Just saw these mentioned on TMP
Anyone anything more about them?
If you are interested you can be a playtester apparantly
http://keefsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/honours-of-war.html
Don't know much of it myself...
I'm in the process of putting together an AAR of a solo game I played this weekend. I must declare that the author is a good friend of mine and I've played many games with these rules in their various incarnations. I really like them and find they reflect the SYW very well. Until I get my report up, the following gives a nice quick view of the game:
http://sgtsteiner.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/honours-of-war-rules-beta-playtest-syw.html (http://sgtsteiner.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/honours-of-war-rules-beta-playtest-syw.html)
As Peter suggests, check out the authors Blog as well for plenty more information.
The rules are now at the printers with release due end of November. Hope this helps?
Cheers
Sgt Steiner lives in the same neck of the woods. Will have try and get in touch
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Honours-Wargames-Rules-Seven-Osprey/dp/1472808096/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436994529&sr=1-11&keywords=osprey+wargames
Is the game designed for players to command an entire army or do players command a few brigades per side?
I'm looking for something other than Might & Reason to refight entire battles such as Kolin.
You could fight large battles such as Kolin, if you have the time and space to do it. Basically a commander will have say 3 - 5 units of infantry per brigade, with attached artillery. Cavalry brigades at probably around 3 units. Artillery can be attached to a brigade or formed into grand batteries if so desired.
When we have played larger games, Keith has condensed the units (bathtubbing I believe it is called) to fit the space in his house (6'x4' table normally) and the time we have for the game (normally 2-3 hours). So as mentioned above, if you have enough players, time and space, I don't see why you couldn't refight Kolin, Leuthen etc.
Check out his blog for some of the battles he's played to see if they might be the sort of rules you would like to play.
In BATREPS
http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,12482.0.html
going to
http://wwiiwargaming.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/bohemian-rhapsody-1761-honours-of-war.html
Shecky, the answer to your question is - both. The game was originally intended to be for the 'classic' evening horse and musket wargame, with a few brigades on each side. However, it can be used to re-fight full size battles like Koiin. I myself have used it for Lobositz and Hochkirch - for the latter see here:
http://keefsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/being-entertainment-with-toy-soldiers.html (http://keefsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/being-entertainment-with-toy-soldiers.html)
As with Charles Grant's 'Wargaming In History' series, the trick is to let a single on-table battalion represent more than one actual battalion, but then just use the rules as normal. The technique is commonly called 'bathtubbing'. Personally, I have found one on-table unit to 5 or 6 actual units is about as far as this technique can be stretched. It's really a case of looking at your available table size and available models, and seeing if you can work out a reasonable way of representing the battle. For the record, Kolin is the next actual battle I am working on, and using 28mm figures on a 8' x 6' table, I reckon it can just about be done. Of course, using 10mm models makes the whole thing much easier - in fact, with HoW, it becomes exactly 3 times easier as game distances are reduced by a third when using 10mm figures - provided you stick to the same size of units.
The game as I play it uses 16-24 infantry in a close order battalion (in 2 ranks), and 6-12 cavalry in a regiment, in 1 or 2 ranks.
Hope this helps. You can download a fairly recent version of the rules (though not the final published version) in the Files section of the Yahoo group, and see what you think:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/honoursofwar/info (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/honoursofwar/info)
Best wishes, Keith Flint.
And as that was your first post, Keith.....A warm welcome to the forum.
Cheers - Phil
Welcome Keith, you are improving the 'signal to noise ratio' ;) ;D ;D ;D
Welcome Keith.
By the Hairy Pendulous of the Dark Lord - he seems to know what he's talking about! - FSN
Having had the pleasure of one game of HoW with Keith (and hoping for more some time), I may say that the game romps along quickly and smoothly. The combat tables' use of average dice is simple yet subtle. HoW seems to capture particularly effectively the importance of having a supporting line for the first line to retire behind and rally. I know very little about SYW, but that felt right to me.
Chris
Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BBB_wargames/info
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.co.uk/
Welcome Keith, having had a chance to look through an earlier version of HoW via the Yahoo group and I have to say I like the way you suggest adapting to figures smaller than 30mm. I think that you demonstrate a much better than the suggestions for smaller figures in Black Powder (which I find a touch condescending) or in those Der Krieg Kunst (where the authors demonstrate a total lack of comprehension of how and why people use smaller figures).
