BOARD WARGAME NIEMENCZYN 1794 - Strategemata · STRATEGEMATA Niemenczyn 1794 2 1.0 Introduction. The Vilnius uprising began during the night of 22nd and 23rd April of 1794. Polish

BOARD WARGAME NIEMENCZYN 1794

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Contents. 1.0Introduction....................................................................................................... 2.0Components....................................................................................................... 3.0Gameplay........................................................................................................... 4.0Commanders...................................................................................................... 5.0Facing................................................................................................................ 6.0Stacking............................................................................................................. 7.0Formations......................................................................................................... 8.0Movement.......................................................................................................... 9.0ReactiononEnemyMovement......................................................................... 10.0RangedCombat............................................................................................... 11.0MeleeCombat.................................................................................................. 12.0VictoryConditions........................................................................................... 13.0Scenarios..........................................................................................................

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STRATEGEMATA Niemenczyn 1794

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1.0 Introduction. TheVilniusuprisingbeganduringthenightof22ndand23rdAprilof1794.Polishunits,withthesupportofarmedcitizenry,attackedRussiansoldierswithinthecity.TheRussians,takenbysurprise,surren-deredafterashortfight.Moreviciouscombattookplacearoundthecitygates.Here,thebruntofthecombatfellonthecivilians.Unfortunately,theylackedsufficientfirearmssotheywereunabletoovercometheRus-siantroopsquarteredinthesuburbs.Theywereabletoevacuatefromthecity.ThemajorityoftheRussiansmarchedtowardstheartilleryparkofcaptainMikołajTuczkow,inPohulanka.TwocompaniesofPskovianMusketeers`retreatedtowardNiemenczyn.

Stefan Grabowski (1759 – 1847). Son of To-maszGrabowski,GeneralMajorofLithuanianforces.Inyears 1771 - 1774hewas a student ofCorps ofCadetsinWarsaw.He served in7thLithuanianFootRegiment,whereheparticipatedinwarbetweenPolandandRussia(1792)inrankofcolonel.Heremainedinmilitary,whentheGovernmentwas seized byTargowica.By the 1793he joined insurgent conspiracy.He led rebel forces dur-ingdiversionary campaignofMińsk.On4thSeptemberhelostthebattleofLubańandSłuckandwascaptured.HereturnedfromSiberianexilein1796.In1812hewaspromotedtoBrigadeGeneralandparticipatedintheNa-poleoniccampaignonMoscow,leading12thRegimentoftheGreatDuchyofWarsaw.In1813hebecameaRussianprisoneragainafterthebattleofLeipzig.From1815on,hecommandedabrigadeoffootinthearmyofKingdomof Poland. In 1826 he earned a rank of Division Gen-eralandparticipated inTurkish-Russianwarof1828. In1830hedidnotsupporttheUprising.Afteritsfall,StefanGrabowskiwasamemberofTemopraryGovernmentofKingdomofPoland.Duringhismilitaryservicehehadre-ceivedtwomajordistinctions-OrderŚwiętegoStanisławaandOrderOrłaBiałego.

Nevertheless,therebelssucceededintheiruprising.Afterovertwohoursofstruggle,thecapitalofLithu-aniawasliberated.TheRussianssuffered1013casu-alties,andotwooftheir6–poundgunswerecapturedaswellasfullwarehouses.LossesamongstthePolishmilitarywerenotsubstantial,justninesoldiers,butthecivilianinsurgentssufferedmoreheavily.Theonlythreatintheareatotherebelcausewasin-spiredbyRussianCaptainTuczkow,whoonhisowninitiativegatheredmorethan1000soldiersandthreat-ened tobombard thecitywithartilleryfire. Heor-deredthecitydistrictsofŁukiszki,TrockieandRud-nickietobesackedandrazed.TheinsurgentsforcedtheimprisonedRussiancommanderofVilnius,Gen-eralArseniew,toissueanordertoTuczkowtostopthebombardmentofthecity.HoweverTuczkowrefusedtoobeyashefelthisposition,onahigherground,wasquitesecure.Twoinsurgentattacksweredrivenbackbygrapeshotfire.Russianreinforcementsarrivedonthemorningof23rdApril,ledbyLieutenantColonelFiodorLewiz, appearingon the rightbankofRiverVilia,withthreeunitsofNarevMusketeers`underhiscommand.Healsohadtwo3–poundguns.Butastheferryropeswerecut,hecouldonlyharasstherebelswithmusketfire.Aftertwohoursandthelossof13soldiers,hemarchedhisforceupriver,wherehewasabletocrosstheViliaandjointheCossacksofColo-nelKirejewandthemusketeersofPskov.All inall,hehad870soldiers(though120wereunfitforcom-bat)andtwoguns.Lewizsentamessengerrequest-ingTuczkow to hold his position until the evening.However, the twoRussianforcesdidnotmanagetocombine.Lewiz returned to right bank ofVilia andmarchedontowardNiemenczyn.Alongtheway,hewasharassedbypeasants thatwerekillinganyma-raudersoutofhatredtowardtheRussians.

Inthemeantime,otherrebelforceswerecomingtoVilnius.ColonelJanJakubMeyenledthe4thRegimentandbynoonLieutenantColonelStefanGrabowskiarrivedtriumphantlyinthecapitalofLithuaniawith6companiesof7thRegimentandtwoguns.Tuczkowwasinformedofthesereinforcements.Heorderedthebombardmenttostopandstartedpreparationsforawithdrawal.By9pm,theRussianshadwithdrawnandthecitywassafe. On 25th ofApril, rebel commander ofVilnius and leader of Lithuanian uprising, Colonel JakubJasiński,wasinformedthatremnantsoftheRussiancitygarrisonwereinthevicinityofNiemenczyn.Infact,itwastheforceofLieutenantColonelLewiz.JasińskiorderedLieutenantColonelGrabowskitodefeattheen-emycompletely.However,actingontheunconfirmedintelligencefromaparishpriestinNiemenczyn,Marcin


