One Hour Wavre

 I thought I'd give my hex based, six hit version of the One Hour Napoleonic Marengo variant https://wargamersblock.blogspot.com/2021/12/one-hour-wargames-marengo-part-3-combat.html another spin now I've had a think about various aspects of the rules. As I've done Waterloo, Ligny and Quatre Bras recently, I thought it was time to give Wavre a spin. I last fought Wavre back when we were using the original version of Horse Foot and Guns (with divisional sized elements, not the current weak brigade elements), so that must have been over 20 years ago.

The Waterloo game was a bit unit heavy, so instead I expanded the Wavre OHW scenario (Delaying Action?) into a nine unit game. I also modified the scenario terrain in line with the topography of the battlefield - mainly adding some extra ridgelines and woods, as the book scenario is pretty sparse.

Battlefield from the southeast. The River Dyle runs across the middle of the table, and the highway to Brussels crosses the river at Wavre on the right. There is a subsidiary crossing at Limale on the far left. Irl there were some other crossings west of Wavre, but for game purposes this is fine.

I added some extra ridges and woods based on a contemporary map of the battle, it helps break things up a bit and gives some sensible places to put artillery and for cavalry form up etc.

Grouchy's wing of the Armee du Nord. Gerards IV Corps on the right and Vandammes III Corps on the left, both with three Infantry units representing their respective Corps, at roughly 6,000 men per element. There is also II Cavalry Corps, the reinforced IV Cavalry Division (with a whopping 6,800 men!) and a unit of Army artillery although most of the guns are factored into the relevant infantry units.

Half the French the infantry divisions can convert into Light Infantry, with a potential hit if they change formation from Formed to Light  and vice versa. I really like this mechanism, it works very well for games at this level.

The main Prussian force is Thielmanns III Corps (right) with four Infantry Brigades, the III Corps Cavalry and III Corps reserve artillery. There is also half of Pirch's II Corps with two Infantry Brigades and the II Corps cavalry. The Prussian brigades are huge, many with 7-8000 men each, but a lot of them are Landwehr.

The Prussian infantry are all Formed, and they can't convert to light infantry. They just have their inherent two hex skirmish ability.

To win the Prussians need to stop the French taking Wavre and exiting two units down the road to Brussels/Waterloo. They also have to send units to Waterloo themselves, five in total, on turns 3,5,7,9,11. If they fail to do that they lose as well. So this is quite an interesting scenario as the French start off with an opposed river crossing against equal numbers, but those numbers rapidly decline.

I basically set Pirch's Corps up ready to march off the table, with two infantry and the cavalry far back. The guns are on a ridge, so able to fire over Wavre and cover the main highway river crossing. Wavre itself is garrisoned with two infantry units and supported by a third, my plan being to relieve the front line units as they take losses. Limale is lightly held by one unit as it miles from anywhere, so any French infantry crossing here will take ages to exit the table

The plan is for the Prussians to exit the cavalry, the artillery and two infantry units, one being a damaged unit from Wavre. We will see how that works out.

Gerard advances on Wavre on the right. Two of the divisions are configured as Light Infantry, which gives benefits attacking the BUA. The third division is Formed, to give some assault power.

Vandamme rolls on with one Light Infantry and two Formed Infantry. The artillery is heading for the central hill where it can cover both crossings. At this point I did think about allowing cross-country column of route moves (a 2 hex move), but as it takes a turn to form up again, it isn't worth it for a short move.

The Prussians open fire with their integral skirmishers and artillery. Just 1D6 each at this range, but the obvious target is the Formed Infantry in the middle, who take a hit. Look! My new magnetic hit markers!

The French sort themselves out and return fire. Light Infantry ignore target cover, so although they only throw 1D6 in combat, they are better at attacking BUAs and woods than Formed Infantry. The artillery unlimbers facing Wavre, from the hill it can hit the entire town.

Vandammes Light Infantry open fire. Limale doesn't provide any cover anyway, apart from the benefit of the stream if anyone is foolish enough to try and assault across it. On the map it is a tiny flea speck, not enoug to shelter a division. The line infantry shuffle forwards a hex each.

Things settle down into a lot of long range shooting. I'm not giving any cover benefits against artillery fire unless troops are actually in fortifications, partly as artillery is so weak at range (1D6). Everyone is firing at 1D6 as close range musketry if so scary (3D6). Even so Gerards Formed division on the right takes enough of a pasting (three hits now) that it falls back, leaving the fight to the guns and Light Infantry.

