Minden Take 2 - scene setting

The table has remained set-up for the last couple of weeks ready for a re-run of Minden. Rather than a straightforward replay I decided to wind the clock back to the early hours of the morning when the respective armies were marching in their columns to Minden Heath and its surrounds.

Key to planning for this game was the ever useful Kronoskaf. It’s the one place I’ve found reasonably comprehensive timings for the various movements. 

Even then it required a bit of work to create a timeline on which to build the game. For example Kronoskaf has the French beginning to cross the Bastau by 19(!) bridges at 01:00 and Broglie’s column getting to his intended start position between Malbergen and the Weser at 05:00. As I wanted to do the approach march I had to calculate how many moves it would take under the game rules to march from the edge of the board to the position, then assign a start time for this column entering the board. I repeated the process for all the major formations based on the times given in Kronoskaf for them reaching defined positions.

I could then create a table showing the turn number and the notionally time of day for each major formation. I took an hour as representing 4 turns.

Turn #	Time	Action
1	03:30	Broglie starts at Minden
2	03:45	Other French columns starts at table edge
5	4:30	Wangenheim alerted
6	4:45	Ferdinand’s columns (except Sackville and Scheele) start on edge of table at western end.
7	05:00	All being well Broglie will be ready to form line
8	05:15	Scheele starts on edge of table
7-11	05:00-06:00	Dice for Wangenheim’s brigades occupying positions
15	07:00	All being well Contades could be ready to form line.
19	08:00	Sackville arrives at Hartum

It looks like a lot of turns before the opponents are even ready to engage, but the turns will go quickly as there is little to do but move, until the columns reach their intended deployment zones.

As I'm starting the game with the approaches in column, I'm going to use Twilight of the Soldier Kings' deployment rules. Under TOSK rules most armies of the period (except the Prussians in the SYW*) have to deploy by adopting the 'parallel march'. This involves advancing up one side of their intended position at right angles to the line they are to adopt, taking a left or right turn as appropriate when they reach the end of the position and marching until they have occupied the earmarked space. Then they complete the move by changing from column to line, turning to face at 90 degrees. What potentially slows this down is that  an 'Action Test' is required for a change of direction and for a change of formation.  Not too difficult but with several columns there is a lot of potential for disruption if one or more columns fails to turn/deploy promptly.

* SYW Prussians can deploy straight from column of march forming a line at right angles to the column. The point reached by the head of the column can become either end of the line or the middle of the line. This is a much simpler process and requires only the one Action Test. It's a good way of representing the faster deployment method of the Prussians. 

This gives a good overview with diagrams of the different methods of deployment:

https://rodwargaming.wordpress.com/miltary-historical-research/military-historical-research/the-evolution-of-tactics-in-the-18th-century/

I'm not sure when I can start the game as I have a trip to London planned with the Margravina on Sunday. But the table is set and the toys are ready. So Bank Holiday Monday looks favourite.