Recent Napoleonic Game, Part 3, Little Stuff and Rules (scroll down to start at part one)

Here are some more pictures from the game and this is the last post (Part 3). . I'll throw a few thoughts at you about the Rules and the Little Things.

A Perry French ADC looks at a giant card thrown down on the battlefield.

The French Approach the Village French in Reserve

Some Portuguese Lads keep building the works to protect the bridge heads, even as the Allied force moves out to engage the Sir Frog.

Part of the British baggage on the move

The Rules- I'll start by talking about the rules.

I have always wanted to play Napoleonics, but I never found any satisfying rules until Black Powder came out. I will say I have enjoyed playing the ACW with Johnny Reb, but that was a long time ago. Most Napoleonic rules always seemed to be too complex, and well, too anal for me. (no offense to anyone intended- just personal choice).

Out of frustration and a desire to play games in the Peninsular with 28mm models ( I like the spectacle of 28s), I started trying to do my own rules in pre-Black Powder days. I started by reading everything I could. After reading Oman's Peninsular War series (That took two years!) and many, many other books, I decided that what I wanted most of all was something that played quickly (big battles were a must), reflected the period well and allowed things like battalion level skirmishs and the like. I also new I wanted it to "feel" as if you were taking on the role of at least a regimental commander...A tall order.

I also work hard on the painting and modeling end of the hobby and didn't want a table full of markers/indicators and was also tired of playing games with dice frankly. The roll of dice sometimes becomes the focus rather than the interactions of the troops. So...

I came up with Gentlemen of Rank. It's a card driven game with a single sheet of tables to control movement and firing with the emphasis on command control. The cards allow random elements to come into play and, I believe, really give you the sense that you are trying to control your troops rather than the "odds". Almost everyone that has played has liked it. We used Gentlemen of Rank for this game and it worked very well. Now, it's designed first and foremost to reflect Wellington's battles against the French, but I am hoping to apply it to my next "new" interest which is 28mm ACW games on the Grand Scale. Maybe, someday, if there is enough interest, I may publish it. I hope to put on a game using it at this year's Historicon, but we'll see what time and circumstance allows. In the meantime, Black Powder is very well suited for this type of large multi-player gaming, so give it a try if you haven't already.

The Little Things

Yes, Divisonal Column in 28mm can be mighty impressive, but I like the "little things" too. I think they add alot of character to a game, and a big part of what miniature gaming is about to me. So, if you look at the pictures, you may or may not see a Donkey Mill pressing olives, a little Taverna scene with a Portuguese Officer pleading to get married, camps, a poor Portuguese man hung by the French, peasant refugees on the move, and more. These make great little breaks from painting hordes and hordes of core troops. There is usually plenty of room to place them in the odd unused corner of the table. You can always move them out of the way if need be. One great thing about having these little scenes is they are perfect when I want to play skirmish games with Mr. Sharpe. I urge you to do at least one or two "little things" no matter what period you play. They are fun, usually quick, and make a good game display special.

So there you have it. A simple little Napoleonic game. I hope all this typing has been of interest to some of you. Please feel free to comment, and if you want to know more about anything, please email me via customerservice@architectsofwar.com

Cheers,

Ernie