"Skirmish Rules Round Up?" Topic

I've lost track of all the explicitly Napoleonic themed skirmish rules.

They seem to fall in three types, each defined by command level typically company level or below.

1. Is the 6-12 figures per side or section level – these are closer to RPGs than the others, encouraging you to name all the figures and adding character traits: Song of Drums & Shakos, Forager, what else?

2. Somewhere between 13-50 figs: Chosen Men? 95th? Green Jackets and Voligeurs? What else?

3. 50-100 figures: Sharpe Practice? What else? Chef De Battalion I guess fits in here but by most accounts it's unplayable for a number of reasons.

Can you help me fill these categories out?

For the moment let's leave out home brews, and unpublished conversions of Muskets and Tomohawks, Brother Against Brother, etc. Also leave out rules widely seen, but never published, maybe a category of one, but I'm thinking about White Death.

Chef de Battalion I would hardly call skirmish. But we're quibbling.

Well, I have a list of rule sets, mostly historical, that covers a pretty good amount of what is out there:

link

If you want an editable/sortable copy drop me an email mark@scalecreep.com

Just for funsies, Napoleonics sorted by scope (where known):

• Napoleonic Wars, The Napoleonics Battalion Level
  
• 12 Pounder Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• 2 By 2 Napoleonics Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• 6 Page Napoleonics Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• A Gathering of Eagles 5th Ed. Napoleonics grand Tactical
  
• A l'Ombre des Aigles (Playtest) Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• About Bonaparte Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Age of Eagles Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Battailonmasse Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Before I Was A Marshall I Was A Grenadier Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Blucher Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Bonaparte: Sistema de Regras Para Wargame Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Code Napoleon Napoleonics grand Tactical
  
• Cold Steel & Canister Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Commit the Garde! Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Corps Command 3rd Ed. Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Corps d'Armee Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Empire Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Empire II Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Empire III Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Empire IV Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Empire V Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Empires and Eagles Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Et Sans Resultat! Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Et Sans Resultat! 2nd Ed Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Fast Play Grande Armee Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Fast Play Napoleonic Rules Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Field of Glory: Napoleonics Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• From Valmy to Waterloo Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Grand Battles Napoleon Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Grand Manouevre Napoleonic Wargame Rules Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Grand Tactics, 6th Ed. Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Grande Armee Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Guard du Corps Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Huzzah! 1st Ed. Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Morale Napoleon Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Napoleon At War Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Napoleon's Battles 4th (Marechal) Edition Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Napoleonic Game of War Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Orders to Eagles Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Polemos: Napoleonics Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Polemos: Napoleonics 2nd Ed. Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Rules for A Napoleonic Wargame Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Spanish Ulcers Napoleonics Grand Tactical
  
• Over the Hills And Far Away V2.2 Napoleonics Other
  
• 95th Rifles Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Adventures in the Rifle Brigade Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Age of Glory Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Chosen Men Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• First in the Field Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Flintloque Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Forager: The Napoleonic Skirmish Wargame Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Green Jackets Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Green Jackets & Voltigeurs, Revised Ed. Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Over the Hills & Far Away Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Sharp Practice Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Sharp Practice 2nd Ed Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• Through Smoke and Fire Napoleonics Skirmish
  
• 1805 (Napoleonic) Napoleonics Tactical
  
• 1st Empire, The Napoleonic Wargame Rules Napoleonics Tactical
  
• A to Z Rules: Campaigns of Napoleon Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Banners & Bayonets Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Battles for Empire Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Capitan Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Chef de Bataillon Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Column, Line & Square Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Column, Line & Square 2nd Ed Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Column, Line & Square 3rd Ed Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Column, Line and Square Battle Manual (Bauman)* Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Company Commander Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Covered With Glory: Tactical Level Rules Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Divisional Commander Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Drums & Shakos Large Battles Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Eagles, Swords & Bayonets Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Empires At War Napoleonics Tactical
  
• En Avant Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Fire & Steel Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Frappe Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Game of War Napoleonics Tactical
  
• General d'Armee Napoleonics Tactical
  
• General de Brigade , 2nd Ed. Napoleonics Tactical
  
• General de Brigade Deluxe Edition Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Generalship Napoleonics Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Grand Battery Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Great Battles: The Napoleonic Wars Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Grenadier Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Grognards & Grenadiers Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Houserules Napoleonics Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Imperial Eagle Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Over the Hills: A Napoleonic Wargame Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Sound of the Guns, The Napoleonics Tactical
  
