Médecine Politique: A Qt3 Empires in Arms PBF Game

Interesting, I just assumed all die rolls would be made by the moderator.

image

Either method referred to above (rolls in the vlog function or a die roll engine of your choice) is fine by me for Forage rolls. If the latter, please provide links and who was being rolled for in whatever communication you send back.

Any game, basically is rooted in some form of honor. To @Juan_Raigada’s point, FtF there is far more than here, where I get to see all the private info, QC mechanics, and (hopefully…) catch mistakes. Luckily as Pius VII, I am infallible. There was a Papal Bull on that. Look it up! It’s historically accurate! Ask @Brooski, he’ll attest to that fact.

This would just create unnecessary stoppage/back and forth for Forage. There will be enough other micro-pauses for other things.

Gratias Tibi,

Et Historicus, Moderator est DIsceptator

image

Actually, please either use the logfile or a die roller with links to roll, not that thread (it’s easier for my process).

Gratias Tibi,

Et Historicus, Moderator est DIsceptator

Roger that.

January 1805 Land Phase

Turkish Land Phase

Turkish Land Movement and Supply

Overall, there isn’t much to see here. The Corps in Bessarabia Forages successfully with no chance of loss ( -2 on the forage roll in a 4 forage area, 3 unused MPs, 1 home nation province +2 for winter). All others use Depot Supply.

However, we have a bit of a contretemps in the Southwestern Corner of our Map…

The Grand Vizier lands first and seizes Damietta (this is merely color, but important to our narrative later…), as the Fleet provides Sea Supply (which is available in the entire Sea Zone if necessary). Pechlivan Khan’s Army is supplied overland from Jaffa(…and things get interesting…).

More to come soon…

General Exposition

The Battle of el Arīsh (معركة العريش), January 19, 1805

Part One - The Setting and Forces

“What men call sovereignty is a worldly strife and constant war.”

Suleiman the Magnificent

“No Arab loves the desert. We love water and green trees, there is nothing in the desert. No man needs nothing.”

Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi

“Pehlivan İbrahim Ağa (Pechlivan Khan) had been sent to the Damascus Eyalet by the Grand Vizier from the Silestra Eyalet, leaving Kushanz Ali in command there. Not a Khan or a Pasha, Pehlivan was a Turk, who had climbed his way to the rank of Mîr-i alay through hard work and merit in the Janissaries, not being a member of any of the Albanian or Rumelian cliques. While of low rank, the Vizier had spotted his talent thirteen years earlier in the War against the Austrians, before he was called to serve the Sultan, and had his life saved by him outside of Belgrade. He never forgot and arranged for several promotions and appointments to important garrisons and assignments, though limited due to his lack of influence within the Janissaries.

But the Sultan’s determination to undo the damage caused by the disintegration of Ottoman authority in Egypt following the French Invasion, gave both the Vizier an opportunity to solidify his position and to develop and enhance the prestige of a qualified, professional young protege. Egypt was spinning out of control, the seizure of power by Tahir Pasha and his flirtations with foreign powers as he and his rebellious troops seek to emulate the Mamalukes thirty years before could make a separation from the Sublime Porte permanent.

Arriving in Jaffa, he met the waiting I Janissary Corps and a Mounted orta in the Imperial Cavalry. After a week of study, the march was planned and undertaken, pre-coordinated with the Vizier. He would march along the coast to the Nile, then march south and secure Cairo. The Vizier would land at Damietta as a precautionary measure should Tahir Pasha move first.

Tahir Pasha did. The Vizier landed unopposed, but too soon. This led to suspicions in Cairo of a more determined move against the new regime by the Blind Pasha. The Spanish Advisors, upon hearing reports of a force gathering in Jaffa, recommended that Tahir Pasha move forward to the Sinai and defeat the force in the desert there where Tahir’s Bashi-Bazouks could harass and surprise the more regular Janissary formations in unfamiliar terrain. He left Cairo and ultimately established a forward position near the ruins of the fortifications at El Arish. His intention was to send a force South through a part of the Negev and ambush the Ottoman forces as they reached Rafah, attacking headlong on the coast from the West and the flanking cohort from the Southeast against the enemy approaching via inland trails through Ain Habosour.