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Steckiewicz,Grabowskiassignedinsufficientforcesforthattask.Fromanotherdirection,fromWidze,MajorIgnacyEydziatowiczwassupposedtoleadanotherattackwithacavalryforce(1stRegimentofLithuanianVanguard),butcoordinationbetweenthetworebelforceswasineffective. On 26th ofApril, Grabowski marched with300pickedsoldiersofthe7thFootRegiment,60cav-alrymen of the 2nd Brigade of Lithuanian NationalCavalry,90cavalryvolunteersof JózefNarbutt,and30artillerymenwith twoguns (one, taken from theRussians,6–pounderandone3-pounder).Hehad480men,150horsesand twoguns.By theevening,thePolishforcearrivedatNiemenczyn.AnemissarywitharequestforsurrenderwassenttotheRussians,buttheofferwasrefused.Asasecondattemptfailed,Grabowskidecidedtoattackonthemorningof27th.Hewas sureof success,becausehe thought that theenemywas demoralized, but he did not performedanyreconnaissance.Infact,theRussianshadtwiceasmanysoldiersasthePolishforceandduringthenightthey improved their position by preparing an earth-worksonbothsidesoftheroadleadingtoSużany. The Poles left Niemenczyn before dawn.Theywerearrayedasusual-infantryandartilleryinthecentre,cavalryonbothflanks.Theyreachedalongandnarrowgully.Infantryadvancedtothefrontwithguns,cavalrystayedintherear.Bydawn,theinsurgentsreachedtheendofthegully,whichwasblockedbyenemyfortificationsoftheRussianleftwing.Understrongenemyfire,Grabowskiledabravebayonetcharge.LewizcounterattackedwithtwomusketeercompaniesandmomentslatersupportedthemwiththirdcompanyfromNarevandonefromPskov.ThePolishinfantryfalteredandbegunadisorderedretreat,losingbothguns.VolunteersledbyJózefNarbuttattemptedtoflankrightwingoftheRussiansbuttheyweredispersedbyadecisivecounterattackofKirejew`Cossacks.TheweakenedRussiancentrewasattackedbycavalryfrom2ndBrigadeofNationalCavalry,itstroopersperformingadashingcharge,evenreachingtheenemycamp.Colo-nelKirejewstoppedpursuingNarbuttandturnedbacktowardthecamp.BynowthePolishcavalrymenwereindifficultposition-theywereattackedfromtherearbyCossacksandfromtheflanktheywerefiredonbyPskovmusketeers.However,theywereabletocapture60horsesfromthecamp.Pressedbyenemy,thePoleswithdrewtoNiemenczyn.Afewmomentsafterthat,MajorEydziatowiczarrivedwithhiscavalry.MaybethisinterventionhaltedLewiz’sattackontownandsavedGrabowskifromtotaldefeat.LewizwenteasttojoinaregimentofmusketeersofTambovledbyColonelMichaiłIwanoviczDiejew,comingfromdirectionofDyne-burg. Thebattlewasbloody.ThePoleslost98killedand36captured.Thelossofthegunswasalsoaheavyblow.TheRussianslost280killed,46woundedand11CossacksandMusketeerswerecaptured.46horseswerekilledand60takenbythePoles.TherebelsfailedtocrushtheRussianforce,withthelackofreconnai-sanceoftheenemybeingamajorerror.ItisprobablethatLieutenantColonelGrabowskirushedhisdecisiontoattack,withoutthesupportfromEydziatowicz.Paradoxically,thesituationforthePolesimproved-astheRussianshadtowitdrawfurtherfromVilnius.ThecapitalofLithuaniawassafeguardedfromdanger.

Theboardgame“Niemenczyn1794”givesyoutheopportunitytoleadPolishandRussianforcesthatfoughtagainsteachotheron27thApril1794.Analternativescenarioallowsplayerstoseehowthebattlecouldhaveturnedoutifmorecavalryhadtakenpart.WillthePolesentertheenemycamp?OrwillthePolishattacksbestoppedbyRussianmusketandartilleryfire?Theoutcomeofthatbattleisinyourhands.

Fiodor Fiodorowicz Lewiz(1767–1824).Hisfamily came fromScotland and received a nobility titlein second half ofXVIII century. In 1792 Fiodor LewizwasMajorofNarevMusketeers`Regiment. In1793,hewaspromotedtoLieutenantColonel.In1799hebecameaGeneralMajor,andaLieutenantGeneralin1807.


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bythenumberspresentonthecounters.Activationmark-ers(thosewithquestionmark)shouldbeputinanopaquecontainer,likecup,astheywillserveasActivationPool.[3.2]. To help players, game is divided into 6 GameTurns. Each Turn consists of several rounds duringwhichplayersexecutecertainactions.Whenallthede-scribed actions are finished, the TURNmarker needstobemovedontothenextspaceontheturntrack.Thegamefinishesattheendof6thGameTurnorifoneoftheplayersfulfilsconditionsofanautomaticvictory.[3.3].EachGameTurnconsistsofthefollowingactions:Round 1:CreactionofActivactionPool(see13.0Scenari-os).Theremainingcommandercountersaretoberetainedbytheirrespectiveownersandkepthiddenfromtheotherplayer.Round 2:EitherplayerdrawsaCommanderchitfromtheActivationPoolandperformstheactionsdescribedbelowinPhasesOnethroughFive.Note:Playerscandecideforthemselveswhodrawsfirst.Phase1.CommanderActivation.Inthisphasewithdrawnunitsreturntomapboard-see[11.11.3].Phase2.The“ActivatedCommander”maynowmoveanyandallunitsbelongingtohisformation.Duringthisphase,ranged combat, charges and counterattacks may also beconducted.Phase3.MovementoftheActivatedCommander.Phase4.ResolutionofMeleeCombat.Phase5.Ifany“ActivationChits”remainwithintheActi-vationPool,playreturnstoRound2.OncetheActivationPoolisempty,proceedtoRound3.Round 3.Victoryconditionscheck.Ifanyvictorycondi-tions are fulfilledby either oneof theplayers, thegameends.InthisPhase,playersalsochange”Fire”markers–see[10.9.10].AGameTurn isfinishedwhen there are nomoremark-ersremaininginthe,current,ActivationPool;theTURNmarkeristhenmovedontothenextspaceontheturnre-cordtrack.ThesequenceofplaynowreturnstotheRound1segment.[3.4]. Definitions used in the rule book.Identifier-designationoftheunitinaccordancewithhis-toricorganisationofthegivenarmy.Morale-numberonthecounterrepresentingtrainingandmotivationoftheunit.Thehighermorale,thebetterunitis.Moralecanbeloweredbecauseoflosses.Size-numberonthecounterdesignatinghowmanysol-dierswerepresentintheunit.Firepower-ratingonthecounterrepresentingunitcapa-bilities in ranged combat. It is not always equal to Sizeassometimessomesoldiers incertainunitsdidnothaverifles.

