Thursday, August 23, 2018

Zorndorf: The Scenario

Zorndorf.  The raison principale for Jake to tackle the mustering of a Russian Army for the Seven Years War in 2018.  It is done!  Now, it is on to the battle for a refight on the 260th anniversary of the actual engagement. 

With troops deployed for battle, attention turns toward the scenario and rules of engagement.  The battlefield and troops are positioned.  What will be the objectives and constraints governing the battle?

First, the battlefield and deployments,
Battlefield overview
Zorndorf with initial deployments
then the Order of Battle.
Scenario Details:
Rules: Honours of War
Start: 0900 End: 1900
Prussia Considered the attacker
Army Break Point: Prussia:24 Russia:24
Terrain:
   Grunds not passable where vegetation exists. Rough otherwise.
   All woods are dense.
   Zorndorf is burning.
   Units take one hit if forced to pass through Zorndorf.
   Units defending from attacks across a grund are uphill and no charge  bonus. 
Special Situations:
  • Moritz is second in command and General of Infantry.  He may act as CiC for any infantry formation in the same manner in which Frederick acts.
  • Prussian Musketeers and Fusiliers move as Austrian for flank/rear/form change.  These are not the same troops as began the war.
  • Prussian Brummers may pivot but may not prolong nor limber.
  • After third Russian unit broken and every unit broken thereafter, Fermor rolls Command Test.  (-1) for each broken unit.  If he fails (Poor or worse), he must leave the field and Saltykov takes over.  Saltykov command taken over by DEPENDABLE replacement.  Each turn Fermor rolls to see if he returns to battle.
  • Russian Observation Corps are rated as Standard due to their steadiness in this battle but fire as Inferior.
  • Russian Cossacks to south of Quartschen did not participate in the battle but if the Prussians attempt something untoward in that quarter, they may join the battle.
Army Break Points:
  • -1 point for each unit Done For.  Points are doubled if Russian unit is Done For and retreats/routs into woods behind Russian Second Line or if Prussian unit is Done For and retreats/routs beyond Zorndorf.
  • -1 point for Russian loss of Zicher
  • -2 points for Russian loss of baggage train 
  • -3 points for Russian loss of Quartschen
  • -1 point for Prussian loss of Wilkersdorf
  • -3 points for Prussian loss of Zorndorf 
This scenario summary should provide just enough information from which commanders may formulate a plan of battle.

39 comments:

  1. It looks great, Jon! I can hardly wait.

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  2. Looks great Jonathan! You've got a strong stomach to be attempting this bloodbath!

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    1. Thank you, Peter! As long as it is a competitive match, I will be happy.

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  3. Looks like a great scenario Jonathan!

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  4. This is going to be very interesting. Best of luck to all, even to the Prussians!

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    1. Thank you, Greg! Always a seat at the table open for you if you can make the journey to the other side of the state.

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    2. Thank you very much for the continued offer, Jon - one of these days! I'll give you plenty of warning...

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  5. Fantastic setup, and love the OOB. Great detail.
    When we tried this with FoB, we managed to get the Prussians into a right flank position, though I can see again how difficult it is to do.
    Looking forward to the battle report.

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    1. Glad you like it! I need to go back a re-read your Zorndorf game BatRep.

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  6. The stage is set and all the hard work done. Looking forward to this.

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    1. Yep. Everything is in place except for labeling the troops.

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  7. Beautiful. Looking forward to fighting on Saturday morning.

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    1. Thank you! It should be a fun day. These are large command to divide between four players.

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  8. Looks like a great set up Jonathan!

    Christopher

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  9. A most appetizing teaser for the battle to come!

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    1. Serving up a teaser as well as a battle briefing for the participants. Glad you find it appetizing, Peter.

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  10. Great looking scenario, enjoy the main event!
    Best Iain

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  11. Great work and I look forward to seeing the AAR:)

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    1. Thank you! The stage is set for battle and the guns silent for now.

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  12. Nicely detailed Oob, sounds great, interesting and lovely set up!

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  13. This is going to be really good. How soon until you update?

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    1. We fight the battle on Saturday. After that, it is a matter of finding time to construct a BatRep.

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  14. Sounds like it's gonna be a grand old bash!

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  15. Looking very tantalizing Jonathan - will be great to see the end result when battle commences!

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    1. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out myself.

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  16. Impressive research and set up as always, Jonathan!

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  17. Things look good: though honestly I don’t know enough about the rules or the actual battle to speak knowledgeably. I just have blind faith in you. 😀

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  18. Most impressive with absolutely wonderful graphics. Thank you for all this detail and I shall watch enthusiastically to see how Honours of War serves you for a big battle like this. Chris

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    1. Thank you, Chris! This is a large battle for Honours of War or many rulesets. What is important is having an enjoyable day with friends.

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