The Seven Years' WAAR - RoP PBME game Crécy vs. Raptor1

Crécy · 04-18-13, 01:42 PM

Now that the year 1756 has ended I think it's time for a brief overview of the situation.

Bohemian front

My armies on the field:
Austrian army: 63,662 men, 31,301 horses and 422 cannons
Saxon army: 23,628 men, 9745 horses and 108 cannons

Combined that would make 87,290 men, 41,046 horses and 530 cannons. I don't know the exact amount of Prussian forces but I presume it's around 70,000 men. Without the Saxon army I would have been outnumbered but now I have the numbers. Managing to save them was a huge stroke of luck which will, if played right, definitely help me stop the advance of the Prussians.

The plan for the spring is an obvious one: to combine my forces and beat the Prussians on the field. I have two choices: either attack Frederick at once when the snow melts or wait for them to make their move and try to engage them in a defensive battle. That means I'd have to anticipate where the hammer falls. Attacking would be most satisfying but I'm a bit on the fence there. I know I have the numbers but will that be enough? Hardest part is to anticipate where he will advance. Well, Vienna will be his ultimate objective of course. However, Raptor1 knows I have more troops than he has which will definitely affect his plans.

Other possibility is to wait for two months when I get Hungarian and Croatian forces at my disposal totaling around 45,000 men of which 20,000 are cavalry while Austrian and Saxon forces just stall the Prussian advance if not stop them. After that I could perhaps even try to attempt surrounding Frederick's army. But I'd imagine that is a bit too far-fetched idea. Besides, I have played with Raptor1 enough to know that I, in any circumstances, wouldn't succeed in such attempt. And Raptor1 knows that I will eventually get tons of reinforcements, he just doesn't know the time-frame or the amounts.

France

In two to three months the French Armée Française of over 72,500 men under Louis d'Estrees will join the war. They will advance into Hanover and threaten Prussia from the west.

Sweden

Somewhat inept Gustav Hamilton's Swedish Pomeranian Force will be active in five months and they shall attack south through Pomerania. I'm not expecting much from these fellas but at least they will tie up some of the Prussian forces with their 8000 men.

Russians

I'm not yet sure when the Russian forces will be available (they will declare war in January however) but I do know that they will be a force to be reckoned with. Given that I this time manage not to starve them before they enter the fray. Eventually they will advance through East Prussia.

In time Prussia has to deal with four powers from four directions. Sweden in the north, Russia in the east, Austria in the south and France in the west. That should be enough to put Frederick on his knees...

The master plan for the year 1757

Crécy · 04-19-13, 02:27 AM

Turn 9 - 1757, Early Januray

Not much happened. Daun will move with his army to Tabor and spend the rest of the winter there. Lucchese's first line will gather supplies from Eger and Saxon army from Karlsbad before moving east to join Daun.

* * *

Turn 10, Late January

Holy Roman Empire and Russia declares war on Prussia. Marshal Browne got too ill (read: got too drunk) to lead Austrian troops and will be replaced by Prince Charles of Lorraine.

Crécy · 04-22-13, 03:22 AM

Turn 11 - Early February

Marshal Browne dies of lung disease. Leopold von Daun was promoted (huzzaaa!) so I formed a new army under him: Schlesiesche Armee which consists of Daun's column, Piccolomini's column and the Second Line.

* * *

Turn 12 - Late February

Prince Charles of Lorraine is ordered to march west to Karlsbad and meet up with the Saxon forces and Lucchese's First Line which he will command from now on.

* * *

Turn 13-15 - Early March to Early April

Mainly Hungarian infantry becomes available in Pressburg, totaling around 30,000 men. They will start their march to the front at once. Unfortunately that will at least 2 months. Also, I don't have enough commanders. Certain commanders can command only a certain amount of troops and if they command more troops than they can handle, it will slow them down and they are not able to fight as effectively. Which means I have to do quite a bit of organizing to maximize the effectiveness of my forces.

Sweden declares war on Prussia.

As I'm starting to get reinforcements I decided not to combine my armies. I'm going to get enough troops for Daun to oppose Frederick's army so Prince Charles will stay in Karlsbad to give Prussians something to deal with.