I say, this does look interesting! Now that my ACW armies are almost done (perhaps...) I've been looking into SYW. I gather these rules will accommodate any basing scheme, but what kind of basing and figs per base do you think would "look the part" when using Pendraken figs for linear warfare?
Cheers,
Aksu
I'm planning on using three bases per unit at 40mm x 20mm or 30mm x 20mm. I haven't made up my mind yet. IIRC in the pdf rules from the Yahoo site Keith does give guidlines for basing at various different sizes of figure. Broadly speaking a unit should have a frontage of around 10cm in 10mm. As long as both sides have the same frontage, it won't matter a great deal.
As an example Dave Fielder and I had a couple of games earlier this week and as his 10mm units are made up of 4 bases at 40mm x 20mm each, we used the 20mm conversion table as that was the closest fit in terms of unit frontage. Post game we talked about gaming much bigger battles with a unit frontage of only 8cm, but using the 10mm conversion table. On a 4'x4' table this would equate to around 8'x8' with 28mm figures.
In terms of the number of figures per base, on a 40mm x 20mm I would have thought 6-8 figures would look fine. Personally the number of figures is often influenced by the cost difference and I don't mind a less populated base, but close rank figures do look best for this period.
Hope this helps?
Well my units are on 25mm frontage bases, generally operating in groups of four and I ain't rebasing for anyone. I'll sneak a look at the rules when they appear in Waterstones and make a decision then whether to buy or not. Otherwise I'll stick with BP and Maurice.
Hullo,
I am sort of torn between square and shallow bases, as I might want to run a Maurice campaign at the club. And I suppose Maurice works best with squares.
If I do square 30 x 30 mm bases I'd probably do 10 figs on the base (5 figs per rank). I am quite happy with the ACW basing I use, where i have 5 in a single rank on a 30x20 base. Looks quite linear with units of 6-8 bases.
Eight figs might also work on a 30x30 square base, otherwise I think it might look a bit too sparse.
Then again 40 x 20 would be quite nice with 6 or 7 in single rank and would mean fewer figs needed.
I am trying to stick to 30 or 40 mm wide bases as I am trying to make my terrain fit those widths, otherwise 25 mm squares would be a good option.
Anyway, since I will probably end up painting all the figs, I can go with whatever has been proven to look and work the best in the past. Whatever that may be :)
Cheers,
Aksu
QuoteWell my units are on 25mm frontage bases, generally operating in groups of four and I ain't rebasing for anyone.
Well you won't need to rebase Leman given the above. Personally I like my 'command' base to sit centrally, rather than split over two bases, hence going down the rectangular route as it were.
And to be honest Steve that is what much of wargaming is about; does it look a bit like a battle in that period. If the number of figures used is the main criteria then board game it. For me the C18th needs tightly packed ranks to look anything like the contemporary paintings of battles.
Quote from: Leman on 24 July 2015, 03:37:13 PM
And to be honest Steve that is what much of wargaming is about; does it look a bit like a battle in that period. If the number of figures used is the main criteria then board game it. For me the C18th needs tightly packed ranks to look anything like the contemporary paintings of battles.
That's why it's the one era I game in 6mm.
Hi Aksu, I use 20 figure units in 2 ranks for infantry. In 10mm, my suggestion is 5 bases, each with 4 figures, each base 15mm square. For cavalry, I suggest 8 figures 2 to a base on 4 bases, each 20mm square. The game distances for these units are all shown in the rulebook for you.
If you prefer bigger units this is no problem. As a rule of thumb I recommend unit frontage in line to be roughly the same as musket range, so you might end up using the game distances for 15mm or 20mm models.
Cheers, Keith.
Leman, with 4 bases each 25mm wide you have a unit with a 10cm frontage (i got an 'A' in maths at GCSE you know). With HoW this would mean using the game distances for 15mm figures, which are all laid out at the back of the rules.
Cheers, Keith.
Thanks for that info Keith. Will give them a look as it would be good to have a set specifically for the SYW that isn't Maurice. I never took to Might and Reason as it just didn't look right.