"Looking for Napoleonic Rules" Topic

Hi,

I'm looking for a set of Napoleonic rules allowing two(ish) player to play out large battles in a single sitting, say 4-6 hours. A Napoleonic version of Altar of Freedom if you will.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I play Blucher and would certainly recommend it.

Wessencraft's corps level rules.

Age of Eagles might work

Volley and Bayonet is my go to for the large. Brigade/regiments are in a square 3" base, 1" is 100 yards. Scale of figures is agnostic. 6mm could fit on 3cm squares if space to play is an issue. Command/control is 6" radius for division commanders. Corps can put troops in command too. At this level of abstraction a player can handle a couple of corps or more.
Phil

Snappy Nappy is my go-to these days. All of Ligny on a 4 by 6 foot table, with plenty of room and a quick and decisive result. My son describes the system as a sprint into a knife fight!

Blucher for large battles.

Very similar to Volley & Bayonet at nominal brigade scale based on squares. I use 6mm and have set up Waterloo on a 6x4 table, played out in an evening. It is a more modern system with better command and control rules than VnB.

Bloody Big Battles is my go to right now. I can easily put 3 to 4 corps per side on a 4'x6' table and still have a vast area of room for maneuver. Easy to play a battle in 2-4 hours. I have used the Murat maps for campaign maneuvers with each map square being a 2'x2' area of a game table. murat.ca/maps.htm

+1 Blucher

Look at "Absolute Emperor"

It should fit what you want for large battles.

Kim

Aren't we all – when you find it, let us know!!

If you wish to play a historical battle in a single day then the number of rules is limited. This video covers rules which allow this;
youtu.be/MhCOCWaeyxM

A quick list of possible rules are;
Snappy Nappy
BBNB
Blücher (Abstract, can be played with cards if you wish)
Napoleon at War (Figure game version of the SPI Napoleon at war board game)
Another option is to use a set of rules such as "command and colour", which is a board game but i have seen figure gamers use it.

Snappy Nappy is my favorite. Another vote for Command and Colors with minis… There is also De Bellis Napoleonicus and other DBA variants.

Look at Sergeants3 website and see if 'Before I
was a Marshal…' rules are still available.

These rules were specifically designed for 3-4 hour
gaming sessions. The number of players is flexible,
the more players the more units can be used.

Been using these rules (modified and unmodified)
since the early 1970's and see no need to change.

Some excellent rules sets listed above and I've tried most of them. The problem with a number of the rules sets mentioned is that they quickly lose their period flavour, the napoleonic feel, that makes the period worth playing. You could be playing any period or even a boardgame with counters. Not that thats a bad thing. But you listed some criteria.

Looking very specifically at your criteria I would suggest Napoleon's Battles. I first played it back in the 80's and I've recently returned to it in its 4th Edition form.

You can refight a large, multi-corp battle in 4-6 hours with just 2 players, or more if you have them. Its a very complete and battle tested system (pun intended) with solid published scenarios for all of the major battles of the period. A campaign system as well. And it covers 1792 to 1815 in a very granular way reflecting all the changes and evolution of armies, drill and tactics along the way.

And it does all this still retaining the feel, the flavour, of the napoleonic period.

I mostly now play at Corps or even Division level but when I get the itch to re-fight one of the large historical engagements NB 4th fills that niche, still with lots of period feel.

Napoleon at War can be played with 2 or more players. Each player with a Division.
And they are free.

Here are some free rules links
PDF link
link

I would agree with nsolomon99, my intro set in the mid 90s, one can play the big battles of the period with minimum of fuss. Recently introduced a friend and after a couple of games fight battles seamlessly to a conclusion. Good for multi player games fighting huge battles, al la Liepzig, Wagram,

Tally Ho!

Napoleon's Battles – 4th Edition

Another vote for Blucher. We regularly play battles with 3-5 Corps per side and are done under 4 hours.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I went ahead and purchased the .pdf version of Blucher.

I discovered I actually have a copy of Snappy Nappy which I purchased a year or two ago because of a review on Little Wars TV.

I check the others suggested out.

Thanks again

I've done short comparative reviews of several rule sets listed here. Maybe it helps. Blücher seems well within your parameters but have a look at Bloody Big Battles as well.

