Scourge of Princes: Blasts, Blowouts, and Cannons on the Frontline

Over the past few weeks, Max and I managed to play two more exciting games featuring our Thirty Years' War / Deluge armies. Once again, we used Sam Mustafa's Scourge of Princes rules. The setting for this game was towards the end of the Thirty Years' War.

Somewhere in the southern nowhere of the Empire, a small Swedish force stumbles upon an evenly matched Imperial contingent. The encounter catches both sides completely off guard; the vanguards seem to have ridden past each other, as it is the only explanation for the opponents standing directly at striking distance, hastily trying to form up their battle lines.

In this scenario, all ranked units and vehicles can also be deployed in the inner zones within 8" of each other. Normally, the forward zones are restricted to Loose Order units.

An overview of the battlefield - a typical rural countryside that seemingly had been spared from the horrors of war until today...

The opponents march up and toward each other, with the small village and its windmill forming the center and main focus of the battle. The Swedes hastily limber down four artillery batteries, setting them up side by side in position with infantry cover only on their right flank... whether that was such a good idea remains to be seen.

The Swedes anchor their right flank against the woods. This is a sound plan, if only because the Imperials hold a significant numerical advantage in cavalry.

An Imperial infantry regiment deployed opposite the batteries attempts to seize the moment and charge the exposed guns. However, they fail against the gunners, who defend their cannon with iron resolve... and with Fortuna on their side!

All along the front line, the rattle of musketry echoes and the battlefield sinks into black powder smoke.

After repelling the assault, the barrels are loaded with canister shot and the Imperial infantry regiment ceases to exist, even as one of the Swedish cannon explodes in the process.

Meanwhile, Imperial dragoons and musketeers on the right flank concentrate their fire on the Swedish dragoons, inflicting their first casualties.

The Imperials try to plug the gap created in the center with cavalry. At the same time, another Swedish battery suffers an ammunition explosion, and the relentless Imperial fire focused on the Guard infantry takes its toll - the regiment is on the brink of collapse.

Even though yet another Swedish battery explodes (something seems to have been seriously wrong with that black powder), the Guard continues to hold firm against enemy fire for now. The opposing batteries are destroyed, and the Imperial infantry also takes a severe beating.

On the right flank, the Swedish dragoons valiantly hold two enemy units at bay, allowing the infantry and the Commanded Shot of the Rytarre to concentrate their fire on the Imperial cuirassiers.

Too much is too much - the Guard dies, but it does not surrender! Merde! 😎

Instead, the resistance of the Imperial Guard Cuirassiers collapses in the hard-fought center!

Swedish dragoons and infantry prepare the charge of the Rytarre on the right flank...

...and thus the enemy cuirassier regiments collapse under the combined fire of the Swedes here as well!

Conclusion

An exciting and tight game where the pendulum of luck swung back and forth, and which could easily have ended quite differently. My greed in setting up four heavy field gun batteries right on the front line, within 8" of the enemy and thus in range of canister shot (2D6 instead of 1D6 shooting dice), hoping for a more than decent chance to eliminate the Imperial infantry regiment in Phase 1 (after all, four batteries yield 8 shooting dice), almost cost me the game! Unlike in other rule systems, artillery cannot react to an enemy charge with defensive fire; they simply fight using their 2 combat dice... and standing at 8" meant they were well within charging range of the Imperials.

Max promptly won the initiative and - attack being the best defense when staring down the muzzles of heavy guns - ordered a charge on the batteries. Against all odds, my first battery scored two hits, while the Imperial infantry seemed to stumble over their own pikes, matching only two hits and having to abort the charge. Standing completely exposed before the muzzles of my batteries and the muskets of the neighboring Swedish infantry, they breathed their last. Max was unable to close the resulting gap in his line, especially since the Commanded Shot of my Rytarre severely punished his helpless cuirassiers.