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Post by bruce on May 6, 2015 23:03:27 GMT
I have been fooling around with rules for some time now, buying them, collecting them, trying to decide whether to settle on one set or another, combine some, etc. Sometimes feel overwhelmed by the evolution of rules since I bought my first book by Donald Featherstone in ancient times. I am mostly a solo player now, but am not deterred from using any particular set of rules if they are good and I enjoy playing both sides. Just wondering…what are some of the favorite rules out there and why did you go with the ones you are using? Bruce
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Post by tim on May 7, 2015 7:41:00 GMT
When I get enough stuff painted I will be using March Attack. Like you I play solo so will probably integrate some sort of card driven command/initiative system into it to take away a bit of the certainty the solo player enjoys. I also have Blucher and might use them for bigger battles as one of my battalions is about the right size for a Blucher brigade, again, tweaking them a bit for solo play. I have heaps of rules from 40ish years ago including WRG 1685-1845 which I used back then. They are not much use for 6mm though due to casualty figure removal and separate skirmishers etc.
Tim
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Post by rct75001 on May 7, 2015 12:31:15 GMT
Valmy to Waterloo - still trying to think through how to convert it from 1:60 to 1:20
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Post by grizzlymc on May 7, 2015 14:19:01 GMT
My own. Basically WRG converted for 1:10 and using D10s.
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Aksarben
Active membe
Posts: 21
Favorite army: Anglo-Allied Army 100 Days Campaign
Favorite battle: Quatre Bras, Ligny, Shiloh
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Post by Aksarben on May 7, 2015 17:10:49 GMT
We use "Orders to Eagles" pretty much exclusively. Last year I was given a copy of "Et Sans Resultat!", and though I haven't yet played I found interesting.
Terry
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Post by grizzlymc on May 7, 2015 18:19:52 GMT
For me the big deal with rules is "Who are you trying to be?"
My 1:10 rules let me decide the fate of Nations in South America. It would take a month and a clear out of the living room to fight Leipzig, and a lifetime to paint the figures.
You could do Leipzig with Sharpe Practice on Basketball court and an Asian sweatshop painting for a decade. Or you could use DBN or Blucher and make it playable.
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Post by tim on May 7, 2015 18:38:32 GMT
Very good point Grizz, I want to be anything from a battalion commander deciding when to go into square up to the CinC deciding the fate of thousands! Hence 2 sets of rules. One day I might even want to be Richard Sharpe and just command a few chosen men which means getting 28mm figs and Sharp Practice from TFL. Endless permutations and fun! Tim
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Post by grizzlymc on May 7, 2015 19:24:31 GMT
My next project but one will be Sharpe Practice with 6mm. Make inches cm and I am thinking of buying Pendraken 10mms as Big Men. That way I get to use the same scenery and figures for both scales of game.
My 72 man Bns are also designed to make 3X24 or 6X12 for larger games.
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Post by bruce on May 10, 2015 17:32:17 GMT
Good common sense advice once again Grizz. Looks like people are pretty flexible and make adjustments accordingly. I like both March Attack and LaSalle - they are not all that different in some of their concepts. They are full of resources for building armies and assessing strengths and characteristics. The Combat Value system or equivalent looks like the answer for a realistic variety of unit characteristics and combat results, etc. I see now that a lot of the old systems had a lot of casualties and bloody results without getting many of the nuances.
Blucher is getting a bit grand for me - I must want to be a tactical level commander - but it appears to put battles in a larger context easily, worth exploring.
I think that the the 2nd edition of Piquet is useful in thinking about introducing variables for solo play.
After reading this and the March Attack thread, I am going to put together my own - which really means combining and modifying everyone else's until it looks right for me. At least I should be able to answer any questions! Er... maybe, I hope. Thanks everyone, Bruce
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Post by moosedontbounce on May 15, 2015 1:24:09 GMT
I've always like Legacy of Glory but you need to really be invested in them. I used to play a lot of Valmy to Waterloo. The last few years I've played Napoleonic Command. Very different take on napoleonic warfare.
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Post by captainchook on May 15, 2015 7:30:20 GMT
Despite trying many rules I keep coming back to March Attack. I mainly play GdB with my regular opponent using 15mm figures, but I prefer 6mm and play a few solo games when I can. I have bought Blücher and although I waited for these in a state of enthusiastic anticipation I have not yet played this. Blücher will allow me to play the army level games I have always wished to play, but despite them looking like very good rules I am still drawn to March Attack (really better suited to one or two corps).
I have also enjoyed Le Feu Sacré but find it a bit difficult as a solo game. The cards and random activation gets a bit much when playing by yourself. Still, many of the game mechanisms are very good. I think I have a thing for obscure rules!
Speaking of which, has anyone played Grand Battles Napoleon?
I am also interested in Et Sans Resultant and would love to learn more about Orders to Eagles.
I think I may be a bit of a rules slut!
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Post by bruce on May 16, 2015 1:15:28 GMT
A rules slut! Me too, apparently. I suddenly and impulsively ordered and received a copy of Blucher in 48hrs. There's a nifty campaign mechanism and a simple army builder that let's you dive right. The whole thing looks like fun, so I will take a test drive and see if there is enough tactical feel to keep that side of me happy.
