The Battle of Friedland - Order of Battle and tags

I used two sources for the order of battle for Friedland.  The French OOB came from this page from the Napoleon Series web site and the Russian OOB came from this page - from the US Army Combined Arms Center (PDF).

This link to a Google Drive Sheet will take one to the tags.  One sheet has the French and the other has the Russian tags.

Sample tags.

Above are tags for three French-allied units and one French-allied Officer in the scenario.  Going from left to right:

1. The 1st brigade of the 3rd division of the Reserve Corps.  It has five stands of Saxon line infantry.  Experience level is Regular.  It has a CV of 3, a FP of 1, and has a movement rate of 6" per turn.
2. The 2nd brigade of the 3rd division of the Reserve Corps.  It has five stands of Saxon line infantry.  Experience level is Regular.  It has a CV of 3, a FP of 1, and has a movement rate of 6" per turn.
3. The Officer responsible of the Reserve Corps.  This is an unnamed aide-de-camp to Marshall Lannes (not shown) who is acting as a Leader of the French side.  The Officer has a Command Radius of 12" and a Combat Bonus of zero.  He has a CV of 0, a FP 0, and moves 24" per turn.
4. A 12-lb foot artillery battery attached to the 1st division of the Reserve Corps.  It has an experience level of Veteran.  Its CV is 1, its FP is 7, and has a movement rate of 12" per turn.

For ease of readability by the players, all of the Units and Officers of the Reserve Corps are marked with a red banner at the top of the tag.

Above are tags for four Russian units, their Officer, and one of the Russian Leaders.  Going from left to right:

1. A 6-lb horse battery of artillery attached to the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has an experience level of Regular, a CV of 1, a FP of 6, and moves 6" per turn.
2. The Officer who commands the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  He has a Command Radius of 12" and a +2 Combat Bonus (which is very good).  He has a 0 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 24" per turn.
3. The first brigade of the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has 8 stands of Russian light cavalry, and an experience level of Regular.  It has a 3 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 12" per turn.
4. The second brigade of the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has 5 stands of Russian medium cavalry, and an experience level of Regular.  It has a 4 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 12" per turn.
5. The third brigade of the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has 8 stands of Russian light cavalry, and an experience level of Regular.  It has a 3 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 12" per turn.
6. A Russian Leader (Doctorov).  The Leader has a Leadership Ability of 1, and a Command Radius of 12".  It does not appear on the tag, but the Leader has a CV of 0, a FP of 0, and a moves 24" per turn just like an Officer.

The Battle of Friedland

The French army right wing.

Just across the bridge near Posthenen are a light cavalry brigade and a cavalry regiment.  A Saxon battery is in Posthenen just across the millstream.  Now show is a Saxon infantry brigade in the woods just to the left of the battery.  Another Saxon brigade is in the Sortlack Woods to the upper right of the photo.

Dawn at Lannes' HQ on the morning of the Battle of Friedland.

The Battle of Friedland

The left wing of the French army.  The bulk of Lannes' Grenadier Division waits for the Russian onslaught.  The division is led by an aide-de-camp due to Lannes having overall command of the French forces early.

More French left wing.  Grouchy's heavy cavalry division and other attached units guards the extreme left flank of the French army, and sits opposite of Uvarov's command.

The Battle of Friedland

Pre-game photos of the tabletop for the Battle of Friedland:

The view from the Russian right wing.  The Russian 7th and 8th Divisions advance between a stream (center) and the impassable millstream (left).  Not much room for maneuver!

The view from the Russian right wing.  The 3rd Division prepares to assault the town of Heinrichsdorf, and Uvarov's powerful Right Wing Cavalry command guards the Russian extreme right flank.

The Battle of Friedland

More pre-game photos from the Battle of Friedland:

The east bank of the Alle River just outside of the town of Friedland.  The Russian 14th Division is in the extreme rear of the Russian army.

The west bank of the Alle River in and around the town of Friedland.  The 1st (Guard) Division is in reserve, and Bennigsen and Gortchakov are in Friedland proper.

