by Paul LaFontaine, 28 December 2025
Two players participated in the sixth print-&-play game. The scenario was a historical battle fought during the Napoleonic period as the French try to knock Prussia out of the contest after the disaster in Russia. Player Gareth commanded the French (Blue) forces, player Sean Lambert commanded the Prussian, Swedish and Russian (Red) Forces at Dennewitz 1813.
All players and umpire had physical sets at their locations and the umpire reports were images using visual pointers allowing the players to keep the situation on their own maps. Both players had their materials ready and the opening was a few minutes only.
This is the first of a series of Kriegsspiel AARs very similar to the events in our Wargame HQ at the Origins Game Fair. You can find the original article here.
Sean Lambert reproduced the historical results with a victory, keeping the French from breaking through. This problem was about timing, as poor French deployment and long march routes for the Allies made it that units on both sides entered the field piecemeal. Both commanders had to use timing and concentration to force the issue before the other was able to bring forces together.
The game was conducted on the base Print and Play map versus a historical map, with the same command problems and order of battle handed to each team. Players reported they enjoyed the game and it inspired the interest in more Napoleonic scenarios.
The Problem
In this problem the French force outnumbers the Allied force at the start of the situation, but Allied reinforcements are arriving in two tranches. This puts time pressure on the French commander. The Allies, led by a mostly Prussian force, have to hold the French until they can bring up their reinforcements. If they can keep their units intact long enough for the reinforcements to arrive, they will have the numerical advantage.
French (Blue) Briefing
Your mission is to march and clear forces that will keep you from moving off the map north of Weisen. Your Order of Battle:
click most images to enlarge
The 12th, 13th, 26 and 1B start below the river at the yellow line. The units are not penalized in movement across the river due to high bridge availability
The enemy is coming from the south. Your mission is to turn them back and not allow them to proceed north off the map. Your Order of Battle:
The 53rd, 57th are to start above the yellow line. The 64th arrives on turn 3, the 1B arrives on turn 5:
1000
Sean Lambert sends one Corps west toward Kleindorf (1) and a second Corps east toward Altbruck (2). He has an outnumbered force to start with as his reinforcements are held until following turns. Gareth has a historical constraint that his forces enter piecemeal. He leads with one of the larger Corps (3) and sends it to Altbruck.
1100
Gareth sends a cavalry corps west toward Bergenthal to screen his flank (1). Sean Lambert has sent a division as an Advance Guard (2) and it reached Altbruck, where it spots the enemy column moving up the road. Gareth’s second unit on the northern road is a smaller Corps with cavalry, the 13th (3).
1300
Two turns later, Sean Lambert has his first reinforcements and sends them to reinforce a defensive position north of Altbruck (1). Gareth has brought his leading Corps online (2), but does not press the attack. This is an opportunity lost as he had strength at this moment. In the west, the Blue cavalry attack into Berganthal, stopping the momentum of the Red force there (3). Sean Lambert makes a wise decision and holds two divisions, the artillery and cavalry back as a reserve, sending a smaller unit to Bergenthal on an economy of force mission to encounter the enemy cavalry. This retains the flexibility for the larger part of that western corps.
1500
Sean Lambert’s reserve heads to Kleindorf (1) to head off the lead Blue corps that Gareth has redirected west. As the Blue forces realign in the east, one cavalry division is sent north to probe the now stable Red defensive line (2) as the guns and the final Blue corps come up (3) to try and force the defensive line north of Altbruck.
1600
At 1600, the final Red reinforcements arrive (1). The Blue line is in positon to begin the assault (2) as a corps heads east to cover the flank east of Altbruck. Gareth has sent his 12th Corps into assault Kleindorf (2) but the artillery there makes that an expensive assault. The cavalry has better luck at Bergenthal (4) and pushes the Red infantry out of town and forces them back in disarray. A remarkable charge that overcame an urban environment and a stubborn defense.
