by Paul LaFontaine, 18 January 2026
Three players participated in the 13th Print and Play game. The scenario was the historical Battle of Blenheim, 1704. Julian led the defending French force. Goraph led half of the British force for most of the scenario, the other half was commanded by Arlink in the final turns.
Two players and the umpire had physical sets at their locations, one player was using TTS for his board. The umpire reports were images with only arrows indicating scenes of the action and the players kept their own maps. The map was the series base map, though the same command problems and relative force size from the historical campaign.
The French plan was to defend along the length of the river in small commands with the cavalry held in reserve. The British plan was to attack both flanks with substantial forces, collapsing the entire enemy line by folding in the edges of the position. Unlike the historical British approach that used the flanks as a diversion to allow for a breakthrough in the center, Goraph retained his strength on the flanks. He solved the problem of getting across the river in both the north and south, but Julian was able to reinforce the defenses in both flank areas and his soldiers fought stubbornly. French and Bavarian units held, and the British were unable to overcome the defenders.
The Problem
The problem in this battle lies in creating and concentrating on a weak point in a defensive line. The French (Red) have the river as an asset to aid them in their defense, and the British (Blue) must find a way to create a weakness and cross successfully.
French-Bavarian (Red) Briefing
Your force of 38,000 infantry, 18,000 cavalry and 90 guns has been sent east to stop the enemy at the natural obstacle formed by the river that runs through Grunthal and Haupthof. Your army can position between the two red arrows. The enemy has reconnaissance elements along three avenues where you see the blue ellipses. The force approaching is equal in size to yours.
click images to enlarge
Your OOB:
Your mission is to defend the river to defeat the enemy by stopping him.
British (Blue) Briefing
Your force of 38,000 infantry, 12,000 cavalry and 60 guns has been sent west to defeat the enemy who has taken position behind the river that runs through Grunthal and Haupthof. Your army approaches in two columns where you see the blue arrows. You have one engineering unit of pontoon bridges you can use to provide further access across the river. The force you are attacking is equal in size to yours. You can assign cavalry and artillery to either column.
Your OOB and entry points:
Your mission is to cross the river to defeat the enemy by driving him from the field.
Turn 1
Julian, commanding the French, adopts a distributed defense with 10,000 soldiers positioned at Steinhafen (1), another 10,000 supported by artillery at the central crossroads (2), and a larger force held in the south near Haupthof (3), while keeping his cavalry in reserve (4). Goraph responds by splitting his two columns and pushing to the extreme flanks, sending his artillery and engineers north (5) while committing an infantry-heavy force toward the south (6).
Turn 2
Goraph continues to build up his infantry in both the north and the south as his forces advance toward the river crossings, with the northern infantry and its pontoons seeking to establish a crossing on the flank of the enemy position (1). Julian holds his defensive posture while edging his cavalry slightly northward (2). He observes British cavalry demonstrating in the center (3) and ensures his defense of the crossing there is secure.
Turn 3
Goraph begins shifting his cavalry north (1) as his northern column advances toward Steinhafen (2). At this point Julian recognizes the developing threat in the north. In the south, the British infantry column moves toward the river crossing (3) while the larger French force remains concealed in the woods south of Haupthof (4).
Turn 4
The battle is joined at Steinhafen (1) as two equal-sized forces engage across the river and suffer casualties. In the north, Goraph succeeds in bridging the river with his pontoons (2) under observation by the French cavalry, while in the south he also manages to get British infantry across the river (3). As this unfolds, Julian begins redistributing his forces to respond to the two flanking efforts and the cavalry activity in the center, but this leaves him spread thin.
Turn 5
Three separate fights unfold during this turn. In the north, Goraph successfully crosses over the pontoons and achieves local numerical superiority (1), pushing hard against Julian’s troops, who nevertheless defend obstinately. Fighting continues at Steinhafen (2), but the British are unable to force their way across the river there. In the south, the British attack into the woods inflicts heavy casualties (3), yet the French force holds and is not driven back. There is considerable action across the field, but neither side breaks.
Turn 6
The fighting consolidates into two main areas. In the north, Goraph brings superior firepower to bear and has enough force across the river to press toward a decisive result (1), but Julian’s troops continue to resist stubbornly and inflict significant casualties. In the south, Arlinik takes command and pulls back into a strong defensive position (2), compelling the French and Bavarians to attack and suffer losses. Overall, this turn favors the British.
