HPS NB vs. Battleground

[JasonC]

They weren't in line. A few deployed to it later at the ridge, most hadn't.

They broke the front of Picton's division, pretty much. Most one can say is a few of the best Brit battalions were still standing and they had disordered the front rank of the French infantry, which crucially prevented them from getting to square. But if the Brit cavalry hadn't charged, and hadn't "rolled boxcars", the Brits would not have held. D'Erlons was just getting started, had some to stay all day, and was supported by his own cavalry to exploit.

There is a reason Wellington called Waterloo the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life, and it wasn't that all the Brits had to do was fight in line against those silly stupid French in their silly stupid columns. That's all utter rot.

The Brit cavalry didn't just hit one or two stacks in game terms, either. They rode halfway across the valley, broke a supporting Cuirassier division, 3/4 of a corps of infantry, and rode through the grand battery. They were then broken in return by French light cavalry. This happened very very quickly - about 3 minutes to get through the French infantry for example.

As for where they were, hardly "right behind the ridge" - that is where the entire fight took place. The Brit infantry was right behind the ridge crest - the cavalry were more like at the bottom of it. Then they were clear across the valley at the base of the ridge D'Erlon had started out from. Then they were scattered by the French countercharges and back behind their own ridge again.

And no that didn't take 3 hours either. Disordered cavalry moves 300 yards in 15 minutes in HPS. Try duplicating that series of positions for the Brit heavy cavalry, disordering on the charge, and see how long in takes you. Even without a single Frenchman in the way.

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jonnymac - I've played full Waterloo to completion in Wellington's Victory the board game and in BG Waterloo - several times. I think I understand what cavalry did and does in those systems. And no, I don't think it unrealistic in the slightest, that charging cavalry moves a long way in a short span of time. It did in real life, too.

The only thing needed is no road movement bonus in a turn you are going to melee - for infantry or cavalry. That is really about it. Cutting the range of charging cavalry to 600 yards on the other hand, is silly. That is 1.4 mph, half a walking pace of a man on foot. 1400 yards in 15 minutes, which is what you get with 15 MPs for cavalry and double moves for a charge allowed, is all of 3.2 mph. In other words, a walk. Naturally it represents 2-3 times that speed trotting or cantering in "your half" of the turn - but it is still a very low figure for charging cavalry. Halving it is not realism; more like neutering.

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Here is the way to attack with D'Erlon.

There are 4 divisions side to side along the frontage.
The second division has 3 line regiments, the rest 4. The other regiment of 2e is light and sends a skirmish wave ahead of the whole formation (while also fighting for the farm etc).
Put each of the other regiments in one hex, 2 battalions stacked in each, with their skirmish companies immediately ahead of them to screen them. Put the regiments in every other hex; skirmishers cover the intervals between them.
Each division has 2 of these regiments up, and 2 back behind them. In the case of the 2e division, just one trailing line regiment; the parent units of the lights can go back with them but aren't meant to engage as a line regiment.

The Brits call what is approaching them 4 big columns because that is what each division looks like deployed this way, with its skirmish screens out. Inside, there are little 2 by 2 "squares" of regimental columns inside each of those "big columns".

A heavy cavalry division supports as a third line behind the line of infantry regiments. The corps light cavalry as well, toward the right.

This formation fights by fire just fine. There is nothing "clumsy" about it, either, especially compared to a long string of battalions in line - way clumsier. And it is actually quite ready to form rows of squares at musket shot intervals from each other (as the 4e division on the right actually managed to do) - in principle.

In the event, the front row of regiments were disordered from the fight with the Brit infantry or exactly in the middle of deploying to line, at the moment the Brit cavalry hit them. Then front line regiments routed after melee defeat by the cavalry, and rout contagion from their running carried away most of the second rank, and left any bits that didn't run disordered and thus again unable to make it to square. The rightmost division made to to square and beat off all attacks.

It was still an outlier successful result among cavalry charges. Murat's at Eylau did as much and against a force of comparable scale, but used a lot more cavalry to do it, and took considerably longer as well.