An event concerning HRE contingent. I had to choose where I'd send them. Certain options gave Engagement point (for example used to generate replacements) and Victory point penalty. I chose the historical choice which gave the most penalties but I will get 5 brigades to reinforce Bohemia.

Armée Française is now activated and they will take Wesel prior to marching to Hanover.

British Army of Observation is assembling and they will be the ones to oppose mighty Armée Française. Good news is that Army of Observation is commanded by Cumberland who is almost more than incompetent but the bad news is that he's replaceable. Nevertheless, I'm certain the 72,000 men strong Armée Française will squash them like a fly.

Crécy · 04-22-13, 04:27 AM

Turn 16 - Late April

Right, the HRE Contingent decided to form up in Prague. Lucky for me, Frederick decided to move before the contingent arrived so at least weren't immediately butchered. Unfortunate thing is that they are fixed in that region for two months, unless attacked. They arrived with 17,000 men and I definitely don't want to lose them so I decided to launch a rescue operation for them. Frederick seems to deal with the Saxon forces first, so that left left Daun an open route to Prague.

Now I think Raptor1 has two choices: to deal with the Saxon forces in the west and then clear Prague or clear Prague first. River Moldau will prevent him from flanking Daun and even if he tried (which he won't) through Pilsen it would take too much time plus risk a chance of encirclement. Combined, HRE contingent and Daun would have around 82,000 men which I believe is enough to withstand any Frederick's attack. I'm not sure how many men Frederick has but I think he has gotten at least some reinforcements and has over 70,000 men. If Raptor1 decides to attack Karlsbad regardless of the situation in Prague, he will naturally win but he will also lose men and definitely give the numerical advantage to Daun. That would also buy me some time to reinforce Daun even more. However, if he decides to double back to Prague I just have to hope that Daun gets there first.

The next few turns will be extremely interesting. If it folds out well for me, the situation might even force Raptor1 to withdraw north.

In other news, Prussia reacted to Sweden's declaration of war by raising troops in Pomerania and Pirna Camp finally fell.

Crécy · 04-24-13, 05:49 AM

Well, I messed up the AAR quite royally. Battle reports are in wrong updates. I've to fix that, at some point, before continuing...

Edit: so what happened is that as, for example, I get reports from early January when I open up late January turn. Idiot that I am, I treated them as if they had happened in late January (as I look the date from screenshots to sort the screens) and thus marked them in late January update. Basically everything you see actually happened in the previous turn. I'm going to fix that eventually but for now I'll correct the mistakes in the following updates.

Crécy · 04-26-13, 05:21 AM

From now on battle reports and other screenshots should be in order. Thanks to Raptor1 who helped me clear this problem as I was too inept to comprehend anything at all. This sudden change causes a few hiccups in terms of earlier updates but I will fix them up eventually. Which of course will mess things up even more. For now, the earlier Late April turn technically shows the situation at the start of late April. This following updates shows the situation after late April turn has been played.

I will also make monthly updates from now on. It should be much more clearer, at least for me.

I'm sorry for making this as confusing as possible.

Turn 16 - 1757, Late April

Raptor1 decided to concentrate his forces against Prince Charles and attacked Karlsbad. Two battles were fought. First Schwerin and then Frederick with all of the rest. Schewerin was heavily outnumbered and so the victory over him came easily. Frederick on the other hand outnumbered Charles in every aspect and defeat was inevitable.

Charles retreated southwest to Eger. He was also wounded in the battle but is now recovering in Eger.

If I understood the situation correctly, at least two columns of Frederick's did not participate in the battle, forces in Falkenau and Brux. That would mean Frederick might even have over 80,000 men in his command.

Daun will reach Prague next turn and commence the siege.

Crécy · 04-26-13, 05:38 AM

May 1757

Early May

Frederick attacked against Karlsbad but failed to take it.

Late May

Reinforcements finally start to pour from the south. Majority of them will gather in Tabor but a few thousand of them will reinforce Daun's army in Prague. Frederick left a minor force to besiege Karlsbad while the main body moved to Eger.

Major general Chevert's column is besieging Dortmund while the main force finally arrived to Wesel. No sign of the British Observation Army yet.

Wilhelm von Preussen took Karlsbad as the garrison managed not to defend it properly.

