Victory Without Quarter - Deluge

This game was played on Dec 23. It was a winter scenario using Victory Without Quarter, an encounter between Polish and Swedish forces.
The table was set up with two hills in the centre and eastern table edge and a village with walls on the west.
This time smaller units had been used: 4/5 for cavalry (where they had narrower bases) and 12 for infantry.

Polish OOB
CIC
2x Brigadiers (1 infantry, 1 cavalry)
1x Husaria [veterans]
2x Pancerni
1x Volunteers [raw recruits]
2x (commanded) Haiduks
1x Field gun
[Reserve on 1d6: 4- commanded Haiduks, 5+ regular cavalry]

Swedish OOB
CIC
2x Brigadiers (1 infantry, 1 cavalry)
1x Reiters
3x infantry regiments [1 veteran]
1x Regimental gun
[Reserve on 1d6: 4- Reiters, 5+ infantry]

The Polish cavalry advance on their left flank. During the first few turns the Poles could move constantly and had got most of their cavalry in position for an attack. They soon captured the regimental gun, it could only fire once after it's been carried atop a hill.

But breaking trained Swedish infantry is no small job, the Swedes crush the pancerni and repulse the Husaria.

The Polish command with the field gun. These large pieces cannot be moved during the game and it did not do much besides causing an odd hit in the Swedish ranks.

The Polish reinforcements turned out to be a third band of Haiduks, the three units now march forward, towards the village.

A Swedish march column gets there first, only to have all the enemy's cards dealt before it can act.

The Husaria is swept away (so is the Swedish cavalry) and the veteran regiment arrives at the cannon only to fail a charge. Luckily enough they survive until the next turn and manage to take it out.

Fresh Polish reinforcements, a group of volunteers attack the Scots but there is little success.

The Swedish reinforcements are a Reiter regiment and they do as much damage to the Haiduks as possible. Gunfire routs two Swedish regiments of foot and the veterans have to take the village alone - they throw one group outside the walls which rallies and counter-charges, and this time the Scots lose - they manage to retreat in order but the surrounding woods are teeming with routed soldiers from both sides.

Observations

As Polish armies rely on cavalry, they should be more able to withstand frontal assaults. They are a finicky lot to control well enough not to allow the enemy to react to charges. Lots of cavalry means immediate close contact so they will have less chance to 'soften up' the enemy with gunfire.

We took out one 'Turn over' card during gameplay as with 5-6 units a side it gave too much friction. The players questioned that it should really be one deck for both sides, but as it is a substitute for 'I go - you go', it was done right. The whole goal is to provide a chance for one side to act in unison or both sides to move quasi simultaneously, preserving their units' cohesion.

A large battle with more than one controlling player a side would go on normally, except when a unit's command is contested, the card will either switch ownership by moving to the other half of the table, or a die would be rolled and the card could stay in place. Competing allies on a battlefield is fun, but not for the troops.