"Maurice vs Blucher, 1792-1804" Topic

Which of these two sets would be most suitable for the French Revolutionary period?

I think Lasalle and Maurice would be the more accurate comparison here, since, if I remember correctly, Maurice is more tactical like Lasalle, as opposed to Blucher which is more Big Picture like Grande Armee or Volley and Bayonet. It's been awhile since I played Maurice though so I'm not totally sure.

Lasalle would be my choice. It reflects the old linear, and newer column styles in the tactical use (battalion scale) of the armies. You may need to do your own research or use info in th forums for oob info as the army list system is for the 19th century Napoleonic armies.

For recreating the French Revolutionary period at a tactical or grand tactical level I'd suggest you're ideally going to need a set of rules that shows the contrast between morale and training, tactical differences between the linear armies of the Ancien Regimes and the evolving new "impulse" tactics and the command differences between armies led by aristocrats and often aging noblemen and those led by younger men with merit and battlefield experience. Morale, drill and command & control systems. Such rules sets for the period do exist.

Both Maurice or Blucher would work – which is best for the French Revolutionary period?

Admittedly, Maurice approaches its limits towards the end of the 18th Century, and you have to give armies plenty of national advantages to cater for the tactics this late in the period. My club has played some interesting games with French Revolutionary style armies against their more linear opponents, if you accept that the corps structure was still in its infancy and most armies were drilled in the ancien regime. There is that frustration sometimes in Maurice, when you think that you should be able to move both wings of a late-period army in a turn, but if both sides are playing under similar limitations then it doesn't upset the game. You could house-rule a national advantage for the French for multiple actions, or include DIY cards for some the the later tactics (like multi-corps marches and forming square). Also, giving the armies a greater proportion of conscript infantry addresses the balance of a more decisive cavalry arm as the century drew to a close.

Ultimately, it depends on the size of battles you wish to recreate and the time in which you have to play them.

Maurice can be "up scaled" to treat each unit as a brigade, or you could play the multi-player advanced rule, with four (or even six) players. But you'll need the best part of a day to comfortably play out a big battle. Blucher, on the other hand, is specifically designed to handle big battles in several hours, so an evening of gaming is a realistic proposition. There will likely be French Revolutionary army lists available on the Honour forum in the near future.

So what would I do? For tactical level engagements, say a division each side, I would use Maurice. It gives a very satisfying game and the French Revolutionary period throws up some great challenges which can be rolled into the army lists or a well thought out scenario. If I had a whole day to play a larger battle, I might even still use Maurice.

However, for most grand tactical engagements, of corps to army size, I would use Blucher because that's what it's specifically aimed at. It is perhaps the most streamlined set of rules to date to cover the grand tactical level in this period. And, in my experience, it too gives a very satisfying game.

On page 75 of the Lasalle rulebook there is a section on "Linear Tactics". This is in reference to some early Napoleonic armies using outdated doctrine. These rules would probably be appropriate for the French Revolution period.

As an aside, Sam has talked about redoing Lasalle to incorporate some of the rules mechanics from later games in the Honour system. Personally, I'd like to see the Card Driven system of Maurice ported over to Lasalle.

Lassalle would be best; battles are smaller than later Napoleonics, hence not that well suited for Blucher unless you want a really quick game). Maurice may well be too linear not reflecting the French revolutionary fever; although the card system may be preferred by some.

I would just note, as an adjunct to the Royal's comments, that Blucher can be scaled down for smaller games if desired, so that using the 'Small Scale'of each unit representing 1200-2000 men, or say 2-3 battalions (Blucher p.79) you could very well play out Boxtel or even Valmy as a longish game. We have not yet delved into the EW/Revolutionary period, but had a very satisfactory game of Quatre Bras 1815, with initially only very few units on table, playing at full scale.

I have never played Lasalle, so can't give a comparison, but I think it all comes down to the level of action you want to recreate – if 'whole of army/battle', then you can't go wrong with Blucher.