Chocolate Box Wars Campaign Game #1

Saturday I played the first of what should be a series of five games in Ed M's Chocolate Box Wars Tournament. I'm looking at the tournament more as a way to play with a bunch of new opponents and less as a competition. I expect the others are as well. 

This first game came on the heels of me hosting a game at our Club's monthly game night, so I begged Ed to host our game as I wasn't sure what condition my game room would be in with an upcoming convention preparations and the tear-down of my game night game taking up space. The battle pitted my only completed CBW army, my 1859 Austrians vs. Ed's Hungarians with their multitude of different line uniforms - very beautiful, very CBW. The photo above shows the armies after deployment during turn one's marches. I anchored my right flank on the town and shifted some line units left with thoughts that if Ed defended, I needed flank pressure on that large hill he was occupying. More on that to come.

Ed stole a march on turn two (won the initiative roll) and surprised me by jumping forward with his class D line (militia) flanked by two of his class C line (regulars). I saw clearly his plan, to get in the plain between our hills and take up enough space that he could use his artillery to support his class D line while simultaneously preventing me from doing the same. I was planning on doing exactly the same. Ed's plan worked and he got the precious middle ground and started very effectively pounding my infantry. Just when I thought General Dice had abandoned me I got a clutch 3-casualty rally on my pressured infantry, extending their life....for a turn. They would later on succumb to the relentless pressure of Ed's combined class D infantry and artillery. 

Ed demonstrated against the town on my right, but chose caution over engaging my advanced rifles that were defending it. This allowed me to press my class B Grenzers into the center to put more pressure there. This forced Ed's left flank to engage the plucky border patrollmen. Ed pounded them for multiple turns racking up three casualties (one from flaking a stand) several times. With their B class morale, support from the CinC and General Dice, they were able weather the storm with multiple rallies of 3 and 2 casualties. I believe in the second to last turn I used seven of my 22 command tokens on rallies and at least FOUR of these were to support the Grenzers. At some point in there Ed did flake a full stand off them reducing them to a single stand. This was at a great cost in command initiative points. In the center things seemed to be holding on as a stand-off with my line infantry taking the worst of it eventually losing a full battalion.

With Ed's expenditure of initiative to wear down my Grenzers, it was time for his cavalry to engage my left flank. It was what he had left for the job, and it was a fine tool. Ed executed a wonderful cavalry maneuver, withstood my light cavalry's counter-charge and got off two solid attacks on my leftmost line infantry. Unfortunately these attacks yielded no casualties and Ed was nearly out of command points. With me holding a reserve of several command points my infantry and light cavalry were able to counter-attack to great effect, eliminating Ed's cavalry unit. With a few remaining command points my center was able to focus fire on one of Ed's class D infantry in the center eliminating it as well. Ed's final turn attacks were all excellently planned and executed. On the right I got effective rally rolls when I needed them and on the left it was all a matter of chance. I felt out-played most of the game, but was able to steal a victory. 

Below, a note on army size for Chocolate Box Wars. Here is my over-sized Austrian army in it's storage and travel containers, labeled and ready to play. This includes additional line infantry and all 'options' for cavalry ranging from Hussars through Curiassers, easily enough for two players per side. A large army in two medium-sized stackable boxes. I can literally carry the army under one arm.