"How many Napoleonic Rules Can you Name?" Topic

Yesterday I received the weekly email flyer from On Military Matters, a seller of military books and wargames rules.

One of the new items listed for sale is a set of Napoleonic Wargames rules called "Eagles, Swords & Bayonets".

My first thought was; "Another set of Napoleonic rules? Is is possible they bring something new to the table?"

My second thought was; "I wonder how many Napoleonic Rules I can name?" Here is my list (in no particular order and including only rules written specifically for the Napoleonic era-- multiple editions count only as one).

Empire
Column, Line & Square
LaSalle
Le Feu Sacre
Age of Eagles
General de Brigade
Frappe
Tricolor
Napoleonique
Grande Armee
Napoleon at War
Valmy to Waterloo
Napoleon's Battles
Napoleon
Field of Glory Napoleonics
System 7 Napoleonics
Republic to Empire
Airfix Napoleonic Wargaming
Chef de Battalion
Shako

What did I miss?

Sharp Practice
DBN

Le Petit Empereur by Chipco
Pas de Charge by George Nafziger
Waterloo by Warhammer Historical
Napoleon by Foundry
Napoleonic Principles of War

Principles of War Napoleonic
Battles for Empire

In the Gran Manner

Polemos
Napoleonic Command
plus a pile that do the horse & musket era as a whole rather than just the Napoleonic bit.
e.g. Horse, Foot & Guns
The WRG one, title slips my mind at this moment
Humberside Extension to DBA
Various DBA variants
I seem to remember there was a 'fast play' one that took ages to play as well

Polemos

Irregular Miniatures quick play Napoleonics

Does 1750-1850 by WRG count?

Republique by WTJ

Oh and never invade Russia…not really a rule more a piece of friendly advice

Snappy Nappy
To the Sound of the Guns

Legacy of Glory

You can end the list after Empire. All others pale by comparison.

Fate of Battle
Carnage & Glory NAps
Legacy of Glory
March Attack
Elan Deluxe
Command & Colors Napoleonics
Volley & Bayonet NAps
Guard Du Corps
MG

Umpires Egos and Liars.

or

Empire Eagles and Lions if you'd rather.

vdal1812 – Battles for Empire is a Colonial rule set by Chris Leach. Unless there is a Napoleonic set I am unaware of?

In addition to those named:

Corps d'armée
Battles for Empire
Revolution & Empire

Cheers,

The Bandit

wrgmr1--

Yes, Battles for Empire was a ruleset written by Buck Surdu.

Ed

Chef de Bataillon
Old Trousers

Newbury Napoleonic Rules
The Grant Napoleonic Rules (appear in 'Waterloo')
Don Featherstone Napoleonic Rules (appearing in 'The Peninsular War')
The Napoleonic Wargame
Bruce Quarrie's Rules (as in 'Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature)

Regards

Tabletop Games "Sound of the Guns" by Richard Butler

Belle Alliance
Song of Drum and Shakos

Command, Control & Communication by Scott Sutherland

The Napoleonic Wargame by George W Jeffrey

Piquet
Le General
Cousin Jonathan
John Bull (Skirmish)

Huzzah!

geez guys!

Once Upon A Time in theWestern Peninsula

All the $$money$$ I have saved…..and spent on books or miniatures instead.

Still use the same formatted rules my group wrote in 1977 and play team side games each month.

M aka WR

A few more……

Vive l' Emperor by Ned Zuparko
Marshal's Baton by Tom Dye
Napoleonic Wargame Rules (Turnbridge Wells Wargames Society/ Bayonet Publication)
Navwar: Napoleonic Period 5mm Wargames Rules (A.J. Gittins)
Napoleonic – Cliff Knight & Peter Dennis (in association with George Jeffrey
……..

Grand Battery

so, which is the best ruleset? <sneaks out of room> :-)

200

Well, here's my list, not counting a bunch that are more "horse and musket" so not specific to this period.

• 1805 (Napoleonic)
  
• 1st Empire, The Napoleonic Wargame Rules
  
• 2 By 2 Napoleonics
  
• 6 Page Napoleonics
  
• A Gathering of Eagles 5th Ed.
  