Losses. As result of Melee orRangedCombataunitcansustainlosses.To designate current Sizeand Firepower, players need tousemarkers-1/-2.

2.0 Components.Eachgameof„Niemenczyn1794”contains:•arulebook;•amap21x31cmrepresentingterrainofthebattle.Thereisahexgridimposedonamaptoregulatemove-mentofunitsandtodistinguishdistancesbetweenthem.•setof54die-cutcountersconsistingofbothcombatunitsparticipatinginbattleandmarkers;•10-sideddice.

Tableoficonswhichcanbefoundonthecounters:Russians-greenbackground Poles-bluebackground

pplkLewiz pplkGrabowski

commander commander

musketeer infantry

cossack horsevolunteer

artillery cavalry

artillery

Followingpictureshouldexplainmarkingspresentonthecounters:

[2.1].Scaleof thegame.Oneturnrepresents15minutesoftherealtime.Onehexofthemaprepresentsareaofca.100meters.Countersdepictthreekindsofunits,dominat-ingthebattlefieldofthatera-infantry,cavalryandartil-lery.Infantryunitsareorganisedincompanies,cavalryinsquadrons. One artillery counter represents from 2 to 8guns.Onesizepointequals35soldiers.[2.2].Inthegameof„Niemenczyn1794”alltherandomevents are decided by a ten sided dice.A result of “0”shouldbetreatedas“0”,not“10”.

3.0 Gameplay.[3.1]. Players should agree onwhowill leadwhich side-therearetwoarmies:PolishandRussian.Beforebegin-ningthegame,unitsshouldbesetuponhexesdesignated


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•9–contusion.Commandercountershouldbe removedfromActivationPool.Hecannotbeactivatedthatturnun-lesshewasactivatedalready;•from1to8–noeffect.[4.4.2].IfRangedCombatwasresolvedbyArtilleryfromdistanceof3 spaces or lessagainstahexwithacommand-erpresent,afterapplyingtheresulttheplayermustrolladieandfollowtheprocedureexplainedin[4.4.1].[4.4.3].Ifa9isrolledonthedieduringMeleeresolutionagainstahexwithacommanderpresent,afterapplyingtheresults,theplayermustrolladieagainandfollowthepro-cedureexplainedin[4.4.1].

5.0 Facing.In“Niemenczyn1794”unitsmustbeproperlypositionedonthemap.Theillustrationbelowshowstheproperposi-tioningofthecounterinthehex.

[5.1].Commandersdonothaveafacing,norfrontal,flankandrearzones.

6.0 Stacking.Wheneverunitsbelongingtoonearmy(PolishorRussian)areinonehex,astackiscreated.Aunitthatjoinsthestackshouldbeplacedatthebottomofthestack.ThesequenceofunitsinthestackcanonlybechangedintheMovementPhase - it costs all units 1MovementPoint.All units ina stackmust have the same facing. Exception:Artilleryunits,whichcanfaceanyhexspine.[6.1].AftereachPhaseoftheRound2isfinished,nohexcanbeoccupiedbybothinfantryandcavalryunits.[6.1.1].Cavalryunitscanmovethroughhexesoccupiedbyinfantry(reverseisalsotrue)–theonlyexceptionis[6.4][6.1.2].Infantryandcavalryunitscannotcounterattackto-gether–see[8.15][6.2]. Stackinglimits: •InfantrywithSizeof20or•CavalrywithSizeof4or•ArtilleryandInfantrywithSizeof10or•ArtilleryandCavalrywithSizeof2.

Unitssufferlossesasexplainedbelow.Size Losses assertion

6 forntside--„-1”--„-2”--backside--„-1”--„-2”

5 frontside--„-1”--„-2”--backside--„-1”

4 frontside--„-1”--backside--„-1”

3 frontside--„-1”--backside

2 frontside--backside

1 frontsideFrontsideisalwaysprintedwithunit’sstartinghex.When unit cannot sustain any more losses, it iseliminated and removed from the play. MarkersthemselvesdonotreduceMoralerating.Example: 1/I/7 pp lit., with ratings of 7 for Morale, 5 for Size and 5 for Firepower, suffered a loss. It is covered with a -1 marker and its Size and Firepow-er becomes 4 (5-1=4). Morale is left unchanged.Modifier -anumberdeductedoraddedtothere-sultofadieroll.Morale Check.theplayershouldrolladieandcalculatethefinalresultusingapplicablemodifiers. If thefinalre-sultislesserorequaltotheMoralerating,themoraletestis passed.Artillery and commanders do not takeMoraleChecks.Movement Points - representation of unit’s ability tomove(see[8.0]).Melee hex-ahexinwhichunitsfromopposingsidesarepresent.Theyareassumedtobeinclosecombat.Rounding. During calculations necessary for gameplay,fractionsshouldberoundedasfollows.Fractionsfrom0,01to0,49areroundeddown-from0,5theyareroundedup.

