Thursday 2 January 2014

My First Game of Shako

 
Raphael kindly hosted and umpired a 15mm Napoleonic game of Shako with your humble correspondent handling the French whilst Paul Izzard had the Austrian army.
 
View along the French lines at the start

View along the Austrian lines

 
Close up of the town on the French right occupied by two units of infantry
 
Murat's cavalry and horse artillery move up 
 
Lannes pushes forwards the infantry in the centre

Whilst columns of infantry backed up by light cavalry advance on the left
 
The Austrians on the high ground opposite

 
The Austrian commander plots his moves
 
Whilst Raphael bamboozles him with rules minutiae
 
Austrian heavy cavalry and lancers threaten the French centre

 
Range sticks in use here !
 
French columns move steadily forwards on the left
 
French carabiniers tackle the Austrian cavalry

as more cavalry moves up in support

what are these two up to now ?
 
the French left get closer to the Austrian lines

this is the centre at the same moment
 
the cavalry duel at its height

one French unit has broken

but the support moves up instead

this time the Austrians broke and the French retired to reform
 
the Austrians opposite the French held town now move forwards with guns on the higher ground
 
another Austrian cavalry attack in the centre reaches the first French guns

over runs them but are blown before they can advance any further where the French 12pdrs are
 
French columns are right in amongst the Austrian lines
 
but previously unseen Austrian hussars catch a French column trying to form square

 
French light cavalry try to plug the gap and cross sabres with the Austrians
 
Back over on the French right, heavy cavalry stream across towards the enemy Uhlans 
 
Get those guns turned around and quick !
 
The Austrian line stands firm
 
Cavalry now join the French attack left of centre
 
and the Austrian guns are reached

and destroyed
 
the French light cavalry have been defeated by the Austrian hussars and retire behind the infantry
 
French hussars attack the blown Austrian cavalry in revenge for the loss of the guns
 
In the centre, victorious French heavy cavalry are prevented from attacking the Austrian grenadiers by fresh Austrian curassiers
 
 
 
the French attacks all along the line hammer away at the stubborn Austrians

 
but repeated French cavalry successes in the centre turn the tide


 
The Austrian commander, lured by a call from his cantiniere back home decides to concede, with a fresh gammon beckoning, who could blame him ?

 
A great day's introduction to Shako and thanks to Raphael and his wife for their kind hospitality
 
... and another game tomorrow beckons - I think a Wild West shoot out at Steve Clarke's ranch (or is it Dux Britanniarum instead ?).


1 comment:

  1. A great battle and such a feast for the eyes. Truly Napoleonics in the grand tradition of war gaming. Makes me want to get my half finished 6mm Naps project back on the front burner,
    Best for 2014,
    MP

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