The Right Cavalry Reserve under Galatizin.  Of course, these are just the tags for the figures.  Cheatin' Bob will be supplying the actual stands on the day of the game.

The Battle of Friedland

The situation near the Sortlack Woods:

The Russian Advanced Guard and Support Division have invested the Sortlack Woods.

Just to the north of the Sortlack Woods we see the rest of Bagration's wing ready to pounce on the French.  Two small cavalry brigades and a Saxon infantry brigade are all that stand in their way.  Lannes is in the town of Posthenen, and a Saxon foot battery is in the part of the town across the stream near another Saxon brigade.

The Battle of Friedland

More photos:

Starting positions around the town of Heinrichsdorf.  The Russian Right Wing Cav under Uvarov are near the bottom of the picture.

Moving slightly to the south of Heinrichsdorf.  One brigade of Lannes' Grenadier Division occupies one part of Heinrichsdorf.  Grouchy's heavy cavalry waits outside to the west.  One Russian Division is ready to assault Heinrichsdorf, and two more are located between the millstream (running along the top of the photo) and a stream. 

The Battle of Friedland

Two more photos from the upcoming Battle of Friedland.

North looking south.  On the left are the Russian forces -- Uvarov's cavalry and two infantry divisions.  On the right are the French forces -- lots of cavalry.  Heinrichsdorf is the town in the foreground.

Aerial view of Friedland.  The Alle River flows from the upper right, across the southern end of the town, and then northwards (toward the bottom of the photo) forming the eastern border of the town.  The millstream flows through the town; the millpond is center right.  The 1st (Guard) Division is there along with Bennigsen and Gortchakov.

The Battle of Friedland

More preview photos

East of the Alle River looking westwards.  Friedland is in the center.  The Russian 14th Division, which is in reserve, is east of the river.  The millstream is running from the center of the photo to the top center, and is not passable.  Bagration is on the left and Doctorov is on the right.

The Russian right flank.  Uvarov's cavalry command is on the right, and the Russian 3rd and 8th Divisions are to the left.  Doctorov is on the hill.  The French are facing with several brigades of cavalry and a single brigade of the Grenadier Division in Heinrichsdorf.  Three more brigades are positioned between the millstream (left) and a crossable stream.

The Battle of Friedland

The next play test for the ruleset will be the Battle of Friedland, June 14, 1807.  Over the next few days I'll include some photos from the set-up, a few scenario-specific rules under consideration, and a set of tags for the units.

Here's a preview of the photos:

Looking southeast.  Friedland is in the background on the left.  In the near foreground is the French 1st Heavy Cavalry Division along with one brigade of the Grenadier Division occupying one part of Heinrichsdorf.

Looking northeast, Friedland is in the background in the center.  The Saxon Division and a detachment of light cavalry are staring down a much larger and stronger Russian force.

A Damned Serious Business v0.3 rules underway

Working on the next release of the rules.  This version will include rules for entering reinforcements, including the march column mechanic for moving troops with requiring an activation or a card.  In exchange for this nice movement bonus, the player must accept that the troops are not at all ready to do battle, and so if they come in contact with enemy troops, the march column will be destroyed easily.

What is A Damned Serious Business?

A Damned Serious Business is a set of rules for playing grand tactical battles from the Napoleonic Wars with 15mm figures.  One of the major influences is Napoleon's Battles, a game system our club used (and enjoyed) for many years.  However, there were enough problems and arguments about NB that we've been in the market for a system that keeps the flavor of the period, but makes for simpler, faster moving, and more fun games.  This is one attempt to build such a system.

A link to the rules is here:  https://goo.gl/qXpJWg

(This is a short Google URL to a world-readable Google Drive Document. The rules are also available below as a Page on this blog.)

Here is the first page of the ruleset:

A Damned Serious Business

Quick Play Napoleonics

It has been a damned serious business... Blücher and I have lost 30,000 men. It has been a damned nice thing — the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life. … By God! I don't think it would have been done if I had not been there.

Inaugural post

I thought I would use this blog for posting updated versions of the rules, and for taking (and responding to) comments.