4.0 Commanders.[4.1].Thecolouredstripontheunitcounterdesig-nateswhichcommandercancommandanygivenunit.[4.2].Aunitisconsideredas‘InCommand’ifitislocatedno further than 4 (four) hexesawayfromitscommander.Whencalculatingthisdistance,hexesoccupiedbyenemyunitscannotbeused(thoughMeleehexescanbeused).An‘InCommand’unitiseligibletoperformactionsinPhases2and4.[4.3]. If a leader is eliminated, his units remainOut OfCommanduntil theendofgame.Theycannotmove,buttheycanfireanddefendthemselvesinMeleenormally.[4.4].A commander is permanently removed from mapwhen:•allunitsinhiscommandwillbeeliminatedor•unitwithwhichhewasstackediseliminatedor•thecommanderiskilledinMeleeorRangedCombat.[4.4.1].IfRangedCombatisbeingresolvedbyanInfan-tryunitusing row“4-5”or row“6andmore”againstahexwith a commander present, after applying the resulttheplayermustcheck forpossibleCommanderCasualtyandrolladie:•0–meansdeath.Commandercounterisremovedfrommap,nevertoreturn;


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emycavalryenters thehex. In suchcases, friendlyunitsmustpassaMoraleCheck. If it ispassedsuccessfully,aSquareiscreated.Ifnot,theunit/stacksuffersoneloss.[7.2.2].Squareproperties:•alladjacenthexesareconsideredtobeinfrontalzone;•squarescanbetreatedasline(see[8.10])iftheyoccupyadjacenthexes;•intheownersPhaseitispossibletomoveasquarebyonespaceinclearterrain(usingallMPs);•Infantryinsquarecannotattack;•whendefendinginMeleeagainst Cavalry,thereisa+3modifier;•whendefendinginMeleeagainst Infantry,thereisa-1modifier;•inMeleetotalSizeisused,•inRifleFireonlyquarterofFirepowerisused.Note: In “Niemenczyn 1794” only the Russians can form the Square. The Poles do not have enough infantrymen.[7.3]. Cossack’s Lava. If aCossack unit entered an en-emyoccupiedhexthroughtheenemyfrontalzoneandatleastoneoftheflankhexesareempty,thereisachanceofaflankattack.BeforeresolvingMelee,theCossackunitmustpassaMoraleCheck.Ifanartilleryoraninfantryunitisbeingattacked,thedierollshouldbemodifiedby-2.Ifthe test ispassed successfully, themodifier foranattackthroughaflankzoneshouldbeapplied(seeMeleeCombatModifiersTable).

8.0 Movement.[8.1].Generallyspeaking,aunitmovesbyenteringoneoftwohexesinitsFrontalZone.[8.2]. On entering each hex a unit expends MovementPoints(MPs)dependingonthetypesofterrainpresentineachhex.ThecostofdifferenttypesofterraincanbefoundintheTerrainEffectsTable.Commandersalways expend 1 MP,regardlessofterrain.[8.3].AunitcanuseallofitsMovementPointsorsome.[8.4].MPs cannot be saved for the next Phase or trans-ferredtootherunits.[8.5].Unitcanalwaysmovebyonespace,evenifMPcostislargerthanMovementAllowanceoftheunit.Moveendsafterenteringsuchspace,though.[8.6].Aunitcanenteroneofthehexesinitsrearzonebyexpendinganadditional Movement Point.Aunitcannotenterahexoccupiedbyanenemyinthisway.[8.7].Ifaunitwantstochangeitsfacing,itmustturn.Turn-ingby60ºcost1MP.Turningby120ºcost2MPs.Com-mandersdonotchangetheirfacingsincetheyhavenone.[8.8].MovementAllowancefordifferenttypesofunitsareasfollows:•Infantry:4MPs,•cavalry:8MPs(Cossack–9MPs),•Commanders:9MPs.[8.9]. Double time.BeforemovinganInfantry unit,theplayermaydeclarethattheunitwillusedoubletime.Theconsequencesofdoubletimemovementare:•MovementAllowanceisincreasedto6;•unitcannotFire,

[6.2.1].IfastackofinfantryunitshaveSizefrom 6 to 10orstackofcavalry 4,thenplayercandecidethatthoseunitsstacktogether.Suchastackmustbecoveredbya”Line”marker.

Propertiesofa“Line”areasfollows:•whenresolvingFire,Firepowerratingsareaddedtogeth-er–thisisanexceptionto[6.8];•whenthestackisatargetofFireorArtilleryFire,onlytheunitatthetopofthestackissubjecttotheeffectsofthatFire-thisisanexceptionto[6.10].[6.3]. In the Movement Phase units can pass throughfriendlyunitsbutmustpay1additionalMovementPoint.TheydonothavetopayadditionalMPwhenthey:•passthroughahexoccupiedsolelybycommanderor•joinanexistingstack.[6.4]. Units cannot pass through hexes if by entering themstackinglimitswouldbeexceeded-see[6.2].[6.5].Commandersarenotrestrictedbystackinglimits-theycanpassthroughorenteranyhexoccupiedbyfriend-lyunits.[6.6].Markershavenoeffectonstakinglimits.[6.7].UnitsstackedtogetherhavetoresolveMeleetogeth-er-theirSizeshouldbeaddedtogether.[6.8].OnlytheunitatthetopofthestackcanperformRifleFire.Exceptions-ArtilleryunitcanalwaysFire,regardlessofitspositioninthestackandunitsinLine,see[6.2.1][6.9].OnlyaunitatthetopofthestackcanbethetargetofRifleFire.[6.10].AllunitsinahexaresubjecttoeffectsofArtilleryFire(exception-see[6.2.1]).Example 1: 1/I/7 pp lit. and 2/I/7 pp lit. are stacked to-gether. Artillery Fire results in 1M. Each unit has to test their morale.Example 2: The same units participate in Melee Combat and are victorious. They suffer one loss and player has to decide which unit will be weakened.[6.11].Unitsofopposingsidescanbeinthesamehex.En-teringahexoccupiedbyenemyunit(s)costan additional 1 Movement Point.[6.12]. All units retain their formation (exception - see[7.1])andfacinginaMeleehex.Neitherplayercanexceedthestackinglimits[6.2].[6.13].ExitfromaMeleehexispossibleonlyasresultofMeleeresolution(see[11.0])

7.0 Formations.In“Niemenczyn1794”unitsareusuallyformedinlines.Insomecases,though,itispossibletousedifferentformations.[7.1].UnitscannotchangetheirformationinMeleehex.Ex-ception-formingasquareduringcavalrycharge(see[7.2]).

