The Minstrel Boy: We finally finished a game!

Gaming as we do at the library, there hardly ever seems to be enough time to actually finish a game. Saturday was an exception. The setting was our Crouchkrieg Imagi-nations campaign, with troops from Frankenschwein (Andy and Steven) and the Duchy of Worschestershiresauce (Rob) facing the Serene People's Republic of Rationalia (Martin) and the Grand Electorate of Saxe-Freedonia (Bear and myself.) We kept it to a brigade for each player and a simple uncluttered table.
We decided to refuse the left, but the left refused to be refused. Martin set up using his experimental organisation based on Austria. (6 stands of 3 figures each. Our standard is 4x3 for an infantry battalion.) This took more space than expected. We also discovered that this organisation is less flexible and makes the devil's own hole in the line if a unit retires/retreats/bolts/runs away. I had a brigade of Freedonians including Pavkovic's Pandours, an irregular light infantry unit. Bear handled the reserve which included Rationalian grenadiers and Freedonian cuirassiers and hussars. The most notable troops on the other side were Rob's dragoons in their green hunting frocks and his lightest-of-light cavalry from the Loup tribe. They ended up being the stars of the show later on.
Well, our left didn't quite get refused and Martin and Andy picked at each other for a lot of the game. This included a protracted cavalry melee between Frankenschweiner dragoons and Rationalian hussars. I advanced in the centre right and Bear brought up the grenadiers very early on.

The Allied reserve - Rationalian grenadiers with General En. Guells and the Freedonian
Cuirassier Regiment von Sardukar. Pavkovic's Pandours screen the hill. In retrospect,
I should've put them in the forest.

Steven's Brigade - Frankenschweiner foot and artillery

Andy repositions some Frankenschweiner foot - line infantry in front, militia
("Kleinvolk Militia") to the rear.

Rob's mounted Loup warriors with General Harry Dresden. They worked some powerful
medicine later in the game.

On the far left of the Coalition line, Rob had been lent a regiment of Frankenschweiner dragoons who faced off against my Hess-Bruder Hussars, a match that continued for almost the entire game. Steven used his guns to try to drive off my brigade, but it didn't work. My troops stood fast for most of the game.

Rationalian line infantry

Rob's Worchestershiresaucer dragoons with the Frankenschweiners in support.

Bear's Rationalian grenadiers hold tough in the face of Rob's line infantry.
Pavkovic's Pandours are screening and Freedonian Regiment Tom Servo is
moving up to support.

The Dragoon vs. Hussar scrap. The blue pipe cleaner means the hussars are
"disorganised." This mess see-sawed until almost the end of the game when
the weight of the dragoons proved too much for the hussars.

To my shame, I must admit I left the woods on my right unguarded. The hussars were beyond the woods, but the woods themselves were wide open. The Pandours would've been better in the wood, but as it was Rob's dragoons picked their way through the trees, did an end around and hit my cuirassiers in the flank. Then the mounted warriors slid through the woods and came around the back of the Allied line.

The Freedonian line - 1&2 Regt. Tom Servo, 1&2 Regt. Stahl, the Irish Legion
(in green), the Archbishop's Own (in white) under the command of General
Heinzelmänchen.

Cuirassier Regt. von Sardukar in better days. The guns are from my wife's
Galifreyan army... since the Freedonian artillery never made it into the
carrying bin for the game!

Frankenschweiner dragoons face Rationalian hussars with the Rationalian
General and Ever-Glorious People's Prime Minister and President Karl Mar X himself.

Rob's dragoons about to blindside my cuirassiers and lay a serving of hurt on them.

Rob's Loup horsemen rounded the hill on the Allied right and headed right toward the three Rationalian cannon who were grinding up Steven's troops in the centre. Spear, tomahawk, and warclub took out all three cannon! This effectively ended the game since we had reached 25% casualties and we decide to withdraw... as per the Age of Reason rules. It was a good game and a manageable size for a change. Cudos to Andy who decided to limit the size of the opposing forces. We were well matched and very close in number and quality. I think Martin, Bear, and I had more cavalry while Steven, Andy, and Rob had a little more infantry. Guns were equal in number and weight.

General Dresden and the Loup warriors take all the cannons.

The Freedonian infantry stand off the Frankenschweiners. Two battalions have
fallen back due to casualties and morale and are disorganised. The white rings
signify casualties.

A view down the line from the Allied right at the Rationalian line infantry.

Rationalians in square because of some Frankenschweiner cavalry.

Lessons learned (a nice way of saying "I lost, but I'll salvage something from this disaster.")

Never again leave a forest without something in it... 'cause your opponent will drop cavalry or armour or Space Marines or Godzilla there.
Never underestimate crazy native mounted troops. They can slide through a knothole if need be and really mess up your day. We'd all pretty much discounted these ultra-light cavalry, but they proved their worth.

Next week in a new convention in Chatham-Kent, Ontario - KegsCon. A few of us are going to support this first year of this con. The week after that is the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of the Thames which will be reenacted on the actual battlefield! Rob and I will be assisting in running the "mini-militia" at the Friday Education Day and we'll be out for the battle the next day. Rob and a friend will go to the reenactors-only tactical on Sunday. I'm working and running around the field is a younger man's game. I hope to post many photos after the weekend.