Blucher - War to the Death

[Rob]

I'm curious - what ruleset do you use? I have the same prejudice as well.

I use my own. They are at a higher tactical/strategic level than GdB and FogN but a little lower than Volley-and Bayonet or Blucher. They are meant to enable easily a battle of a corps V corps each controlled by a single player to completed in an evening. 30mm equals 100 paces so 2 foot equals a mile. Battalions are represented by fixed sized units; these vary by nation to give different "flavours". You can put as many figures as you like on a base. I use the max so 24 to a French Nappy battalion, 36 to an Austrian, 32 to a British. No reason for you not to put them in a single rank and have half these amounts. In fact figures are a nice to have as battalion sizes are fixed you could if inclined use blocks of wood or card.

I will be doing a multi-player game in a few weeks. If you are any where near to Leicester you are welcome to come along. I'll try and remember to take a camera.

Cheers, Rob

[Leon026]

Sadly I'm based in France, and currently on TDY in Stuttgart, Germany

Would certainly be interested in photos though! I too am developing my own home-made rules (aren't we all?) because I just get the feeling that some rules just don't do it for me. I read through GdB, found it very interesting, but the basing put me off, as I'd already based for Lasalle, which I find a little dated as well, as I very much prefer alternate activation or Warmaster style activation as opposed to IGOUGO. Anyhow, I digress, photos would be wonderful.

[Norm]

I think rules that play at the higher level and don't let the player use line / column / square are simply forcing the player to wear one hat and not several hats i.e. the player is put at the head of the army and it is assumed that all the other things are being taken care of by junior commanders.

That sentiment seems good and proper - but I do share the sentiment that I like to see the line / column / square on the table. I'm not sure that the player has to strictly sit at just one command level, though I do think a player should not have power over everything, some chaos is often deliciously frustrating 

[Rob]

Sadly I'm based in France, and currently on TDY in Stuttgart, Germany

Would certainly be interested in photos though! I too am developing my own home-made rules (aren't we all?) because I just get the feeling that some rules just don't do it for me. I read through GdB, found it very interesting, but the basing put me off, as I'd already based for Lasalle, which I find a little dated as well, as I very much prefer alternate activation or Warmaster style activation as opposed to IGOUGO. Anyhow, I digress, photos would be wonderful.

Hi Leon,
I thoroughly applaud you making your own rules. I really think everybody should try it. In trying to abstract real life into a game you can learn a lot about the period you are trying to portray.

Cheers, Rob 

[KTravlos]

One solution to the grand-tactical tactical divide is to insert friction in the form of the ability of brigade, or battalion commanders to take the proper tactical disposition for the things you want them to do. This would require some random mechanism, but the idea would be that there is an x non-zero probability that the on the spot commanders did not take the best tactical disposition for the task you gave to their formation. For example a brigade or battalion sent to a firefight that goes in deep columns.

You can even have the randomness decreased by attaching your CnC to the formation, thus representing the sometimes tactical focus of commanders like Wellington at Waterloo.

But this can make a game run very slowly.

[Nosher]

Out today and available from Northstar Miniatures at £26. And its PAYDAY 

[Leon026]

One solution to the grand-tactical tactical divide is to insert friction in the form of the ability of brigade, or battalion commanders to take the proper tactical disposition for the things you want them to do. This would require some random mechanism, but the idea would be that there is an x non-zero probability that the on the spot commanders did not take the best tactical disposition for the task you gave to their formation. For example a brigade or battalion sent to a firefight that goes in deep columns.

You can even have the randomness decreased by attaching your CnC to the formation, thus representing the sometimes tactical focus of commanders like Wellington at Waterloo.

But this can make a game run very slowly.

I think we almost need a forum for game/rule designs. I have a system I'm working on to reflect that form of fog of war where units gets gradually disordered and more difficult to control.

[Subedai]

I'm the same, being brought up on a wargaming diet of 25mm Napoleonics back in the 1970's I much prefer the visual impact of a division in l'ordre mixte or a brigade of infantry in squares due to cavalry. I use a set of rules specifically devised for 5mm Napoleonics -the old Mini Figs blocks.

Pictures from my blog are here:
http://thewordsofsubedai.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/neustadt-solo-5mm-napoleonic-battle.html

Really can't be doing with 12 figures equalling a battalion in any size or a brigade made up of a single base of 6mm figures. I am also quite happy with playing a small part of a battle if I don't have the space for the whole fight...which is quite often.

[toxicpixie]

Blucher sized bases let you set the units up nicely - my recently done (most) Anglo-German 1st Coalition chaps are two units of 24 figure in line to a base, one behind the other with space to pop a au commander, an attached arty piece and/or skirmish screen (not very likely!) with them. It's still representative but does look good.

The Avant Garde should be good looking when I get them done, with their mix of cavalry, line and jaegers/Grenzers etc. not looking forward to the many bases of Austrians. White on white with white. Snow blind...

For Order Mixed I'm thinking one unit in line, two columns behind, skirmishers out front. Battalion sizes of sixteen figures, probably. Double rank on the line and columns in four by four. The French are really someone else's problem though, I've got enough to do with my own stuff and commissions

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

I'm just going to repeat my 1870 basing methods, it's the same sized bases...