Piquet: Field of Battle River Crossing Game

Here are some pictures from our latest Piquet: Field of Battle game. It was a rather surprising rout at a river crossing.



Here's the game table with the Austrian deployment. The river sections were kind of rushed. Since the French won our last scenario, I set up something like a French pursuit. This is about half of an Austrian division defending a bridge at a small town. There is a known ford just this side of the village, and two possible fords at either end of the table (troops will have to try to cross before it will be clear if they can be used). A full French division is attempting to cross. On the second turn, the Austrians shuffle in a Game Event card, and three really great Grenadier battalions arrive on the table edge at the road.

The French commander sent his light troops to investigate the ford on his left, which was found to be unusable. However, the cavalry found the ford on his right to be suitable, and crossed over. The Austrians weren't prepared for this, and facing the two Hussar and one Dragoon regiments are three line battalions in march and two Hussars in line.

The French main effort was a direct crossing on the ford by the river. This was congested and effectively contested by the Austrians, though.

The focus of the battle very quickly shifted to the French right, though, as the "diversionary attack," as the French commander called it, of the French cavalry very quickly became the main thrust. The French Hussars each charged and destroyed outright an Austrian battalion on the march.

The battle for the ford continues. The French lack the élan to charge across the bridge-- this is not Lodi!

The Austrian Hussars fail to stop the French cavalry and are destroyed. The entire Austrian left flank has been completely destroyed and the French are moving into the center, taking a battery of guns and forcing the Austrian Commander in Chief to flee before them.

The French cross the ford, but determined Austrian resistance forces them to fall back across the river.

Finally, with the Austrians turn 2 deck very nearly depleted, the grenadiers arrive. The next card for the Austrians, though, was the Army Morale group, with the result that two Command Groups must fall back-- sending them immediately back off the table! The Austrians conceded.