An army of Orcs managed to overcome the fierce firepower of the Tau Empire to land an historic win.
Who says you need fancy weapons and high falutin' strategy and tactics, when all you have to do is screech WAAAAGH! at the height of your voice and charge headlong at the enemy?
The Orc casualties were horrific, but who cares? They certainly don't....
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Tonight we refought the famous "Todesritt" ("Death Ride") performed by two of the regiments from Von Bredow's cavalry brigade - The Magdeburg Cuirassier and the Altmark Uhlans - at the battle of Mars-La-Tour during the Franco Prussian War.
Von Bredow was given the order to charge the assembled French artillery batteries to ease the pressure on the outnumbered Prussian infantry. Upon receiving the order, Von Bredow calmly stated "Koste es, was es wolle" ("it will cost what it will").
In our approximated refight of this scenario, indeed, it cost Bredow his life! when his brigade came under Chassepot rifle and artillery fire. That said, the undulating terrain and the associated dead ground mostly shielded both the Cuirassier and Uhlan regiments throughout their advance. The Uhlans charged a battalion of Chasseurs a Pied but were forced to retire with horrendous casualties. The Cuirassiers, as ordered, charged the French gun line - which had already been weakened by some accurate Prussian Krupp shelling. The Magdeburgers overran the guns and proceeded to charge into a French infantry battalion, routing this in turn.
All in all this was a solid victory for the Prussians who also managed to strongly rebuff a French cavalry brigade of Cuirassiers and Chasseurs a Cheval.
Here is an excellent link to the '1866 and All That' wargames blog article on the subject:
1866 and all that: Von Bredow’s “Death Ride”
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As luck would have it, these Greek hoplites are all based on multiple bases, all of 50mm frontage, meaning that three bases of any troop type can be combined to produce 15cm frontaged units. This is not far off the 12cm frontage required for units in Midgard wargame rules and certainly makes them very playable. In fact placing units on hills etc is more doable, as the three-sectioned units are more flexible to position in and round terrain.
In this game the Thebans were unceremoniously routed after catastrophically losing two engagements against the Spartan hoplites in the centre of the battlefield. As usual 'bad dice' were blamed! The Theban Sacred Band was destroyed and their famed general - Epaminondas - was slain. The Spartiates, meanwhile, bulldozed everything before them. This is despite the Theban light cavalry and peltasts making some progress on the wings.
