"New Fast Play Napoleonic Rules" Topic

I recently bought a set of rules from belloludi.nl/english in the Netherlands. I am always looking for good simple rules to use with my 54mm Napoleonic collection. The rules come with a 15 page book of rules, a special pair of dice and a set of random events cards. The rules were apparently designed to introduce novice players to historical wargaming for the purpose of team building. They incorporate familiar bits and pieces from other existing rules sets, the sort of thing I might try to do if I wanted to create my own rules, but am too lazy to try. Due to the brevity of the rules, some detials are left out, like rules for light infantry and fighting in buildings, but I figure they can be easily bolted on. I'll report back after I have tested the game on the game table.

Interesting. I'm also interested is relatively simple rules to help me get my 54mm figures onto the table more often. I look forward to hearing more.

I'd like to hear more as well.

I, too, would be interested in learning more. How much did the rules cost? I can't find any information about that or how to obtain a copy on the site.

arthur1815, I ordered the UK Bundle, even though I'm in the US. It arrived about a week later. link

Nick, thank you very much for the link!

Would be great to hear how they play, please and thanks

Our group is has picked up the rules and is looking at gaming them soon. I think the UK bundle with shipping to the U.S. cost me $40. USD Hopefully they will be fun and enjoyable.

I've bought these rules as well and enjoyed reading them. They are basic, but read very well and I think they will give a great game. As Nick said, done things are missed out, but I don't think this will spoil the game and Peter of BelloLudi rules is always interested in hearing opinions and ideas

Cross posted on PMCD Mobilisatie and Littlewars Revisited: It was a rainy afternoon here in California, entering the third week of lock down with my girlfriend, Joyce, when she surprised me by asking if she could try a miniatures game! I must say I was delighted, she is the first woman in my life to actually take an interest in my hobby. I recently purchase the BelloLudo "Strategy Game" by Peter van Dop. Apparently it was designed as a team building activity for first time miniatures players so I thought it might be a good starting point for my girlfriend and I. I am always interested in simple game mechanics for my 54mm collections. I figure you can always solve a problem by making the solution more complicated, but it takes real genius to come up with a simple elegant solution. I would stop short of calling van Dop a genius, but the rules are certainly bare bones, with only the essentials covered. The rules book is only fifteen pages long, but they are enough. The rules period is general black powder era with a focus on Napoleonic. The only thing I had to bolt on were rules for light infantry, which were not covered. Since it was raining and my Napoleonic miniatures were in the shed out back I settled for using my AWI collection. We played on a 6X5 foot table which meant we got into action very quickly. Infantry moved 12 inches and cavalry move 18 inches. This seemed generous, even with my 54mm miniatures. They must have large game tables in the Netherlands! Musket ranges are out to 18 inches and cannon fire out to 36 inches. The rules include a unique dice used for activation if the units are outside of the 12 inch command radius. If you roll poorly your unit cannot activate and if you roll really badly you can make no more activation rolls. D6s are used for musket and cannon fire. Joyce picked up the mechanics very quickly and, aside from wasting her first artillery rounds trying to destroy a wooden house, soon got into the swim of things. Her British forces held back and let my Continental forces bring the fight to them, which made sense as I had seven infantry units to her five, though four of mine were militia. I won't go into detail, but we played the game to a conclusion in less than two hours, the British holding the field at the end. I liked the rules and will certainly use them again, most likely with a few additional house rules of my own.

Ah, the "British held the field" did they, Commandant Stern? And I see you prefer not to go into details. Hmmpf! I can readily understand your preference, indeed I can. To be blunt about it, Sirrah, despite having superiority of numbers, and a mere novice as an adversary, you were whupped by a woman, a rank amateuse Amazon! What! What!! Depend upon it, you will be cashiered. Broken to the ranks.

Great looking set-up, seriously. Good Luck.

The author of the rules posted these suggestions on Facebook to fill in the missing bits:

Light troops can also evade as a charge response. Nominate the place where you want them to go and roll the commander dice. On a roll of 0 or B, the unit does not move and receives the charge. A roll of 1, 2 or 3 will give you the distance that the unit is able to move. The charging unit will follow in the direction of the evaders, trying to catch them. Should the charging unit have more movement than the evading unit, and does not meet another unit in the charge as the evading unit moves through friendly forces, the unit is caught and routed.
On page 11, the advantage/disadvantage box at the bottom of the page has, under Cavalry Line (disadvantage line) says: ‘Kwetsbaar aan achterzijde' which should read: Vulnerable from behind.
Pagina 13
Buildings
Buildings are a great way to hold your ground. It gives you an advantage when fighting (+2 on the result of hand-to-hand combat) and receiving fire as the enemy fires at -1. However, buildings can be damaged by canon fire. Each time a building is hit by a cannon, roll a dice for each hit. On the roll of a six, the building catches fire, inflicting an extra hit on the troops inside. The fire keeps burning until the end of the game, inflicting a hit on the occupying unit(s) in each shooting phase.

Pagina 14: toevoegen
Light Infantry
Light infantry was a relative new idea in the 18th century. Working in open order, the troops moved faster and were less controlled than the line formations. They moved ahead of the army in order to disrupt the enemy.
UNIT TYPE ARMAMENT HAND-TO HAND SHOOTING MORALE
95th rifles Light infantry elite 16" Rifles 18" 6 3 4/7
54eme Legere Light inafntry Rifles 18" 5 3 3/6

Thanks for the review and pictures Nick.
Nice armies, too.