As I’ve been working on additional lists for Flames of War Great War, their WWI variant, it was high time for a play test with some of the new stuff.
Tonight we setup a 900 point 1915 Russians vs Germans game. On the Russian front things weren’t all dug in with trench warfare. To the player you’ve some choices to make including the selection of new to the Russians mortars (the Germans already had them since the start of the war), and then the usual smattering of machine guns, artillery, cavalry and how much infantry to pick up.
On the Germans side it’s a wide selection of hardware. Given the historical side of German units the immediate problem is full strength confident veteran platoons with 16 rifle teams are spendy.
The Russians decided to pick up 4 platoons of infantry, a Maxim machine gun platoon of 3 MGs, 2 cavalry platoons and a 2 gun M1902 76mm battery. It’s all confident trained but the artillery is confident veteran.
The Germans decided to get 2 half strength zugs, 2 machine gun zugs, and a cavalry platoon with 2 stands upgraded to lancers. It’s all confident vet.
We rolled up a fighting withdraw scenario with the Russians defending. How historical :-). The objectives were essentially 1 on the Russian left flank, and 2 over on the right flank.
For figures WWI Battlefront and “others” stood in for the Russian save for some Peter Pig WWI cav. On the German side, again a mixture of Battlefront and “others.
The Russian line starting to deploy. They decided to have their cav in the rear. Three of the 4 infantry platoons were guarding the two close-ish objectives on the right flank with their 76mm guns over on that side as well. On the left, one infantry platoon to guard the objective backed with the 3 maxim platoon. All of it, starting dug in.
The Germans considering their objects decided to attack the left flank. Putting one platoon of infantry and their cav behind the raised railroad tracks. Then their 2 zugs of machineguns right up 8″ in on the edge of the deployment zone and the last platoon just behind the trees.
Turn 1 starting with the Germans, pressing forward. The machine guns blazing away and the infantry platoons moving up and the cav holding back but getting into a position to tromp by the machine gun position.
Good shooting starting off the bat with the German machine guns taking out one of the Russian guns but not enough hits to pin.
Bottom of turn 1, the Russian cav reacts and heads over to support the flank. The Russian machine guns open up but over 16″ either way for all targets and with poor shooting takes out one of the one coming German infantry. The Russian artillery able to see the German machine gun position tried to bring down, is successful but not able to land any hits given only two guns.
Top of turn 2, alas I hadn’t changed the turn marker, but this time infantry and cav all move forward. Hopefully that ol man took out that tractor beam or this is going to be a very short assault … err …
At +1 to hit the Russian Rifle platoon is targeted by the moving infantry and the German machine guns again target the Russian machine guns. This time good shooting again and another Russian machine gun is gone and enough hits to pin them. The infantry even take out a stand.
Bottom of turn 2. What’s a Russian Cossack to think about German infantry moving out in the open… perfect target, that’s what he’s thinking. So charge! And time to test out the new cav rules. With movement in the previous turn cav can move up to 20″ as part of a charge.
Meanwhile the Russian infantry start to put some shots into the lead German unit and take out a 4 teams. The Russian artillery lands on some of the German cav as well as the other infantry platoon, taking out a cavalry stand.
The Germans need to roll their motivation for being charged by cavalry. They make it, so we go into assault with the Germans issuing defensive fire and taking out 2 stands, not enough to turn the Russians back.
A little back and forth and the Russians lose the assault to better German dice. The German infantry while victorious, goes pinned for winning and survives it’s motivation being under 50%.
Now it’s time for the Germans with top of turn 3 to move in. The charge, with their unit that contains 2 lancers. (Lancers get +1 on the assault) The German machine guns this time finish the job on the Russian machine gun platoon and take it out entirely. The German infantry manages to impressively get 5 hits on the dug in Russians but no other effects.
The Russians make their motivation test to stay against the charging cav. The defensive fire takes out one of the lancer teams. But but .. it’s going to be glorious.. they’ll sweep these Russians out of their position and drive them off … right? Right?
Several die rolls later in the assault, with the lone lancer rolling a 1 on it’s assault, the Russians while losing a stand, completely destroy the German cav. It was literally good die rolls vs very cold die rolls, so yeah Russians deserved to win that one and go back into their foxholes.
Bottom of turn 3, the Russian needs to retreat a platoon and take from their right flank. Nothing going on over there so they pick an infantry platoon.
With the move their last cavalry platoon charges up after the pinned German under strength platoon. The Germans roll their motivation to stay, fail and run and the Russians occupy the ground.
Top of turn 4. Germans need to unpin their machine guns and face reality of Russian cav cutting off their attack on the flank.
The machine guns remain pinned failing their roll. The Infantry open up on the Russian cav and remove a stand.
Bottom of turn 4, the Russians need to remove a platoon and again choose an infantry platoon on the far right flank that out of the fight anyway. The Russian infantry opens up in support of the cavalry taking out a team and the Cav which does what they were created to do, charge!
The Germans make their motivation roll and blast one more stand out of their saddles and then the assault gets going. After a couple of rounds, the Germans win the assault.
It’s starting to look good for the Germans. With the Russian cav out of the way, that objective is looking like it could be taken.
Bottom of the 5th, the Russians infantry on the far right flank moves to support the left flank. It’s a long run! The Russians once again drop artillery to pin the German machine guns but again accomplish no other damage. The Russian infantry does their best to open up on the German infantry out in the open, taking out yet another stand. Can they hold?
Top of turn 6, before the Russians get to remove an objective the Germans machine gun the heck out of the Russian infantry pinning them but no other results. The Germans Infantry push in to the assault. Immediately they take out a stand in the first round before likewise suffering a loss themselves. As it pitches back and forth both sides make their motivation rolls but veteran vs trained troops, it goes as you’d expect.
Only the Russian company commander is contesting the objective. The Russians need to make a company morale roll, they make it. They pull off their artillery this time, otherwise easy turn for them.
Top of turn 7, the German machine guns are out of range and have to move forward. The German infantry remains pinned failing their roll. Between the cut fire from the machines guns, and the pinned infantry, 8 hits go onto the Russian company commander pinning him but he doesn’t fail any saves.
It doesn’t matter the objective that the Germans have fought for on the Russian left flank comes up and there’s no way for the Germans to be able to take the remaining objectives on the Russian right flank.
A bloody fluid affair to be sure with victory just out of reach of the Germans. 4-3 Russian victory.
For an initial playtest, I’m quite happy how it worked out. Even the new cavalry rules didn’t seem to disappoint by being too much or too little.
Wowzer I like this, I’m trying to do something like this for 1914-1916 on the Western Front.