• Belle Alliance 2nd Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Big Battalions Napoleonic Wargame Rules Napoleonics
  
• Bleeding Ulcer, The Napoleonics
  
• Bonaparte Napoleonics
  
• Chakoten: Napoleonics Napoleonics
  
• Champs des Batailles Napoleonics
  
• Charge! Napoleonics
  
• Controlling the Chaos Napoleonics
  
• Dawn's Early Light Second Edition Napoleonics
  
• DBN 1.0 Napoleonics
  
• DBN 2.1 Napoleonics
  
• Death or Glory Napoleonics
  
• Diplomacy & Other Means Napoleonics
  
• Eagles & Emperors Napoleonics
  
• Eagles At Quatre Bras Napoleonics
  
• Eagles Over The Empire Napoleonics
  
• Eagles to Glory Napoleonics
  
• Easy Napoleonic Rules Napoleonics
  
• Ebb & Flow of Battle Napoleonics
  
• Ebb & Flow of Battle Module 2: The 1813 Campaign Napoleonics
  
• Elan Deluxe Napoleonics
  
• Fast Play Rules For Napoleonic and Crimean Wargames Napoleonics
  
• Fate of Battle (Look sarge, No Charts!) Napoleonics
  
• Fix Bayonets! Napoleonics
  
• Fixed Bayonets, 3rd Ed Napoleonics
  
• Follow the Eagle V Napoleonics
  
• Form Square! (A.G.S. Supplement) Napoleonics
  
• Grand Army Napoleonics
  
• Grand Battles Napoleon Napoleonics
  
• Happy Little Rear Guard, The Napoleonics
  
• If Only We Could All Be Napoleon Napoleonics
  
• Imperial Guard Napoleonics
  
• Imperial Guard II Napoleonics
  
• Imperial Lances Napoleonics
  
• In the Age of Napoleon Napoleonics
  
• In The Grand Manner Napoleonics
  
• In The Grand Manner 2nd ed. Napoleonics
  
• In The Name Of Glory Napoleonics
  
• In the Name of Glory 2006 Napoleonics
  
• In the Name of Glory 4th Ed. Napoleonics
  
• In the Name of Glory 5th Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Irregular Fast Napoleonics Napoleonics
  
• Irregular Rule Box Napoleonic Napoleonics
  
• L'Empereur Napoleonics
  
• L'Empereur Napoleonics
  
• La Belle Alliance Napoleonics
  
• La Grand Guerre Napoleonics
  
• La Petite Armee Napoleonics
  
• Lasalle Napoleonics
  
• Lavtryk Over Hebriderne Napoleonics
  
• Le Feu Sacre 1st Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Le Feu Sacre 2nd Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Le Feu Sacre 3rd Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Le Jeu de La Guerre Napoleonics
  
• Le Kriegspiel Napoleonics
  
• Le Petit Empereur Napoleonics
  
• Le Vol de L'aigle Napoleonics
  
• Legacy of Glory Napoleonics
  
• Les Aigles Napoleonics
  
• Les Aigles (French)* Napoleonics
  
• Les Champs de Bataille Napoleonics
  
• Les Grognards Napoleonics
  
• Look, Sarge, No Charts: Napoleonic Wars Napoleonics
  
• March Attack Napoleonics
  
• March of Eagles Napoleonics
  
• March Toward the Sound of Guns Napoleonics
  
• Marshal's Baton Rules Napoleonics
  
• Mayhem: Warring Nations Napoleonics
  
• Micro Napoleonics Napoleonics
  
• Murder & Mayhem Napoleonics
  
• Muskets & Shakos Napoleonics
  
• Muskets and Moustaches Napoleonics
  
• NapoleoN Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon (Wargames Foundry, 2009) Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon At War Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's Battles (1st) BOXED SET Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's Battles (2nd) Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's Battles (3rd) BOXED SET Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's Eagles Napoleonics
  
