The Marquess Of Granby: Seven Years War

On the Empire's South Eastern Frontier

Austrians v Ottomans to Black Powder

Back into hosting games again after a hiatus caused by working on a by-election and a holiday.

Why this choice?
1. My main gaming partner, Ian Etchells, is setting up an 18thC/7YW campaign based on the system in "Warfare in the Age of Reason" which includes the Ottoman Empire.
2. I've just finished re-basing the Sipahis of my Renaiisance Persian Army and painting up Janisseries and Azabs to be able to turn my Persians into Ottomans. (As far as I'm concerened a Sipahi is a Sipahi is a Sipahi (These could be Mughals as well))
So it gives an opportunty to see how BP works for Ottomans as well as using recently painted/re-based troops. Both armies came to just short of 1500 pts

The 7YW Austrians are based on 40mm frontages 3x(4 figures) to a unit. My re-basing of my renaissance troops from the Principles of War norm of 30mm frontage 3x(3 figures) per unit has been to the Field of Glory norm of 40mm bases with 3 figures for missile armed troops. However as I play Black Powder as a stand based system the disparity in the number of figures per base doesn't matter.
(NB 1 As my Ottoman's are essentially Renaissance rather than 18thC all bows/crossbows became cunningly camouflaged muskets)
(NB 2 to make up the Austrians a Russian Hussar and Infantry Brigade was impressed into service)

The Austrian OB was as follows:-

Cmnd
Cin C 8
Grenadier 8 5x Grenadier 1xSmall Pandour 2x Art
German 8 5x Infantry 1x Tiny Pandour 2x Art
Hungarian 7 5x Infantry 2x Art
Russian 7 5x Infantry 2x Art
Cuirassier 8 3 x Curassier
Dragoon 7 3 x Dragoon
Hussar 8 3 x Hussar

With stats/special qualities:
H2H Sh Mo St

Grenadier Reg Musket 6 3 3+ 3   First fire Stubborn
Infantry Reg Musket 6 3 4+ 3   First fire
Pandour Reg Musket 2 2 4+ 2   Small
Pandour Reg Musket 1 1 4+ 1   Tiny
Cuirassier Reg 9 3+ 3 Swd HC+3 Reliable
Dragoon Reg   8 2 4+ 3   Swd HC+1
Hussar Reg   6 2 4+ 3   Swd Marauder Bloodthirsty
Artillery Reg   1 3-2-1 4+ 2

The Ottoman OB

Cmnd

Cin C 8

Janissery1 8 5x Janissery 2x Art

Infantry 7 5x Infantry 2x Art

Infantry 6 5x Infantry 2x Art

Sipahi 1 8 1 x Suvarileri 2 x Sipahi

Sipahi 2 8 3 x Sipahi

Lt Cav 1 7 3 x LtCav

Lt Cav 2 7 3 x LtCav

And Stats

Janissery Reg Musket 6 3 4+ 3 Bloodthirsty Tough Fighters

Infantry Reg Musket 6 2 4+ 3 First Fire Freshly Raised Unreliable

Suvarileri Reg Sword 9 3+ 3 HC+3 Reliable

Sipahi Reg Sword 8 4+ 3 HC+1 Lancers

Lt Cav Irr Sword 6 2 4+ 3 Marauders

Artillery Reg 1 3-2-1 4+ 2

We played two games in about four and a half hours. The second was veery close. As much as anything else tribute to how much we have internalised the BP rules. I think we needed to look beyond the play sheet once.

Game shots follow

Ottoman Sipahis.

(Figures from a number of manufacturers)

Austrian Dragoons and (impressed) Russian

Austrian Infantry and (impressed) Russians

Austrians and Janisseries close for action

(Dice indicating casualties carried, green disc marking disordered, clear disc marking shaken)

Sipahis moving up behind Janisseries

I've painted them, so I'm using them!

An overcrowded Black Powder tabletop

As I've recently painted up both a small Russian and a small Austrian force for the Seven Years War and as I was hosting my first game for some time, I indulged a childish impetus to use them in the game and, of course, as the Russians and Austrian were allies it was an opportunity to ensure virtually all my Prussians came into the game.

This meant 60 infantry unis of 12 figures, 24 cavalry units of 9 figures and 24 artillery unts made my 6' x 4' table top a little bit crowded.

The game went well though although I committed my usual mistake of letting my some divisions race ahead while others were paralysed by poor dice throws which left me dangerously exposed to enfilading fire.