04-18-13, 01:42 PM	#1
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	Now that the year 1756 has ended I think it's time for a brief overview of the situation. Bohemian front My armies on the field: Austrian army: 63,662 men, 31,301 horses and 422 cannons Saxon army: 23,628 men, 9745 horses and 108 cannons Combined that would make 87,290 men, 41,046 horses and 530 cannons. I don't know the exact amount of Prussian forces but I presume it's around 70,000 men. Without the Saxon army I would have been outnumbered but now I have the numbers. Managing to save them was a huge stroke of luck which will, if played right, definitely help me stop the advance of the Prussians. The plan for the spring is an obvious one: to combine my forces and beat the Prussians on the field. I have two choices: either attack Frederick at once when the snow melts or wait for them to make their move and try to engage them in a defensive battle. That means I'd have to anticipate where the hammer falls. Attacking would be most satisfying but I'm a bit on the fence there. I know I have the numbers but will that be enough? Hardest part is to anticipate where he will advance. Well, Vienna will be his ultimate objective of course. However, Raptor1 knows I have more troops than he has which will definitely affect his plans. Other possibility is to wait for two months when I get Hungarian and Croatian forces at my disposal totaling around 45,000 men of which 20,000 are cavalry while Austrian and Saxon forces just stall the Prussian advance if not stop them. After that I could perhaps even try to attempt surrounding Frederick's army. But I'd imagine that is a bit too far-fetched idea. Besides, I have played with Raptor1 enough to know that I, in any circumstances, wouldn't succeed in such attempt. And Raptor1 knows that I will eventually get tons of reinforcements, he just doesn't know the time-frame or the amounts. France In two to three months the French Armée Française of over 72,500 men under Louis d'Estrees will join the war. They will advance into Hanover and threaten Prussia from the west. Sweden Somewhat inept Gustav Hamilton's Swedish Pomeranian Force will be active in five months and they shall attack south through Pomerania. I'm not expecting much from these fellas but at least they will tie up some of the Prussian forces with their 8000 men. Russians I'm not yet sure when the Russian forces will be available (they will declare war in January however) but I do know that they will be a force to be reckoned with. Given that I this time manage not to starve them before they enter the fray. Eventually they will advance through East Prussia. In time Prussia has to deal with four powers from four directions. Sweden in the north, Russia in the east, Austria in the south and France in the west. That should be enough to put Frederick on his knees... The master plan for the year 1757 __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau

04-19-13, 02:27 AM	#2
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	Turn 9 - 1757, Early Januray Not much happened. Daun will move with his army to Tabor and spend the rest of the winter there. Lucchese's first line will gather supplies from Eger and Saxon army from Karlsbad before moving east to join Daun. * * * Turn 10, Late January Holy Roman Empire and Russia declares war on Prussia. Marshal Browne got too ill (read: got too drunk) to lead Austrian troops and will be replaced by Prince Charles of Lorraine. __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau Last edited by Crécy; 04-24-13 at 10:39 AM.

04-22-13, 03:22 AM	#3
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	Turn 11 - Early February Marshal Browne dies of lung disease. Leopold von Daun was promoted (huzzaaa!) so I formed a new army under him: Schlesiesche Armee which consists of Daun's column, Piccolomini's column and the Second Line. * * * Turn 12 - Late February Prince Charles of Lorraine is ordered to march west to Karlsbad and meet up with the Saxon forces and Lucchese's First Line which he will command from now on. * * * Turn 13-15 - Early March to Early April Mainly Hungarian infantry becomes available in Pressburg, totaling around 30,000 men. They will start their march to the front at once. Unfortunately that will at least 2 months. Also, I don't have enough commanders. Certain commanders can command only a certain amount of troops and if they command more troops than they can handle, it will slow them down and they are not able to fight as effectively. Which means I have to do quite a bit of organizing to maximize the effectiveness of my forces. Sweden declares war on Prussia. As I'm starting to get reinforcements I decided not to combine my armies. I'm going to get enough troops for Daun to oppose Frederick's army so Prince Charles will stay in Karlsbad to give Prussians something to deal with. An event concerning HRE contingent. I had to choose where I'd send them. Certain options gave Engagement point (for example used to generate replacements) and Victory point penalty. I chose the historical choice which gave the most penalties but I will get 5 brigades to reinforce Bohemia. Armée Française is now activated and they will take Wesel prior to marching to Hanover. British Army of Observation is assembling and they will be the ones to oppose mighty Armée Française. Good news is that Army of Observation is commanded by Cumberland who is almost more than incompetent but the bad news is that he's replaceable. Nevertheless, I'm certain the 72,000 men strong Armée Française will squash them like a fly. __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau Last edited by Crécy; 04-24-13 at 10:39 AM.

