Hi again! – Barry Hilton sent me a detailed explanation of the support rule.
He wrote:
The English is a little ambiguous I agree (with hindsight). I think I never actually realised how widespread the interest in the period would become nor how many copies of BLB we'd sell.
For the record the logic is this:
During this period the esprit de corps found in later periods did not really exist. There was also much suspicion between allies of different nationalities. Therefore there is no real huge morale benefits to be gained by having a small number of units 'moving' or 'being' with you. A brigade (also an artificial construct in this period) is usually a group of 2-4 battalions or Horse regiments. If fellow units from your own brigade are around you in numbers this provides a morale bonus – SUPPORTED +1. If your brigade is worn down, disrupted or split up and only 1 unit from a total of more than 1 unit is within support distance then the testing unit is ISOLATED meaning -1 modifier. The neither supported nor isolated option is based on MASS (ie sheer volume of troops around you) not emotional affinity ie – do we feel comfortable being supported by those chaps over there?
If you are having 'debates' of the 'well that's not realistic' , 'that would never happen in real life' type which often happen with gamers who want to win remind them gently of this:
1. In this period most troops did not even march in cadenced step
2. Standard forward movement rate was roughly 20 paces per minute (compare this with later periods 60 – 80 paces per minute)
3. Deploying from column of march to line often took a battalion the thick end of 1 hour.
4. No formation other than 3-6 deep line was normally viable on the field.
5. There was no officer school and most commanders were rich civilians who'd purchased commissions
6. There was no standard drill book
7. There was no official army organization above brigade level
8. Almost no one could read or write
9. Most professional officers were foreign
10. The standard communication language for the Grand Alliance was French.. the tongue of their enemies
11. Warfare was primarily linear and all about prtecting your flanks and so if you did not have units either side and behind you the SUPPORT/ISOLATED thing really would kick in.
12. Units typically did not hare off and do their own thing, they stuck together like glue.
I usually find some or a combination of the above rationalizes the SUPPORT rule for all but the die hard competitive gamer. For the avoidance of doubt: Without 2 units over half strength and in good order from your own brigade the testing unit is ISOLATED -1. Two other units meeting the criteria including one from your own brigade means NEITHER SUPPORTED OR ISOLATED.
Here is a cut and paste for the original manuscript.
Support
A Foot unit is supported if 2 other units from its own brigade are within 6 inches, over half strength,
in line and in good order. It is neither supported nor isolated if two units meet the criteria but
are not from its own brigade. Otherwise it is isolated. A squadron of Horse is supported if 2
units from its own brigade are within 9 inches, over half strength, in line and in good order.
Horse who meet the criteria for order, strength and formation count towards the ‘no modifier' option
for Foot who are checking if within 9 inches. Foot meeting the criteria count towards the same
option if within 6 inches of Horse who are checking. Brigades who commence the game with only
2 battalions or squadrons are supported if their fellow unit meets the stated criteria.
Happy gaming!
B
-That is what I call an explanation!
Isn't it nice when rule writers go to that much trouble to help players!