Turn 7
The two fights begin to resolve as, in the north, the British cavalry cross the river and strike the flank while the British main force continues to press forward, yet the French manage to hold on by the thinnest of margins (1). In the center at Steinhafen, the French cross the river and deliver a sharp blow against the enemy infantry, pushing it back (2). In the south, the British force collapses and is driven back across the river, as Erling’s efforts to restore tactical cohesion come too late and the French cavalry attack on the flank proves decisive (3). At this point, the British have failed to break the French line.
END OF SCENARIO
The scenario concludes with the British having lost their ability to continue the attack, and although several French units have withdrawn from the field, the British lack the strength to force a decisive outcome. The French have crossed the river and driven all British units off the field, leaving the British cavalry as the only remaining viable force. The French still retain their entire southern force, and Julian secures a victory for the French and their Bavarian allies, while Marlborough fails to achieve a decision on this day.
Historical Campaign
On 13 August 1704, the British faced a combined Franco-Bavarian on the Danube near the villages of Blenheim, Oberglauheim, and Lutzingen. The Franco-Bavarian line looked strong as it used the river and marshes for cover and the villages were strongpoints. The British concept was to fix both flanks, then break the center.
The British assaulted Blenheim early and took heavy losses, but the French commander panicked and moved more French battalions into the town, stripping the infantry support needed in the center. In the west, infantry and cavalry attacked Lutzingen repeatedly and were repulsed with losses; this fight was costly, but it prevented the Bavarians from reinforcing the center.
The British commander, Marlborough, built bridges and causeways between Blenheim and Oberglauheim, and his forces fought to secure Oberglauheim to protect his flank. Then massed cavalry with infantry in support in a formation that allowed mounted troops to pass through intervals. In the late afternoon, after both sides paused to re-form, Marlborough drove his cavalry through the tired French squadrons, routed the French horse, and then crushed the remaining infantry squares with close artillery and coordinated musketry. The French retreat collapsed toward the Danube and Höchstädt, with many drowning and the French Commander captured.
With the center broken, the British finally stormed the Bavarian battery at Lutzingen and forced it to withdraw. The battle ended with the encircled garrison in Blenheim capitulating at dusk, yielding roughly 10,000 prisoners, turning what began as a risky river-crossing into a decisive allied victory driven by flank fixation, French overcommitment to Blenheim, and a deliberate center breakthrough.
Conclusion
The challenge in this scenario was that two roughly equal forces were coming together, with the British slightly weaker and required to force a river crossing under pressure. The British commander could not win by a single direct push. Success depended on distracting the French along multiple stretches of the river to create an opening where enough combat power could cross, concentrate, and then punch through the French line before being contained.
This is another 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.
Goraph’s conception of a pincer movement was sound, and he solved the problem of crossing the river successfully. His losses were limited to roughly 1.1 to 1, which reflects well on his handling of a difficult river obstacle. This stands as a strong example of a good tactical concept that nonetheless fell short of achieving the decisive objective of breaking the French position. As a lesson learned, he did not designate a clear main effort and neither column took advantage of additional supporting efforts. By designating one of his columns as the main effort, his cavalry could have had a more effective supporting role, as an example.
Julian employed his dispersed forces effectively, using the central troops as a de facto reserve that allowed him to reinforce both wings, meet the British crossings with equal force, and secure the victory. It would be interesting to replay this scenario with multiple players representing the French and Bavarian command, reducing the clarity of information to which Julian had access.
The battle ran for eight turns over approximately sixty-eight minutes, averaging about eight and half minutes per turn. We used the arrow system and introduced a new player mid-game, which slowed the pace slightly. The players enjoyed the scenario, and it produced a solid, instructive fight.
The clarified unit sheets and each piece being labeled by number allow for greater precision in tracking the status of individual units. This does slow resolution slightly, so umpires will need to account for that when preparing and running a scenario.
These games effectively frame the tactical problems of historical battles at a scale that fits a two-hour engagement. The manageable number of pieces are sufficient to bring the battles to life. This suggests a “battles of history” series in which players can refight major engagements using the same components and directly observe how warfare evolved, particularly in relation to cavalry strength, artillery development, and the tactical techniques commanders employed to solve the problems they faced. We hope the reader will join us in the next one.
We’ll see you out there.
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