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Wargaming the Seven Years War with 40mm miniatures, done by: Johann-Peter Scheck and Anselm Scheck

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Summer battle 1: Kesselsdorf in Saxony

Good old Prince August Grenadiers make the opening of this post: The Saxon Leibgrenadiere cover an artillery position against the coming Prussian Avantgarde attack....

Yesterday we opened our summer campaign 2015 with a fast game of a Kesselsdorf scenario. which took place in 1745 and was the beginning of the Prussian invasion in Saxony.
Believing the Bavarian weather, we build the tabletop in the garden and placed the Saxons in a defense position and the Prussians in a march column from south-east with a cavalry vanguard on the south-west. The target was to break the Saxon fortifications and to expel them of the 2 villages they kept.
The result in advance: a heavy rain brought the battle to an end without a victory....

deployment

Matthias (right) and me as Prussian generals....

...and my son Levent as Saxon Maréchal!










































































First, we were testing our own rules, which are related to the Yahoo-group discussion of "Honours-of-War". After long preparatory discussions with Matthias, who is an expert in 18. century warfare, we simplified the rules, but gave 2 new aspects into this game:

First aspect: The role of an attacking cavalry is - in none of the known rule-books - adequately fixed: The power of the contemporary cavalry was the mass effect of the galloping horses, which thundered like a steam roller into the infantry. 
This we introduced to our rules: when a cavalry  advance in gallop into an infantry unit, it will be a break-in effect: infantry moves back 2 moves and get immediately 2 casualty points. 
This rule took great effect.

Second aspect: Artillery fires with 2 points (6pdr) and 1 point (3pdr). We took just one D6 dice for having 1-2: hit on the left side, 3-4: hit in the target, 5-6 hit on the right side. No morale values counted, no chance of defense. Conclusion: artillery was very effective, especially the battalion guns.

Prussian main army in the south-east...
Prussians advance on the right wing with heavy cavalry...

... and with infantry and artillery in the right center. In the background the Saxon positions.















































Saxon Cuirassiers "Koeniglicher Prinz" move against the Prussians 
First skirmish between Prussian Cuirassiers "Von Kyau" against the Saxon "Koeniglicher Prinz"

Saxon Chevauxlegers "Prinz Carl" attacks the Prussian infantry vanguard...


Prussian cuirassiers on the left side prepare to a counterattack, but were not allowed because of too many casualties... (fire marker)
So, the Langermann dragoons swung into the gap and stopped the "Prinz Carl"

























Saxon infantry passes the retiring cavalry. The ones go to the frontline, the others move back to the base camp - too many hits for continuing the battle...



Saxon "Von Minckwitz" advance to support the "Prinz Carl"

In the meanwhile, the Prussian left wing wasn´t inactive: First 2 ranks of hussars galloped forward...

























...just in order to swing to the right and attacking the vulnerable part of the Saxon infantry... They were lucky: too close for getting under Saxon artillery fire..
Same scene; the view from the Saxon defense position. 
The reserve unit: Prussian "Markgraf von Brandenburg" Cuirassiers, ready for duty.....
They attack the village, where the Saxon Cuirassiers "Von Arnim" lurked... 
... followed by Polish Ulans and the Leibgrenadiergarde...

No move in the center at all... and then, the rain came...


34 comments:

  1. Brilliant looking battle ! - shame about the weather , Tony

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    1. Oh yes, Tony, we have British weather here in Bavaria, unfortunately always when a wargame date is fixed with friends...
      Thank you for your comment, Peter

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  2. Without doubt the best photographs of miniatures on a table setting I have ever seen.
    Thank You for sharing such an amazing collection of figures and terrain.

    Regards
    John

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    1. John, you are my idol in figures and terrain settings - the more I am so glad to read this from you. Thank you very, very much!
      Peter

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  3. C'est incroyable! c'est formidable! vous me l'avez laissé sans mots! il n'y a rien de mieux sur le Web entier. Les figures, la mise en scène et les images sont parfaites, mais la photo de la table de wargame dans votre jardin est dévastatrice pour nous qui vivons dans un appartement! Félicitations de l'extrême sud, Carlos

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    1. Mon cher Carlos, tu es toujours bienvenu et tes mots chauds me font du bon. Je serais heureux de t´inviter un jour à venir en Bavière pour une bonne bataille (et une bière...) en plein air, dans mon jardin, avec mes amis!
      Peter

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  4. Absolutely marvelous, thanks...Bill

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  5. These are wonderful pictures to behold. I've enjoyed watching your SYW 40mm collection growing over the years.