1800
The battle is now in three sections. Sean Lambert defends Kleindorf in the west (1) still relying on that effective artillery placement. Gareth launches the attack in the center (2) and the forces in the east begin initial contact (3) denying each other a flank opportunity. The assault in the center is supported by artillery, and the prepared defenses are not pushed out despite taking many casualties.
End of Scenario
The battle concludes at 2000 hours as the French attacks run out of steam. Kleindorf (1) held though half the Red force retreated after heavy casualties. The Blue attack in the center (2) threw back one Red corps but could not unseat them both. The line was shaky, but held. The main attack force (3) still had artillery, but the infantry was shaken by the assault. Trying to bring more power to the center, Gareth marched the Kleindorf attack force back but it had absorbed many casualties in the exchange in the west to make a difference. The French effort had failed to force its way north, and Sean Lambert secured the victory.
Historical Battle
After the victory at Dresden, Napoleon wanted to knock the Prussians out of the war by seizing Berlin. He sent Ney with 60,000 soldiers north to do so. The Prussians moved to frustrate this effort by sending a force of 43,000 soldiers supported by 12,000 Swedes and Russians.
The Battle of Dennewitz occurred on flat terrain covered with marshy streams south of Berlin, posing difficulties for movement and deployment. Ney tried to march his force along one road which led to a piecemeal deployment. The French initiated with Bertrand’s IV Corps attacking the disparate Prussians near the town of Dennewitz. Initial fighting saw Prussian disrupt that effort, but the French responded with artillery and cavalry counterattacks. The fighting escalated as Tauentzien’s IV Corps attacked but were pushed back by coordinated French and Polish cavalry assaults. Prussian reinforcements from Bülow’s Corps (Thumen, Kraft) began to arrive around noon, with successive waves of infantry and cavalry stabilizing the line.
Ney launched repeated assaults on the Prussian center, pressing his advantage but failing to break through. He mistakenly put Oudinot in reserve, losing his numerical advantage. He then got embroiled in the combat personally and could not rectify the error. Ney’s final desperate attack briefly pushed the Prussians back, but with no reinforcements to exploit gains, his center collapsed. The Allies recaptured Dennewitz and pursued the fleeing French with fresh forces arriving (Borstell). The French abandoned thousands of casualties, prisoners, and large amounts of equipment. Prussian losses were heavy, but Ney’s army was effectively shattered. The victory lifted Prussian morale, weakened French influence in Germany, and contributed to Bavaria’s exit from the war.
Conclusion
The command friction we usually see in these scenarios was lessened by having one player per side, allowing for maneuver and concentration to be the theme of the day. Both Sean Lambert and Gareth thought flexibly, using the western corridor to try and influence and draw away strength from the main effort. Gareth may have tried one flexible move too many as his forces were not able to concentrate on the northern battle and achieve the numbers he needed to push through.
This scenario brought several elements we have developed together. The reusable base map provides varied terrain and enough flexibility to support multiple scenarios. This was a multi-corps battle, and we were able to achieve an outcome that was plausible given the historical results. Behind the scenes, I had tightened down some of the combat resolution and that seemed to work well. The few breakthroughs and surprising results were offset by a plausible number of combats that just ground forces down. The casualty rate was 1:1, which was what happened historically.
The players both mentioned enjoying the time pressure and immediacy of the format. In a short session we were able to deliver a pleasant level of stress based on making decisions with limited information.
The 11 turns were conducted in 75 minutes with 7 minutes per turn. Turns having only one player per side the resolutions were less complex than a four person game, and this scenario had a lot of combats to resolve. Combat resolution slows a turn, and the rules system now seems to be able to handle that smoothly. More players would add some time per turn, but we would go above 9 minutes which still makes for a good tempo.
Thanks to Gareth and Sean Lambert for coming out to play. We had a nice discussion afterward comparing notes and brainstorming formats. As we continue to develop this format we have more sets in the hands of enthusiasts which will lead to games everyone can join.
We’ll see you out there.
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