"Are there any skirmish rules for 18th cent warfare?" Topic

I've had my eye of Crusader, Front Rank and others for a while now but I'm not that thrilled with buying a whole lot of soldiers to fight the 7YW, WSS or GNW.

Is there a skirmish ruleset for this period similar to Sharp Practice or Song of Drums and Shako?

Otto
noizehive.blogspot.com

But SP and SDS will work perfectly well, at least for the mid-18th Century. Different games, of course, since the high end of SDS (maybe 30 figures?) would be the low end of SP.

True, you need to classify troop types, but there are enough examples in each set to give you an idea of how to classify a grenzer or an early hussar.

I don't know enough about the WSS or GNW, but a few special rules to cover troop and weapon types (grenades, plug bayonets) should be easy enough to graft on.

You could always try Black Powder Battles from TwoHourWwargames. There is a free download of army lists for the SYW and converting it to GNW would not be hard at all.

WRG does a nice one. Flint&Steel (or maybe its Fire&Steel)

Inaddition to Blackpowder Battle, THW also offers Mayhem: Muskets & Mohawks for free.

Sharp Practice works wonderfully for this period.

I'm using "Brother against Brother" for AWI skirmishing. Don't know why it couldn't work for others, such as 7YW?

-David G.

A second for Fire and Steel by WRG. Small combat units; I think 8 figures max.
Reloading rules; aimed fire; primitive weapons; spears, axes etc. I think my copy came from On Military Matters.

Oggie

What's the BIG differences between a horse and musket skirmish in the SYW, AWI, FIW, Nap, War of 1812 as far as rules mechanics anyway?? The weapons are nearly identical, troop types (that skirmish) are similiar whether regulars or militia, or natives. Tactics are certainly common! Do we really need specific rulesets for every conflict, or can something more generic be utilized with some modifers for particular types?? Troop types vary quite a bit in appearance of uniform (if they have one) and equipment, but vary not as much in how they behave while in the middle of a skirmish!

Just think there are lots of good choices already done that fill the bill for SYW without being specific(as stated Sharp Practice and so on)!

Woodland Wars by Tom Kelly is a nice set of skirmish rules. I've adapted it to the SYW, calling my version "Croat Terror".

I think Advocate is right. There would be enough troop types to convert them to 18th cent. Thanks for the info guys!

Otto

Black Powder Battles and TSATF both work well. As others have said before, for TSATF just substitute names, i.e. if doing FIW use Boers as colonials, etc.

We use 'GLORY!' which was first released in 1981. It is now available on a few FREE rules sites.

The system covers 1750 until 1900. Possible as the weapons effectiveness classifications allowed all manner of weapons to be rated. A skirmish man to man system. The original was a slower play than the 2000 revision which is most often played now.

Oh yes, Gloire and it's various supplements also do skirmish in the black powder era. Very small skirmished,usually fewer than 4 figures per player.

Dave,
My GLORY! is not the more recent release by a similar name. But you are right I have seen those rules used at conventions for this era as well.

This very ground is FIW.
To my mind, FIW is about skirmishing and SYW is about big battles.
British Grenadier seems interesting for sort of mid sized gaming. Although I have a copy, only read it.

So many miniatures. So few decades to paint them.

Re in Otto's opening post "but I'm not that thrilled with buying a whole lot of soldiers to fight the 7YW, WSS or GNW."

Can someone remember to remind Otto of this in 10 years time.

It's like "no one notices a slice from a cut cake" but in in reverse

Jeremy,

I said the same thing when I was considering buying 15mm Spanish and British Naps…now I have hundreds of them!

:-)

Otto

I use Legends of the Old West. The Lord of the Rings yahoo group is full of variants.