SYW Scenario Book

Recently Frank Chadwick announced the release of the first Seven Years War Scenario book for "Volley & Bayonet: Road to Glory". A group of locals soon ordered copies and today they arrived in the post. Around a week from ordering from the United States.

The book "Battles of the Seven Years War Volume 1: Austria versus Prussia" provides scenarios for refighting nine battles and is the first of two volumes. The battles covered in this first volume are: Lobositz; Prague; Kolin; Rossbach; Leuthen; Hochkirch; Liegnitz; Torgau and Freiburg.

The 62 pages are generally divided equally between the battles. Each battle has an introduction, a brief historical outline and a section providing detail on refighting the battle with Volley & Bayonet. Then a map is provided along with full rosters for the games. Maps and photographs are black and white throughout. This keeps the production costs down yet provides an attractive volume.

You can order your copy from the official website in the United States as we did. However, I am sure local hobby shops will soon be sourcing copies as well. Now it's off to start organising my Seven Years War Austrians...

Santa de la Moriscos - 1808

Last night "The Wargames Room" was the scene of yet another Napoleonic clash using Volley & Bayonet. The game centered on Spain as one of our group had recently completed another 6mm army, being none other than Napoleonic Spanish. The game, as is the case with most of our pick-up games, used the excellent Road to Glory scenario generator with armies limited to 3000 points. We find this provides an ideal sized game for an evening. All figures illustrated are from Navwar's excellent 6mm range.


Above, the battlefield of Santa de la Moriscos viewed from the high ground east of the French lines looking west. The French Army of the Centre, under Jourdan, had selected a high scenario card (21) which, we believed, placed a burden of attack on us. We therefore decided to concentrate our attack on our left flank with Sebastiani's IV Corps (Keith) supported by elements of Victor's I Corps (Andrew) in the centre. In particular the support would fall to the divisions of Ruffin and Lapisse. Victor's 3rd division would hold the extreme right around the monastery of Nuestra Senora de la Lengua situated on rising ground on the right. The French reserve, comprising the French and Polish infantry along with the Dragoon's and Light Cavalry would conduct a flank movement which would arrive on the extreme left in three hours time, assuming it was not delayed. It would, it was planned, assist IV Corps to destroy the Spanish right flank.

The Spanish, much to Jourdan's surprise, were also active and had selected a high card (23). Higher, it would seem, than our own. This fact, unknown to us, placed the burden of attack on the Spanish. The Spanish plan also called for a flank attack. While the Spanish centre and left (Alastair) would push forward initially the Spanish right (Jon) would draw in the French until launching a combined attack when the cavalry reserve arrived behind the French left from the south. It would transpire that both the French and Spanish were conducting flanking movements on the same flank, the sourthern edge of the battlefield!


Here, Liger-Belair's division is attacked by the Spanish reserve and viewed from the south. The Spanish reserve comprised only cavalry, of mixed quality, and horse artillery. The 32nd Line drawn from Liger-Belair's division had earlier captured the small town of Miranda de Miguel, shown above in the left foreground. The 32nd had however been repulsed by a hasty Spanish counterattack soon after. Other regiments of the division, along with Leval's division, had also engaged Spanish troops in the fields north of the town. As the Spanish reserve cavalry attack Liger-Belair's division additional French troops try to form a second line along a dry stream bed.

Meanwhile in the centre Ruffin's division extend the line as a great number of Spanish troops prepare to advance against the French right centre. Interestingly, the French here were not pressed as hard as expected as a result of the Spanish receiving a bloody repulse in early attacks.


Finally, and below, a view from the south where the French Army Reserve finally arrives which comprises three small divisions some two hours after the Spanish flanking movement. Desolles' infantry division, comprising the French 51st Line and the 4th Polish Infantry Regiment, can be seen engaging Spanish troops on rising ground. While the French troops had been delayed, only arriving two hours before dusk, they now attacked with great élan. The Spanish, for their part, had few troops capable of halting the French attacks from this direction. Many of the Spanish formations here had suffered heavy casualties earlier in the battle and had been withdrawn from the frontline.


Above, a Spanish infantry regiment puts up a valiant, yet ultimately hopeless, defence against French and Polish infantry as French Dragoons from Milhaud's division advance past their exposed right flank against the exposed rear of the Spanish army. With the arrival of his reserve, and their subsequent rapid advance, Jourdan could finally claim victory...

Woolston DBA Challenge

With the success of 15mm DBA at Conquest recently a few locals have decided to run a small informal event early in 2010. As a result we have pencilled in Sunday the 10th of January at the Woolston Club, Christchurch for the "Woolston DBA Challenge".


The theme will be armies from 500BC to 450AD which covers DBA Section II armies as well as several from Section I that extend into this period.

Come and join us and wrestle with your opponents to secure your place in history alongside Gaius Julius Caesar, Pompeius Magnus, Alexander the Great or Gaius Terentius Varro. The choice is yours!

Additional details can be found here.