Thank you to all those above who have recommended BBB.

@wpilon:
If you visit the BBBBlog and search on the 'Napoleonic' label
link
you will find reports of BBB games of some of the biggest Napoleonic battles, eg Dresden, Luetzen, Aspern-Essling. These might give you a better sense of whether BBB would suit your requirements.

Perry brothers new free Valour & Fortitude looks interesting: link

A few days ago, Little Wars TV did a video on the rules and they love them. youtu.be/CW9m6GHZBEQ

Hello wpilon!

"I'm looking for a set of Napoleonic rules allowing two(ish) player to play out large battles in a single sitting, say 4-6 hours. A Napoleonic version of Altar of Freedom if you will.

Anyone have any suggestions?"

I think I can offer you something even better. I wrote "Ruse de Guerre" for Baccus 6mm in their Polemos series of rules. The Polemos rules were written for 6mm players, by 6mm players. Although Ruse de Guerre covers the wars in North America from 1754 to 1815 they can be used for the Napoleonic Wars as well. One of the unique features of the rules is a sliding scale that allows you to increase the size of your battles as the size of your collection grows. They can even be played solo! Should you attract more players then just you and your friend the dynamics of the game evolve as well. More input, more output.

Baccus 6mm is also one of if not the largest seller of 6mm figures. They have an extensive line of 6mm Napoleonic figures. They sell the figures in packs of small Brigades up to complete armies and dual army boxes. They also sell bases that match the way they sell their figures so you're not short or over figures. You can also obtain basing material kits, flags, other rules, brushes, buildings, etc. Basically a one stop shop.

Note Baccus is presently closed for the holidays. You can however still view their complete website.

You can obtain a PDF copy of Ruse de Guerre from the Wargame Vault for about $11 USD US. Should you have any concerns or questions I would gladly answer them here, on line or on the Baccus forum.

Best regards,

Glenn

Blucher I'd say or bloody big battles. Played polemos twice and not really set up for napoleonics to be fair.

Hello Weesojies!

"Played polemos twice and not really set up for napoleonics to be fair"

If your referring strictly to European Napoleonic's then I can see your point as the rules do not include any European Napoleonic scenarios. They do, however, include the War of 1812 which was a full blown Napoleonic war in North America. So the transition to European Napoleonic's is seamless. If you scroll down this board "6mm Napoleonics Message Board" you will see a number of exciting European Napoleonic battles that were played by "Whirlwind" using Polemos rules "Ruse de Guerre". In fact he praises the rules. My club the "Napoleonic Miniatures Wargame Society of Toronto" has also been using them for over 10 years for all our Napoleonic games no matter where they occurred. As do other people and clubs around the world.

Best regards,

Glenn

Hi Glenn
As I said I don't think the rules stand up next to other main rules which use brigade level. To be honest I've never seen much clubs play the rules via online discussions, AAR and so on. I've read a few reviews that weren't favourable but by no means disrespected the rules, they just didn't get a good feel for what napoleonic warfare was about. I personally prefer a more streamed down napoleonic rules wich use battalion level but the OP was asking more brigade kevel in where I've played polemos a couple of times after buying the rules but I just couldn't get into it and if memory recalls they were a bit confusing. But different horses for courses as they say.

Hello Weesojies!

Thanks for taking the time to clarify your original message for me. Much appreciated.

I think we're talking about two different Polemos rule sets. I'm talking about the latest version that I wrote called "Ruse de Guerre". It covers the wars in North America from 1754 to 1815. It sounds to me that your referring to the original Polemos Napoleonic rules which had two rule sets in the same book. They were a fresh perspective on Napoleonic warfare that some people didn't agree with and also had a bit of a learning curve that some people also had trouble with. Like most rule sets some people liked it and others didn't.

"Ruse de Guerre" was intentionally written to address a different audience. It was aimed directly at people looking for a simpler, easy to learn and fast to play rule set. More importantly it combined the important features of Polemos into a single rule set. It also is the first rule set in the series to embrace individual light infantry/skirmish bases which brings the game even closer to actual horse and musket warfare. It also has a unique sliding scale that allows you to increase the size of your battles as the size of your collection grows. The perfect vehicle for beginners or veterans looking for a rule set that lets you play any size of battle you want.

