AAR of Kriegsspiel Scenario, The Battle of Dennewitz 1813 (Reprised)

Paul LaFontaine, 3 May 2026

Three players participated in this scenario. This was the second run of the battle of Dennewitz, a French reverse during the Napoleonic Wars. [Ed: see here for the previous session]. Player Lewis++ played as the Allies, Dr. Truth and Rebelsqurl commanded the French. TheMike was the lead umpire and I acted as assistant umpire.  

All players and the umpires had physical sets at their locations and the umpire reports were pointers via Discord allowing players to keep the situation on their own maps. These were experienced players and all had the materials.

Dr. Truth and Rebelsqurl held the field at the end of the battle, giving the French a narrow victory. This was not the historical outcome, and we had a chance to explore what the French needed to win.

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

This is the Napoleonic period. Cavalry can charge infantry and have impact, artillery can savage infantry in square, infantry in square is strong against cavalry. Artillery has 1500M range, infantry fire 500M.

Your OOB:

most images can click to enlarge

All units start below the river at the yellow line. The units are not penalized in movement across the river due to high bridge availability.

 

Your mission is to march north and clear forces that will keep you from moving off the map north of Wiesen.

Allies (Red) Briefing

This is the Napoleonic period. Cavalry can charge infantry and have impact, artillery can savage infantry in square, infantry in square is strong against cavalry. Artillery has 1500M range, infantry fire 500M.

Your OOB:

 

The 1st, 2nd start on map. 3rd enters the north edge on turn 3. 4th enters turn 5.

 

The enemy is coming from the south. Your mission is to turn them back and not allow them to proceed north off the map.

Turn 1

Lewis++ sends his first two forces forward on separate axes while he travels with the First Corps which marches to Kleindorf. The Second Corps moves toward Altbruck (1) and advances down the eastern side of the battle area (2).

Rebelsqurl leads a large force toward Altbruck (3), while Dr. Truth moves the Second and Third Corps on a parallel path (4). The French plan is to remain concentrated.

 

Turn 2

Lewis++‘s Second Corps, led by cavalry (1), spots the French forces marching north from Altbruck, and Lewis++ receives the report. The First Corps is forming near Kleindorf (3), while he sends the cavalry southwest to probe further.

Rebelsqurl continues north with infantry and cavalry (2), and Dr. Truth presses on through the woods (4), though the terrain is slowing his advance. The situation is now developing rapidly.

 

Turn 3

Lewis++ sends his cavalry south to screen the Second Corps (1) while it moves into position and the French cavalry is there. After a sharp fight, the Prussian horse are driven back. He places the First Corps in a defensive posture at Kleindorf (2). Meanwhile, another corps, the Swedes, begins marching south (3) to reinforce his efforts.

Rebelsqurl and Dr. Truth continue moving north (4), with lead French elements now north of Altbruck and moving toward the Kleindorf-Altbruck road. Dr. Truth settles in to cover the road west as Rebelsqurl reports the cavalry contact by dispatch.

Lewis++, conducts a leader’s reconnaissance to Altbruck, and rides east along the road where he is nearly captured by the French forces setting up on the road.

 

Turn 4

Prussian forces begin combining to form a defensive line (1) while Rebelsqurl brings his troops into order (2) preparing for battle. He sends a dispatch to Dr. Truth about the Prussian formations north of his position and informs him that he will hold until the southern French units reach his position.

Lewis++ returns safely to Kleindorf (3), where his defensive force is assembling. Dr. Truth moves to the Third Corps (4) to direct its operations as the Second Corps remains in a defensive position along the western road.

 

Turn 5

Lewis++ final column, the Russians, arrive in the battle area (1) and begin marching south. Rebelsqurl refrains from engaging (2) and prepares his units to coordinate with Dr. Truth’s corps as they move up. Lewis++‘s cavalry that was formerly with the Second and Third Corps’ in the north are sent west (3) to support the fighting near Kleindorf, taking them out of the immediate action. The Prussian First Corps east to join the battle (4).

 

Turn 6

The Russians are drawing near (1), and the coordination of the final battle now comes down to timing. Rebelsqurl sends a dispatch to Dr. Truth asking how he intends to maneuver (2), and waits for the guns to come forward in support. Dr. Truth sends half the infantry of the Third Corps west to defend against the force approaching from Kleindorf (3), while Lewis++‘s cavalry continues its long march west (4).

