Below is Part 2 in a series from David Waldorf covering a Manoeuvre tournament “March Madness” style. Part 1, the introduction, can be found here. Enjoy! -Rachel
Pregame Analysis
Russia is the favorite to win this game according to the tie-breaker rules. The sum of their units is one point greater than the Spanish sum on the full strength side, and eight points greater on the reduced side. Their unit cards are slightly better also, allowing them to roll 2d10 in some cases. Russia will be playing this game straight forward; both an attrition victory or simple control of the battlefield are within their grasp.
Spain has a tough battle ahead of them, and the numbers are not in their favor. On the other hand, they do have the easier side of the board to defend (south), and seizing the hill near the center could be vital. A strong defense, coupled with harassment of the Russians through Guerrilla warfare and opportunity attacks, could position them for battlefield control at nightfall.
Gameplay
The game gets started with Spain setting up first on the south side of the board. Having drawn a card for the Del Rey Dragoons, they position themselves to make a quick and decisive seizure of the central hill. The Russians decide to array themselves in a way that mirrors the strengths of the Spanish units. The battlefield at start looks like this:
For the first part of the game, nothing terribly significant happens. The Spaniards take up defensive positions, quickly securing hilltops near what is expected to be the front line. The Russian Moscow Regiment steps over the halfway line to engage the Castille Regiment on top of a hill, but they are unable to drive them off. Twice they reduce the Castille Regiment, but twice they are able to rally, and eventually come down off the hill to push the Moscow Regiment back onto their half of the field.
But then the Spaniards make a mistake. The Del Rey Dragoons sweep down from their vantage point atop the hills to attack the stronger Russian Guard, thinking that José de Palafox y Melzi has a Command rating better than one, and can bring in the Walloon Guards for assistance.
However, since José de Palafox y Melzi’s leadership abilities are less than stellar, he is of no help and the Del Rey Dragoons suffer a reduction because their attack turned out weaker than the defense. José de Palafox y Melzi is, fortunately, able to rally them—but they have now made themselves vulnerable to counterattack from both the Russian Guard and the Orlov Regiment. The Russians seize the opportunity: the Orlov Regiment moves into position, and Pyotr I. Bagration brings in the Russian guard in a crushing attack that is five times greater than the defense value.
Spain’s Walloon Guards quickly move to secure the hilltop again, reducing the Orlov Regiment in the process. Several moves later, the Russian Guard moves in to flank the Walloon guards and successfully reduces them, but a subsequent volley fired at the hilltop does no further damage. At this point, the battlefield looks like this:
A short while later, the Walloon Guards decide to strike from their hilltop vantage point at the weakened Orlov Regiment. However, they are drawn down off the hill when the Orlov Regiment makes a strategic retreat, and on the very next turn the Russian Guards bombard them with 2d8 cannon, easily picking them off. The score in eliminated units now lies at 2-0, with Russia taking a comfortable lead.
The game is not looking promising for Spain. By dint of hard riding, their 3rd Hussars manage to hem in the Russian 1st Cavalry, and quickly dispatch them.
The 3rd Hussars move on to take control of the northeastern corner of the battlefield behind the enemy line, hoping that they might yet be able to eke out a battlefield control victory despite their losses. The Infanteria Imperial manage to throw back the still-formidable Russian Guard, and for the moment, the Spanish have control of the battlefield, with nightfall approaching. But then the Russian Black Sea Cossacks reduce the Infanteria Imperial, and bombard it out of the contest. They similarly reduce the 7th Navarrese Regiment and force it to retreat, eliminating it in pursuit. And finally, the Russian Kexholm Regiment eliminates the already reduced 1st Line Regiment, ending the game in a decisive attrition victory for the Russians. At game end, the battlefield looks like this:
Analysis and Discussion
In a game where the Spanish had to play with the utmost discipline, they made a critical error with the ill-advised Del Rey Dragoon assault. Whether or not they would have lost anyway is a question worth arguing, but that was definitely the beginning of the end for them, despite their remarkable efforts to control the battlefield at the end of the game. The Guerrilla cards did not help them much, which may have been simply the luck of the draw. If there were to be a rematch, Spain would have to make doubly sure not to make any mistakes, and perhaps burn through her deck faster in order to speed the coming of nightfall.
Russia put in a really solid effort. By game end she was positioned well for either type of victory, leaving nothing up to chance. She will go on to battle either France or the United States, setting up second on the south side of the battlefield. If she has a lesson to learn from this encounter, it is that she could do better with getting her units into position in a timely fashion.
Stay tuned next week for our second game in the Manoeuvre tournament…
Previous Article in this Series: Manoeuvre Tournament Part One: Introduction
Next Article in this Series: Manoeuvre Tournament Part Three: France vs. The United States
Author: David Waldorf
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