Shako 2 Meeting Engagement - solo

 Today, Sunday July11, 2021, was to have a remote play game of Shako with a player met via twitch games.

 

Austrians v French

 

Unfortunately after the start of turn one there was a power failure in the area where the online player lived and I was faced with either waiting an indeterminate time period, or taking down the game, or ... running on with what was already on the table and using my solo play system AI to pick up the game from where it was left off.

I decided to jump in!

Setup for battle

after some challenges in communications
we were able to set up the map
four 1's made for a lot of open space

troops deployed

view down the French lines

French HQ

Irish legion in French service

Austrian HQ

a Hungarian force, with Grenadier battalion
(left foreground)

view down the French lines

We were able to do the artillery and start movement, then power failed for my remote player...

after a time I took over the game and ran it solo mode:

end of first turn as the French surge forward

shaken, though now under the guns one battalion
of the Italian Division moves forward in line

other French columns are badly mauled by
Austrian artillery

still the French columns advanced

some of the columns broke out into lines
to give a harder target to the
Austrian gunners

at the end of the first move the Austrian division
commanders were still unaware of the mass
of French foot bearing down on them ...

two French columns were destroyed
this one was nearly ... left in a desperate morale situation
behind the horse guns

meanwhile French artillery rattled forwards

Hungarians and Jagers held the flank of a tall hill on
the Austrian left flank

the Italians were facing them, managing to rally

while on the Austrian right, the Austrian horse
were now mobile ...

The solo AI system had left both sides unable to make any plan changes ...

overall view start of turn 3

the hill would see a major assault start up the slopes

merged grenadiers would move to hit
the Italians on the flank, while taking
artillery fire themselves

morale rolls were not going well for the French

many battalions did not manage to rally

and another column had been put into desperate
morale status

overview start of turn 4

General Merle's 1st Division, was looking over
their shoulders and having trouble with moving forwards
because of 40% losses in the division

still they struggled forwards

now the French horse were in motion
the Austrians had move close enough for
them to 'react'

the confused situation in the center

Austrian HQ, kept managing to stay in the lead
of the movement rolls, breaking ties

the French right wing was a charnel house at the base
of the steep hill ...

Austrian guns would eliminate another French battalion
this turn

while the Jaegers and Hungarians were
just able to maintain the top of the hill

the opening to turn five left the French
desperate ...ready to risk all to win!

the risk did not pay off - at the start of turn six
now the French were behind 6-1
needing to break 6 battalions/squadrons
before loosing even one more of their own!

it was a killing field on the slopes of the hill
merged grenadiers hit line in the flank in melee

the center of the field was left open as the 1st Division broke

Austrian HQ was going to win, and they knew it

the cost of victory included a full battery of horse artillery
being over-run by French Dragoons

a desperate series of shots were made from the rear covering
French guns ... not enough kills - too many were needed in
the short time remaining

it was the hilltop and guns that managed to hold off
the 1st Division, then the Grenadiers finished off the survivors

no battalions on the hill were un-harmed
they did what was called of them to stand
as the Grenadiers charged the French flank

Great little game, I am looking forward to next weekend when my online opponent will take another shot at the battle situation.  He certainly had a great deployment and I was concerned they might make it into the lines ...

Next Sunday, 18 July 2021, at 11 am.  Watch the action on https://www.twitch.tv/murdocksmarauders