Le rendezvous au Lion Rouge - part 4 of our Dumas campaign

There is a small tavern called "Le Lion Rouge" near Wissembourg. Kettie heard of three gents planing to visit her there. She has to be fast because her secret enemy Augustus von Wiesel - in the cardinal's pay, had his spies. He learned of the meeting at the tavern[1] and could send a small troop of thugs awaiting Kettie in one of two small forests. She can find them only if one of her units enter the wood or they leave them or shoot out behind their trees, which are a nice form of cover.

 

Kettie doesn't lose time to arrive with all her forces at the road to the small hamlet. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

She has to meet the mysterious guys and talk to them (for two turns with 2 units in the hamlet and next to the gents). Meanwhile I have to rout or kill these crooks before she can talk with them. I would get 5 honours and she would get 4 - as her task is a bit easier. At the beginning there were only the 6 figures of forlorn hope (6 p.) at the tavern and my rascals in the wood at the table. I could enter from 3 directions rolling dice to decide from where each unit would come (1-2 from the North, 3-4 from the South, 5-6 from the East) while Kettie's units all came from the West and needed a move activation. 

 

Kettie's heroes are waiting for her arrival while I'm - August von Wiesel - advancing towards the small hamlet. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

In the first turn Kettie very fast got her troops arriving from the West. I had the Special Order to Charge first and therefore my poor guys stormed out of their forest to attack one of Kettie's troops of trotters. I could just hope that they would lose at least one soldier and would waver from the battle field - but they managed to stay and therefore I managed to get my 1 Honour Point but had mostly to retreat with the "Hunters" deep into the safety of the wood.

 

At least one troop of trotters are arriving from the North. But Kettie managed to advance very quickly and I saw little chance to overwhelm the 6 guys which could still use the houses as cover. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

Meanwhile Kettie decided to push her unit of musketeers into a wood where they could shoot at my light cavalry units coming from the North. Her better units were ordered to ride as fast as possible to the tavern. It really was a matter of minutes - would I have the chance to kill or capture her friends before she could talk to them? Indeed I had some bad luck as my own musketeers were called back as reinforcements from my superior commander [2]. 

 

The waiting French boys were not the best shooters. Besides I could bring my second unit of trotters almost in shooting range. Therefore Kettie had to chose if she would fight one of them or both. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

I now had to act as fast as possible because Kettie's forces outnumbered my own so heavily especially because my forlorn hope in the wood were no match for her trotters shooting at them every turn. 

 

A close up at the tavern itself. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

I decided that I had no real options. Therefore I tried to fight a break through Kettie's best units using my life guards in their well made armor. I could rout or kill Kettie herself or be focused on shooting at her 6 friends. First I could shoot at her own trotters only but later preferred to send my bullets at her companions.

 

A troop of my trotters were routed by the brave French gents. One of the hard drinking guys is killed too. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

Finally I was successful. Even with 2 units in good shape (but one of them with 4 mercenaries left) I could turn off all of the guards and fulfilled every task (Charge, Beat the butcher's bill + to prevent Kettie to meet the 3 Musketeers). Nevertheless we all had good fun, although maybe Athos didn't like to be interrupted when he wanted to drink some bottles of wine...

 

Augustus von Wiesel can bring his heavy cavalry in action shooting with pistols at the French drinking party. But at the same moment one of my troops of trotters thought that it would be a good idea to charge into Kettie's cuirassiers. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

 

Kettie's arquebusiers react with a hell of bullets resulting in some casualties in my own ranks. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

Finally only one guy from the Gascogne is left to defend himself with sword and pistol. It was a gamble by myself as I naturally feared that Kettie would overrun my lifeguard with her cuirassiers. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

 

But finally the brave soldier from the Gascogne meets his fate and Kettie has to accept her defeat. (photo: C. Hanselmann)

 

Photos: Cecilia Hanselmann

Text: André Hanselmann 

 

Notes: 

1) You maybe know "L'Auberge du Colombier-Rouge", in "Les trois Mousquetaires" Chapitre XLIII. 

2) I could chose a unit of 4 points to leave the table after rolling a double 1 and I decided that they were so far away that it was better to chose them.