Hello,

I think this is a great game, but did have one question concerning the rules. On the 1d10, is a 0 result a 10 or a 0?

Sorry for the stupid question.

Thank you,

James

I want to add to my question, as we got a chance to play two of the scenarios today:

Scenario 4: Los Arapiles

Scenario 2: Cerro De Medellin

We had two experienced miniatures players, and one hard-core board wargamer, and all enjoyed the game.

Our experience was two decisive wins for the English, but honestly, I can't say if that was because of

good luck or good play or this being our first time at it.

And we had a couple of things that we were not sure of. I'll describe what the situation was, and what we did, and hopefully

someone can chime in and let us know if we interpreted the rules right, or not.

1. Use of the CC carrying out orders.

The only way we could figure that you would not use the CCs modifier would be if you gave a dispatch, and then moved the

CC so that he was not in range of the UGC that the dispatch was given to. Is this correct?

2. Use of modifers in melee

- Commanders modifier. We only used for the attacker, and not for the defender. As far as we could tell, the

UGC or CC in defense was only good for any defender morale check.

- Use of unit modifer. Again, we only used for the attacker. If the defending unit had a plus on the card, we though

that this only applied when that unit attacked.

- Number of figures in the unit. This we applied only to the attacker.

- British in line. This was a modifier we used when the French attacked British in line. We figured that this must be

a modifer for the fact that the British used two-rank lines vs the French three-rank lines, but wern't sure.

(or is this meant to be a minus instead of a plus?)

We also found that having the melee and fire ranks tables, and also having the modifiers, was somewhat confusing. We followed the examples on this.

Hopefully, in the future we could see some new charts? The one improvement we could see was some more clarity on the charts and when to

use the modifiers. But for those reading the forums to decide whether or not to purchase the game, let me say that this is a very minor quibble on what

was 4 fun and exciting hours of gaming.

Thanks in advance for any advice, answers, or general comments. .

James

Burto001 said:

That is something that is puzzling me as well. Alle my reading suggests that it was in fact not easier but more difficult to attack a British line.

Hey all - played scenario 4 with my son and had some similiar issues.

The ranks/bonuses in Fire & especially melee were confusing. Why is there an attack and defense value on teh melee table? Is this an opposed role (we didn't play that way). We added both modifiers...

We kept forgetting t move the CC...and had lots of trouble with the calvary on the right...they were going against a unit in square and it was obvious that a single unit fighting a square wasn't going to work. We didn't remember the 'support' rule, which would be important nor did we use the calvary optionals yet.

My son did try to give an artillary an attack order. He knew they couldn't move, but wanted to give them the advanced initiative. I could swear that I had read artillary couldn't have an attack order...but I couldn't find it.

We noticed that a unit that is forced to retreat (rout)...but rallies...is basically out of the game unless a commander goes gets them. (Rule states they can't move when out of command.) This was harsh.

Overall, we had fun even though it was a draw. (I just couldn't do anything with the calvary - we'll be re-reading those rules again.

Arkobla,

I think I can help you on the artillery...

The artillery can move on an attack or defense order, but can't move on a maneuver order. That's at least one place in the rules on page 24, under Maneuver Order. To move the guns, you first need to do a formation change to change the guns to limbered formation (page 14).

Remember the two phases, so we found we could shoot the guns in phase 1, limber in phase 2, move forward (if attack order) in phase 1 of the next turn,and unlimber in the phase 2 of that next turn (if we understand the rules correctly, that is). Unlimbered guns can't move, and that's on page 30 under movement.

On the infantry routs, yea, we had the same situation occur. Remember that your commanders can move two (we, uhh, missed the rule that the UDC can move two when we playedl), and that all you have to do to rally is be in command range of your UDC or CC. I guess it's a choice sometimes of using your leader to lead the attack, or using your leader to rally and bring up troops.

I'm glad to hear that others were having some problems with the charts, and exactly what modifiers apply when.

James

James,

Thanks for the answer. We'll try that with the Artillary.

We were doing the formations - and finding that the disorders were often immediately dismissed with the next formation change (basically just taking the tile off) It has the effect of not letting the unit do the fire or melee in that segment, of course. And it prmoted focused fire when possible.

In scenario 4, the green unit for the british on the left flank had two units forward and two units two hexes behind. Where did you place your UGC? I put him walking by himself between the 4, which seemed a bit strange. But I think if I hadn't, two of the units would be out of command. True?

(course, I could have put him with one of the two behind and walked them up to the others, placing them back in command...I guess...)

Arkobla

A "0" count as "10".

"1. Use of the CC carrying out orders.