But this was not to be. On January 18, 1805, in the evening, scouts reported to Tahir Pasha at his tent in the ruined fortifications near El Arish, that the Ottomans were a league away. Pechlivan had stolen a march on him. There was nothing to do but prepare a line for the next day.

Pechlivan, in the meantime was in council with his officers. In his mind, the best course was to attack at dawn, solidly but carefully, approaching while bringing fire with an eye to enveloping the flanks of the enemy. This would allow the superior training and discipline of his troops to break the Albanian rabble, while minimalizing his own casualties. Hopefully."

To Reclaim a Birthright: Ottoman Expansionism in North Africa, 1805-1815, Chapter 2: Pehlivan İbrahim Ağa’s Advance, p.1-4
Dr. Bernard Leatherduster, University of Angora Press, 1983.

The sun rises, early and hot on the morning of January 19, 1805. The sun is the hammer and you are the anvil.

Le%20g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral%20de%20l%E2%80%99exposition%20small

Forces

Turkish (@Panzeh)

Key Leader and Commander Pechlivan Khan 3.4.3 B

I Janissary Corps with 14 Infantry and 2 Cavalry, all have 3.0 Morale

Imperial Cavalry Corps with 1 Cavalry, has a 3 morale

Syrian Corps with 5 Infantry and 6 Cavalry, Infantry has 1 Morale and the Cavalry has 2 Morale.

28 Factors, 9 are Cavalry, at 2.4 Morale

Egyptian (@Mark_Weston)

Corps Leader, Tahir Pasha, 1.1.1

I Egypt Corps with 15 Infantry and 5 Cavalry, Infantry has 1 Morale and Cavalry has 3 Morale

20 Factors, 5 are Cavalry, at 1.5 Morale

Leadership, Terrain, Environment, Operational Factors

Desert: +1 to Morale Level on Combat Table for both sides, -1 to Final Pursuit Level

Leadership: Attacker has +1 to Combat Rolls, Defender has -1 to Combat Rolls

Chits: Attacker Chooses Echelon, Defender Chooses Defend

More to come…

General Exposition

Poor Egyptians… most likely routed on the very first roll and then butchered by the cavalry.

The desert modifier to morale is pretty intense.

You can’t have battle without a damn map.

Always ready at hand with Staff Materials.

Nods Approvingly.

General Exposition

I believe the rout is pretty certain because of Turkey’s superior morale and tactics, but I think Egypt will probably survive with the bulk of her forces intact because it isn’t an entirely lopsided battle and she has cavalry to throw at her pursuers.

The Battle of el Arīsh (معركة العريش), January 19, 1805

Part Two- The First Day’s Action

Turkish (@Panzeh)

Key Leader and Commander Pechlivan Khan 3.4.3 B

I Janissary Corps with 14 Infantry and 2 Cavalry, all have 3.0 Morale

Imperial Cavalry Corps with 1 Cavalry, has a 3 morale

Syrian Corps with 5 Infantry and 6 Cavalry, Infantry has 1 Morale and the Cavalry has 2 Morale.

28 Factors, 9 are Cavalry, at 2.4 Morale

Egyptian (@Mark_Weston)

Corps Leader, Tahir Pasha, 1.1.1

I Egypt Corps with 15 Infantry and 5 Cavalry, Infantry has 1 Morale and Cavalry has 3 Morale

20 Factors, 5 are Cavalry, at 1.5 Morale

Leadership, Terrain, Environment, Operational Factors

Desert: +1 to Morale Level on Combat Table for both sides, -1 to Final Pursuit Level

Leadership: Attacker has +1 to Combat Rolls, Defender has -1 to Combat Rolls

Chits: Attacker Chooses Echelon, Defender Chooses Defend

Attacker Chits (Here, Echelon) are Compared against Defender Chits (Here, Defend) on this chart, with these notes.