• A l'Ombre des Aigles
  
• A to Z Rules: Campaigns of Napoleon
  
• Adventures in the Rifle Brigade
  
• Age of Battles
  
• Age of Eagles
  
• Age of Glory
  
• Banners & Bayonets
  
• Battailonmasse
  
• Battles for Empire
  
• Before I Was A Marshall I Was A Grenadier
  
• Belle Alliance 2nd Ed.
  
• Big Battalions Napoleonic Wargame Rules
  
• Bleeding Ulcer, The
  
• Bonaparte
  
• Capitan
  
• Chakoten: Napoleonics
  
• Champs des Batailles
  
• Charge!
  
• Chef de Bataillon
  
• Code Napoleon
  
• Cold Steel & Canister
  
• Column, Line & Square
  
• Column, Line & Square 2nd Ed
  
• Column, Line & Square 3rd Ed
  
• Column, Line and Square Battle Manual (Bauman)*
  
• Commit the Garde!
  
• Corps Command
  
• Corps d'Armee
  
• Covered With Glory: Tactical Level Rules
  
• Dawn's Early Light Second Edition
  
• DBN
  
• Death or Glory
  
• Diplomacy & Other Means
  
• Eagles & Emperors
  
• Eagles Over The Empire
  
• Eagles to Glory
  
• Eagles, Swords & Bayonets
  
• Easy Napoleonic Rules
  
• Ebb & Flow of Battle
  
• Ebb & Flow of Battle Module 2: The 1813 Campaign
  
• Elan Deluxe
  
• Empire
  
• Empire II
  
• Empire III
  
• Empire IV
  
• Empire V
  
• Empires and Eagles
  
• En Avant
  
• Fast Play Grande Armee
  
• Fast Play Napoleonic Rules
  
• Fast Play Rules For Napoleonic and Crimean Wargames
  
• Field of Glory: Napoleonics
  
• Fire & Steel
  
• First in the Field
  
• Fix Bayonets!
  
• Flintloque
  
• Follow the Eagle V
  
• Form Square! (A.G.S. Supplement)
  
• Frappe
  
• From Valmy to Waterloo
  
• General de Brigade
  
• General de Brigade Deluxe Edition
  
• Generalship Napoleonics
  
• Grand Army
  
• Grand Battery
  
• Grand Manouevre: Black Powder and Blue Steel
  
• Grand Tactics
  
• Grande Armee
  
• Green Jackets
  
• Green Jackets & Voltigeurs
  
• Grenadier
  
• Grognards & Grenadiers
  
• Guard du Corps
  
• Gunboat!
  
• Happy Little Rear Guard, The
  
• Honour: Lasalle
  
• Horse, Foot, & Guns
  
• Houserules Napoleonics
  
• Huzzah! 1st Ed.
  
• If Only We Could All Be Napoleon
  
• Imperial Guard
  
• Imperial Guard II
  
• Imperial Lances
  
• In the Age of Napoleon
  
• In The Grand Manner
  
• In The Grand Manner 2nd ed.
  
• In The Name Of Glory
  
• In the Name of Glory 2006
  
• In the Name of Glory 4th Ed.
  
• In the Name of Glory 5th Ed.
  
• La Belle Alliance
  
• La Petite Armee
  
• Lavtryk Over Hebriderne
  
• Le Feu Sacre 1st Ed.
  
• Le Feu Sacre 2nd Ed.
  
• Le Feu Sacre 3rd Ed.
  
• Le Petit Empereur
  
• Le Vol de L'aigle
  
• Legacy of Glory
  
• L'Empereur
  
• L'Empereur
  
• Les Aigles
  
• Les Aigles (French)*
  
• Les Champs de Bataille
  
• Les Grognards
  
• Look, Sarge, No Charts: Napoleonic Wars
  
• March Attack
  
• March of Eagles
  
• March Toward the Sound of Guns
  
• Marshal's Baton Rules
  
• Mayhem: Warring Nations
  
• Micro Napoleonics
  
• Muskets and Moustaches
  
• NapoleoN
  
• Napoleon (Wargames Foundry, 2009)
  
