Quistello, Act I

Monday saw the first outing of the Quistello scenario mentioned in an earlier post.  With six players, fighting the battle remotely, four, action-packed turns were completed in a little under three-and-a-half hours.  With the hour getting late in the UK, we called a halt to the fighting.  The question on the table is whether to call a truce or pick up the game another day.

When the battle began, army dispositions were as illustrated in the game photos below:

The Allies (Franco-Piedmontese) control the west bank of the Secchia River while the Austrians control the east bank.

The victory conditions on this day are:

• Sudden Death: Army Breakpoint Reached.
• Major Allies: Hold Quistello and the western line of the Secchia River.
• Minor Allies: Hold the line north of the canal.
• Major Austrians: Hold Quistello and either Mirasole or San Benedetto or exit five units off western table edge north of canal.
• Minor Austrian: Hold Quistello and Gaidellina with no Allied units south of the canal.
• Otherwise: Draw

When the battlefield smoke cleared once the fighting stopped, army dispositions and front line are shown as,

with Quistello in Austrian hands and the Allied Center breached.  After hard fighting and a traffic jam crossing the Secchia, the Allied Army has been split and the Austrians are threatening to cross the canal.  Still, both armies have plenty of cavalry available to fight and possibly affect the outcome.  The Allies have one brigade broken while the Austrians have two brigades broken.  To achieve Sudden Death victory, both armies must break two more enemy brigades. 

After four turns of play, the Butcher's Bill shows the casualties as,

Allied Losses

Austrian Losses

With not all players available for continuation and the battle leaning in the direction of a possible draw, the decision to fight on or withdraw from battle remains.  Good game, so far, but is the writing on the wall?

What will be the choice?