Battle of Veraw - Imagination Action

In our Imagi-Nation campaign, after the failure to capture the crossroads at the earlier Battle of Ginly the Odessenau fores retired to create a unified army.  In this engagement a detachment from the main Venarian army is attempting to cut off the Latverians before they can unite.  Neither side knows the strengths of the opposition, only their marching orders.  The enemies are separated by the River Dyle.  Two old bridges span it at the villages of Veraw and Grolsch, along with a Latverian pontoon bridge they built to aid their crossing and neglected to take up.

Rules are old school "Battailes de l'Ancien Regimes" by Bill Protz with a 10:1 figure ratio and a standard of 60 figure battalions.  The scenario and our mini campaign are based on Charles S. Grant's work, "The Wulfenbuttel War."

The Venarian advance guard marches on and deploys.  Dragoons
ride towards the distant bridge.

The Latverian army is caught in camp, literally napping.  A "target
rich environment."

Each of the Latverian units had to roll a dice to see which turn they would become active.  These rolls were of course not known to the Venarians and that strongly influenced choices.

Latverian light cavalry races to cover the far bridge.

Our old foe the Grey Foxes are alert and on guard duty in the
town (not swimming as implied).

The small village and other bridge which is the target of both sides.

In a confused melee the Latverians race over the bridge and
flank the Verarian dragoons.

Made more complicated when the Spahis add their weight.

The dragoons not surprisingly lose and rout away, disordering an infantry unit coming up the road.  The routing dragoons are contacted by pursuers and lose their standard!  The Spahis return the favor, utterly defeating the Latverian lights, capturing the unit and recovering the standard.  They found themselves after pursuit very close to the far bridge.

After pursuing and destroying the Latverian lights, the over-
eager Spahi ride disordered of the bridge to hit infantry.

Even though the Spahi saves vs. musketry were brilliant, their saves in melee were average and the Latverian infantry in turn brilliant.  They not only were repulsed when I maxed out on the disorder penalty but were routed for a time.

The Janissaries closest have destroyed a cavalry regiment before
it could get untangled as some vassel Russians prepare to cross.

After the initial delay the road bonus gets the Latverian army
moving fast.  

Some rules adjustments might have been needed.  In Grant's book the movement rates and ranges are roughly half what BAR allows.  Normally that is of no consequence, but here where escape is the goal it was critical.  Damage was handed out in big numbers but there was precious little the Venarians could do to prevent them from exiting and making the link-up.

Spahi and Cossacks watch in frustration as the larger Latverian
army escapes.

In the end casualties were roughly equal except for the prisoners taken among the light cavalry.  How this outcome will influence future games is for the referee to decide.  The best chance for the Venarians were to risk crossing in column and hitting the still forming Latverian infantry.  But not knowing when they would become functional and the risk for total destruction was too great.  The Latverians out-numbered the Venarians almost 2:1 in infantry but had their orders and couldn't be tempted away from them.  It will probably be 2019 before we can get to the next battle with the holidays.  In the arms race category, the Venarians have added a grenadier unit to their army since this "battle" was fought.