• Napoleon At War
  
• Napoleon At War
  
• Napoleonic Battlegaming with Hexes and Miniatures*
  
• Napoleonic Boxed Rules
  
• Napoleonic Command: A Study In Grand Tactics
  
• Napoleonic DBA Rules
  
• Napoleonic Game of War
  
• Napoleonic Grand Campaigns
  
• Napoleonic House Rules
  
• Napoleonic Quick March
  
• Napoleonic Quickie
  
• Napoleonic Rule Box
  
• Napoleonic Rules
  
• Napoleonic Rules for Large-scale Wargames with Small-scale Miniatures
  
• Napoleonic Warfare (Gore)
  
• Napoleonic Warfare 1813c
  
• Napoleonic Warfare Grand Tactical Rules 3rd (Bell)
  
• Napoleonic Warfare: Rules for Wargames 4th Ed.
  
• Napoleonic Wargames Rules
  
• Napoleonic Wars, The
  
• Napoleonique
  
• Napoleonique Encore
  
• Napoleon's Battles (1st)
  
• Napoleon's Battles (2nd)
  
• Napoleon's Battles (3rd)
  
• Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature
  
• Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature
  
• Napoleon's Eagles
  
• Napoleon's War
  
• Nations At War
  
• Off To War
  
• Old Trousers
  
• Once Upon A Time In The Western Peninsula
  
• One Day Napoleonic Campaign
  
• Pas de Charge!
  
• Piquet: Les Grognards
  
• Playable Napoleonic Wargames
  
• Polemos: Napoleonics
  
• Polemos: Napoleonics 2nd Ed.
  
• Port & Cigars
  
• Principles of War: Napoleonic
  
• Pro Patria
  
• Republic to Empire
  
• Republique
  
• Revolution & Empire
  
• Rules for A Large Scale Wargame
  
• Rules for Napoleonic Land Warfare
  
• Rules for the Napoleonic Period
  
• Sabres!
  
• Sabretache Napoleonics: A Game of Generalship
  
• Shako
  
• Shako II
  
• Sharp Practice
  
• Sharpe's Skirmish
  
• Short Attention Span Napoleonics
  
• Snappy Nappy
  
• Song of Drums and Shakos
  
• Sound the Charge
  
• Sword, The Bayonet and the Lance, The
  
• System 7
  
• Throne of Bayonets
  
• Through Shot & Shell
  
• Through Smoke and Fire
  
• To Arms!
  
• To the Sound of the Guns 1st ed.
  
• To the Sound of the Guns 2nd Ed.
  
• To the Sound of the Guns 3rd Ed.
  
• Tout Soldat: Napoleonic Wargames Rules for the Competition Player
  
• Tremble Ye Tyrants
  
• Tricolor (Crane)
  
• Tricolor (Kinzer)
  
• Twilight of Empire
  
• Uncle Duke's Napoleonette
  
• Valeur et Discipline
  
• Vive L'Empereur
  
• Volley & Bayonet
  
• Voltigeur
  
• Warfare in the Age of Napoleon
  
• Wargame Rules 1685-1845
  
• Wargame Using Small-Scale Miniatures
  
• Wellington Rules
  </ul

And how many of them, instead of accurately modelling and resolving a Napoleonic infantry attack against infantry in the open, resort to this nebulous thing called "Melee"?

EDIT: Please don't actually try to answer, I am not that concerned really :) I used to be, once when I was young and enthusiastic and things like that mattered.

Alright Extra Crispy, your just showing off for the ladies now…..

Mark

This sounds a bit like " How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?". How many wargamers are there? That's how many Napoleonic rule sets there are!

EC, in the OP's query, naval rules were not excluded, so shouldn't there be even more?

If I can start the list addition for those:

Heart of Oak
Wooden Ships Iron Men

Rob

Le Jeu De La Guerre
Short Rules

Is there really a column, line, and square before the second edition. I have been trying for 20 years to find a copy of it, can someone point me to this?

Thanks

A better question is, "What is the best Napoleonic Miniatures rule set out there?", but that is a very loaded question and no doubt will start a huge debate that will get overheated quickly.

I'm still looking for the right Napoleonic rule set for me, and I have tried most of the ones listed by Extra Crispy. I found a couple I prefer, but no one particular favorite to date.

