Day One: French Orders

In the interests of showing proof-of-concept and demonstrating how easy it is to run a campaign in this manner, I've asked the players for permission to share their written orders.  Here they are in all their original glory.  This might seem like old news, but it's worth preserving for posterity, and for illustrative purposes as to how easy a GM can make this kind of off-line semi-solo wargame for his players.

Both players helpfully included maps showing the intended routes of march for all three forces at their disposal.  As you can see, the French player went into more detail, even going so far as to re-organize his forces to include a separate cavalry detachment.  That's smart play, but my collection can't handle that many horses on the board at once, so we had to work around it a little bit.

The tiny text might be hard to read, so the player sent me the following message as well:

• COMMANDER’S INTENT

• Secure supplies from local civilian population while maintaining contact with and deceiving the enemy into committing his main force on the wrong axis. 

• CROSS ATTACHMENTS

• Hussars under LCL Le Noloc TACON to LCL Locataire

• Regular INF under LCL Locatair TACON LCL Le Noloc

• Dragoons, Light Infantry, Artillery piece TACON to LCL Le Noloc

• HUMINT assets [edit note: he means the SPY] at TANTRUM ON THE GREEN to turn the signs at fork from HOPETON to an unused path (A or B) to create traffic jam confusion. Determine and report any commander and dispositions.

• SECONDARY EFFORT: LCL Mur seize ORANGE CHICKEN BRIDGE, prepare bridge for demolition and fortify for defense along E-W axis.

• MAIN EFFORT: LCL Locataire. Find, Harry, and maintain contact with eny down BECCAVILLE-HOPETON-TANTRUM road. Hussars secure supplies if opportunity arises. Lancers to remain a mobile screening force.

• LCL LE NOLOC advance overland through BEASLY FARM. Secure its supplies and proceed directly to YOUNG CROSSING. Establish screening position on heights SW of YOUNG CROSSING.

Note that I did not include any rules or suggestions that moving signs would be an option.  In a game like this, anything that is not proscribed is permitted, subject to the GMs judgement.  In this case, the British being more familiar with the terrain, I gave the ploy a chance to succeed.