• Napoleon's War Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Battlegaming with Hexes and Miniatures* Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Boxed Rules Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Command 2nd. Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Command: A Study In Grand Tactics Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic DBA Rules Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Grand Campaigns Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic House Rules Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Quick March Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Quickie Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Rule Box Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Rules Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Rules for Large-scale Wargames with Small-scale Miniatures Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Warfare (Gore) Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Warfare 1813c Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Warfare Grand Tactical Rules 3rd (Bell) Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Warfare: Rules for Wargames 4th Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Wargames Rules Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Wargaming Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonic Wargaming for Fun Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonique Napoleonics
  
• Napoleonique Encore Napoleonics
  
• Nations At War Napoleonics
  
• Off To War Napoleonics
  
• Old Trousers Napoleonics
  
• Once Upon A Time In The Western Peninsula Napoleonics
  
• One Day Napoleonic Campaign Napoleonics
  
• Pas de Charge! Napoleonics
  
• Piquet: Les Grognards Napoleonics
  
• Playable Napoleonic Wargames Napoleonics
  
• Port & Cigars Napoleonics
  
• Principles of War: Napoleonic Napoleonics
  
• Pro Patria Napoleonics
  
• Republic to Empire Napoleonics
  
• Republique Napoleonics
  
• Revolution & Empire Napoleonics
  
• Rules for A Large Scale Wargame Napoleonics
  
• Rules for Napoleonic Land Warfare Napoleonics
  
• Rules for the Napoleonic Period Napoleonics
  
• Rules for Wargames: Napoleonic Warfare 2nd. Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Sabres! Napoleonics
  
• Sabretache Napoleonics: A Game of Generalship Napoleonics
  
• Shako Napoleonics
  
• Shako & Bugle Napoleonics
  
• Shako II Napoleonics
  
• Sharpe's Skirmish Napoleonics
  
• Short Attention Span Napoleonics Napoleonics
  
• Snappy Nappy Napoleonics
  
• Song of Drums and Shakos Napoleonics
  
• Sound the Charge Napoleonics
  
• Sword, The Bayonet and the Lance, The Napoleonics
  
• System 7 Napoleonics
  
• Throne of Bayonets Napoleonics
  
• Through Shot & Shell Napoleonics
  
• To Arms! Napoleonics
  
• To the Sound of the Guns 1st ed. Napoleonics
  
• To the Sound of the Guns 2nd Ed. Napoleonics
  
• To the Sound of the Guns 3rd Ed. Napoleonics
  
• Tout Soldat: Napoleonic Wargames Rules for the Competition Player Napoleonics
  
• Tremble Ye Tyrants Napoleonics
  
• Tricolor (Crane) Napoleonics
  
• Tricolor (Kinzer) Napoleonics
  
• Twilight of Empire Napoleonics
  
• Uncle Duke's Napoleonette Napoleonics
  
• Valeur et Discipline Napoleonics
  
• Valeur et Discipline Napoleonics
  
• Vive L'Empereur Napoleonics
  
• Vive l'Roi Napoleonics
  
• Volley & Bayonet Napoleonics
  
• Voltigeur Napoleonics
  
• Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Napoleonics
  
• Wargame Using Small-Scale Miniatures Napoleonics
  
• Wargame, The Napoleonics
  
• Wellington Rules Napoleonics

Agreed--I don't think Cdeb is a skirmish game--I think it's much closer to General de Brigade in scope. I have a 6mm side project to go through it and identify the loose ends.

With 28s, I'm going to try Sharp Practice 2 (my daughter is busily painting away on the tokens). It's "gamey," but looks like a good vehicle for getting my very slowly-painted 28s on the table. I just bought Chosen Men as well, but wasn't too excited.

Thanks for posting that list Mark--very helpful!

'A Fistful of Lead – Horse & Musket' gives a good skirmish game. See Eric the Shed AARs of yesterday or the day before.

This is the link to Eric the Shed's game using the 'A Fistful of Lead variant…I can confirm they were a a great set for this level of Skirmish game.

link

Crispy, that's quite a list. Have uyou played all of them?

Great contribution Mark, thank you – still a little blunt for my purposes though.

Where do these fall within the categories I described?

