Lobositz 3 - the Wargame - or a bad day for Mrs Browne's Boy

Finally I got the game in this evening. Solo as usual. Using my highly bastardised version of Max Foy's Prinz Eugen WSS rules. As a reminder, the rules were bastardised in a number of ways.

(1) As there were a lot of light troops in this SYW battle, I added tweaks for them.

(2) I distinguish between different classes of cavalry (cuirassier, dragoons and hussars)

(3) I've made artillery slightly more powerful in terms of range

(4) Units represent brigades, not battalions/3 squadrons

(5) Only artillery can take part in ranged combat. All infantry and cavalry action is subsumed into 'close combat', which covers both shooting and the clash of cold steel.

The game, lasted a mere 2 hours and reached a conclusion in that time. I didn't play the Austrian side in properly historical fashion. I should have set the victory conditions better to encourage me to stay put instead of adopting a more aggressive stance. Still, the table is set-up and I could go again tomorrow. The end result was an 8-6 win for Frederick, but up until the last two turns Mrs Browne's Boy was leading 6-3. What can make the game swing so rapidly is when one or both sides have a lot of units with a couple of losses meaning that a well-planned assault can quickly rack up the victory points.

So here is the game told through photos.

The initial positions. Prussians have emerged from the mountains on the left. The River Elbe top right with Lobositz town just below it. The bulk of the Austrians are behind the Morellenbach stream at the bottom.

View from the Prussian side of the Morellenbach

Bevern's bluecoated infantry attempt to clear the Croats from the vineyards on the lower slopes of the Lobosch. They had two attempts without success before one unit of Croats exposed themselves in open ground (although they did chase off one battered Prussian unit first).

Von Browne feeds horse and foot across the Morellenbach to bolster the centre of his position. The round bases are loss markers. Most units (made up of two rectangular bases) have a strength of three, i.e. 3 losses and they are removed.

Action at the Lobosch. Prussian infantry nearest the camera. Most of the infantry here are disordered. Croats ensconced in the vineyards on the slopes. Prussian cavalry attacking Austrian infantry close to the river.

Same area a couple of turns later. On the right Frederick has pushed 3 companies of heavy guns closer towards Lobositz. He would later regret putting them in such an isolated position!

von Browne feeds infantry through Lobositz to avoid a long march through open country to attack the guns.

The turn that swung the battle. Prussian cavalry attack three depleted Austrian units. In the middle action Old Fritz has joined his cuirassiers in an attempt to inspire his lads. It paid off! As well as routing the dragoons opposite, they bowled over their general, gaining an extra VP. 4 VPs were secured in this one turn to go from 4-6 to 8-4.

Overview of the final positions. Prussians to the left of the squiggly pink line. von Browne's centre has been ripped apart and his right wing isolated.