The first Prussian unit exits from the road. One of Pirch's Infantry.

The Limale garrison finally succumbs to the massed fire of Vandammes Corps. The Cavalry move up to exploit, but the infantry still aren't actually over the river yet. The Prussian infantry and cavalry on the ridge move up to threaten the crossing. OK, I'm definitely using slow ZOC in this more open battle (compared to waterloo) - so units have to stop next to an enemy and can only move one hex adjacent.

Finally, I unjam the traffic at the bridge. Limale is a horrific bottleneck to cross. With French cavalry over the river, the Prussian infantry falls back to the ridge (cavalry are halved attacking uphill). The Prussian cavalry control the open ground.

Over at Wavre the continuous French fire has taken its toll of the defenders over a numbeer of turns. The damaged units (four and five hits respectively) head off down the road having done their job, and the reliefs take over.  With another cavalry unit exited and two more infantry on the way, the Prussians are suddenly looking a bit thin on the ground.

At Wavre, all of Gerards Corps in in Open Order now as Vandamme has closed up in the face of the Prussian cavalry threat. Cavalry eat Light Infantry for breakfast, in the open.

Most of Vandammes Corps and all the French cavalry are over the river now, and the artillery has pushed forward to the river bank to support them to maximum possible extent. The restrictions on wheeling before a charge are working very well, but the French cavalry manage to charge the Prussians. They are hideously unlucky, only inflict one hit, and retire.

I completely forgot that all the cavalry are light/medium, so only throw 2D6 in a charge, instead I rolled 3D6 for all of them, but it didn't make much difference.

The Prussian infantry shoots up the disorganised French cavalry, and Prussian counter charge. It is the Prussians turn to be unlucky and the French get away with only two hits.

More Prussians off to Waterloo. Two infantry and a cavalry now, that is all of Pirch's II Corps. The damaged infantry was originally part of the Wavre garrison.

General view. Wavre is still holding off Gerard, but the French are blazing away with their skirmishers and integral artillery. Vandamme is finally in position to start shooting at the Prussians on the left too, and the reserve French cavalry takes over. Combined French fire and another cavalry charge put the Prussians onto five hits, so nearly routed. Time to head for Waterloo.

Gerard blazes away. With all units in Open Order, there is no need to close the range. The central division has five hits and is dangerously close to breaking.

The Prussian cavalry retreats its maximum move (3 hexes) as it can't risk being charged or shot again. I try to keep a tenuous line of ZOCs across the gap. The Prussian infantry on the hill are on their own now as the French infantry move up.

The French cavalry don't have enough movement to catch the Prussians for another charge, but they pursue anyway. Another mandatory Prussian unit is about to withdraw, but the Prussian guns on the hill swing round to counter the new threat.

Wavre finally falls and the French cross the Dyle.

The Prussians on the hill are under attack or threatened by five French units now.

Oh no! I miscounted my hexes, and the pursuing French cavalry intercept and destroy the Prussian cavalry before they can leave the table. As the Prussians failed to exit a unit on turn 11, they automatically lose.

tbh, I reckon the Prussians have had it anyway, they've only got two units left. The French have taken Wavre and with two cavalry units functional, they should be able to get two units off the exit road themselves anyway. 

By turn 11 the Prussians had exited four units, but lost three more.

That went very well indeed, and was quite a different experience to the high intensity slugfest of Waterloo. In a scenario like this with more movement and a lower unit density, I definitely need to add in ZOCs and also a x-country route march option for infantry and guns as they are shortchanged by converting a 6" move into a 1 hex move (on a 9x9 table, the equivalent of 4"). 

The restrictions on units forming/unforming into Light Infantry work fine and the threat of the hit penalty stops if being silly. It was interesting that no infantry formed square, perhaps that is an un-necessary addition as the Marengo Variant suggested? I'll have a think about that.

One thing I do need to figure out is how to actually present the various units types, formation options, and most critically, combat effects, in the written word. I know how it all works in my head, but it is very hard to get it down sensibly on paper. Translating various iterations of 'half hits' or 'double' its into D6 scores isn't hugely intuitive. I'm still not sure about doubling up the cover benefits for Light Infantry in woods and BUAs, although it is necessary for the average losses to favour them (1D6 needing a 3+) over massed musketry from Formed Infantry (3D6 needing a 6).

Visually, I'm also wondering about dropping the sabot bases. It would be more fiddly moving the units as separate elements, but it would just look so much better.