Over the Hills And Far Away V2.2 Napoleonics Other
95th Rifles Napoleonics Skirmish
Adventures in the Rifle Brigade Napoleonics Skirmish
Age of Glory Napoleonics Skirmish
Chosen Men Napoleonics Skirmish
First in the Field Napoleonics Skirmish
Flintloque Napoleonics Skirmish
Forager: The Napoleonic Skirmish Wargame Napoleonics Skirmish
Green Jackets Napoleonics Skirmish
Green Jackets & Voltigeurs, Revised Ed. Napoleonics Skirmish
Over the Hills & Far Away Napoleonics Skirmish
Sharp Practice Napoleonics Skirmish
Sharp Practice 2nd Ed Napoleonics Skirmish
Through Smoke and Fire Napoleonics Skirmish

Also I see Song of Drums and Shakos isn't categorized as a skirmish game which it most certainly is. There may be others that are easily identified by the (I hate this word here) "hive".

You're certainly right on CdB I believe.

This won't be a perfect guide, but it might be useful for newbs who have painted up a dozen on a lark and want to know what they can game with them.

Or there may be folks who want to skirmish, but at a level above Sgt Crapaud and his nephew Pvt Boudin looking for a rare vintage at the guerrilla held monastery.

95th Adventuring in the Napoleonic Wars. Just came out two weeks ago. Think the Sharpe's rifles TV series on the table.

link

Morale Napoleon – Corp Level one stand is a battalion.

link

@Flashman: I won most so if I had time I could do the categorization, but frankly I am behind on my projects as it is!

@Mick the Metalsmith: Oh yes, I have played them all. I have the bigliest games. Yooge. My games are the best. Believe me.

E.C., I think you left out "Ligne de Bataille", "Short Rules", and "Campi di Gloria".

Crispy, I wanna play at your house!

Ah yes, this has just reminded me to take a look at Morale Napoleon…

Thank you very much, Extra Crispy and Flashman. I've been playing with Chosen Men, but I'm not very happy with them and have been wondering what other Napoleonic Skirmish rules there are.

Like Flashman I want to play with more than just Sgt Crapaud, Pte Boudin and a handful of other personalities. Somewhere around 30-50 figures per side. Can anyone suggest which of the rules in Flashman's shortlist above would suit these numbers?

Fatuous, its got to be ‘Sharp Practice' – excellent set of rules for anything from 40-120 figures per side, covering the 1750-1850 period.

Thank you Basha. I've been a put off Sharp Practice by the focus on personalities, but it looks as though I'm going to have to give it a go.

Before I take the plunge – can anyone comment on Green Jackets and Voltigeurs, which I know very little of, but have been wondering about?

Fatuus:

Green Jackets is for a small handful of figures. Maybe 10 a side.

Sharp Practice works but as you know it uses the Lardies card and big men system (I'm not a fan of that either).

Age of Glory, of which I have a copy, is for small bodies of formed troops, so more of a tiny battle than a true skirmish game.

You might look at Rampant Colonialism which, despite the name, covers everything from the French & Indian War, to the ACW, the Old West and, obviously, Colonials.

RC puts figures in to units of between 4 and 20 figures. It includs rules for heroic individuals but mostly figures fight as a unit. The mechanics a re straight forward. I'm the publisher of it these days. Turn sequence is IGOUGO with move, defensive fire, fire, melee, morale. Happy to answer more questions offline: mark@scalecreep.com

Purchase the PDF here:

link

Thank you very much again, Extra Crispy. That is very helpful. I'm all for rampant colonialism, so I think I will give the rules a whirl.

FN, think you'll find that Sharp Practice is more about leadership than personalities – there's an optional chapter on giving some more character to your Leaders but we rarely use it.

Yes, it uses a card-driven activation mechanism, and it doesn't work for players who expect to be able to use all their toys, as they want, every turn – but, as we know, every good plan collapses at first contact with the enemy.

By the way, though not for Napoleonics, if you're looking for large scale skirmish rules for colonials, take a look at "Men who Would Be Kings"

Take a look at The Sword and the Flame and its variants.