Nine Year's War at Ed M's

My friend Ed M. invited those of us who had the day off due to holiday shut downs at work to a game at his house today. The game was a 6mm Nine Years War game using Ed's 9YW house rule variant of Volley & Bayonet.

As you can see from the game, Ed uses a system of very easy to understand on-stand casualty markers as well as having beautiful figures and terrain. Although I could never paint 6mm figures, there is something appealing about seeing the whole unit in formation, particularly multiple squadron cavalry brigades.

George and I played the French and Bob and Pete (shown left) played the allied coalition forces. George and I were defending and deployed our main batteries interspersed with our infantry on the central hill with our lighter batteries supporting our flank units. On our right Peter and I positioned, and re-positioned our cavalry each looking for an advantage, but both of us maintaining at best parity until finally all of our battle cavalry were on-line.

Having the slightly superior morale quality, I finally went in with the whole lot. Pete's 'inferior' cavalry had their way with my heavies and for the most part sent me packing. Over the next few turns we fought to mostly a mutually assured destruction. I was hoping for and needed better from our best troops. To the left you can see what was left from BOTH forces at the end of the game.

In the center of my command's half of the battlefield was a small town, held by some of my dismounted Dragoons - in the Nine Years War these are still mounted infantry, just starting to transition towards the cavalry we all fear in the Napoleonic era - specialist troops being used appropriately here to secure and in the case of the coalition forces, to assault towns and other built-up areas. Peter's dragoons pushed mine out, then my infantry pushed his dragoons out with Peter finally decisively retaking the town permanently with a good infantry force in reserve. For my side of the battle, a loss across the board. Well played by Pete.

On George's flank Bob pressed hard with his cavalry on our left flank and over time wore George's cavalry and some infantry down significantly contesting our left most hill. The larger town on George's flank was taken once softened up with mass infantry musketry. George's counter-attack almost re-captured the town but fell just short. Well played by Bob. This was a decisive coalition victory.