By Fire and Sword Battle Report - Muscovy vs Ottoman Empire, Task Force.

Welcome again!

Today is the blog's first battle report! This was a task force level game of By Fire and Sword on the  Capture the Crossing scenario. This scenario is slightly different to the skirmish scenario in that it features a farm on each side of the table as capture points in addition to the main crossing. The stream is fordable along the entire length for half movement. My opponent Nathan and I both took nearly full task forces which are listed below. Please note I made a massive error when deploying and put down 8 bases in the border dragoon pike squadron instead of four (I'd been eyeing off division construction during the day...). This definitely had a significant effect on the game as the pike block was involved in two combats that were drew only due to their outnumbering their opponents... Sorry Nathan!

Muscovy - Border Defence Task Force - 22FSP

Voivode (2 command points)

Vanguard

6 Field Dragoons (musketeers)

Base

8 Border Dragoon Musketeers

4 Border Dragoon Pikes (ooops...)

6 Elite Dvorians

8 Boyar Sons

Captain (1 command point)

Falconet 1.5pdr

Transport Wagon (not present on the table by mutual agreement)

Level 1

8 Town Streltsy

Level 2

8 Boyar Sons w/spears

Falconet 1.5pdr

Level 3

8 Border Dragoon Musketeers

Golova (2 command points)

4 Skirmish Boyar Sons

Quarta Colubrine 5f

Level 4

6 Reiters

Ottoman Empire - Task Force from the European Provinces - 20FSP

Beylerbey (3 Command Points)

Vanguard

5 Besli (proxied with Tatar Warriors)

Base

6 Sipahi w/Lances

6 Sipahi

6 Gonullu

Aga (1 command point)

Transport Wagon (not present on table by mutual agreement)

Darbzen 300 Dirhem

Level 1

6 Janissaries

Level 2

4 Besli (proxied with Tatar Warriors)

Sanjakbey (2 command points)

Darbzen 1 Oka

Level 3

4 Tufecki

Darbzen 2 Oka

The table setup. The farms near the river are objectives alongside the bridge.

Deployment after Turn 0. Turn 0 was quite eventful as the besli charged accross the stream into the field dragoons who were on defence orders. I expected the dragoons to shoot them off but alas the besli made it in and drew combat, nullifying my recon advantage.

Border Dragoons en masse. Including my cheating pike block... still feel bad about that.

In all our games Nathan makes extensive use of march columns early in the game to move up his units. Not many units left to base for him!

The centre of the Muscovite line. Town Streltsy in the wood and the field dragoons up front from their recon. I had run out of room to get the spear boyars in a good position.

The Muscovite right. The elite sotnia in the woods, reiters centre, skirmish sotnia (in disgusting grey) on the right backed up by the boyars.

The Ottoman right. Tufecki are off screen further right. Nathan made a decision to not really contest the bridge and instead focus on the farms.

The post Turn 0 situation in the centre. These two units would proceed to duel for FIVE turns without either fleeing. The besli would spend most of the game disorganised and were totally annihilated in the end.

Turn 1 saw Ottoman artillery disorganise the streltsy, who promptly withdrew into the boyars. Thankfully the boyars didn't disorganise as well.

The Muscovites advance on the right. I made the decision to attack two units at a time and relocate two units to a more central position. I only had five command for the entire force so I had to be careful.

The left advances to the farm. The right hand musket block would move onto defence orders in turn two as the border dragoons went onto defence turn by turn. This commander only had one command point so going to defence early was key.

The Ottoman right advances. Sorry for the blurry photo.

Tufecki anchored the Ottoman left.

Glorious cavalry line. За родину!

Reiters (proxied from my HRE army) engage Ottoman besli. They won without issue.

The second wave continues their move to the centre.

Ottoman Sipahi shake out into attack formations.

The initial Muscovite attacks were successful on the right but this would soon change. The besli are fleeing while the Tufecki are disorganised.

The situation at the end of turn 3. The skirmish sotnia are out of command range and the reiters are dangerously exposed to case shot. Meanwhile the elite sotnia has shaken out into line.

Somehow the border dragoons kept holding on... Not seen is a falconet on the far left which used case shot again and again to help repel the Sipahi and Janissaries. Oh and something something cheating pikes...

Case shot and bow fire from the gonullu (that damn shooting left...) routs the reiters. From success to disaster on the right.

Allah Allah! The Sipahi try once more but to no avail, their morale failing them after more case shot. The block in the background had suffered casualties from musketry before being fought off by the boyar sons.

At the end of the game my wonderful, freshly painted streltsy had done... uh, nothing. Secured the bridge, I guess.

We ended up calling the game at the end of turn 5, with the Ottomans having too many units in disarray and the Muscovites firmly in control of two objectives. This was a really fun game (marred by my realisation this morning of the too large pike unit...). This is the biggest game either of us have played so far. Task Force is a fun level, it doesn't take much longer than skirmish games but is visually much more spectacular. Turn 0 is a fun concept as well. I think if we could play this again I would use the vanguard to occupy the farm on my side of the river so they can be left on defence orders without a worry and use the streltsy and artillery to support them. This would leave the border dragoons to hold the centre, but with much more command from the general could do it. The right I think was managed fairly well but suffered from Ottoman case shot in the end. If I were Nathan I would have garrisoned his farm with infantry early in the game and used it to anchor his flank while pushing for the crossing or my farm with the strong force of Sipahi.

In the end, a Muscovite tactical victory. Bring on division level!