In preparation for a game with my regular opponent Steve, I lay-tested a Sun King scenario, the game being based on a battle of the early 19th Century, suitably adjusted for the 1670s. I limited the infantry, drastically reduced the artillery and increased the ration of horse to foot significantly, so that the force balance better reflected the late 17th Century. I also adjusted the battlefield to try and make it suitable for the large number of cavalry which would be involved. The table is my usual 6 feet by 4 feet. The scenario has the Allies as a rearguard, caught retiring by a French force, but having to hold on to the town to prevent another French force crossing the river behind them as well. The Allies have had time to take up a defensive line roughly along the middle track and wood. The French, with a significant advantage in numbers, deploy from the river to the opposite edge of the table, advancing towards the Allies. The latter have to hold the town and protect the cavalry camp, as well as keeping a line of retreat open by the track that leaves the table near the camp. The French have to beat the rearguard and take the town and camp. At game's end, the French were about to take the town and had broken the Allied foot, but the Allied cavalry had put up a good fight and delayed their French opponents considerably. I decided that the terrain need some minor adjustments for the game with Steve, but in particular more room for the cavalry action, so I will extend that end of the table by two feet, having an eight feet length, four feet width. Almost all figures are North Star 28mm metal, some are Warfare |Miniatures, as are many of the flags.

Anyway, enough of the background details, here, with notes below some of them as explanation, are the photographs!

The table set out ready.

The Sarissa Precision houses were painted for me by Steve.

The Allied cavalry camp.

Spanish cavalry and the Allied commander/

Allied foot - Hesse-Kassel and Münster - with a light gun battery.

More Hesse-Kassel foot and a medium gun battery.

An Imperial foot regiment.

A Brandenburg-Prussia foot regiment. These are Reiver Castings 28mm metal.

The Allied cavalry wing - four squadrons of Austrin Cuirassiers.

Württemberg and Dutch cavalry regiments.

The Allied line deployed. The infantry are not in the wood, but lining its edge, so can fire and fight. However, any move backwards will take them into the trees.

The French move on to the table - foot and artillery units.

The leading French horse regiments on the left wing.

Various French foot regiments.

My latest French horse unit - Tilladet's Regiment.

Not a normal event! The French cavalry charged the Von Dohna foot regiment several times during the game, with the latter standing to fire and fight at close quarters. Unusually, the infantry repulsed all of them but for the last. Dice represent "Fatigue Points" lost by a unit.

The French medium gun in draught.

The French light gun in draught.

An ongoing melee can be reinforced by a second unit - Tilladet's 2nd Squadron joins it, but they were still beaten off by the Prussian foot!

Tilladet's Horse break in rout.

Lots of musketry and artillery shooting all along the line.

The reason for extending the table by two feet! Too crowded for the French and Allied horse to manoeuvre against each other.

A unit can move in column for extra speed if 18" from any enemy.

But they cannot fight in this formation.

The grenadier company can be seen on the right of La Couronne Foot Regiment as it goes forward.

La Couronne attacks the town. The red dice represents the number of turns house-to-house fighting will last before a die is rolled to resolve the issue.  With a general attached and grenadier company, the French have a definite advantage over the defenders.

The cavalry combat has swung in favour of the French, who finally wore down the big Austrian Cuirassier squadrons.

The situation when the game was ended. The French have captured half the town and broken the Allied infantry line, while their cavalry have gained the advantage at the other end of the table.