Eylau: the Morning

Josh and I played a Command and Colours game from the Russian expansion, the Eylau scenario for the morning of 8 February 1807.

Historically, the forces were facing each other on two parallel ridges, with the French holding the town of Eylau, which they had taken the preceding night. The day started with an artillery duel, which the French were considered to have won; then the French attacked the Russian center and left, but the Russian grand battery decimated Augereau's corps in the center and Soult was unable to make headway on the right.

In this scenario the French have two each of Light Cavalry, Artillery, and Light Infantry, plus nine Line Infantry, one unit of Old Guard, and four generals. The Russians bring two each Light Cavalry, Cossacks, and Light Infantry, one each Heavy Cavalry and Cuirassiers, four Artillery, three Grenadiers, six Line Infantry and three generals. The French under Napoleon get six cards, the Russians under Bennigsen get five, and the victory requirement is seven banners.

Turn 1: an artillery duel, with the French killing one gun, the Russians killing two.
Turn 2: the French pull back the damaged battery and bring infantry forward; the Russian guns keep up their fire.
Turn 3: both sides advance their flanks.
Turn 4: the Old Guard advances into Eylau; the Russian guns continue to bombard.
Turn 5: the French assault on the right with three regiments, but only kill two blocks of a Russian line infantry. The Russians launch a cavalry charge, forcing back Davout and his light infantry at the cost of a Cossack unit; a French line unit in square repulses the Russian cuirassiers.
Turn 6: Pressing the attack on the right, the French regiment with St Hilaire charges the left-most Russian battery, but a Russian First Strike forces them to retreat. The enemy Light Cavalry units engage each other on the far right. The Russians reply with Short Supplies, forcing St Hillaire and his regiment back the the baseline.
Turn 7: The French continue to try on the right; the combined Light Infantry and Light Cavalry are unable to finish off the Russian light cavalry, but bayonets destroy the last block of the Russian regiment they'd attacked in Turn 5. The Russians reply by wiping out a Line regiment and the Light Cavalry with their guns and heavy cavalry.
Turn 8: The two surviving units on the French right pull back to cover and attempt to look inconspicuous. The Russian batteries fire on the French infantry in the center, reducing them by 50%.
Turn 9: Having just lost half their strength, the French get the Bayonet Charge card, and mutter darkly about the rotten timing. Three units in the center and one on the left charge, but the dice are unkind and they do essentially no damage. The Russians reply with Cold Steel, destroying two regiments.

At this point the score is Russians 5, French 2, and the French right and center are broken; the French concede. This is pretty much the same as the historical outcome; Murat's charge and Ney's appearance late in the day allowed Napoleon to achieve a draw, and hold the field when Bennigsen decided to withdraw. That'll be the next scenario.

Josh said we can attribute this one to Russian luck, or more accurately, to karma catching up to me for all those lucky shots I got in the last MegaMek game. If I'd gotten the Bayonet Charge even one turn earlier, things would have been very different.