The only way we could figure that you would not use the CCs modifier would be if you gave a dispatch, and then moved the
CC so that he was not in range of the UGC that the dispatch was given to. Is this correct?"

Yes, it is correct.

"2. Use of modifers in melee

- Commanders modifier. We only used for the attacker, and not for the defender. As far as we could tell, the
UGC or CC in defense was only good for any defender morale check.
"

Correct!

"- Use of unit modifer. Again, we only used for the attacker. If the defending unit had a plus on the card, we though
that this only applied when that unit attacked.
"

Correct. The key design concept is that you only need to look at your stats and what you've on the table to assess all the modifiers to a roll - the stats on the opposing unit do not ever relate to your roll, but the unit composition may (for example, the ranks of the defending unit, its formation, and so on).

"- Number of figures in the unit. This we applied only to the attacker."

Correct. The ranks are relevant, but number of figures is not.

"- British in line. This was a modifier we used when the French attacked British in line. We figured that this must be
a modifer for the fact that the British used two-rank lines vs the French three-rank lines, but wern't sure."

Correct. It is a plus to the attacker (the French).

Cybernex - thanks for the response - this helps alot. Question - How is the British Rate of fire reflected in the game? Event cards only? Or is that just a flight of fancy derived from too much Wooden Ship interest (where the brits did have a better rate of fire on the high seas) plus a bit of romance from the Sharpe movies...

Cybernex,

Thanks a lot for your help.

James

Arkobla,

On the disorder, that's what we understood (and were finding) as well.

Question: Do the cards that prevent formation changes, or allow reactions to formation changes, also apply to someone removing disorder in the change formation step?

For your question on the green group (unit card 22, right?) I think you are correct, though we actually messed that up ourselves, as we used the command range on the UGC, but it's clear you are right from page 27, from the chain of command (third para). I guess you can put him on any of the three hexes between the two green lines.

Definitely finding this forum useful!

James

James,

Yes, Unit 22. The game has such a strong personality when it comes to 'Orders' and I'm afraid we didn't get too deep into it in game one. We are considering a game soon and I hope we can have a better play test.

I agree, the forum is useful. I'm looking forward to when more folks have the game and join us.

Arkobla

Arkobla Conn said:

British Infantry indeed has, on average, a Fire factor which is quite higher than the French fire factor (the French have most of the time +0/+1, the Brits +1 to +3).

Other differences between the two armies and their respective strengths come across through the Event cards.

Burto001 said:

Disorder is removed during the Formation Change phase, but removing disorders is not the same as changing formation, so the events which apply to formation changes don't apply to removal of disorder.

Ah, good to know about Removing Disorders not actually triggerig Formation events

Hello,

Two more rules questions from the event/reaction cards:

Card # 53 has a melee 'Vive l'Empereur' as a reaction. How can I play that?

Card # 32 'Fall Back', If someone supports the original attack with a line (say they are attacking with both a column with a line in support) would the line still be disordered?

Thank you,

James

Burto001 said:

This is an error. The reaction on card 53 should be "Counterattack".

Burto001 said:

I am not sure what you mean - supporting units do not advance so why they should be disordered?

Cybernex,

First, thank you for your response. For the second card, I'm referring to the rule at the bottom of page 36 'An infantry unit fighting in melee (or supporting a melee attack) while in line formation is automatically disordered at the end of the melee). So, with the fall back card, my situation was that the infantry in column declared an attack and declared the attack as supported by the infantry in line. In response, the defending infantry played the fall back card. I advanced with the column, but wondered if the rule at the bottom of page 36 still applied, as there was a declared melee.

James

Hi James, in your example, the infantry who has only declared to support the melee, in absence of combat (because the enemy withdraws BEFORE the melee) don't go into disordered status.
Sergio

Hi,

We just finished playing Road to Namur, and came up with a couple of rules questions, both having to do with the cards:

• Cards that are eligible to be played in the action phase (like Good Timing and Delay), can they be played at any time during the action phase?
• Card # 40, for the reaction part, Form Square, can that be played in a disordered unit?

Thank you,

James

Lines in the sand

We were quite puzzled to discover that infantry in line formation cannot move. Given the undeniable historical fact that the British infantry almost invariably attaccked in line formation, this limitation seems to require some explanation.

While on the subject of lines, I was bemused by the stricture against the French from using line in the maida scenario. The designers seem to have fallen for the old canard about maida, that the French attacked in column formation and were shot to pieces by the superior British firepower. Even Oman, who may well have created this myth, admitted his error in one of the later editions of his work, only to have subesequent editions reprint the errorpresumably because it made a better story! In fact, the French were advancing in deployed lines and Kempt's brigade caught them with one or two volleys followed by a bayonet charge (the tactic that became the mainstayof the British infantry throughout the war). This shattered the entirety of Compere's brigade, and Kempt's own command spent the rest of the day chasing the survivors off the field.

