Cossack & Lancer Skirmish Series - Game 1

As part of the Campaign of Nations game, the Cossack vs. Lancer series of skirmish games will determine which side will gain some vital campaign information and which side will also preserve their own vital secrets.

Lancers win game one.

The after action report for game one simply is a French Lancer Victory.  Placing the score as 1 game to 0 in favor of the Lancers.

Now for some fast detail:

The map was dead simple, a little hill, a creek, an abandoned farmhouse and field along with some woods.

There being no opponent (my son changed his mind) I used the 'card blank' idea from Jim, and laid out some Cossacks scouting the far side of the stream and some in more defensive positions in the woods, field and farmhouse (though I did not know exactly the numbers were where as there were 4 'blank' cards in the mix.

The map, red harts for the Cossacks

First push onto the field

The Lancers came on, though not all at once, as soon as the first 4 arrived they spotted a lone Cossack dashing from the woods to the creek ford, there at the ford was another pair of Cossacks (unknown to the Lancers one of the pair at the creek was the Cossack patrol leader - who likewise dashed to 'activate' everyone else in his command).

That left a small knot of Cossacks to cover the ford and a pair of Cossacks had dashed from the woods across the stream to threaten the Lancer patrol leader, now the rest of the Lancers arrived and the fight was on in earnest!

Fight for the center

As it turned out, there were three 'blank' cards in the farmhouse, so only one lone Cossack was able to fire out from the shattered front door.  His first two shots were ineffective (pistol shots maybe?) , then with a Lancer going to flank attack one of the open Cossacks ... bang!  Dead Lancer.

All even with the Lancers just across the stream

The two Cossacks who had burst from the woods, were now dispatched, and the Cossack leader had assembled with four others on the other side of the screen of bush from an equal number of Lancers.  The Cossacks drew pistols and fired off ... now there were one less Lancer than they across the stream.

In the farmhouse a Lancer charged into the door engaging in close quarters with his Cossack foe, the Lancer came out the victor.

Now the Lancers at the stream must make a choice ... draw pistols or CHARGE!

Make ready ...

The choice was obvious ... CHARGE!

CHARGE!

Even with the penalty of having to attack across the hedges the Lancers came out on top!  Two Cossacks were eliminated in the charge.  Both sides needed to do morale checks now though, the Cossacks had only 3 of their starting 12 remaining active and the Lancer leader had been wounded.

Cossack roll came up: retreat.

Lancer roll came up: fall back.

Leaving the Lancers as masters of this field ...

There are at least three more of these games coming from UK, Spain and Quebec.  I hope to be able to report something of them in the next day.

Unless the Cossacks fail in all three of those contests there will be battles to come on Sunday 19 May.  Stay tuned here for the results!