Call to Arms: Generals for Rivoli

Napoleon at the Battle of Rivoli, by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux

Back in a November post, I mentioned the desire to refight the Battle of Rivoli near the anniversary date of the battle (14-15 JAN1797) in a solo exercise.  With many of us still in various levels of lockdown and self-quarantining, I figured that an opportunity to stretch many a homebound, armchair general's command abilities may be just the remedy in overcoming any post-holiday or pandemic malaise.  I will fight the battle on the gaming table in 15mm while carrying out instructions from the Remote Player Commanders (RPC).

Those RPCs volunteering to take up command will issue orders to their subordinates as subordinates attempt to carry out orders and issue dispatches up the chain of command to their superiors.  Superiors will only be able to react to situations within sight or through information provided in dispatches.  Lag times between dispatch transmission will vary dependent upon distance between commanders and whether couriers can find the last known HQ location.  Reports that are not delivered in-person between commanders travel at the speed of light horse.  RPCs may not be able to react timely to all battlefield situations.  Coordination between commands may not always be possible.  All of these communications will be accomplished via email.  I will be the central email regulator.  Generals will receive dispatches and situation reports to aid in assessing their actions and reactions for the next turn.  

If this sounds interesting, please read on.

The Situation

The Battle of Rivoli occurred as a result of the Austrian Army attempting to break out of the Adige Valley and marching out into the open countryside where Austrian superiority in numbers could overpower the inferior French army.  The goal of the Austrian operation is to relieve the siege at Mantua.  This would be the fourth attempt to lift the siege.  The Austrians are marching in six columns under the command of Alvinzti.  Austrian forces total about 28,000 men.  Having intelligence of this Austrian operation, Napoleon orders Joubert and his 10,000 man division to strike the Austrians before they can debouche from the Rivoli Plateau.  Contesting the advance of the Austrians in the early hours of the morning, our battle opens up with Joubert's French, having been pushed back by the advancing Austrians, situated upon the Trombalore Heights awaiting an attack by four of the six Austrian columns.

The remaining two Austrian columns are moving down the Adige Valley from which they plan to attack up and onto the Rivoli Plateau through the Osteria Gorge.  Most of the Austrian artillery and cavalry could not pass over the mountainous terrain to reach the plateau so all of these assets are in the Adige Valley.  Communication between these two Austrian forces is nearly impossible until the Osteria Gorge can be forced.

While Joubert is initially outnumbered, his division consists of hard fighters with a number of veteran light infantry.  As the morning wears on, Napoleon will be sending reinforcements north in order to help Joubert hang on to the heights.  From a tactical perspective, the French hold interior lines with fewer but better troops while the Austrians are more numerous but without all arms on the Rivoli Plateau.  Communications for the Austrians on the plateau and down in the valley are nearly impossible until the Osteria Gorge can be taken.  

Can Joubert and the French be crushed on the Rivoli Plateau before Napoleon and Massena intervene?  Will Joubert maintain his central position and thwart all Austrian attacks and threats until reinforced? As the boxes of Avalon Hill Wargames often suggested, YOU take command to change history.

The Battlefield

The battle will be fought out over a roughly 6'x6' battlefield with general troop dispositions as shown.

Initial dispositions

The Forces

The two armies are detailed in the OB below with each line item representing one Basic Maneuver Unit (BMU).  Generals are rated from ' 1' to '4' with '4' being best.  Infantry are rated by maneuver doctrine (French style or Prussian style) and skirmish capability (from '0' to '2' with '2' being best).  Artillery and cavalry are rated as Light (LT), Medium (MED), or Heavy (HV).  Non-leader BMUs are graded from 'Poor' to 'Elite'. 

Rivoli OB

Depending upon the number of RPCs who volunteer, commands will be assigned from the top down.  For example, with only two RPCs, Napoleon and Alvinzti will be the only active commanders.  With four RPCs, the commands could be logically split into Joubert and Napoleon (and everyone else) for the French and Alvinzti (and columns I-IV) and the two columns (V and VI) in the Adige Valley for the Austrians.  All orders to any non-player commands will be carried out by me and then sent through the command chain.  As more players take commands, more commands will become active to participation by RPCs.

Time commitment expected is not large on the part of RPCs.  As each turn is played out on the table, reports will be sent to participants.  Participants will need to evaluate these reports and dispatches, and write any orders when warranted.  More details on order writing and expectations will be provided at the start of battle  Order writing will be standardized with specific elements required but additional details are welcome.  No knowledge of the rules in play is needed but familiarity with wargaming and Napoleonics will be beneficial. 

If interested in taking an active command, please declare as a comment and by email to let me know.  In an email to me, please provide your preferred contact email address, preference for either France or Austria, and whether you have a command preference within that choice of nationalities.  My email address is listed in My Profile link on this page.  If your interests lay in commanding the armies and setting overall direction, pick either Napoleon or Avintzi.  If your interests lay in middle management, select one of the French division commanders.  If guiding tactics at the lowest formation level and carrying out orders from above is preferred, choose either a French brigadier or one of the Austrian Column commanders.  Perhaps list Top Three choices to help resolve any ties.  For more information, please send me an email on that too.

Those expressing an interest in participating from the November announcement were:

Norm S.

Andrè H.

Matt C.

Peter A.

Pascal B.

If any of the five above are still interested in participating, please give me another shout out to confirm.

Thank you!