Valeur et Fortitude: The Battle of Friedland

All right peeps, you can all put your hands down - I know its actually 'Valour & Fortitude'! Its just that my Franglais version seems more Napoleonic somehow. And yes, I know, that nice Mr Jervis Johnson is working on an ACW and SYW version too, so we shouldn't 'oppress' these rules by limiting their potential to a patriarchal linear historical construct dominated by a single individual....(Jeez, so glad I've retired!)

Anyhoo, The Battle of Friedland has long captured my imagination, and was the subject of one of my earliest 'Unfeasibly Large Mega Games' way back in the day in full 28mm glory...(Unfortunately before digital photography was a thing!)

So when my mate Caesar (below) came up with an ingenious scenario for the Wollongong Wargamers to continue our protracted flirting with these rules, I jumped at the chance to get involved!

Caesar's scenario stipulates:

The French start with one command, Lannes, anchored between Heinrichsdorf and Posthenen (both small urban areas). The Russians start with two commands, Gortschakoff and Bagration, who have just crossed the Alle river and are arrayed along the western bank. Their mission is to destroy Lannes before Mortier and Ney can arrive as reserves along the roads from Konigsberg and Eylau respectively. 

When reserves arrive, the French will have three commands and the tables are turned, as the Russians attempt a fighting withdrawal with their backs to the river. 

The Alle is impassable except for several bridges near Friedland. Other rivers/streams are bad going.

Above, Lannes' Corps is set up between Heinrichsdorf on the left and Posthenen on his right, looking across the plain to the outskirts of Friedland and the sinuous bends of the River Alle. Sortlack wood on the far right.

Above, the Russian masses press forward their temporary advantage.

Lannes has no choice, after garrisoning both villages to secure his flanks, but to deploy his few remaining troops in line and to plug the gap with light cavalry. Not the Directing Staff solution, but what choice does he have?

The Russians creep closer, frustrated by the limitations of terrain rather than anything else!

Lannes, worried by the masses of Russian Heavy Cavalry looming on his right flank, sent in the 'Infernal Brigade' of Hussars to get their retaliation in first!

This brought the lone French Corps a little more time...

 

Until  Ney's Corps finally turned up - Dieu Merci! (The dark masses on the left, above)

Equilibrium restored, the French line stabilised, but having played four turns we left it too late to start the long push back to the River Alle...effectively a draw.

So what did we make of the rules? Well for most of us this was only the second game of Valour & Fortitude, so probably too early for a definitive judgement. My particular interest is to see if they will be suitable for staging really huge mega-games over a couple of days - Waterloo with the full orbat the 110 anniversary in 2025, say: Epic Waterloo 210 Project

So far I'm impressed with V&F, and I daresay most of the players were too. Certainly the command friction is as effective but much faster in Black Powder. Essentially you get to activate a Brigade for free, thereafter there's a single die roll per brigade. You need either 'anything buts' if all is well, or a -1 modifier if any of the formation's units have routed. Simples! Hit rolls for both shooting and melee don't have saving rolls, so that's a huge time saving right there. But does the game play still feel Napoleonic? 

Well, initially I was surprised to discover that there was no chance for infantry to form square as a response to be charged by cavalry, similar to the 'Must Form Square' rule in Black Powder. Presumably with this level of gaming that's too granular a question to worry about, and, actually, as it turns out the combat is not all that unequal. More broadly, for a huge game, I like that units can rout much more easily than in Black Powder or Lasalle, and that larger formations may not be too far behind. It forces the player to think as a General rather than as a Colonel. So, for me, more games soon please! 

For an another player's perspective, please see Kaptain Kobold's batrep here:

Friedland 1807 With Valour & Fortitude