Yes, I could add the naval rules to the list. And then there are all the rules that cover the 19th century, or the entire horse and musket period, such as Black Powder.

So if I really wanted to I could probably get that list up to 300….

There are two "Old Trousers" one by Whitehouse and one by Kelly.

Well Extra Crispy, you may be able to pump it up to 300, but that doesn't mean you have to. Have mercy man…….

Mark

I have collected musket era rules for 50 years and have over 200 Napoleonic sets. Including the era from 1700 to the mid 19th century, I have over 300 sets. And no I'm not going to list them all.

I would mention Today's Fox, a British Set and Jack Scruby's Fire and Charge and Strategy Tsctical rules. Also have have a couple designed by board wargame designers but never published. Battalion Masse by Arnold Hendrick stands out.

What this proliferation tells me is everyone is an expert when it comes to Napoleonics and because of this everyone is in search of the Grail of rules, the perfect Napoleonic set, which of course doesn't exist.

Finally, the best set is the one the gamer enjoys the most.

Cheers,

Bob Coggins

Finally, the best set is the one the gamer enjoys the most.

Cheers,

Now you are just being silly :-) Isn't it the one that everyone argues over the most, gets three turns in and no result?

Ratisbon:

While I don't disagree with your assertion about the search for the holy grail, I think this list says several other things as well:

- What gamers are seeking in a set of war-games rules has changed over time and so different sets of rules reflect the fashion in vogue. (I have written three sets that made the various lists in this thread. Tastes change over time. While I think Battles for Empire remains a solid set of rules, most gamers, including me, are not looking for that level of complexity any more. IGO-UGO is no longer the only activation method. Etc.)
- The current state of desktop publishing and print-on-demand has made it easier for people with new or different ideas to publish them. In some ways that is very healthy. In other ways, it has made it harder to sort the wheat from the chaff. It has also allowed people in some cases to take others' ideas and repackage them as something "new." The original post asked "Is it possible they bring something new to the table?" I think the answer is yes, but that does not mean that every new set brings something new.
- This is a very popular period for wargaming. (My guess is your list of WWII rules would be even larger, and your list of ancient rules would be nearly as large.)
- There is no longer the "standard set" of Napoleonic rules that everyone knows and then some other lesser-known sets. Remember when Column, Line, and Square was the "standard?" Empire III? Napoleon's Battles? But there wouldn't have been an Empire III if they didn't see a need for something different than Column, Line, and Square when they wrote Empire and Empire II.

An additional question that might pare down this list: How many have sold more than 1000 copies? Often this is difficult to know. This is not an oracle for predicting quality, but there is some correlation.

Buck Surdu

1813. Published by LWS in about 1972. I still have my copy.

"How many Napoleonic Rules Can you Name?"

1) Don't mention bricoles.
2) Don't suggest Wellington won the battle of Waterloo.
3) Never ask "what colour is cornflower blue exactly?".
4) Don't "dis" Boney.
5) Or ask how tall he was.
6) Or if he had any mates.
7) England and Great Britain are NOT the same.
8) Never waste time arguing with "certain experts" on here.
9) Grenadiers never had flags, except for the ones that did.
10) All Napoleonic rule sets are wrong.

Did I miss any?

11) If in doubt, blame the wallpaper.

Supercilius Maximus:

Terrific!

Buck

Are there any Napoleonic rules not written in English?

Zero :)

"Are there any Napoleonic rules not written in English?"

Yes!

My own, "Demi-Brigades in the Desert!"
link

and a few more here. link

Just a note:
Grand Manouevre: Black Powder and Blue Steel is now called, Grand Manouevre.
It was originally called "Black Powder, Blue Steel" (in 1998) but I was obliged to drop the name because another rule set came along with a very similar name (which is nothing like it btw), but understandably some people were confused by all this.
"Grand Manoeuvre" was added to the handle when it was made avaialble through Mike Stockin`s Angel Barracks website in about 2010-11.
Although I was annoyed that I had to drop the original part of the name, the present one is much better I think ! (Thanks, once again Art P!).

Anyways, you`ll find those Napoleonic rules, solo rules and Napoleonic paper armies at the Grand Manoeuvre website:

grandmanoeuvre.co.uk