Small Napoleonic Armies in 28mm: First HFG Game

My friend Bob & I had our first HFG (Horse, Foot, & Guns) game. Bob played Austrians & I played the French. It was sort of an encounter battle, with 68 pts/side. The French had 13 elements, while the Austrians had 17. Below is the order of battle:

French:
7 x Bayonets (Line Infantry)
1 x Inferior Muskets (Dismounted Dragoon Brigade)
1 x Elite Bayonets (Converged Grenadiers)
1 x Foot Artillery
2 x Light Cavalry (Hussars)
1 x Command Party

Austrian:
7 x Muskets (Line Infantry)
2 x Bayonets (Hungarians)
1 x Inferior Light Infantry (Grenz)
1 x Marksmen (Jaegers)
2 x Elite Bayonets (Converged Grenadiers)
1 x Foot Artillery
2 x Light Cavalry (Hussars & Uhlans)
1 x Command Party (Inert)

The above represents approximately a corps sized force per side, though the French had fewer elements though both sides had equal points. The break point for both sides is 33%, or 5 elements for the French, 6 for the Austrians.

Bob set up first on his half of the board. The French set up second, within 3 BW (base widths) of the rear edge.

 Above is the set up, French to the left, Austrians to the right. Bob deployed his entire force in line without a reserve, anchored on the built-up area on his right flank. Bob also had cavalry across the river by the bridge. I had grenadiers & dismounted dragoons in reserve.

Above is the far left flank of the Austrians, where Bob has detached an element of Marksmen and Grenzers (top of photo near woods).

The game began slowly, especially for the Austrians, as Bob had a run of bad luck with PIP rolls, getting several ones & twos, subtracting -1 due to his general being inert. Not many pips to work with.

Above, the French advanced with march moves. The Austrian cavalry crossed the bridge (see top of photo), while the Grenzers and Jaegers approached the French right (lower right).

Above, the Austrians had enough pips to charge their cavalry against the French cavalry.

 The cavalry battle above was an even trade, as both sides lost an element of cavalry. The French deploy their dragoons to cover the right flank.Both sides have recoiled elements from artillery fire.

The French repulsed the remaining Austrian cavalry with a supporting infantry element (top). French artillery fire has recoiled 2 Hungarian and a Grenadier element (right).

The French have moved into distant shooting range for Bayonets, however they squandered an opportunity to keep out of Austrian musket range for a turn.

Above, the shooting and close combats have not gone well for the French. They have lost another 2 elements, bringing their total to 3 lost, 2 away from break point. The Austrian Hussars have driven the French Hussars back. Bob, due to his general's inert status, never had enough PIPS to move his Grenz & Jaegers, who spent the rest of the game where  they are (lower right).

Above, a close-up of the action in the center.

Above, the end of the battle as the French broke after losing thier 5th element. The Austrians lost 2 elements.

Observations - HFG has many of the same game mechanics as DBA. However, there are some important differences from DBA:

• Movement Rates - much slower than DBA. Muskets move 1 BW, Bayonets 1.5 BW. However, all troops may make March Moves.
• Ranges - Much shorter than DBA: Muskets fire 0.5 BW, while Bayonets, Light Infantry, & Marksmen fire 1 BW (represents skirmishers out in front, not better weapons). Artillery shoots 4 BW, Heavy Artillery shoots 5 BW.
• Command Radius: A Command Party only has a range of 2 BW, but can move 5 BW. An Army Headquarters (representing the King/Emperor & entourage) can move only 2 BW, but has a command radius of 5 BW. The much shorter command radius means keeping troops in and moving in groups close to the general to minimize PIP expenditure.
• Infantry & Cavalry cannot move directly into contact with enemy foot if they begin their move more than 0.5 BW (1.5 BW for cavalry) away. This means that the enemy should be able to shoot at them for at least one turn.
• Infantry advancing into distant shooting range can hold their fire, possibly making them eligible to press forward (an outcome move) into close combat if they equal/beat their distant combat opponent's fire.
• Cavalry can pursue beaten opponents within a specified distance option, and end in contact, causing a new close combat. Multiple close combats by one element in a turn are possible.
• There are additional outcome results other than Recoil, including Repulsed (retreat), Halt, Silenced, Routed, and Spent.
• Instead of acting as a grand battery, artillery can provide rear support for up to 4 elements, causing a -1 to close combat opponents.
• Game scale is 400 paces/BW. An infantry element is 1500-2500 men. Artillery is 18-24 guns. Cavalry is 1250-1500 troopers.

Overall, it was a very satisfactory game. The quick reference sheets I made were very helpful. We are learning the nuances of play, so play took a little longer than normal (2-2.5 hours). Bob has Revolutionary Period French & Austrians, which go well with my troops. We may use his troops in our next game.