This is a handy guide to bringing you up to speed with the scenario in general, and the 3.0 play in particular.
In the photo below, I have shown the river crossing points available to the Austrians. Of note is the Monte Castello crossing at the top of the map. This crossing was not used historically, but it did exist. Also of note is the fact that six of the blocks for each army are either unpacked Baggage Trains or Detachments, which means that neither army is quite so numerous as first appears. Also, French reinforcement are placed near where they will appear.
The situation, at first glance, is pretty straight forward; the Austrians need to breakout and reach their supply lines by nightfall (end of turn 8). There are however, some complications.
First off, is supply. At the end of turn 8 any units unable to trace a supply line are considered eliminated for victory point purposes. Alexandrie is an Austrian supply source during the game, but after turn 8 the Austrians must have captured one of their supply lines or they lose.
If a Baggage Train cannot trace a line of supply to a supply line, they cannot recover spent units.
Secondly is the time crunch. Austria gets a surprise turn 0 that allows them to get a jump on the French. They need this. If you measure in 2/3 inf move increments from the crossing east of Alexandrie to the eastern map edge, it will take them almost all game to reach their supply lines. The French don’t need to defeat them so much as delay them without being defeated themselves.
In the game setup I have pictured, the Austrians are investing the northern route heavily. I want to see if they have any better luck moving up the road in column and cutting out over half the time to get to their nearest supply line. I have artillery massed in the center with some infantry escort in hopes of drawing off some French responsiveness, or make them pay for abandoning the center. In the south I am threatening the French supply lines, again to drain off the critically overstretched French army. I want to have something to distract Desaix when he appears!
The question I have about this strategy is whether or not having to snake the Austrian army out in a long road column is going to be their undoing.
Pub Battles: Home Brew 