    Jim

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    1. Thank you, Alter Fritz, for following us since this years - so glad about this fact! My output in painting is not the highest, unfortunately, so everything takes time..
      Peter

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  6. Peter. Others have already said it but my jaw drops in admiration for what you produce and the way you show them., By far the best photos yet on an always impressive blog. I particularly love the charging hussars against the soft blue sky and the 7th picture from the top which almost looks like a contemporary oil painting. Also you long grass effects look real with this scale of figures. Fabulous, thank you.
    Chris
    http://notjustoldschool.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you, Chris, for this words - I always highly estimate your artist´s eye and critics. As a painter, you are able to see details on pictures which I don´t see by myself. So glad to have you here!
      Peter

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  7. Great looking game. I hope the weather is kinder to you next time.
    Alan

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    1. Oh yes, I hope too. We will refight some battle in the end of july..
      Peter

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  8. Seule la pluie pouvait arrêter ce magnifique arc en ciel...une partie splendide, la table et les photos sont très impressionnantes, j'aime beaucoup le dynamisme et la beauté de l'ensemble...Bravo, bravo, mille fois bravo!

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    1. Aah Phil, merci pour ton analyse bien flattante - je ne réussis pas à écrire de telles bonne nouvelles comme toi chaque semaine - et ca, c´est le savoir raconter des histoires... Tu es toujours bienvenu chez moi, toujours!
      Peter

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  9. Absolutely superb Peter! What a joy to view and read. The quality of figures, landscaping and photography all combine to produce the best visual feast of wargaming that i have ever seen. The photos bear an uncanny resemblance to real life! Superb.....well done. I have to say you are the bravest of the brave to try this event in the open air even with a good weather forecast which if like me you live in England would be virtually impossible to achieve as our forecasts too are based more on fiction whereas our wargames are not! All the best.

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    1. Yes, we have a lot of similarities in weather conditions like you in Britain - the stress with rainy or sunny or changing weather is it worth - the natural light is an incredible push for taking pictures. The rest makes the computer... Thank you for your comment - I am very glad about it!!
      Peter

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  10. Peter,
    You and your companions should be very proud. What a wonderful looking game, and what wonderful terrain, this is how wargaming should be fought, well done.

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    1. Thanks, Robbie - wargaming is more than just a game in the afternoon. It should be celebrated, always. So appreciated!
      Peter

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  11. What a superb looking game. Awesome photos - especially the one showing the prussian hussars galloping forward

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    1. Thank you, Allan - the hussars were beautiful, but ineffective - this bastards!!! Glad to get your comment!!
      Peter

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  12. Hi, just discovered your blog today, what an absolutely fantastic collection of figures, great terrain and excellent eye for a photo. Glad I found this.

    Regards, Ken
    http://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks, Ken, for this kind comment - your blog is a eye-candy - I immediately added to my must-list!
      Peter

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  13. Marvelous! Some of the close ups could almost be mistaken for still shots from a movie, or at least a diorama.

    Perhaps a tent next time?

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    1. Thank you, Ross - a tent would be definetively an advantage next time...
      Peter

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  14. Fantastic! I really like your photography - how you get the distance background to blend with the foreground. Plus the added 'fog of war' or was that just grey skies?
    Nigel

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    1. Thank you, Nigel! The fog of war is artificial, but it helps to give depth to the image...
      Peter

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  15. A most beautiful set up, figures and photography - a pity the weather was not co-operative this time! I've always loved the aesthetics of a well-presented wargame (probably far more than the actual wargaming!) and yours is quite stunning.

    Cheers,

    David
    http://nba-sywtemplates.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you, David, so glad to hear that! I think, the figures and landscape elements always come out better on an image than in reality....
      Peter

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  16. Eyecandy in its most beautiful way. Very beautiful painted units and as always perfectly set in scene.
    If you need another player for gaming - please let me know though I don´t have 40mm figures.

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    1. Dear Mike, with pleasure you are invited for a game - would be great!! You could explain us the Maurice game, maybe?!
      Peter

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  17. Scheck, thank you for introducing yourself on the Honours of War group and for the invitation to view your blog. I can only echo the remarks of the other posters. I can see that a great deal of preparation goes into your battles, and the resulting photos are excellent. I will check out past posts and look forward to new ones.

    Keith.

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  18. I wish you would add the name of the figure company who produced the figures under each photo.

    For instance, which company made the figures in the photo above the caption "No move in the center at all... and then, the rain came..."

    I love the figures, the terrain and your photography of the battles. Very inspiring!

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