IntroductionI have had a number of enquiries about the rules Jan and I use for the wargames in the campaign. I have sent out about 20 copies so far, but I feel that they are not really "stand alone".
The rules have evolved from various commercial sets that Jan and I have used over the years, with the most recent influence being the very popular LFS.
Just as we designed the 1813 campaign to suit our particular collection of figures, scenery and wargames table, so we have designed the rules to suit our types and numbers of model soldiers plus the type of games we want to play.
These rules will allow you to fight multi corps games with a relatively small number of figures. They are designed to represent an army corps of 20,000 to 30,000 with just 32 infantry, 4 cavalry and 1 gun. If this is not the type of game you are interested in, then I would advise that you read no further!
The rules as they stand are really just a game aid to allow Jan and I to refer to the appropriate rule as the game goes along. They do not attempt to explain why or how. With this blog I hope to be able to do that. I also hope that I may get some useful suggestions back to help us to improve the rules.
So if you have any comments on the rules do drop me a line.
Hi there - I have been reading through your blogs with interest, as I have just returned to my first love of Napoleonic Wargaming (or at least, I'm trying to!!) following a long sojourn elsewhere hobby-wise (sci-fi / fantasy).
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the rules you use..what I've read looks good. What I'm looking for is a divisional / tactical level game. Is there anything you'd reccommend? Your rules for example...using 8 men on 4 elements of 2 to represent a brigade...would it work if more figures per element were used (but still using only 4 elements / bases to represent each brigade)? I ask this as I do love the look of Elite / Connoisseur 25mm figs based up in "Grand Manner" style, but i fear I'd bankrupt myself if i was to try and collect 36 / 32 figure battalions. Brigades on the other hand...
Anyway, as well as asking the question, I just wanted to say thanks for putting the interesting blog out there - great stuff!
Kind regards
Simon Foley
(simonfoley@me.com)
Hi Simon
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments about the blog.
Wargame rules are a real minefield, and I would hesitate to recommend a particular set. So much depends on what you personally want out of the rules, and what sort of game you want to play.
I used Grand Manner for many years, and enjoyed the large battalion look. But you do need a lot of expensive 28mm figures and a large table. However iff you want large battalions I would recommend that you stick with them. The number of "battalions" you use is not important, so you could have 4 or 5 large battalions per side and call each whatever you want. The rules work the same whether you call them battalions, brigades or divisions.
My particular favourite amongst the current rules is LFS by Two Fat Lardies. They have a yahoo site to support the rules, so there is somewhere you can go to get answers to any questions you might have.
My rules are largely based on LFS, but with a number of important differences. I have written my rules to achieve a particular aim, which is to fight large battles with a small number of figures. And the actual organisation of each brigade is to suit the figure collection I already have. So I would not recommend them unless you want to fight similar sized battles. If you only want to command one corps, and if you want to refight an actual historical battle, then you could do much worse than LFS.
There are also a large number of free wargame rules available on the web, but again you would need to really work out what you want to achieve, and what number of figures you want to collect.
There is a lot of planning and research involved, but you are in a very good position at present. Once you decide what rules you want to use, you can then collect the exact figures and put them on the right bases.
If I were you I would research the more popular rules available, there are web sites or a forum for all of them. I would then play a few games using card or even paper to reprsent the bases. And only when I am happy with the rules would I start buying and painting the figures.
If you want to use my rules I can confirm that the number of figurs per brigade and the size of bases is not important. However the relation between infantry, cavalry and artillery base sizes is important. You could increase the number of bases per brigade from 8 to 12 or 16. But you would then need to increase the cavalry bases in proportion, and you would need more artillery.
If I can be of any help do let me know.
Good luck and good fun
Paul