to see sister on sister action and indeed some of you may already possess such Swedish cinematography anyway. But, enough of these meatballs, this was like soooo cool, and after the rather irritating poor luck of the previous game, here I'm greatly happiefied that my boys really did the business.
There were of course a couple of black spots, with some disappointments yet again for the Yellow Brigade, but in a game of combat across the board, sometimes I suppose you have to end up losing in a lot of 50/50 battles. The upside was the proper co-ordination of horse and foote, especially pleasing to get the Commanded shotte into action supporting the carbine horse - and I was also pleased not to be tied into the straight jacket of deploying all of the carbine horse together, especially when that second line worked out so well over there.
The best bit really was a deployment that forced the enemy to attack my well prepared positions, and managing to get the artillery into a place where they could be effective and whittle down the enemy as they advanced. Admittedly the units they fired at didn't really seem to do much actual breaking later in the game really. But, a win is a win, so all's good here. Three more of these please…
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
To claim credit for such a victory is an act which besmirches your honour in a way which reeks most foully of ineptitude of the lowest order. Your one correct analysis is that the deployment was all here for you - but that deployment was one which was forced upon you by the terrain and by your erstwhile opponents discussion of a flank march before the game started - without that I fear you would have resorted to your usual half-baked spreading of scattered units from your too-small army across too wide a frontage of tabletop, with the inevitable consequence that defeat would have followed as your men were mopped up by the later era more numerous forces of your foe.
Losing the dragoons was also a shameful act - how can you even get in range of a charge, or not decide to evade is beyond me in the extreme. In combat your advantage is whittled down by at least a base, and the presence of the enemy general in the front rank sharpens the odds pencil even further. The allen key of disaster was always close to being inserted into the hexagonal socket of catastrophe once the two sides were joined in combat, and so anything you attained here is down to dumb luck, not skill in following a plan.
You should also know by now that the Yellow Brigade may be clad as its historical forebear however this does not make them any better than any other Superior 7-pack on table in this game - the way they are left out to dry, with inadequate support and at the end of the line in all games seems to me that you are intent on asking the little lead men to make themselves Elite through their choice of clothing, rather than paying the points to do so yourself.
You were fortunate here, mark my words. Maybe fate will smile on you again - but my money is on it shatting on you from a great height. Bring on the next game
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition
You can also comment, "like" or give feedback on these reports on either the Madaxeman.com Facebook Page or the Madaxeman.com Blogger Site.
Game 1 Early Swedish vs Hungarian Transylvanian
Game 2 Early Swedish vs TYW Germans
Game 3 Early Swedish vs Later Swedish
Game 4 Early Swedish vs LoA Anglo Dutch
Game 5 Early Swedish vs Caroline Imperialist
Game 6 Early Swedish vs LoA Anglo Dutch
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