Longstreet

[Leman]

Will likely give the Lite rules a couple of games down the club and then go for the big hit as there are a few of us who like the feel of a story unwinding through the use of the campaign. ACW is also big in our club as one of the members is a McClellan descendant.

[nikharwood]

Cool - will give those Lite rules a run-out ASAP 

[ronan]

Had a good read of the Lite rules last night and they do look pretty good- cards are used in a totally different way from Maurice. Looks like each player has a deck of cards made up of common cards to both sides and then army specific cards. You use the cards to take an action for your force basically, you throw a card in from your hand to activate a move action for your troops, and then can modify that action with any special specifc cards. The tension being that when you have cycled through your deck you have to shuffle, but before you do that you have to randomly discard 6 cards, so as the game goes on you have less cards to play with. Cards also seem to have a morale value, usually from 1-2 points, and you can discard them to 'save' hits. Of course the more hits you save the mnore cards you need to discard and the quicker your deck gets thinned out.

Seems a clever mechanism to model command and control as well as morale. Wont suit everyone, but I think it looks inspired.

Yes, you're right.
I tried them (in a solo game) http://smolensk.homelinux.org/?p=1572
Sam did a good job. Good  rules, but I'm missing something.

[Leman]

What's missing is probably the wider range of subtleties achieved through the full rules, eg. I want to try out some of the scenarios available  in the Spring Hill and Franklin battles using the maps in 'The Confederacy's Last Hurrah' but as yet there are no rules for cavalry, mounted or dismounted.

[ronan]

I think it's - for my own taste - the feeling . I played "cards" instead of "MY plan that never works" 
Same feelings with Maurice.
But they are good games, imho.

[Serotonin]

Cool - will give those Lite rules a run-out ASAP 

Do us a report Nik!

[nikharwood]

Do us a report Nik!

It's about time, isn't it? 

[Leman]

If you can't wait for Nik there's a couple of batreps on the Honour site (and yes, it is the English and not the American spelling).

[Luddite]

Played these tonight.

An exceptionally good game. 

Like Maurice it'll be better in the full release, but well, it is basically just Maurice with some period tweaks.

[nikharwood]

Played these tonight.

An exceptionally good game. 

Like Maurice it'll be better in the full release, but well, it is basically just Maurice with some period tweaks.

That's my conclusion from a quick skim-read too, Luddite...

Not sure that these will convince me away from ACWarmaster / Black Powder to be honest...dunno...but I'll give them a try at some point.

[Chad]

Luddite

Do you think it could be tweaked to handle 1859 and 1866 campaigns?

Chad

[Luddite]

Yes.   

[Chad]

Cheers, Luddite.

Chad

[Leman]

Have now played three games of Longstreet Lite. There are similarities and differences to Maurice. In the games woods don't slow up infantry but do reduce firepower to skirmish only (as with F&F skirmishers are assumed to be out front). Artillery in Lite is very effective but will be less so in the full rules. Unlike Maurice you complete every turn with a drawer to maintain a 6 card hand (if there are enough cards in your pack). A player's turn starts with the option to reshuffle his pack, but he must permanently discard 6 cards after this. Eventually he will run out of cards. Combat is rather different as well being based on scores rather than casualties. Hits (not kills) can be reduced using the morale score on the cards.

I think what attracts me most though is that the campaign in the full game will allow a player to progress through all four years of the war as an individual officer building his own career and reputation despite the war's inevitable outcome.

I definitely recommend playing the Lite rules first as they do have some odd little twists and turns but once mastered this seems to me to be a very satisfying game.   

[Nosher]

Noticed that this ruleset is available now through North Star.

£35 for rules and cards bundle. Free postage until late august.

[Ferb]

Order already placed.

[nikharwood]

I'm undecided about this one...having really enjoyed Maurice initially, it's remained untouched for a while now...I think it's the cards - just not a fan of them in wargames I think...

[Nosher]

I'm undecided about this one...having really enjoyed Maurice initially, it's remained untouched for a while now...I think it's the cards - just not a fan of them in wargames I think...

If it makes your decision nay easier this is less reliant on the cards although they are still part of the game...

[Luddite]

I'm undecided about this one...having really enjoyed Maurice initially, it's remained untouched for a while now...I think it's the cards - just not a fan of them in wargames I think...

Agreed.  Having played Maurice and Longstreet, in both cases we commented that this is a card game with figures.  I also found that with Malifaux and IABSM (et. al.)

[Ferb]

For me the cards in games like Malifaux and Maurice add another level of 'colour' and fun to a game, not to mention the tactical options they provide, that a D6 just doesn't give you.