Operational%20Probabilities%20Notes

Cross-Referencing them results in Three Rounds of Combat (potentially) on this Resulting Table. Each Set of numbers for each side (A for Attacker and D for Defender) is are the columns on which each side rolls for each round. Each round is conducted simultaneously (both sides always get a roll for each round the combat lasts on a day).

Echelon%20v%20Defend

The First Number is the Casualty Level and Second the Morale Level, as indicated on the below Chart. Note that because we are in the Desert, the Morale table is increased for both sides by one (the Desert is a punishing place to fight). So we really have:
A: 1-4, 2-4, 2-5
D: 4-2, 3-2, 2-2

The Attacker (The Turks) has +1 to each round’s roll, and the Defender (The Egyptians) has -1 to each round’s roll due to the Comparison of Commander Tactical Ratings (The Second Leader Number above, 4 and 1, respectively to each side) on this Chart here:

Commander%20Chart

If the Turks had one more Cavalry Factor, they’d get another +1 due to Cavalry Superiority of at least 2-1. They do not, however.

So Now:

Day 1
Round One:
The Turks roll a net 3 and the Egyptians roll a net 1.
On the 1-4 and 4-2 Tables, respectively.

We look at the below chart:

Round One Results:
A-Inflicts 0.05 (5%) Casualties (on the below table) and inflicts -1.3 Morale.
D-Inflicts 0.05 (5%) Casualties (on the below table) and inflicts -.7 Morale.
Casualties inflicted are a percentage of that side’s overall numbers at that point.

Casualty%20Loss%20Table

The Turks inflict 2 Casualties and -1.3 Morale on the Egyptians.
The Egyptians inflict 1 Casualty and -.7 Morale on the Turks.

The Turks have 27 Strength and 1.7 Morale after Round One.
The Egyptians have 18 Strength and a shaky .2 Morale after Round One.

It was all but over, as the better Trained and Disciplined Ottoman Troops kept up a steady persistent fire against the Egyptian weak points, as the Syrians started to envelop the flanks of the Egyptian line. The Bashi-Bazouks began to waver, but Tahir Pasha kept his men in the action as Noon approached…

Day 1

Round Two:
Again, the Turks roll a net 3 and the Egyptians roll a net 1.
On the 2-4 and 3-2 Tables, respectively.

The Turks inflict 2 Casualties and -1.6 Morale on the Egyptians, who break, so one of those losses must be Cavalry.
The Egyptians inflict 1 Casualty and -.3 Morale on the Turks.

Now for Pursuit. The Combat went two rounds, and the Attacker lost 1.0 Morale. So we have a Pursuit Class of 4 on the below chart, shifted to 3 because of the Desert.

Pursuit%20Chart

The Turks roll a 3.

They do .15 of their 9 Cavalry on the Defending Cavalry on the Casualty Chart, which is 1 Cavalry. The Egyptians got lucky. If the turks had broken them earlier, or the Turks had lost less morale or gotten luckier in the pursuit, once the Cavalry is eliminated, other units (Infantry, Guard) lose at a 3-1 ratio. 6-1 if Militia.

Final Result:
The Turks take 2 losses and win the day. Please note your losses on your information sheet and notify me where they are taken privately.
The Egyptians take 5 losses, 2 of which are Cavalry, lose the day and must Retreat. Spanish Adviser (@Mark_Weston) please tell us here where they shall retreat to. Please also note your losses on your information sheet and notify me where they are taken privately.

+1 PP for Turkey, -1 PP for Spain.

7.5.2.10.1.3 Political Points For Winning/Losing Field Combats: The victor now gains political points and the loser loses them, recorded on the POLITICAL STATUS DISPLAY on the Status Card). Half a political point is gained or lost for each corps of the defeated side (rounding fractions up) used during any round of that combat (this includes corps in outflanking forces that never arrive, but not reinforcing corps that do not arrive) up to a maximum of +3 political points. For this purpose a single corps which begins or reinforces a battle with more than 20 factors in it is treated as 2 corps.
7.5.2.10.1.3.1: If the victor was commanded by the NAPOLEON leader, they get one extra political point.
7.5.2.10.1.3.2: If the loser was commanded by the NAPOLEON leader, they lose two extra political points.

