"Command Piquet vs. Field of Battle" Topic

I'm in the market for a set of rules for Horse & Musket (Naps with half an eye on ACW) and, from what I've read online, the Piquet family of rules are the ones which sound the most appealing to me.

Piquet itself seems like it would be too involved for my taste. I've heard good things about the "fast play" variant FoB but very little about Command Piquet which I think I'm right in saying lies somewhere between the two in terms of complexity.

At £25.00 GBP a throw I don't really want to buy both especially if they are essentially the same game at heart. Can the ever helpful denizens of TMP tell me…

1)How do the two compare in terms of game length/set up time?
2)Are there any substantial differences or is it just more or less chrome in each case?
3)FoB (or so I've read) gives both players the same amount of initiative unlike classic Piquet. What does Command Piquet do?
4)FoB is very suitable for multi-player (or so I've read), what about Command Piquet?
5)FoB sometimes allows players to move units up to 3 times in a turn. Does Command Piquet also allow this kind of multi-move?

Not asking much am I? Thanks in advance for any info.

I own both games and they are VERY similar superficially. However when you dig into what one might call the 'elegance' of the game FOB comes out ahead. The initiative has been modified to the Command dice rolling against each other rather than two d20s and both sides then get the same amount of initiative, not just the winner. There's fewer 'mood swings' in FOB than CP.

I could go into it a lot more but the simple truth is there isn't anything in CP that you can't do in FOB, including change the playing scale and ranges if you wish. All that CP does is give two scales using exactly the same rules engine.

So my advice is without any doubt go for FOB.

I would also certainly recommend Field of Battle as the better choice. I own a copy of Command Piquet, and I think it would be an interesting game in its own light, but I have never played it, and I've been heavily involved in all things Piquet for over 10 years, including contributions to the 2nd edition Master Rules, Archon 2nd edition, Les Grognards 2nd edition, and authoring 2 Piquet sets myself. If you like Field of Battle and want to explore variant ideas, then consider buying Command Piquet second for the differing ideas.

FoB is much better suited to more than 2 players per side, IMHO. In many ways, CPK was an evolutionary step towards FoB.

BTW, I think all of the suplements based upon the Master Rules are excellent sets, but best for 1-2 players per side, although with various modifications, I have run much larger games with 5 players a side using them.

Peter Anderson

I'd still go for classic Piquet over Field of Battle or Command PK. Classic PK is not difficult at all to grasp, and is far more exciting and challenging than FoB or Command PK, IMHO. I find FoB boring.

That said, if you absolutely must choose between Command PK or FoB, go with FoB. It's a tighter, better thought-out system than Command PK.

I have FOB and classic PK.. I'd recommend the FOB.

No info on Command PK..

Hey Gonsalvo.. where's Din of Battle II..?? :-)
(Colonials supplement, for the non-PK types)

I thought Eric B was doing DOB II.

I am a Piquet fan. However, I have found that FOB is a better fit for me. None of the issues regular Piquet has. FOB is about playing the game and not so much focus on what to do for each unit with each card. Simpler mechanics and you'll likely find it's one of the most popular Piquet sets out there.

I wouldn't switch.

Thanks,

John

Well, that's conclusive. CPk – 0, FoG – 5. Looks like I'll be buying FoB sometime this week.

Thanks for your input, all!

TS:

Eric and company are still working on Din of Battle 2nd edition. They've been playing quite a few games in that periuod, so my gues is it will be out in 2010.

Peter

BTW, for games with 4 or fewer players, I agree, I still prefer "traditional" Piquet. There are a lot more decisions to make, and trying to do everything with every unit usually results in defeat.