Balance of Power - Franco Prussian Rules

[Stevie D]

Just came across these new rules - has anyone tried them out?


http://www.crusaderpublishing.com/index.php

Cheers

Steve

[Nosher]

Sounds interesting...... Got loads of FPW to play with but not a set of rules that I've found that I enjoy playing with.....

[Leman]

Yes. Not that keen. Personally I think the cover is a bit of misinformation. Inside every illustration is of Napoleonic troops and a major part of a move is testing to see if troops can form square. Played an 1859 inspired game with them and didn't really enjoy it. They are not especially complex and the fire tables give ranges for later weapons, but I can't help feeling thy are a set of modified Napoleonic rules. For FPW I would use rules such as BBB, They Died for Glory, Les Gens Braves or Field of Battle 2nd edition for a game that feels like the period.

[d_Guy]

Stevie D,
Thanks for posting the link and welcome to the forum. FPW is something I'm  considering and want  to play at the corps or division level.

[d_Guy]

Leman,
Thanks for those insights on rules. I ordered BBB rules with the idea of using them with FPW.
Really out of my element here - for me a flintlock is advanced weaponry 

[Leman]

At that level you should definitely consider Bloody Big Battles. I have played FPW with these rules using both 6mm and 10mm. An opportunity to game the biggest battles (apart from Beaugency - 8' length) on a 6'x4' table with exciting, fast-paced rules that really capture the flavour. Here's a shot of some 6mm divisions

[d_Guy]

Excellent, Leman!
At my present scope of thinking I may end up with six 10mm figures on a 1" square base to represent a division! 

[jambo1]

Welcome to the forum!! And I have finally succumbed and ordered my first FPW figures, so this is a very interesting read.

[Leman]

In BBB, depending on the scale of the battle several 1" square bases represent a battalion or a division, ranging from 3 to 7 bases.

[Nosher]

stupid question but where can you get BBB?

My google fu is weak after a full on week

[Ithoriel]

Caliver Books have it here

https://www.caliverbooks.com/bookview.php?4a26d93b868abce0c06efe88cd442bfa&id=23060

[Steve J]

I highly recommend the rules Nosher. Dave Fielder and I have been having some great games with these rules and have found nowt wrong with them .

[Techno]

A very warm welcome to the forum, Steve !

And a very nice set up with the 6mm troops 'Bob'.
(Do I detect fire elementals being used as 'markers' ?)

Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Think they are Litko plastic markers Phil?

[Chad]

I bought these rules. I read them but could find no reference to skirmishers or their use. How you can wargame the period covered by the rules without skirmishers is beyond me.

Chad

[Leman]

The S base represents the skirmish element in a brigade or division. This is precisely why I have two FPW scales, so that I can play the small scale stuff at battalion or company level. I tried playing the FPW with every battalion represented using the 1870 rules. It was an impossible and eventually self-defeating task. To do it everything else had to go on the back burner whilst troops were painted, only to end up playing a slow and ponderous game. The only battle that actually made it to the tabletop was  Wissembourg, the smallest scenario in the book. You can't actually play Wissembourg with BBB. TBH my experience of playing FPW has become so much more enjoyable since discovering BBB and my chasseurs and jagers still get out on the table in both scales.

[Stevie D]

Thanks for the feedback on the rules Leman. I've recently picked up BBB mainly because they seem to be based on Fire & Fury and look forward to trying them out soon. I'll probably also take a look at the new streamlined version of the 1870 rules when they come out.

Cheers

Steve 

[Steve J]

I read them but could find no reference to skirmishers or their use.

If you look on page 3 under 2.7 Attributes, you'll see 'S-Skirmisher' near the bottom of the page. It explains the benefits of having them and the penalties of not etc.

I'll probably also take a look at the new streamlined version of the 1870 rules when they come out.

Yep, they look interesting from the draft copy that I've seen. Bruce admits that BBB is easier to play than his earlier variants, hence the move to a more streamlined game in '1870' (or 1871, I can't remember which!).

[Leman]

Does the new book still contain al the extra info?

[Chris Pringle]

I bought these rules. I read them but could find no reference to skirmishers or their use. How you can wargame the period covered by the rules without skirmishers is beyond me.

Chad

Chad, I assume you're talking about the 'Balance of Power' rules which is what this thread is about, right?

(But if you did mean BBB, then as Leman says, they're very much in there; it's all in the 'S - Skirmisher' attribute.)

Chris
Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BBB_wargames/info
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.co.uk/