I am getting close to playing my first game with my classic Napoleonics. My plan is to the first Wargame rules I used as back in the late 60s.
So I have pulled my old copy of Charge from the shelves.
So I have pulled my old copy of Charge from the shelves.
There have been a couple of blog were others have been using the Charge rules for Napoleonics. Firstly Keith F has been posting of his dining table games with one Stuart A.
https://keefsblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/old-school-napoleonics-2.html?m=1
Andy C has been using Charge for his Shinyloo Project.
http://gloriouslittlesoldiers.blogspot.com/2018/07/shinyloo-two-bigger-longer-shinier.html?m=1
I have been reading the rules and have come up with some rule amendments I intend to try out.
Firstly I am going to downsize all units and measurements by 50% to fit in with my 24 figure battalions and 12 figure cavalry/light infantry units. Each unit will consists of 2 companies / squadrons which may act independently if required
https://keefsblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/old-school-napoleonics-2.html?m=1
Andy C has been using Charge for his Shinyloo Project.
http://gloriouslittlesoldiers.blogspot.com/2018/07/shinyloo-two-bigger-longer-shinier.html?m=1
I have been reading the rules and have come up with some rule amendments I intend to try out.
Firstly I am going to downsize all units and measurements by 50% to fit in with my 24 figure battalions and 12 figure cavalry/light infantry units. Each unit will consists of 2 companies / squadrons which may act independently if required
Secondly I am going to add morale rather than using the 50% rule. I going to use a variation of the morale rules used in Grants the Wargame based on loses and officer casualties.
Every time a player loses a figure roll a D6 for each figure lost. If you get at least one 6 then an officer is at risk. Any extra 6s are ignored. An officer at Risk is saved on a 5 or 6. I will mark Officer loses with an appropriate marker.
Morale is based on a basic unit value
7 Grenadiers and some better elites
6 regular
5 militia and less well trained.
Every time a unit loses a figure/officer you have to take a morale check.
Every time a unit loses a figure/officer you have to take a morale check.
- 1 for each have lost 1/6 strength lost
- 1 for each officer lost
- 1 for each rally attempt (max 2 attempts)
Roll a D6 and add the units base morale. A unit needs to make a 6 or fails the morale check, if advancing the units halts and may not move or fire next turn, otherwise the unit routs.
A routed unit gets 2 chances to rally using tge standard morale test with a -1 on first attempt and -2 on second attempt. A command officer may attach to the unit and adds 1 to the morale test.
The final change is to the infantry melee. Units in line/skirmish melee as usual with figure vs figure melee rolls. If a column hits a line take the total number of figures in the column and divide by 2 rounding up. The result is the number of melees that are fought as 2 to 1 individual combats against the defender. There can never be more melees than there figures in the defending unit. Remember that loses from firing as the unit charges in are added to the attackers loses when determining the melee victor.
To test these rule changes I am planning my first small game - Battle for the Bridge loosely based on Blasthof Bridge.
A routed unit gets 2 chances to rally using tge standard morale test with a -1 on first attempt and -2 on second attempt. A command officer may attach to the unit and adds 1 to the morale test.
The final change is to the infantry melee. Units in line/skirmish melee as usual with figure vs figure melee rolls. If a column hits a line take the total number of figures in the column and divide by 2 rounding up. The result is the number of melees that are fought as 2 to 1 individual combats against the defender. There can never be more melees than there figures in the defending unit. Remember that loses from firing as the unit charges in are added to the attackers loses when determining the melee victor.
To test these rule changes I am planning my first small game - Battle for the Bridge loosely based on Blasthof Bridge.
6 comments:
Sounds interesting , be interested how it plays .
I am looking forwards to what comes from this. I have just been flicking through a recently re-acquired copy of Napoleonic Wargaming by Grant, so am in the mood for a dip back in time.
Looking forward to seeing your game. I'm about to play my first game of Charge next weekend.
For the level of game under discussion here, I too use a standard 24-foot and 12 figure horse units but subdivided into companies or squadrons of 4 figures each. I used to maintain a separate command element for the infantry at least, but have discontinued that practice. I still allow some variation among unit strengths, though (another virtue of Charge rules is their tolerance for this). My two Austrian hussar regiment comprise 16 figures.
My own experience with the Grant WAr Game morale system is that a modified version worked OK whilst I had a separate command element, but, although there was no reason why it should no work without, the variations (resulting from reorganizing 27-figure units into 24) in my officer establishments rather precluded my continuing with that system. Instead I simply used a 'loss' system: calling for morale checks whenever a unit lost 10%or more of original strength in one turn (plus a couple of other situations), with reductions in unit morale starting at 20% with 10% intervals.A unit reduced to 50% of original strength had to withdraw from the action (though this need not take it from the table, with much the same effects as in 'Charge!'
My morale system attacked numbers 4,5,6 in increasing troop quality, with a simgle die roll determining how the unit thought things were going. A roll equal to or less than this number (modified by losses) determined the unit's reaction (which varied according to by how much the unit 'failed'.
I'm now thinking of reversing this, with the same overall effect, but assigning numbers 1,2,3 as ORDIBAL effect rather than cardinal. So a '1' denotes a first class unit. This number is increased with losses, and the die roll must equal or exceed that number for the unit to continue to be 'in hand'.
Broadly speaking, this describes the system I use for my 'Corsical Ogre; Rule set.
Quite arbitrary, of course, but that system seemed to work satisfavtorily for my purposes.
I enjoyed this posting and the links to the other two - thank you. The 'old school' approach has an appeal all of its own.
Excellent, i always considered Charge to be more suited to Napoleonic.
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