"Looking for Napoleonic Rules Suggestion" Topic

Its been years since I played Napoleonics and want to jump back in. I prefer 15mm.

My favorite Ancients game is Armati. I thoroughly enjoyed playing Age of Reason 7YW for many years. I also like FIre and Fury for the Civil War.

And my first wargaming experience was with Column Line & Square in the late 70s early 80s as a teen. Never actually saw the rules, they were "handed down" by older players but we had a great time.

I did not like Empire and do not like DBM for ancients.

So based on my likes/dislikes, what Napoleonic rules would you suggest?

There Is But One True Horse & Musket Set of Wargaming Rules! WRG 1685-1845! All Else Is Heresy!

Except perhaps Black Powder…,

Column, Line and Square is still played by old school Wargamers like myself. I've never found a set I liked better, based on the excitement of the play and the ability to recreate historical outcomes on the tabletop. You can find the rules here:

link

Version 2 are the correct set.

Rick

General de Brigade has the same ratio as Colume, Line, and Square;1:20. Both are very detail. I'm an Old Schooler like Florida Tory, I still play Fire & Steel, but I always wanted to try CLS.

I played CLS years ago and I play GdB now. There are a few old CLS players that have either come back to version 2 or moved on to General de Brigade like myself.

GdB also has an excellent forum and the author of the rules frequents there, and responds to any rules inquiries that the membership has. Also the rule book has some great eyecandy in 15mm and 28mm.

John

(Hi Reggie)

Another vote for CLS.

I'd suggest the Carnage and Glory computer moderated rules system…

db

Napoleon at War ( presuming your looking at around divisional level )

Napoleon at War or Lasalle

You didn't say what unit size, but if you're not doing Austerlitz every game, TFL's La Feu Sacre is a high quality set of Napoleonic rules.

Here's a place to get started:

lefeusacre.co.uk

I liked LaSalle, but never got a set. Napoleon at war has been the "shiney" of late here.

You won't like Black Powder. Really, don't look even at it. You want CLS. Yes, CLS. That's what you want.

I like Age of Eagles (Napoleonic Fire and Fury). Great of Multi-Corps actions (each unit is a large regiment/brigade)

Another vote for Carnage and Glory: Elegant system, very well supported.

Dd

Based on your likes and dislikes, maybe Arty Conliffe's Shako or Shako2?

Regards

Hi Chris:

I have summarized the mechanics of a number of Napoleonics rule sets. You can review them here:

link

Black Powder.

if you like Armati, then Shako 2 does seem the obvious recommendation.

its armati does napoleonics.

If you like Armati and Fire & Fury, I'd say Shako or Lasalle would fit the bill.

Both are streamlined sets with clean mechanics with the battalion as the unit. Neither has a specific figure scale.
I'd say Lasalle is slightly clearer and easier to learn, and is certainly better for pickup games, but there is not much in it.

What VonBlucher said is correct, a lot of players have moved on to GdB. Check out their forum, especially the Gallery.

(Hi John)

As those who actually answer your question say, Armati leads to Shako/ Shako 2, Fire & Fury leads to Age of Eagles.

My personal preference is Napoleon at War for one afternoon division sized games, but Lasalle aslo provides good one afternoon games ( though it is less flexible than NaW ). We use NaW because it has a resilient system easy to learn and fun to play and many options for pickup games and scenario gaming.

I've played Shako 2 a couple of times and I thought it was very enjoyable, though it probably benefits from slightly larger games than a division per side.

I like general de brigade for games a bit smaller that NaW games since it is a bit more detailed and granular. This one required a bit more attention and detailed analysis of the rules but particularly if you are playing games with maybe just a couple of brigades then the added granularity really gives more depth and is still a lot of fun.

I build my armies so that they will be compatible with all those rules, so that means that though I base them for NaW all other rules still work with that basing, a big advantage of modern rules.

Extra Crispy, nice work with those general overviews !!!

I couldn't think of a better time to start with naps given the many great options out there…

cheers
Francisco

Chriscox:

Are you looking for a battalion or brigade game?

Florida Tory,

I couldn't get version 2 of the rules to download. What is the difference between version 2 and 3?

Just to add to the chorus, if you enjoy Armati and Fire & Fury, then you already have great built-in choices: Shako at the battalion level, and Age of Eagles at the brigade level.

There are so many Napoleonic rules out there, and so many good ones, that you'll drive yourself crazy if you try and second-guess yourself. Once you find something you like just settle in!

Cheers,

Christopher

Another vote for Shako 2. Good solid rule set with lots of fun.

Another recommendation for Shako2, our group plays once a month and the game will give you everything you are looking for. We play with 15mm.

shako version one, it wasnt broke, there was nothing to fix, so why is there a second edition?…..dont know but Shako is a good set of rules. 2-3 divisions each side, 4 hours your done, grab a bottle of wine. what could be better?

Once I used a house modified version of "Fire & Steel."
Now my rules of choice are "General de Brigade, Deluxe Edition."
Both use the 1:20 ratio.

General de Brigade.

Shako is the best.! Played last night never a boring game. Fast and furious.

Thanks to all. More good input than I could have hoped for.

Why not try Napoleon's Battles good Corps to Army level games

make your own to fit the data you have, cheaper and far more enjoyable. I have seen rules written by people who don't even know the ranges of muskets or artillery…..doah.

Thanks to all. More good input than I could have hoped for.

The only trouble is that the suggestions cover just about every popular set of Napoleonics rules currently available!

I would also give "Republic to Empire" by Barry Hilton a look. The mechanics are simply but it has some unique pieces that are not found in any other system. Well worth a try and there is also a very supportive forum as well which can be found at the League of Augsburg site –

leagueofaugsburg.com

I would second Barry Hilton's Republic to Empire. It brought me back to Napoleonic gaming after a lengthy hiatus and I have not looked back!

this probably was not very helpfull

Free rules

link