04-22-13, 04:27 AM	#4
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	Turn 16 - Late April Right, the HRE Contingent decided to form up in Prague. Lucky for me, Frederick decided to move before the contingent arrived so at least weren't immediately butchered. Unfortunate thing is that they are fixed in that region for two months, unless attacked. They arrived with 17,000 men and I definitely don't want to lose them so I decided to launch a rescue operation for them. Frederick seems to deal with the Saxon forces first, so that left left Daun an open route to Prague. Now I think Raptor1 has two choices: to deal with the Saxon forces in the west and then clear Prague or clear Prague first. River Moldau will prevent him from flanking Daun and even if he tried (which he won't) through Pilsen it would take too much time plus risk a chance of encirclement. Combined, HRE contingent and Daun would have around 82,000 men which I believe is enough to withstand any Frederick's attack. I'm not sure how many men Frederick has but I think he has gotten at least some reinforcements and has over 70,000 men. If Raptor1 decides to attack Karlsbad regardless of the situation in Prague, he will naturally win but he will also lose men and definitely give the numerical advantage to Daun. That would also buy me some time to reinforce Daun even more. However, if he decides to double back to Prague I just have to hope that Daun gets there first. The next few turns will be extremely interesting. If it folds out well for me, the situation might even force Raptor1 to withdraw north. In other news, Prussia reacted to Sweden's declaration of war by raising troops in Pomerania and Pirna Camp finally fell. __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau Last edited by Crécy; 04-24-13 at 10:40 AM.

04-24-13, 05:49 AM	#5
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	Well, I messed up the AAR quite royally. Battle reports are in wrong updates. I've to fix that, at some point, before continuing... Edit: so what happened is that as, for example, I get reports from early January when I open up late January turn. Idiot that I am, I treated them as if they had happened in late January (as I look the date from screenshots to sort the screens) and thus marked them in late January update. Basically everything you see actually happened in the previous turn. I'm going to fix that eventually but for now I'll correct the mistakes in the following updates. __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau Last edited by Crécy; 04-24-13 at 11:17 AM.

04-26-13, 05:21 AM	#6
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	From now on battle reports and other screenshots should be in order. Thanks to Raptor1 who helped me clear this problem as I was too inept to comprehend anything at all. This sudden change causes a few hiccups in terms of earlier updates but I will fix them up eventually. Which of course will mess things up even more. For now, the earlier Late April turn technically shows the situation at the start of late April. This following updates shows the situation after late April turn has been played. I will also make monthly updates from now on. It should be much more clearer, at least for me. I'm sorry for making this as confusing as possible. Turn 16 - 1757, Late April Raptor1 decided to concentrate his forces against Prince Charles and attacked Karlsbad. Two battles were fought. First Schwerin and then Frederick with all of the rest. Schewerin was heavily outnumbered and so the victory over him came easily. Frederick on the other hand outnumbered Charles in every aspect and defeat was inevitable. Charles retreated southwest to Eger. He was also wounded in the battle but is now recovering in Eger. If I understood the situation correctly, at least two columns of Frederick's did not participate in the battle, forces in Falkenau and Brux. That would mean Frederick might even have over 80,000 men in his command. Daun will reach Prague next turn and commence the siege. __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau

04-26-13, 05:38 AM	#7
Crécy Grey Wolf Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Dark forest Posts: 793 Downloads: 316 Uploads: 0	May 1757 Early May Frederick attacked against Karlsbad but failed to take it. Late May Reinforcements finally start to pour from the south. Majority of them will gather in Tabor but a few thousand of them will reinforce Daun's army in Prague. Frederick left a minor force to besiege Karlsbad while the main body moved to Eger. Major general Chevert's column is besieging Dortmund while the main force finally arrived to Wesel. No sign of the British Observation Army yet. Wilhelm von Preussen took Karlsbad as the garrison managed not to defend it properly. __________________ “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” -Henry David Thoreau