Lobositz - a Maurice game

For a change we had a game with Maurice - the new set of rules form Sam Mustafa - these being card based have a certain resonance with our group who have been into Piquet for a long time.  

Anyway I decide to put on a new school game of Maurice using my Old School Prince figures.  

Maurice is designed for play at any scale you like and it ideally suited to gaming big battles with between 12 - 18 units a side.  For our first game of the full rules (we have played a couple games of the lite version which is still available here  http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/downloads/ ) we decided an old school classic - the Battle of Lobositz.  

I based the map on the one found in the following Volley an Bayonet site but removed all towns/villages expect for Lobositz . This site a few battles for the period covered by Maurice -  http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mcnelly/vb/index/index_scenario_18th.htm

Each unit of Infantry/Cavalry represents approx 2500 men and each artillery unit approx 25 guns.  In Maurice terms this gave the following orbats. 

Prussian 

4 Cavalry units (trained)

8 infantry units (6 trained and 2 elite)

3 guns

plus the national advantage cards - Lethal Volley and Oblique Order

Austrian 

3 Cavalry units (trained)

8 infantry units ( 7 trained and 1 elite)

2 irregular Grenz units.  

2 guns 

plus the national advantage cards - Skirmishers and Artillery Academy

Neither side had Notables and I did not give the Prussians a Great Capitan for Frederick as this was one of   the battles he quit the field early a la Mollwitz. The victory conditions are for the Prussians to capture Lobositz 

We used the weather card as the trigger for the early morning mist clearing and only allowed artillery to fire at cannister range until the card was turned. It transpired that it was turned as the first card of the game.    

Here are few pictures of the game 

Prussian Cavalry deploy and advance towards Lobositz as the mist clears

The Austrian artillery fire, despite having the Artillery Academy card, is ineffective and the Prussians crash into the Austrian Cavalry 

The initial melee forces the Prussians back, the Austrians counter attack but are in turn forced back. At this point the Prussians rally off their disruptions and charge before the Austrians can recover. The resulting melee is decisive and both Austrian units are destroyed. The Austrian player secretly rolls off for Morale point loss. 

The Austrian decide that with their centre crumbling to bring their infantry across the  Morellen Bach, taking disruptions, and threaten the Prussian Cavalry who wisely decide to retire to re-organise. 

On the Lobosch the Austrian Irregulars watch with grim determination as ...... 

The Prussian Infantry advance.  All 8 Prussian units moved as single force as they are in the same terrain, formation and all units are within 2 Base Widths (BW)

The Grenz open fire ....

Undeterred the Prussians volley fire and then advance and after a short melee crush the Grenz. The Lobosch has been secured. 

  

With the Lobosch secure the Prussians infantry in the centre advance towards Lobositz only to find a patch  of boggy ground in their way with Austrian Infantry deployed the other side.  Both sides enter in a bickering of musketry with the Prussians unable to gain and advantage despite the Lethal Volley Card.  An Austrian Infantry unit believing the Prussians are wavering Charge across the bog into melee only to find, to their shock a wall of Prussian steel, the unit wavers and breaks.  

The Austrian unit was forced to charge by an event card played by the Prussian player.  

Game to be resumed - tomorrow.   We have one more deck to run through and the game is finely balanced.        

Great rules really fun to play - thanks Sam