Action at Bamberg: the scenario

This game has been adapted by the excellent scenario book of Charles Grant, to be played using the Honours of War rules. The rules have been amended to cope with single squadron/companies and with some other house rule. Some more details here.

Just started to write the game commentary. Some in-depth reviews from the players follow below.

Scegli uno scenario folle lo fai arbitrare al più folle dei Longhorn (dimenticanze, impicci, invenzioni di regolamento) tiri dadi a go-go, prendi in giro Sua Eccellenza che sente l’odore di Sette Anni ad un continente di distanza. Una serata tipica. Divertente e zuzzurellona. Solo rimpianto: non aver visto una vigorosa carica degli invitti paesani. Con le premesse di cui sopra prendevano a calcioni anche i granatieri prussiani.

Choose a crazy scenario you have it refereed by the craziest of Longhorns (oversights, hindrances, regulation inventions) you roll dice galore, make fun of His Excellency who smells Seven Years a continent away. A typical evening. Fun and naughty. Only regret: not having seen a vigorous charge by the unconquered villagers. With the above premises they also kicked the Prussian grenadiers.

Zac

Tutti sono capaci di inventarsi e realizzare uno skirmish moderno o di Seconda Guerra Mondiale in un abitato ma ci vuole un Longhorn per realizzarne uno nel Sette Anni. Brigate prussiane, battaglioni di Freikorps, granatieri del Kreis e soprattutto impavidi cittadini armati pronti a difendere le loro case. Kreis e villici contro i temibili prussiani. Hurra!

Anyone can invent and make a modern or WWII skirmish in a built-up area but it takes a Longhorn to make one in Seven Years. Prussian brigades, Freikorps battalions, Kreis grenadiers and above all fearless armed citizens ready to defend their homes. Kreis and villagers against fearsome Prussians. Hurra!

Arizac

Per non parlare della “semovente” città di Bamberg, i cui sobborghi su ruote facilitano i movimenti delle truppe di passaggio e di occupazione…

Not to mention the “self-propelled” city of Bamberg, whose suburbs on wheels facilitate the movement of passing and occupying troops…

Ric

A quick sheet containing most of our house rules may be found here:

The game

It is 8 o’clock in the morning, a squadron of proud Prussian hussars enters the Kurds gate of the northern suburbs of Bamberg. No enemy is seen defending the gate, but the tower bell starts to din!

At the same time, the colonel of the Freikorps battalion Wurmser orders the battalion to march through the southern bridge and occupy Bamberg. The troops are looking for the bakery, expecting to find it by the smell of fresh bread.

Some noise is heard, as if a lot of hooves are banging the streets nearby, so the Hussars commander orders the rest of the regiment to enter the city in battle order.

Drums are heard beating from behind the city walls, and right after 10 am two companies of grenadiers exit the north city gate and start crossing the bridge. They found the Freikorps deployed in line, with battalion gun ready to fire at point blank range.

The grenadiers align along the long bridge and volleys are exchanged between the Kreis grenadiers and the Freikorps battalion.

The third volley is enough for the battalion, which retreats along the road, looking for safety, leaving the battalion gun. They will not return back for today.

It is now 10:45, the Bamberg suburb bell are ringing full swing. A crowd gathers, somebody armed with fusel, some with pitchforks. The citizens ar ready to chase away the enemy which has entered the city! They organise themselves under the orders of two old officers, veterans of the ’40s war.

At 11:00 a third company of grenadiers, from the Bamberg garrison, is sent to support the defence of the suburbs. They carry two battalion guns to bolster the defenders.

Meanwhile additional Prussian troops are converging to the city. A battalion of musketeers is entering the town from the northern road. Together with a company of light troops the occupy the buildings in front of the large bridge, to deny access to the grenadiers still manoeuvring on the road along the river.

It is now the tidal point of the battle. The three grenadier companies have suffered some losses from the past skirmishers, but nevertheless they decide to storm the enemies in the buildings.

One company is wiped out, while the other two manage to enter the first buildings, but the prussian defence is stubborn and they are forced to retreat back, along the bridge and behind the city walls.

At the same time, the dismounted hussars that were dismounted and occupying the eastern part of the suburb attack the prussian musketeers. This attack was unexpected and cause the musketeers to leave the houses that had occupied and retreat completely disorganised. They will not come back to Bamberg for today.

What is left now? Probably just a few hussars from both side and the citizens in arms. But maybe some more prussian are arriving? The final part of the game in one day time.

Scenario rules

One turn equals to 20 minutes.

To convert Charles Grant order of battle into Honours of War:

• 2 squadrons = small unit
• 1 squadron/1 company = tiny unit
• if a two-gun unit is fielded, it fires like a standard unit with -1 (as if one “gun” was lost). But the scenario has only attached battalion guns.
• cavalry dismounts as in standard rules

The Bamberg map has been scaled for playing Honours of war, to an 8×6 feet table, one square equals to 12″x12″ (300×300 paces). The game is best played on a 6×4 feet, using the central 6×4 squares.

Prussians

• 1- brigade
  • 1 – inferior light cavalry, tiny (unit is in recce mode, it evades when charged and cannot engage in combat. It needs to be under brigade commander range to come out of recce mode).
  • 1A – inferior light cavalry, small
• 2 – brigade
  • inferior infantry w battalion gun
  • light infantry, tiny
• 3 – independent unit
  • standard infantry w battalion gun
• 4/5 – brigade
  • standard infantry w battalion gun
  • 1 medium standard gun

Austrians and Reichsarmee

• A /B brigade
  • A -inferior light cavalry, tiny
  • B – standard cavalry, small
• brigade
  • superior infantry, no battalion gun, tiny
  • superior infantry, no battalion gun, tiny
  • inferior light cavalry, tiny
• townsfolk – independent unit(s)
  • throw 1D6 = 1-3 one small unit, 4-6 two units (throw twice 1D6=1-3 one units is tiny, 4-6, one unit is small)
  • every move during the game, throw per unit 2D6=11-12, reinforcement arrive, unit increases in size: tiny becomes small, small becomes standard, standard becomes large.
• independent unit
  • superior infantry w battalion gun, tiny