PBEM Game Report for War and Peace

GAME REPORT FOR WAR AND PEACE

Game Description

'War and Peace' is a 1980 (2nd edition) game examining Napoleon's campaigns in Europe from 1805-1815 at the strategic level. It is of medium complexity (5 on AH's 1-10 scale). It uses a system similar to that used in 1776. There are 7 short scenarios, 2 intermediate-length scenarios (The Peninsular War, 1808-1814 and Spain 1811-1814) and the full-length campaign game: War and Peace: 1805-1815. The 2nd edition, as well as providing many rules clarifications and corrections, also provides a section of Optional Rules and "The Final Glory": Rules to Link the 1812, 1813 and 1814 short scenarios.

Units are corps, each strength point represents 5000 infantry or 2000 cavalry. Turns are one month long. The map board consists of four sections; section 1 is Spain & Portugal, section 2 is France and northern Italy, section 3 is Austria & Prussia while section 4 is Russia. Not all scenarios use all the boards.

Tom's thoughts on War and Peace as a game.

Details of this PBEM Game

French: Eric Pass
Austrians/Russians: Tom Leete

We are playing the short first scenario, Austerlitz 1805. Play takes place on boards 2 & 3 only. It is five turns long (August 1805 - December 1805) and the French must take and hold Vienna or lose the game. As optional rules, we are using the Limited Intelligence option wherein actual stack strengths are not revealed until the moment of combat. Similarly, we will not be revealing Attrition dr results during the game.

We are using a Dieroller server (dice@pbm.com) to generate the die rolls for the game.

This is my first game of War and Peace, Tom last played over 10 years ago!! Tom's analysis of the important factors in the Austerlitz 1805 scenario.

Events so far

Set-up

French setup
 
U4   Brest      - Leader B(0),4I
EE16 Geneva     - 1I(Sz)
HH20 Milan      - Massena(2),3I,1C,4I(I),1C(I)
HH24 Florence   - Leader A(0),4I
II4  Amsterdam  - Leader b(0),3I
JJ7  Cologne    - Bernadotte(1),3I
C7   Hanover    - 1I
JJ9  Coblenz    - Marmont(1),3I,1C
HH11            - Soult(2),6I,1C
II11            - Davout(2),6I
II12            - Ney(1),4C
II13 Strasbourg - Napoleon(3),Lannes(2),2GI,8I
JJ13 Baden      - 1I(R)
KK13 Stuttgart  - 2I(Wu)
LL12 Wurzburg   - Leader a(0),3I(B)
 
Austrian/Russian setup
Austrians:
JJ21           Charles, Hiller, 14I, 1C
KK18 Innsbruck John, 3I, 1C
LL14           Mack, Ferdinand, 11I, 3C
3B15 Ratisbon  1I
3F14 Prague    1I
3H18 Vienna    leader 0 (A), 2I
 
Russians:
R14 Brest-Litovsk Buxhowden, Constantine, 5I, 2GI, 1C, 1GC
P16 Lublin        Bagration, Kutusov, 7I, 1C
T12 Grodno        Benningsen, 3I, 1C

Turn 1 - French
There's no Alliance or Attrition Phase for either side in Turn 1 so I go right to my Movement Phase. I surround Mack/Ferdinand in Ulm and attack with Napoleon at 1:1 +3 predictably winning the battle and demoralizing the Austrians. Since Mack/Ferdinand is unsupplied, I determine their retreat and by the time the battered Austrians are retreated to JJ15 they have lost 6I, 1C but are free of the encircling French troops. Massena heads to Milan because Charles/Hiller are located in the western side of the permitted setup area while the mixed Franco-Italian force under Leader A is rebuffed while attacking John 2:1 -3outside of Innsbruck and has to withdraw to II18. Elsewhere, Lannes leading 2I(B) captures Ratisbon providing a springboard to the Danube valley. Victory points are even as the point gained by Napoleon is given up when Leader A has to withdraw and John advances to JJ17. There are no Leader casualties.

Turn 1 - Allies
Ferdinand heads to Vienna to alert the capital and command the defenses which will soon be needed. Mack moves down the Danube valley to head off the French vanguard at Ratisbon. 2I stay in A17, Mack + 3I, 1C move to B16. John with 2I, 1C moves from JJ17 to A17 and collecting the 2I left behind by Mack. Charles leads 7I, 3C to JJ18, picks up 2I more from Hiller and will attack the 8 SP Franco-Italian force in II18. Hiller and the remaining 5I, 1C occupy Innsbruck. Leader A moves from Vienna to Prague to command the reinforcements appearing there. The Russians continue to move westwards with the Buxhowden, Constantine + 9 SP stack failing a FM2 to remain in O16, Kutusov, Bagration + 8 SP FM1 to L16 and Benningsen FM1s his 4 SP to S14.

In two rounds of combat, Charles dispatches the Franco-Italian force causing 5 SP of losses to only 1 SP of his own. The battered 2I, 1C(I) withdraws to HH18 and the victorious Charles advances 8I, 3C to II18 claiming a Victory Point. In other minor battles, John assaults the 1C(B) in Munich and captures the city with no losses to himself. Mack has less luck in a 1SP exchange with Lannes in Ratisbon and is forced to withdraw to B16. There are no Leader casualties.

Turn 2 - French

Turn 3

Turn 4

Summary & Analysis

Turn 1
I am finding that you really have to have an overall plan, particularly during movement as infantry forces can only move with a leader which starts the movement phase within. There's a lot of moving forces, dropping off SPs and then the leaders continuing to another hex to pick up troops left by a different leader.

GAME REPORT FOR WAR AND PEACE

Game Description

Details of this PBEM Game

Events so far

Summary & Analysis

Other Links for War and Peace information