 

Turn 7

The Russians strike the French flank (1), and the French cavalry delays them briefly before being driven back. Rebelsqurl launches his assault (2), opening with a bombardment before sending in the infantry. He sends and urgent message to Dr. Truth informing him of the Russian arrival.

There is still no fighting in the west (3), where two evenly matched forces face one another, as Lewis++‘s cavalry finally approaches Kleindorf (4).

 

Turn 8

The Prussian Second and Third Corps cannot withstand the weight of the French assault and withdraw. The exhausted French cavalry finally leaves the field though they have slowed the arrival of the Russian Corps. In the west, the fighting is inconclusive (3) as Lewis++ and Dr. Truth clash along the wood line.

 

Turn 9 – END OF SCENARIO

The battle reaches its conclusion as Lewis++‘s forces retreat exhausted through the woods to the west. The Prussian Second and Third Corps in the north have withdrawn from the battlefield, and the Russians, though still combat-capable in the east, are the only Allied force remaining.

The French have fared only slightly better; they too are exhausted and unable to pursue. Though incapable of continuing the march north toward Berlin, they do hold the field and have eked out a narrow victory. Rebelsqurl and Dr. Truth are victorious today.

 

Lewis++ had an effective plan: to concentrate his forces as they arrived from different directions and at different times. Only the smallest timing problems and a few minor miscalculations combined to create the situation that drove him from the field. Sending the cavalry west, where it was less decisive as it was taken out of the action for its long ride, may have reduced his ability to screen for the Russians force allowing it to attack more quickly in the east. Placing himself on the far western side may also have slowed the reaction of some of his forces. Each miscalculation was small in itself, but together they prevented the concentration on which his plan depended.

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.

Rebelsqurl and Dr. Truth did a good job keeping their forces concentrated. Their level of communication was high, and Rebelsqurl ensuring he had artillery support in place before launching the attack that drove off the main Prussian force in the north. The patience required to build a position and then execute a coordinated assault is difficult in Kriegsspiel, where small fragments of information often distract players and trigger overreaction. In this case, they maintained their focus and carried out their plan effectively.

 

Historical Outcome

The French Marshal Ney was sent north with 60,000 men to seize Berlin. He reviewed the troops and tried to march on a single road, which delayed progress. The Prussian General Tauentzien was blocking Ney’s route. Ney was determined to advance and due to poor reconnaissance, allowed himself to walk right into an assembled Allied defense.

The 43,000 Prussians at first were pushed back, then a counterattack stabilized the situation. The terrain around Dennewitz (Altbruck) was flat. Ney formed a battle line at 10am. The Prussians were there, and word came that reinforcements were on their way. The French attacked in the east, and Prussian cavalry was needed to push it back. Ney ordered Oudinot into a reserve position (above), which reduced the concentration of the French forces.

 

The Swedes and Russians with 30,000 soldiers arrived late in the day and drove the French back, swinging in the Allies direction. The French withdrew.

The game being used is Battle Decisions: Kriegsspiel from Catastrophe Games.

Conclusion

An enjoyable session. We had TheMike serving as lead umpire and he did an excellent job. We chose to fight Dennewitz for a second time because the first run-through of the scenario had gone well, and with TheMike taking over as a new umpire, I wanted to ensure there would be no distraction caused by concerns over scenario balance. That decision worked very well. TheMike handled all of the maneuvering and communication with the players smoothly and confidently. He has a bright future as a Battle Decisions Kriegsspiel umpire.

We ran 9 turns in 80 minutes, which is approximately 9 minutes per turn. In the world of live Kriegsspiel, this is a good turn length. With a new umpire this was impressive. I did the combat calculations so the next test of the system is to train the lead umpire to use the combat system. TheMike has experience with other Kriegspiel, but not with the specific method of the player using pieces. His ability to adapt is a credit to him, and I’m pleased with the robustness of the system that could allow for a new umpire to fall in on it so easily.

Of interest, the first time we ran this scenario, the French lost by a slim margin. This is important because it suggests that player decisions, battlefield execution, and the varying fortunes of the units were the factors that mattered rather than any built-in bias in the scenario itself. I am very pleased to see two close-run contests in these battles, with the results turning one way or the other based on small differences and specific actions taken during play. This reflects well on both the system and the setup of the order of battle.

Thanks to TheMike for umpiring, Lewis++, Rebelsqurl, and Dr. Truth for playing. I hope you will join us soon in our next scenario.  

We’ll see you out there.

 

If you’d like to join one of Kriegsspiels you can pop into this part of our forum for more
and you can also find out about the International Krieggspiel Society here

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