Well I have decided to just give a peek into version 2, what we call Light Bobs 250' after the 250th anniversary of the American War of Independence.
I am going to place the desinger notes here though they are quite lengthy. As there is another thread I started here is about a Concord Bridge game i will start this new thread.
Hopefully the 3 people that have followed these rules will read these :)
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DESIGNER NOTES
INTRODUCTION
The game mechanisms in Light Bobs are designed to give a game that has the feeling of the period, not just the battle. Like most published games of the past and present, Light Bobs can be played as standalone game where players setup a game, have a great time and then pack up. To gamers just starting out in the hobby this is great, but it isn't too long before they yearn for a campaign.
SOLO GAMES
The fog of war in the game due to the Command Card system and the First Move Generation of each game turn is so good that you can play a solo game and not automatically know which side will win. You would truly have to cheat to trick the game.
CAMPAIGNS
In a campaign game you can truly prove who you are and how good you can be. But campaigns can be a black hole. When you rely on other gamers to participate in a campaign life always seems to get in the way. Players take longer and longer to submit orders or even play the battles generated by the campaign.
By using the Leader skill rules, the Mini-Campaign players can be in a mapless campaign. With the beginning of each new battle having been created by the Leaders themselves.
LEADERS
The Leaders rules are designed to ensure that command is both a privilege and a peril. In Light Bobs your Leader is not an abstract bonus generator but a physical presence on the battlefield—inspiring men, altering momentum, and, falling to chance. By limiting each army to a single primary Leader (with additional subordinates in larger engagements), the system emphasizes hierarchy and responsibility. Command is centralized, but never safe.
Military Rank (MR) serves two purposes: it measures authority and determines survivability. A newly commissioned Captain (MR 3) is competent but far from invulnerable. As rank increases, so does resilience and command ability, but the risk never disappears. The fractional "Advanced" ranks reflect transitional stages in a career—moments where experience and growing influence have not yet fully translated into senior authority. This creates a natural narrative arc as Leaders rise through success or falter through defeat.
Leader Risk is intentionally unforgiving. The battlefield of the era was chaotic, and officers often led from the front. The simple dice thresholds and card-based injury table create suspense without excessive bookkeeping.
Promotion ties performance to progression. Winning improves prospects, but chance—represented by the deck—always has a say. Over multiple battles, this system encourages players not merely to win, but to preserve and cultivate their Leader. The result should be a growing attachment to the officer at the center of your story.
MORALE
The Morale system is built to model Regimental cohesion as an aggregate condition rather than a series of isolated Unit reactions. By tying Morale Checks to cumulative setbacks—unsaved hits, the loss of Leaders, and the destruction of Units ensure that pressure builds over the course of a turn.
The use of Morale Markers, particularly the distinction between Temporary and Permanent markers, reflects the difference between momentary and lasting battlefield shock to the Regiment's fighting capability. Permanent Morale Markers represent irreversible degradation of integrity and manpower, while Temporary markers simulate the ebb and flow of immediate combat stress. The Break Value, fixed at the start of the game, establishes each Regiment's baseline resilience based on training and composition, reinforcing the importance of quality rather than quantity.
Mechanically, the Morale Test procedure emphasizes proportional consequences. Because the number of dice rolled depends on surviving Units, Regiments naturally lose stability as they shrink, even before modifiers are applied.
The graduated Outcome Move system produces escalating disorder that mirrors historical battlefield collapses. Requiring the first Outcome Move to affect the Unit that triggered the test reinforces causality and narrative continuity on the tabletop.
Overall, the design encourages players to preserve cohesion, protect Leaders, guard flanks, and manage cumulative stress rather than relying solely on offensive output to determine victory.
INITIATIVE & FIRE DISIPLINE
The "Who Goes First" mechanism is designed to reflect battlefield responsiveness as a function of training and tactical posture rather than pure random die rolls. By requiring Units to roll against their Training Value—with situational modifiers applied—the system emphasizes professionalism and preparedness.
Elite formations are statistically more likely to seize the initiative, while disrupted, poorly positioned, or rifle-armed troops are less likely to react swiftly. The possibility of simultaneous combat preserves friction and uncertainty, ensuring that even highly trained troops cannot fully dominate tempo.
Modifiers such as Leader attachment, resting weapons, and flank or rear threats reinforce historically grounded considerations: command presence sharpens response, prepared Fire steady's troops, and surprise or enfilade destabilizes them.
The firing rules are intentionally restrictive to promote clarity of engagement and prevent unrealistic Fire distribution. Mandating Fire against the closest eligible target and prohibiting split Fire ensures Units behave as cohesive formations rather than independent Units. Line of Sight requirements and arc limitations differentiate battlefield roles—Skirmishers with broader frontal coverage, artillery with narrow but powerful focus, and infantry constrained to forward Fire with limited facing adjustments. These constraints reward proper deployment and combined-arms coordination. Overall, the system reinforces discipline, frontage management, and position as decisive factors in ranged combat.
MELEE COMBAT
The melee system is designed to capture the volatility and decisive nature of close combat while preserving player choice and tactical nuance. Charge reactions—Counter Charge, Retreat, and Evade—create a layered decision space before dice are ever rolled. Cavalry's ability to countercharge at distance reflects momentum and shock doctrine, while infantry retreat options emphasize reliance on supporting terrain and formations.
Skirmisher evasion reinforces their historical role as fluid screens rather than line holders. The severe consequences for rear charges, including automatic surrender in some cases, underscore the importance of frontage, reserves, and spatial awareness. Collectively, these rules reward foresight in positioning and punish overextension or exposed flanks without requiring excessive procedural complexity.
Combat Dice, Hit Numbers, and Saving Rolls are structured to differentiate troop quality, formation, and tactical circumstance. Better-trained Units gain bonus dice and improved resilience, while Disorder and attrition steadily degrade effectiveness. Open-ended re-rolls of 1 introduce the potential for dramatic swings, ensuring melee remains tense and unpredictable.
The layered post-hit conversion system—saving rolls, Outcome Moves, or DIS—gives players meaningful control over how damage manifests, balancing narrative plausibility with mechanical clarity. Victory resolution through the "Who Goes First" framework ties melee tempo back to training and readiness, reinforcing cohesion as the central theme of the system. Overall, melee is intended to feel sudden and consequential, often serving as the turning point in a Regiment's morale rather than just removing figures.
paints brigs for the British fleet.