Thanks again Weesojies!

Glenn

Hi Glenn

Sorry for late reply as away during the festive period.

I was indeed mentiong the new polemos rules as I forgot the name of the new one as its been years since trying them.

I would say the majority of rules cover a sliding scale in battle size as its really all about what battles you want to play, table size and of course time.

Blucher has a richer taste for the bigger base games. Blackpowder is extremley quick and so many other rules throw all the ingredients into a game such as columns, squares and so forth.

Polemos has its own unique identity but is it getting dated now compared to more modern rules making there way on the market, such as Perry's own rules for napoleonics and even the rules by little wars tv that can easily be converted into naps.

Hello Weesojies!

No need to apologise a general on line conversation should always take a back seat to the real world and of course festive celebrations.

I'm still not sure about which particular Polemos rule set your taking but that's okay. I can assure you that all three of the rule sets are indeed designed to play Napoleonic 6mm wargames. Also that they were all designed by extremely experienced 6mm Napoleonic players.

"I would say the majority of rules cover a sliding scale in battle size as its really all about what battles you want to play, table size and of course time."

Yes they do to some degree, but I'm not aware of too many, if any that allow you to play a skirmish game up to Waterloo or Borodino. Using the same rules, same table size with varying time depending on the size of the battle.

"Blucher has a richer taste for the bigger base games."

Not really sure what you mean here but I would assume that could be said by anyone who enjoys a particular rule set.

" Blackpowder is extremley quick and so many other rules throw all the ingredients into a game such as columns, squares and so forth."

The Polemos rules does consider columns, squares, etc. They just treat them differently. There is simply no requirement to show them on the table unless you want to.

"Polemos has its own unique identity but is it getting dated now compared to more modern rules making there way on the market, such as Perry's own rules for napoleonics and even the rules by little wars tv that can easily be converted into naps."

Yes, the Polemos series of rules has been around for over 20 years but "Ruse de Guerre" is certainly a modern rule set. It's only been on the market for over five years. There are also new Polemos rules under development. So the series continues to grow and expand.

Best regards,

Glenn

We are using Perry Miniatures Valour & Fortitude rules for 6mm now, they work well but we have 120mm unit frontages and so reduced move / shooting ranges to 2/3 of standard.

But they are built for big games, you a talking Divison+ (IMO they are excellent up to single Corps level as written, but above that they wil need their single "Overall Commander" acting as Sub Generals (which they don't have yet, just brigade commanders) but you can easily graft any CiC/Sub rules from your favourite ruleset.

Rules/lists are free on Perry Miniatures website. Only 4 pages of rules and 2 pages extra per army. Very easy to pick up and quite subtle.

Incidentally Little Wars TV does a nice QRS for "our" 2/3 movement speed on their website.

Plenty of great suggestions to keep you looking at options.

We use Volley & Bayonet. For 6mm we use bases that are 1.5" square which reduces the space required.

If you are interested you can find some of my game reports below. Some of the games are small, others reasonably large.
battlesin6mm.blogspot.com

Are the Perry valour and fortitude the simplest napoleonic rules available?

You can also take a look at my short reviews of several rule systems mentioned above. My approach is to compare them against each other, which might help in your endeavor.

The Ultimate Napoleonic Wargame Rules Review

Personally I would recommend Blücher to you out of the sets I know, because it is closest in spirit to the mentioned Altar of Freedom. Although not similar, it sets its focus on command decisions (prioritizing what you want to do, because you can't be everywhere) and cleverly zooms out from the nitty gritty detail as Altar of Freedom does.

@Fabianthedelayer

Valour & Fortitude (not to be confused with Volley & Bayonet, which I also have) is the simplest set I've found that does the job of allowing us to play very large games, quickly, without grinding detail but finishes believably (most recent game on my blog here link

They are not fully developed yet, we've made a few clarifying additions that I can post up, but we really like them. In 6mm we use 2/3 scale distance and range.

Fwiw we've tried V&B, Blucher, Shako2, Black Powder, Large scale Drum & Shako and even adapted Command & Colours to get a big game set, we like playing several Corps a side in 6mm (each "standard" battalion/cavalry regiment being 120mm frontage in line for 6mm, typically 2 x 60mm or 4 x 30mm frontage stands in our armies)