Tahir Pasha, defeated but in good order, fell back towards Cairo. Inauspiciously, Muhammad Ali deserted his cause, and made haste to Damietta, where the Vizier now had his headquarters.

Pehlivan İbrahim Ağa (Pechlivan Khan) led the advance, and planned his next move, unscathed after the battle. cries of “Pasha! Pasha!” were heard after the battle from the troops, presaging his promotion to Mîr-i livâ, and attaining the title of Pasha 2 days after the Battle.

[ 12.7 ] LEADER CASUALTIES: After the completion of a field or limited field combat, a trivial combat, or a naval combat, each side with a leader or leaders present checks to see if any became casualties in the combat by rolling two dice. Rolling a 12 indicates a leader casualty. If a casualty is indicated, randomly choose a leader counter from among those present (if more than one is present) and roll one die for the chosen leader. If a 6 is rolled, the leader casualty is "killed" and taken permanently from the game. On any other roll, the leader casualty is "wounded" and taken from the map for a number of complete months equal to the die roll number.

12.7.1 KEY LEADER SURVIVAL: Each player will choose one “key leader”, who cannot be killed. If that “key leader” rolls a 12 then a 6, during the above process in rule 12.7, instead of killing the “key leader” change the result to a 12 month injury.

12.7.1.1 CHOOSING THE “KEY LEADER”: At the start of the game, each player will choose one leader who cannot be killed. For some countries, their key best leader enters as a reinforcement, ie. Blucher or Wellington. If the leader enters as a reinforcement, the player may instead choose another leader (if he possesses one) from the start until the time that the leader arrives. When the chosen leader arrives as a reinforcement, the secondary choice returns to being a normal leader. Similarly, if using the optional rule that removes Kutusov, and Kutusov is chosen as the Key leader, Russia may choose another leader as the “Key Leader” when Kutusov is removed.

Pechlivan Khan is Turkey’s Key Leader, however this is mooted as a 6 on 2d6 was rolled and the battle ends with him unscathed.

Turkey (@Panzeh), please send me your land file, as the retreat location is immaterial to the French (@Juan_Raigada) turn, and I will qc and send to him forthwith. Allies (@Matt_W, @Cuthbert) you are after France.

General Exposition

Bravo @Navaronegun! The Royal Imperial family has been greatly entertained by the exposition, as this is been a cruel winter on the Baltic shores.

  • Alexander

image

Thank you. I still have to roll Leader Casualty which I shall edit the above with later.

General Exposition

Likewise, we also in the north (though not as mired in winter as Alexander) have been greatly entertained, even warmed, by this exposition of desert battle, even as we gird ourselves for immanent conflict. In the words of the English playwright: “All the world’s a stage/And all the men and women merely players”

Le%20g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral%20de%20l%E2%80%99exposition%20small

Oui. See the final battle missive, after Political point loss about the fate of Pechlivan Khan.

General Exposition

I thought the maximum modifier was capped at +1?

And another caveat.

The victor decides where a breaking force retreats (with some limitations). @Panzeh should indicate the retreat direction (if there’s more than one option here, of which I’m unsure since I’m not looking at the map. I think there’s only one valid move).

Note than on a withdrawal this is overruled and the withdrawing force chooses. In those rules they specify that change over the regular retreat rules, and thus reinforce the interpretation that the victor chooses direction (that’s why I became aware of this, because those words bolder above are easy to miss).

However even in a withdrawal the limitations to the direction of retreat seem to apply.

Regardless, there’s one valid retreat location for the Egyptian army.

Yeah, it seems so, but I think it’s good that everybody is aware of the implications of the Víctor choosing retreat in the few cases when there’s actually a choice.

Le%20g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral%20de%20l%E2%80%99exposition%20small

This had less to do with rules quibbling regarding an extra +1 to that Battle and more to do with with exposition, and explaining the combat system to the non-players, as this was the first time a battle had been fought. Making the Audience aware that such a thing as Cavalry Superiority existed.

Normally I shall not spend many hours on a time-intensive step by step post with charts as in the second battle post, and will merely give results in a quicker fashion.

General Exposition