[7.2]. Square.This formationcanbecreatedbyfourinfantrycompanies,ifinClearterrain.The“Square”markerdenotesunitsusingthisformation.ASquarecanonlybeformedintheplayer’s ownMovementPhase and the units

formingtheSquareexpendalltheirMPs.ExitingaSquarecosts1MP-unitschangeformationandadoptanyfacing.[7.2.1].ASquarecanbecreatedatthemomentwhenen-


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[8.15.2].EnemymovementisfinishedandaMeleemustberesolvedimmediately.Counterattackingunitsareconsideredattackers.[8.15.3].Toresolveacounterattack,playersusethepro-cedureexplainedin[11.7].[8.15.4].Oneunit(orstack)maybethetargetofonlyonecounterattack. One counterattack, however, may be per-formedincombinationbyseveralenemyunits(stacks).[8.15.5].Any opposing infantry units, meeting the pre-conditions,mayCounterattackonly onceduringanenemyMovementPhase.[8.15.6].Cavalryunits,meeting thepre-conditions,mayCounterattackasmany timesastheywishduringanene-myMovementphase.Therearenolimits.

The Russian unit cannot be counterattacked by all the Polish units, because rule [6.1] would be broken. A cavalry squadron can choose one option from [9.1C], but it would counterattack single-handedly. Two in-fantry units could counterattack together. Each of them would resolve procedure from [9.1A] separately.

[8.15.6].AcounterattackdoesnotinfluenceaMeleePhasein anyway.All counterattacked units can attack and allcounterattackingunitscanbeattacked.[8.15.7].Otherunitscanbemovedonlyaftertheresolu-tionofacounterattack.[8.16].Aunitorstackmustfinishitsmovementbeforean-otherunitorstackcanbemoved.Onceaunithasjoinedastack,itmustenditsmovementorcontinuetomoveseper-atley.Aunitcanonlymoveoutofastackwhichhasnotmovedonlyatthebeginningofitsmovementorifpassingthrough.

9.0 Reaction on Enemy Movement.[9.1].Whenanenemyunit enters,during itsMovement,theFrontalZoneofafriendlyunit,thenon-phasingplayermaychooseonefromthefollowingoptions:A. Infantry versus enemy infantry.Theunitmay:•holditsgroundandfireuponenemyor•takeaMoraleCheck.Ifitispassed,theunitperformsacounterattack(see[8.15]).IftheMoraleCheckisfailed,theunitmustretreattwo hexes and suffers one Loss.

•unitmustexpendallMovementPoints,•unitcannotchangeformationorfacing,•unitcannotpassthroughfriendlyoccupiedhexes,•unitcannotenterwoodsorgoacrossescarpmenthexsides.[8.10]. Line.Unitsofone typethatbegintheirMovementPhaseonadjacenthexesintheirFlankZonesconstituteaLine.A player can “simultaneously”move all units in aLine.Thisisanexceptionto[8.16].Explanation: This rule allows players to coordinate move-ment and fire of several units at the same time.[8.11]. Movement of Foot Artillery. IntheMovementPhase,afteraCommanderactivation,aunitoffootartil-leryisableto:•changefacinghowevertheplayerwishes-buttheunitcannotFirethisRound;•movetoanadjacentspaceandassumeanyfacing-butonlyiftheunitdidnotfireormovethisTurn.Ahexfor-biddentoinfantryunitscannotbeenteredthisway.Aftermoving,itcannotFireuntiltheendofTurn.

[8.12]. Limbered Artillery.Toenablefastermovement, a player can Limber Artillery.Such an artillery unit receives a ”Limber”marker.FurthermovementinthatActivationisforbidden.CharacteristicsofLimberedAr-

tilleryareasfollows:•cannotFire;•has3MPs;•terraincostsarethesameasforcavalryunits[Drafter’snote:seemsodd.ALimberedartilleryunitwouldstillnotbequiteasmobileasacavalryunit];•cannotenterhexesoccupiedbyenemy;•changeof facingdoesnotcostanythingbutaftercon-cludingmovement,facingmustbedeclared;•unlimbering,thatisreturningtofiringorder,costs1MP.ArtillerycanFireinthenextTurn.•ifattackedinMelee,theunitshouldbetreatedinaccor-dancewithnormalrulesforartilleryunits.[8.13].IntheMovementPhasethereisapossibilityofMe-lee.Attackingunitsarechargingcavalryorcounterattack-ingunits.[8.14]. Cavalry charge. [8.14.1].Achargecantakeplaceifcavalryunit(stack):•movedatleast3hexesduringitsmove:•didnotchangefacingorFire•didnotpassthroughawoodshex;•didnotpassthroughfriendlyunits(alsoartillery);•didnotcrossedescarpmenthexsides.[8.14.2].Toresolveacharge,theplayermustfollowthepro-cedureexplainedin[11.7].[8.14.3].Ifchargingcavalryisvictorious,itcanmovefur-therontheconditionthatithasMPsremaining.Itcanalsochargeintoanotherhex.[8.14.4]. A cavalry unit may attack after performing acharge,regardlessofitsresult,inPhase4.[8.15]. Counterattack.[8.15.1].Ifaplayerdecidesandisabletomakeacounter-attack(see[9.0]),achosenunitmustbemovedintoahexoccupiedbyanenemyunit.


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There is a visibility between Russian cavalry squadron and Polish „kosynierzy” unit.

[10.1.3]. Escarpmentdoesnotblockvisibilitywhenbothunits are adjacent to each other. In other situations, vis-ibilityisblocked.

Russian units on A and B hexes can see Polish unit. Rus-sian Cossacks on hex C cannot see Polish infantry.

[10.2].TheLineofSight(LoS)isalineconnectingpointsin themiddle of two hexes.One hex contains the targetunit, the other hex contains thefiringunit.ALoS existswhenthereisvisibility(measuringthroughthefrontalzoneofafiringunit).[10.3].RangedcombatispossibleonlywhenLoScanbetraced.[10.3.1].WhentheLoScrossesaflankzoneorrearoftheTargetunit,theMoraleCheckisperformedwith+1modi-fier.[10.3.2].WhentheLoSgoesthroughahexsidebetween fron-tal and flank zone,modifiermentionedaboveisnotused.[10.4].Playersresolverangedcombat takingturns,alter-nately.Thenon-phasingplayerfiresfirstwithanyofhisunit(s)–see[10.9.6].Afterthat,enemycanmoveorfire.Example: In the 2nd Turn pulkownik Kirejew is activated. The Polish player can fire one salvo with one unit or units (see [10.9.6]) currently on board. After the effects of that fire have been resolved, the Russian Player can move or fire with a unit under Kirejew’s command or open fire with any infantry or cavalry unit from the Russian army.