Peter

Artillery weakness

Another issue that I wanted to toss into the discussion is the weakness of the artillery. For the Queen of the Battlefield (in Nappy's terms) it gets extremely short shrift here. First, there are only two guns per side, clearly representing a single battery each. But their utility is severely limited. The guns cannot fire when limbered (incidentally, another rules oddity here; the rules illustrate what appears to be the same picture for limbered and unlimbered guns, just with the image reversedthere are no counters for the state; the idea seems to be that the position of the gunner figures somehow shows whether the gun is limbered or un, but they only difference I can see in the pictures is an extremely subtle oneit looks as if the limbered gunner is facing away from the hex and the unlimbered gunner is facing into the hex. Is that it?). And of course they cannot move when unlimbered. But notice that the guns can only fire once a turn, and though they are more effective at canister range, it is not really that much and they are prohibited from attacking in melee so it is entirely possible that I can march infantry up to a battery and attack it without the artillery ever being able to fire! Unless, of course, it is attacked by a cavalry charge, in which case it rolls against its morale and if it passes it gets to shoot at the cavalry. Huh? It can shoot against the fast moving horse but not the slow moving foot. This smells like an oversight to me. The optional rule that is supposed to represent the devastating effect of canister only allows the guns to split their fire (otherwise prohibited) to fire at both adjacent frontal hexesat half rounded DOWN of its total firepower. That's it. This seems to downlplay seriously the effects and effectiveness of Napoleonic artillery and is, at first blush, the most questionable subsystem of the entire game. I would certainly like to understand the rationale behind this representation.

peterperla said:

It is surely possible to have differing interpretations of how the Battle of Maida developed, and the one which was chosen to use for the scenario made for an interesting limitation to show typical tacticts of the two opponents.

Whoever does not like the limitation is of course welcome to lift it when playing at home! (I don't see many tournaments played using the "Maida" scenario...)

peterperla said:

I would be happy to have little horses to attach to the artillery figures when limbered but that must surely be what people call "over-production" - to use the position of the gunners seems to be a good enough solution to us.

On the more substantial considerations. I asked the designer to do a little bit of analysis on the topic.

As you can easily find out when you play, "marching the infantry up to the artillery" is not an easy trip.

Let's take as an example an average artillery (4-2-1 with 3 crew). The enemy (advancing in column with an attack, as necessary by the rules) suffers the first attack after it reaches a distance of 3 hexes from the cannons. The artillery rolls 1d10 + 1 (range) +3 (crew) + 2 (ranks) = 6 + 1d10

If all goes well, it will advance again in the following turn. The artillery rolls ri 1d10+2 (range)+3(crew)+2(ranks)= 7 + 1d10

Finally, if the infantry still holds its morale, it will advance a third time, adjacent to the artillery, and receives a third attack at 9+1d10

If, after three attacks like this, the infantry is still there safe and sound, it finally gets a good melee attack (assuming +1 Melee and no losses, +7), If it fails the melee attack, it is still under artillery fire...

In a similar situation, Cavalry would receive 1 or at most 2 attacks from the same artillery.

So, overall, the way the various types of troops interact seems to be realistic enough in actual gameplay.

For the more mathematically oriented, the rolls above against the infantry have the following average outcomes. If you assume you always roll "5" you will check the effect on rows 11-12-14 against the infantry:

row 11: 11% casualty, 32,7% disorder

row 12: 18% casualty, 40% disorder

row 14: 34,5% casualty, 56,4% disorder

And more or less every time the infantry will have to do a MT at -2 or -4...

Cybernex.

I agree with You about the artillery.

In the last battle I fought, an English battery on the hill has almost destroyed two French units attacking in column.

The infantry has reach the artillery ZOC with some casualties and disorder and then has routed.

The artillery with no more ammunitions changed to limbered and retired in good order.

A limit of the artillery is the ammuniton (if You use the optional rule).

I think the optional rule is right and give to the game more historic realism, but it limits the artillery fire.

What I know is that in a Napoleonic battle the artillery was constantly supllied from the artllery train and ammunition caissons.

So what about a rule on the supply lines? A battery is out of supply if can not have a free line to a fixed point of the map.

About the infantry can not move in line, I too think is a strong limit and I was surprised when read the rules.

The question is:

if the infantry in column move 1 hex how can move the infantry in line?

Maybe can move 1 hex but then is disorderd and furthermore can not change facing. What do You think about?

Claudio.