Thank you wrgmr1 and Ochoin.
Our napoleonic era rules are a set developed basically from a blank sheet of paper during the mid 70's. The old game Wellington's victory (S&T 1970's era) was an initial catalyst for the rules design. The sequence of play came from a naval game with obvious changes. Unit valuations predate but similar to the old Empire I and III rules which we collectively has a good chuckle back, in those early days, when they came out.
Key game design thoughts was we didn't wish to paint up large 25mm, or now 28mm, miniature count units. Nothing wrong with those beautiful large sized units. I enjoy seeing them on TMP posts. Just wasn't our collective plan even with the lower miniature costs back then (1976-1980)… 25 cents for foot… 50 cents for cavalry… the time involved painting wasn't our liking. We desired a game which had skirmishers as independent miniatures, actual screen of miniature skirmishers not a representation or "factor". Battalion unit infantry size, regiment of cavalry or artillery by the battery. The game encompasses higher organization command levels from the skirmisher company all the way up to "nation level" command…ie Napoleon as the Emperor of France. Company or single unit miniature, battalion of miniatures (4-9 miniatures), regiment (normally cavalry of 3-10 miniatures), artillery battery (cannon and crew member), brigade command, division command, corps or column or wing level commands, army and nation level HQ are representative on the tabletop. Players typically play or command several divisional sized commands but the scaling is entirely flexible, depending on the scenario design. With this game organization structure any historical battle is a snap to design. My blog (link above) gives many examples of uncommon battle scenarios.
Fielding the actual order of battle for historical battles on a one to one actual unit relationship, not a "representative" unit for a group of battalions or regiments. Please note "brigade as the unit" organized games (like Napoleon's battles etc)hadn't been written. Thus we designed the game at 100:1 miniature ratio. Unit painting became easy and our massive collections (I have almost 20000 napoleonic 25/28mm painted), other members have similar large napoleonic collections, allow us to use historical uniforms for historic battles. In most cases the actual French 88th Line or British 54th Foot regiment or battalion.
Other major game design include: Artillery ammo supply to prevent players from time wasting firing, quick reference % firepower which in most cases can be quickly calculated, base 10D morale rolls, unit morale adjustment you can remember from "napkin" notes, terrain effect and shock combat. The game basically runs from four 8"x11" charts. Rosters are used to identify the units within a command but after a game or two players rarely need to reference them for unit values, just mark artillery shot usage. Progression losses marked by miniature removal so game has few markers on the tabletop. Historical leaders have individual stat ratings. The commander lists number over a thousand names with their rating. I even have a commander portraiture image database to place on the roster for that extra personalize touch.
Actual historical OOB or a simple points structure game can be organized for the monthly group game. Quick email or call… "1500 points per player", roster your army of choice , and email to the nominated GM for the month's game. The MFP or Morale Fatigue points system gives a scenario designer abilities to design uneven battles or terrain situations with ease. Even scenarios with totally uneven unit types like old guard vs. militia units on an even points basis, a nemesis of many rule sets which I have played with.
There is more and all can be found on the Wargamerabbit blog link. Since the rules are so well known by the group members, an actual complete set has never been written down. Game mechanics are simple. The only hardest point of the game is the Sequence of play (SOP). The SOP is simple, the actual interface on the tabletop causes players with the IGO-YGO some confusion. Our basic tenant with the SOP is… "Your enemy can react, with penalties in some cases, before you can inflict shock combat upon them". Cavalry charges and counter charges bring this out clearly. There are two artillery and small arms firing phases plus firing opportunities during movement and shock combat phases.
Time scale is 20 minute turns. Ground scale is 50 yds to inch. so three feet on the tabletop is one mile. Most historical battles can be scaled on our tabletops.
A simple "orders system" is used to control the basic maneuvering of units. Tried directly with the MFP system mentioned above, the two systems "nudge" players to actually follow their team's army commander grand battle plan. Orders selections are; attack, defend, engage, march and reserve. Each color denoted order marker (placed under the actual miniature leader base) delimits what the units of that command can engage with enemy units. The orders chart delimits what the individual units can perform on the tabletop and directly prevent player "snap god like" actions unless a team side cost is paid. Poor order selection will quickly led to defeat on the tabletop.
I have spent time typing up charts, quick overviews and rule sections, plus there is over 80+ YouTube videos links found on Wargamerabbit blog. These YT videos cover specific aspects of the game in some detail.
A lot written here. I can always be contacted from the information posted on the "WR About" section.
Michael aka WR
Ps. Ochoin
Feel free to use the wooden block method of maneuvering units in a hidden or limited intelligence environment.
Note: My blocks are texture covered to blend into my terrain boards. The blog has several YT videos on the block use during the game.
"goes large."