B. Infantry versus enemy cavalry.The unitmay:•holditsgroundandfireuponenemy.C. Cavalry versus enemy infantry.The unitmay:•holditsgroundandfireuponenemyor•performcounterattack(see[8.15])or•retreattwo hexes.D. Cavalry versus enemy cavalry. Thecavalryunitmaychoosefromtheoptionsavailableunderpoint[9.1A].E.Cossackscanalwaysretreattwo hexes.[9.2].AunitintheMeleehexcannotchooseanyoptionfrom[9.1].[9.3].Inthecaseofstacks,aMoraleCheckforcounterat-tackpossibilityisresolvedonce,usingonlytheratingsoftheunitontopofthestack.[9.4].Artillery unit can fire upon only enemy units.AnykindofMovementintheenemy`sMovementPhaseisnotallowed.[9.5].Playersshouldmovetheirunitsinawaythatpermitswtheiropponenttoreactaccordingly.

10.0 Ranged Combat. In “Niemenczyn 1794” there aretwo types of Ranged Combat:Rifle (from infantry and cavalryunits)andArtilleryFire.

[10.1]. Visibility,which isgenerallyassumed tobepos-sible, is establishedbetween twounits if a line connect-ing the point in themiddle of their hexes is not passingthrough:•awoodshex,•otherunits(exceptartilleryandcommanders).Hexsideoftheblockinghexalsoblocksvisibility.

Between those two units there is no visibility. [10.1.1].Slopedonotblockvisibility.[10.1.2].Thereisvisibilitybetweentwounits,regardlessofanyobstaclesmentionedin[10.1],ifbothofthemarelocatedonhills.Inotherwords,objectsinthevalleydonotblockvisibility.


9

[10.9.7].IfinfantryorcavalryunitsFireforthefirst time,theMoraleCheckreceives+1modifier.[10.9.8]. If infantry or cavalry units Fire for the second time,nomodifierisused.[10.9.9].IfinfantryorcavalryunitsFireforthethird or fourth time,theMoraleCheckreceives-1modifier.Example, continued: Lets assume that 1/I/1 pp was with marked with a Fire 3 marker and 1/I/3 pp with Fire 1 mark-er. We use the most beneficial modifier when resolving Fire. 1/Woroneski has to test its Morale. Final modifier in this case is 0 (1{1M}- 1=0). [10.9.10].InRound3ofeveryTurn,infantryandcavalryunits thatFired thatTurnreceiveaFire1marker.Tore-movethatmarkerinasubsequentTurn,theunitmustex-pend1MPinitsmovementsegmentafter the first activa-tion of the Leadercommandingthatunit.[10.10]. Artillery Fire.[10.10.1].Everyunitofartilleryhasthesamefieldoffireanditseffectisasdepictedbelow.

[10.10.2].Thefireof every artilleryunit needs tobe re-solvedseparately.Aplayercannotuseartilleryfiretogetherwithfirefromanyothertypeofunit.[10.10.3].Everyunitofartillerycanfire:·once in the Movement Phaseaftertheactivationofitsownside’sappriopriate commander,and·once in the Movement Phaseafter each activation of any enemy commander. Inotherwords, thenumberofpossibleFiresdependsonnumberofLeadersintheActivationPool.[10.10.4].Assoonastheplayerdeclaresartilleryfire,itseffectisimmediatelyresolved.IftheresultduringaMoraletestisa”0”(nottakinganymodifiersintoconsideration),theartilleryunitcannotFireanymorethatparticularTurn.Thisrulesimulatestechnicaldifficultiesofartilleryunits.[10.10.5].TomarkanartilleryunitthatFired,itscountermustbeflippedtothereverseside.AttheconclusionoftheMovementPhase,artilleryunitsshouldbeflippedtotheir”not-fired”side.TheonlyexceptionisFootArtilleryunitsthatmovedduring thatActivation – see [8.11] andgunssufferingfromtechnicalproblems–see[10.10.4].ThoseunitscanbeflippedbackattheendoftheTurn.[10.10.6].Ifthetargetoftheartilleryfire,atarangeof6 hexes away or less,isasingleartilleryunit–thatis,not

[10.5].Ifthereisanenemyinafrontalzoneofafriendlyunit,onlythatenemycanbethetargetofFire.[10.6]. Aunit inaMeleehex(see[3.4])cannotFireorbeFiredupon.

[10.7].AunitwhichmustRetreatunderFire(see[10.11])cannotcontinueitsmovement.Itreceivesa”Stop”marker.[10.8].MaximumrangeofFiredependsontypeoftheunit:

•Infantry:3hexes,•Cavalry:2hexes,•Artillery:10hexes.[10.9]. Rifle Fire. [10.9.1].EachunitcanFirefourtimesperTurn.Theplayermust declare his decision to Fire during the MovementPhaseandresolvetheprocedureexplainedin[10.9.4].[10.9.2].AunitfiringinitsownMovementPhaseexpend1MP.[10.9.3]. UnitsthatdonothaveaFirepowerratingcannotFire.[10.9.4]. Rifle Fire Procedure:a)Firepowershouldbedividedbydistanceinhexestothetarget;b)Resultshouldberoundedinaccordancewith[3.4];c)OntheRifleFireTable,theplayershouldfindtherowcorrespondingtotheresultfromb)andreadtheeffectoftheFired)EffectofFireshouldbeappliedimmediately.Afterfiring,theunitshouldbemarkedwiththeappropriatemarker–“1”/”2”/”3”/”4”–todenotehowmanytimestheunithasfiredthisTurn.[10.9.5].Theprocedureexplainedaboveisnotusedifthetargetisanenemyartilleryunitnotstackedwithanynon-artilleryunit.Insuchacase,theartilleryunitisdestroyedandtheplayerreceivesVictoryPointsifallthefollowingconditionsarefulfilled:•distancebetweentargetandfirerisonehex•Firepowerisequaltoorhigherthan3,•dierollresultislowerthanFirepower.[10.9.6].SimultaneousFirefromseveralunitsatonetargetispossible. It iscrucial,however, thatunits of one type only occupy adjacent hexes in their Flank Zones and each unit has LoS to the target (according to [10.2]).Inaccordancewith[10.9.4A], thehighestFirepoweramongthe firing units should be considered. Next, the playershouldapplytheresultfounddowntheRifleFireTablebyasmanyrowsastherearehexesfromthefiringunitstothetarget,minusone.

