Just came across these new rules - has anyone tried them out?
http://www.crusaderpublishing.com/index.php
Cheers
Steve
Sounds interesting...... Got loads of FPW to play with but not a set of rules that I've found that I enjoy playing with.....
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.
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.
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 :)
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
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g440/dourpuritan/BBB%206mm%20armies/IMG_1573_zpsvj8jjy6i.jpg)
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! :)
Welcome to the forum!! And I have finally succumbed and ordered my first FPW figures, so this is a very interesting read. :-bd :-bd
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.
stupid question but where can you get BBB?
My google fu is weak after a full on week
Caliver Books have it here
https://www.caliverbooks.com/bookview.php?4a26d93b868abce0c06efe88cd442bfa&id=23060
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 :).
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
Think they are Litko plastic markers Phil?
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
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.
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
QuoteI 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.
QuoteI'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!).
Does the new book still contain al the extra info?
Quote from: Chad on 31 January 2016, 08:59:12 AM
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/
Quote from: Steve J on 31 January 2016, 08:41:06 AM
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 :).
Do you need the European Supplement for FPW Steve?
Quote from: Ithoriel on 30 January 2016, 07:46:08 PM
Caliver Books have it here
https://www.caliverbooks.com/bookview.php?4a26d93b868abce0c06efe88cd442bfa&id=23060
Nice one Ithoriel - sadly I have vowed never to use Caliver Books after a few poor experiences of ordering from them.
Quote from: Nosher on 31 January 2016, 04:00:58 PM
Do you need the European Supplement for FPW Steve?
No, the Basic rules have nine FPW scenarios to keep you busy for a while, and there are others on the files section of the Yahoo group. But there are some great scenarios in the supplement too, just not FPW.
Mollinary
Quote from: Nosher on 31 January 2016, 04:02:06 PM
Nice one Ithoriel - sadly I have vowed never to use Caliver Books after a few poor experiences of ordering from them.
Sorry to hear that, Nosher. Apart from Caliver, the only UK dealer I know of was Irregular Miniatures, who I think have sold out of BBB and not (yet?) restocked. So you might have to try Brigade Games or On Military Matters in the US.
http://brigadegames.3dcartstores.com/Big-Bloody-Battles-Wargaming-Rules_p_4211.html
http://onmilitarymatters.com/pages/dfsearch.php?term=keywords&data=bloody+big+battles&submit=Search
I have dropped a note to my publisher, Scott, at SkirmishCampaigns to ask if there are any other UK dealers. If there are, I'll let you know.
Chris
The supplement includes the Crimea, Franco-Italian War, 2nd Schleswig War, Austro-Prussian War, Russo-Turkish War. the Yahoo group page includes Napoleonic, extra scenarios for the above, coloured maps for battles in both the books, as well as later esoteric periods and the start of WWI. an alternative supplier is Irregular Miniatures.
QuoteDoes the new book still contain al the extra info?
AFAIK it will contain all the normal extra info and IIRC, the scenarios are mainly from 1871, with a few from 1870.
Chris
Yes Balance of Power
Chad
Cat and pigeons come to mind.
Quote from: Nosher on 31 January 2016, 04:02:06 PM
Nice one Ithoriel - sadly I have vowed never to use Caliver Books after a few poor experiences of ordering from them.
I'm sorry to hear that also, Nosher. I've had pretty good luck with Caliver Books. Perhaps a dozen orders and they get to me in a couple of weeks. Maybe you need to move to the States? ;)
I have also never had anything but great and friendly service from Dave, and I've ordered plenty from him over the years, including both BBB books.
Never had any problems with Caliver. In fact all off my orders have been dispatched promptly.