"1813 Campaign Supply Rules" Topic

"Until now the supply rules have been designed to force both armies to take steps to provide and protect their lines of supply.

Each corps starts the campaign with four days supplies, which is also the maximum that they can carry. To resupply they have to halt, avoid the enemy and be within one day's march of a depot. As they advance they have to establish depots so that they do not have to retreat to resupply.

All of this was designed for a series of one off, stand alone, mini campaigns. At the start both armies had sufficient supplies for four days, plus one days supply in their depot…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Supply rules have no effect for a table top game so supply is pretty irrelevant, we decided to drop it as being to pedantic for our Spain 1809 campaign not our style.

Glup!….

Amicalement
Armand

Campaigns ithout suppliy rules seems absolutely meaningless. The majoruty of movements were dictated by logistics.

This is an interesting reading of Supply problems and solutions…

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Armand

You would need rules for living off the land. Requisitions carried out by parties detached from the vanguard ahead of the main force were often the primary source of supplies for Napoleonic armies; billeting troops in households along the line of march was also a common method.

Yes while the OPs travels and photographs are of interest, I think he's overdone 'supply' by a large amount unless his 'group' is only doing map campaigning.

The Ulm campaign took just over 30 days and was on relatively 'friendly' soil. The next took 60 days and wasn't. Despite major capitals, cities and rich provinces, Winter war can be hell.

Supply in campaigns, like any other aspect, can be abstracted to a greater or lesser degree. For most players, a campaign is an excuse for a series of linked tabletop games, where there is a context determining who is present on table and what objectives the player might have. Most players don't want their participation in the game to be bogged down by the minutae of supply bookkeeping.

Most of this can probably be automated. What matters on table is whether or not the army is supplied and what the consequences are. Is it an attrition factor removed from the unit or a morale penalty etc.

Thanks!.

Armand

Armies can to some extent live off the land, but it tends to get your stragglers massacred, and farms and villages can't provide you with 100,000 musket balls overnight. Every army needs a tail.

Armies can to some extent live off the land, but doing so tends to annoy the locals and to get your stragglers massacred. Also, farms and villages can't provide you with 100,000 musket balls overnight. Every army needs a tail.

Of possible interest?

The Grand Failure: How Logistics of Supply Defeated Napoleon in 1812

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Armand

Farms can't supply ammunition, but the army's train can usually carry a whole campaign's worth. Depots are generally much more necessary when the army is sitting still than when it is moving.