We played the pick-up game scenario and I rolled snake-eyes for terrain so placed just one piece, a village in the middle of the table, to Andy's five. The table was split in two by river running from one player's side to the other.
I was to be the defender and chose my side and deployed first. Andy had put the objectives wide apart and so I decided to defend just the one on the crossing on my right flank.
I placed the last objective on the smaller side of the river, across from my army. Andy deployed his forces split up across the whole table, hoping to do a sweeping action onto my flank.
Andy swept around my left flank using the village in the centre as a pivot and also advanced on my right. His first artillery shot in the centre hit one of my heavy artillery units, forcing it to retire. I was less than happy about that!
The village in the centre however was to work against Andy. I spotted a way up the centre advancing with the village as a shield and threatening his artillery. I would have my revenge on those!
Meanwhile I moved some artillery I had behind the river in the centre into a better position where they could hit Andy's assault as the advanced on me. On my right flank I also shot as he advanced.
What followed was several turns of advancing and shooting with artillery. I certainly gained the advantage here with my superior artillery damaging his advancing units.
Eventually I reached his artillery in the centre, destroyed it with a cavalry charge and then headed back towards his attacks.
Andy decided it was time to bring his Cavalry Reserve into play and they moved up to attack my central advanced corps. I put a couple of trailing infantry brigades into square to dissuade him from advancing much further as I wanted to keep pummelling his attacking force with my artillery in the centre without him getting any support.
As Andy got close to my artillery I moved up some infantry units right behind them to support.
On the other flank Andy decided to stop and shoot at me, using his skirmishing advantage. I brought cavalry and artillery around and forced him on to the defensive. I assaulted and started killing brigades.
On the left, Andy pushed my heavy artillery back in an assault, routing one unit. This revealed my supporting infantry and they opened fire. Meanwhile my centre cavalry came onto the flanks of his infantry, but he brought light cavalry up to screen them
Andy's cavalry reserve advanced into the centre. My infantry and cavalry assaulted but didn't manage to defeat Andy's right flank forces.
As we ran out of time, I'd only lost a single unit, Andy had lost five. It didn't look like he would be able to make that difference up and it was only going to be a matter of time before I destroyed the two units I needed as much of Andy's force was in retreat. Andy resigned.
A great game and the first time I've beaten Andy. A good start to playing with the Russian army, which certainly seems to be a strong one.