1/I/1 pp i 1/I/3 pp occupy adjacent hexes and they fire together at I/Woroneski. Basic row in Table is “2-3”. Be-cause two units are firing, the player should apply the result found one row down - “4-5”. The effect of this fire is 1M. The Russian unit has to pass a Morale Check, but to the die roll the player has to add one (+1).


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[11.6].MeleeCombatPhaseisoverwhentheconditionsexplainedin[11.2]arefulfilled.[11.7]. Melee Combat Procedure:a) the attacking player designates theMelee hex,whereresolutionwilltakeplace(andremember[11.1]and[11.2])b)both players rolladieandapplyallpossiblemodifiers–thesearefoundontheMeleeCombatModifiersTablec)modifiedresultsmustbecomparedtoeachother.ThesidewiththelowerresultlosestheMelee.Inthecaseofatie,victorygoestotheattackingside(playershavetoassumethatthedifferencebetweendierollswasequalto1forpurposeofWithdrawal).[11.8]. Effects of Melee Combat:•victoriousunitssufferoneloss,theyremaininthehexandcanchangetheirfacinghowevertheywish.Ifthedifferencefrom[11.7c]is”6ormore”,attackersdonotsufferaLossatall.• defeated units suffer two losses and Withdraw (see[11.11]).[11.9].IfastheresultofMeleeavictoriousunitiselimi-nated,theowningplayermustresolveaMoraleCheck.Ifitispassedsuccessfully,theunitdoesnotsufferanylossesandremainsinthehex.Thisruleisappliedwhenvictori-ousunithasSizeof1beforetheMeleebegan.[11.10].ChargeandcounterattackareatypeofMeleeCombat,resolvedduringMovementPhase.[11.11]. Withdrawal. BecauseofdefeatinMeleeCombat,losingunitsmustWithdrawasexplainedbelow:[11.11.1].Aunit(orstack)mustberemovedfrommapandputontotheTurn/VPTrack.[11.11.2]. On the Withdrawal Table the player shouldfind the rowwith the difference from [11.7.c].The sec-ondcolumnshowswhenthelosingunitcanreturntothemap.Example: 1/I/7 pp lit. and 2/I/7 pp lit. have lost Melee in 3rd Turn with difference of 4. They will return in 5th Turn. [11.11.3]. Aunitreturnstothemapatthemomentwhenitscommanderisactivated.Areturningunitcannotmove.Ifitscommanderwasnotactivated,theunitmustbemovedintothenextspaceofTurn/VPTrack.[11.11.4]. Areturningunitmustbeputintothehexoccu-piedbycommanderorintoanyadjacenthex.ItcannotbeputintoMeleehex.Iftheunit’scommanderisnotonthemap,unitsreturnonhexesspecifiedbelow:•PolishArmy-hex0109,•RussianArmy-hex1108,Ifthosehexesareoccupiedbyenemyunits,thereturningunitmustbemovedintothenextspaceofTurn/VPTrack.[11.11.5]. Aunitisconsideredtobeeliminatedwhenithastoreturnafter6thTurn.Example: 1/I/7 pp lit. and 2/I/7 pp lit. lost Melee in 5th Turn with difference of 7. They will not return to the map and are eliminated.[11.12]. Morale Crisis.Theunithas to takeaMoraleCheckwhenafriendlyunit/stackinanadjacenthexiswithdrawnfromaMeleeHex.Ifthecheckissuccessful,theunitremainsinplace.Ifnot,itretreatesbyonehex,inaccordancewith[10.11].

stackedwithanyothertypeofunit–theplayermustrolladie.ForPolishartillery,theplayerappliesa+1modifier.Ifthefinalresultishigherthanthedistancebetweenthefiringunitandthetargetunit,theplayermustrollthedieagain.Ifthesecondresultis0,theartilleryunitthatwasfiredatshouldbeconsideredascaptured(forVictoryPointscalcu-lation;see[10.10.9]).[10.10.7].Asingleartilleryunit inahexdefends likeaninfantryunitwithaSizeof1.IftheattackingplayerwinstheMelee, any guns in theMelee hex are captured (see[10.10.9]).[10.10.8].Ifanartilleryunitisstackedwithafriendlyunit,itdoesnot influenceMeleeCombat inanyway. If thosefriendlyunitshavetoWithdraw,thegunswillbecaptured[10.10.9].[10.10.9]. Players receive 2Victory Points for capturingthegunsand2VictoryPointsforrecapturingofone`sownguns.Neitherplayercanfireusingcapturedorrecapturedguns–itisassumedthatenemyhadenoughtimetodam-agethem.[10.11]. Retreat.Aunitretreatsunderfire,reactiontoen-emymovement(see[9.1])orMoraleCrisis(see[11.12])intooneoftwohexesinitsrearzone.[10.11.1]. During a retreat, unit does not expendMove-mentPointsnoritcanchangefacing.[10.11.2].During a retreat unit can join a friendly stack(thecountermustbeplacedatthebottomofthestack)–theunitmustassumethefacingofthestack.[10.11.3].Unitretreatingacrossescarpmenthexsideorupaslopemustsufferoneloss,evenifitretreatsbyaroad.[10.11.4].Aunitsuffersonelossifitretreatsintoahexinanenemyunit’sfrontalzone.[10.11.5].Aunitcannotretreatoffthemaporintoahexoccupiedbyanenemyunit. If thoseare theonlypos-sibilities,it is eliminated.[10.11.6].Aunitis eliminatedifitcannotfulfilthecon-ditionsspecifiedin[6.1]or[6.2].[10.11.7].Acommandercanretreatbyonehex,duringanyphase, if an enemyunit is about tomove into anadjacenthex.

11.0 Melee Combat.MeleeCombathappensinPhase4oftheroundand/orintheMovementPhase(counterattack,charge).[11.1].MeleeCombatcantakeplaceonlywhenbothen-emyand friendlyunitsoccupy thesamehex.Theplayermustattackall enemyunitswithall friendlyunits–Sizesshouldbeaddedtogether.[11.2]. All units under an activated commander, whichfulfilconditionsfrom[11.1],mustresolveMeleeCombat.Theyareconsideredtobeanattacker.[11.3].Anyunitcanattackorbeattackedonly once in a given Phase–exceptions:cavalrycharge(see[8.14])andcavalrycounterattack(see[8.15.16]).[11.4].Theactiveplayerdecides thesequence inwhichMeleesaretoberesolved.[11.5].ThenextMeleecanberesolvedonlywhentheprocedureexplainedin[11.7]hasbeenfinished.


