DENAIN (Nicolas STRATIGOS/Frédéric BEY/Sylvain FERREIRA) VV n°2
Denain: the magnificent French victory that ended the Spanish Succession War and gave diplomatic and military success to Louis XIV. (CHV: Impudence! We must fight a duel!).
Vae Victis offers us a little game on the final battle - slaughter - which came after the initial moves of Maréchal Villars against the army of the Prince Eugène. No wide and subtle moves to turn the foes or cut his supplies, no conquest of provinces with great cavalcades, here we have a small tactical game without any strategic scope...
The rules are drawn from Fontenoy published in VV n°6 and they simulate easily but cleverly the combat from the period of la Guerre en Dentelles. Each hex is worth 400 m, a turn represents one hour and the units are brigades. These brigades are grouped by formations and are activated together in a mixed game turn for both players.
Each player throws a die and the higher can activate one formation. If the initiative die is two times higher than the one of the enemy, two formations can be activated at the same time. If units are commanded - in the range of their leader - they can move and fight. The main problem is the very slowness of the troops: 2 MP for infantry, 3 for cavalry. As you must pay for everything: facing, ZOC leaving and terrain costs, it is rare to move more than one hex and impossible to manoeuvre around. Of course history is the iron rule, but it is very frustrating to play, and with brigade size units and one-hour turns; things seem dubious. Personally, I would suggest you forget facing costs, move in any directions and choose facing at the end of movement. For brigade size, parade movement à la Kölin seems me superfluous.
Combat
There are two kinds of combat: infantry fire which is new in relation to Fontenoy and can disorganise without danger, and the melee, more virile, which cause retreat, disorganisation, and step loses. Combat is very hard for attacker and needs masses, morale quality and modifiers like flank attack, terrain or cavalry charges. Morale quality or modifiers are more important than numbers.
Combat result can provoke disorganisation of the unit. This result has no further effect on combat or movement (organised or disorganised men we have the same abilities!), but the same result a second time, can rout the unit. Routed troops must flee away from enemies, which is rather difficult for the Allies, overcrowded in their camp and blocked between French army and Escaut River. Of course the river can be crossed only at two small bridges, which break after two rout moves.
Here we have a superb determinist game: same causes always give same effects! In fact, the simulation is so complete that it is difficult to not recreate the historical reality. Allied troops are entrenched in a fortified complex around Denain village and stand against Escaut, an impassable river. The French troops are all around and press the enemy against the river to secure the killing trap. Routed troops will destroy the bridge and drop in the river. So, many brave men will die, and in 10 turns few Allies will survive the furia francesce: Villars will be rewarded and Louis XIV saved; thanks you VV! (CHV: I blame Edith Cresson myself).
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© Copyright 1999 by Charles and Teresa Vasey.
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