11

attacktowaitforMajorEydziatowicz’sforce.

TheRussianstartingpositionsaregivenontheircounters.ThePolishstartingpositions -anyhexonsouthernedgeofthemap.Artillerybeginsthegamewitha“Limbered”marker.

InthefirstTurnintheActivationPoolthereareonlyPolishleaders(GrabowskiandEydziatowicz)FromthesecondTurnonwards:-Poles -Grabowski orEydziatowicz - pickedbyPolishplayer;-Russians-LewizorKirejew–thechoiceisuptoRussianplayer.

Undecided battle-identicalconditions,asinScenarioI.

Design:AdamNiechwiejCounterdesign:JacekGrzesiowski,KatarzynaTretyn-Zecevič.Coverart:KatarzynaTretyn-Zecevič.http://kt-z.plSpecialthankstoBrendanClarkandRyszardTokarczukforthiercontributionsinEnglishversionofrules.

Pleasesendallquestionstothefollowinge-mailaddress:[email protected]

©2014STRATEGEMATAandAdamNiechwiej

[11.12.1].Artillery,LeadersandunitsoccupyingaMe-leeHexarenotsubjecttotheaboverule.

12.0 Victory Conditions.[12.1].PlayersgainVictoryPoints(VPs)for:•eliminationofenemyunitsbyRangedCombatorMoraleCrisis–1VP;•victoriousMeleeCombat–1VP;•captureofenemyartilleryunit–2VP;•recaptureofplayer`sownartillery–2VP;•killingofanenemycommander–3VP.[12.2].ThecurrentVPtallyshouldbeshownontheTurn/VPTrackusing“PZ”counter.Example: The Russian player has 3 VPs. If he loses the next four Melees, the VP marker has to be placed on space 1, on the reverse (Polish) side.[12.3].After theresolving lastgameturnvictorygoes totheArmywhose side is shownon thePZcounter. IfPZmarkerisn`tpresentonTurnTrack,thebattleisconsideredtobewonbyRussianArmy.[12.4].ItispossibletoendthegamebeforethelastTurn.Whoeverhas4VPsatRound3ofanyTurn,wins.Beforestartingthegame,playerscanarrangeotherlimitsfortheVictoryPoints.

13.0 Scenarios.[13.1]. Scenario I - historical.Setuppresents the situationatdawn.Polishunitsare in-side thegully. Infantryandartilleryare inmarchingcol-umnprotectedfromflanksbycavalry.LieutenantColonelStefanGrabowskiorderstheattackonRussianearthworks.

StartingpositionsofPolishandRussianunitsaregivenonthecounters.Polishgunsaremarkedwithcounters“Limbered”.

Note:Inthisvariant,theunitsledbyMajorIgnacyEydzia-towiczdonotappear.

InthefirstTurnintheActivationPoolthereisonlyamark-erforGrabowski.InthesecondTurnintheActivationPool:-Poles-Grabowski-Russians-LewizFromthirdTurnonwards:-Poles-Grabowski-Russians-LewizorKirejew-Russianplayerpicksoneleaderinsecret.Undecided battle.Ifatanygivenmoment,anyPolishunitisinhex1108(markedwithbluestar),itisconsideredthat,regardlessofVictoryPoints,thePoleswereabletoentertheenemycamp.IfsubsequentlytheRussiansachieveanautomaticvictoryorhavemoreVPsattheendofplay-thefinalresultisinfactadraw.

[13.2]. Scenario II – alternative.InthisscenariobothplayerscancheckhowthebattlecouldturnoutifLieutenantColonelGrabowskihaddelayedhis


12

Melee Combat Modifiers.Terrain modifiers

+1–DefenderisinWoodshex-1–attackingunitenteringtheMeleehex,goingupwardsthroughescarpmentorslopehexside

Formation modifiers-1–defenderinsquare,againstattackinginfantry+3–defenderinsquare,againstattackingcavalry

Facing modifiers+4–attackerentermeleehexfromdefenderrearzone+2–attackerenteredmeleehexfromdefenderflankzone

Weapon system modifiers+2–chargeofcavalry–4–ifstandingaloneartilleyunitparticipateincombat

Size modifiers (beneficial for larger side)+1–sizeratio2:1advantage+2–sizeratio3:1advantage+3–sizeratio4:1andabove

Leadership modifiers+1–unitisInCommandduringMelee(see[4.2])

Rifle Fire.Result Effect0-1 --2-3 M4-5 1M

6andmore 2M

Explanations:---noeffectM –Morale Check (see [3.4]). If test fails, unit has toretreatonehex.#M–Playerneedstoaddtothedieroll#.Iftestfails,unithastoretreatonespace.

ModifiersforMoraleCheck:-1–targetunit(s)isinWoodshexorLoScrossRamparthexside(*)-1–cavalryunitisfiring+1–whenfiringatunit(s)insquare(*)+1–LoStotargetiscomingthroughflankorrearzoneoftargetunit(*)+1–unitisFiringforthefirsttimeinTurn-1–unitisFiringforthethirdorfourthtimeinTurn

(*)–modifierappliestoArtilleryFire

Ifmodifieddierollequals9ormore,unitsuffersalossandmustretreatonehex.

Terrain Effects Table.Infantry Cavalry

Clear 1 1Up slope +1 +1

Down slope noeffect noeffectEscarpment, upwards +2 +3

Escarpment, downwards +1 +1

Rampart +1 +1Road always1 always1

Woods 2 3

Withdrawal.Difference in melee

Turn of return

1-2 +13-5 +2

6andmore* +3

* - victorious units do not suffer anyLosses

BOARD WARGAME NIEMENCZYN 1794 - Strategemata · STRATEGEMATA Niemenczyn 1794 2 1.0 Introduction. The Vilnius uprising began during the night of 22nd and 23rd April of 1794. Polish

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