Captain, since you picked up Blucher - have you tried LaSalle? Bruce
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Post by suchet on May 16, 2015 8:01:00 GMT
Rules slut! Count me in!! I have read and bought a lot of rules through the years, but have mostly enjoyed being inspired by mechanisms and ideas about how to represent the wars. I also enjoyed Legacy of glorys ideas and have been greatly inspired by Revolution to Empire (Empire VI), but found many of these had to complex combat mechanisms compared to their great grasp of command and control, which is sorely lacking in most recent rules. I generally do not like rules with non-persistent orders, that is those where a card or a dice determines whether you will continue your attack across the valley next turn. I like the idea that you make a decision and then have to follow through.
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Post by captainchook on May 16, 2015 11:22:23 GMT
Bruce, I have never looked at Lasalle. I read a few reviews and rightly or wrongly decided they were not for me. I do own Maurice and have given this a go - only solo so far - but have enjoyed this. I think the rules I have used so far are: GdB, Republic to Empire, In the Grand Manner (and various modifications of this), Principles of War, Age of Eagles, LFS II and III, March Attack, Grande Armeé, Black Powder. I have also bought, but not played a variety of other rules. Blücher is my latest acquisition. Surprisingly, I have only been gaming for 9 years. Most of my experience has been with GdB. These are a solid set of rules, but I do find them hard going and feel frustrated with all the calculations and rather exhausted at the end of a game. With most rules I can find something I like. I think I mainly look for something that gives the right historical feel and can play in a way that is intuitive, rather than needing an intimate knowledge of the rules. I like to play the role of a corps or army commander rather than that of a battalion's colonel.
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Post by bruce on May 16, 2015 12:59:55 GMT
These are excellent points. The rules are a means to an end. As Grizz says, Who do you want to be? If rules are too technical, the feel for being there may get drowned in the details for some of us. Others may be looking to get it as true to history as possible, which may require a lot of technical rules. Its a balancing act and a lot of us seem to be on a perpetual quest for new and different rules and the ways they approach this balance. Just one more aspect of this hobby that keeps it alive and rewarding! Bruce
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Post by profjohn on May 17, 2015 1:39:50 GMT
Only Black Powder but I've just read a review of Bloody Big Battles and might try that. Anyone used it?
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Post by bruce on May 17, 2015 19:35:18 GMT
I am also wondering about Big Bloody Battles now that you have made us aware, cannot get much detail from the reviews I saw. Looks like small bases, the first edition is geared to later 19th century, but there is a new expansion edition already. The base size looks like it might be just right for 6mm. Anybody played this one?
The cost of Black Powder has deterred me from buying it for tryout, how do you like it Prof, any reviews? Bruce
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Post by profjohn on May 18, 2015 20:24:58 GMT
Hi Bruce, I like BP because of its flexibility and informality and little things like using inches. I returned to gaming after a very long lay off - about 40!years - and one thing that has happened in the off season is basing. I've decided that I'm not going to engage with that and BP doesn't have any specific basing requirements which is another plus for me. In BP I also like the command system and the fact that at crucial moments your troops decide to do something else or nothing and also that on occasion an elite regiment loses its nerve while a militia gets the red mist and clears everything in front of it. You can also tweak without altering the whole system - an example is relative performance of French and Prussian rifles in the FPW. In my previous gaming days every order was obeyed without question and there was little subtlety or flexibility. Finally I've found that BP does give you pleasingly authentic historical outcomes - I mentioned the FPW and GNW examples into previous post - another one would be a big Sudan game I played where my battalion square failed to shoot down the Mahdist charge as it arrived and spent some very anxious time before it finally fought them off. This was partly due to tweaking to enable concealed forces but also a function of command and firing values. But ultimately I like the laid back approach - BP seems to me to be about the qualitative rather than the quantitative aspects of the game and that suits me very well.
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Post by bruce on May 19, 2015 1:28:05 GMT
Inches! No basing craziness! Already I like BP enough to try it! It does sound well suited to solo as well. Thanks Prof, I will make the investment. Bruce
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Post by profjohn on May 19, 2015 10:06:58 GMT
Let me know how it goes. I'm sure you'll enjoy.
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Post by bandit on Dec 5, 2015 16:52:23 GMT
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Post by twr on Apr 1, 2016 23:32:08 GMT
This is an old topic but I have finally decided to post rather than monitor this forum...
Rules are a very personal decision. I have been using Volley & Bayonet. They become my standard Horse & Musket rules and all my 6mm figures are based for them.
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Post by Richard on Apr 2, 2016 12:00:26 GMT
Great to have you on board twr looking forward to hearing more about your armies and games
Richard
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Post by captainchook on Apr 2, 2016 20:48:13 GMT
I'm just wondering, is anyone getting on any games? I haven't seen any recent game reports. Blücher has come (and gone? - seeing very few reports on other fora) although I am still to play a game of this. I still like March Attack, but haven't played this for a year, and am tempted by ESR to get me playing again. I haven't even managed a game of GdB with my 15mm miniatures. Current gaming is Dark Ages using Lion Rampant - a fun game, but not Naps.
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Post by Sho on Apr 2, 2016 21:39:51 GMT
I yesterday played, brigade against brigade, two continued battles, first impact and afterparty on next morning, when fled men returned to camp.
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Post by Sho on Apr 7, 2016 12:52:38 GMT
Today I played 15 minutes. 13 turns = 130 minutes game time and 3 minibattles. Two Russian ordinary units in columns engaged with one French Old Guard Unit (the best of the best of the best) in line. Russian first attack was repelled easily. After hour recovered russians attacked again. One column was repelled with defensive volleys but another column carried attack in.. and was almost destroyed by Guard. After recovery the first russian column reform to line and go to close lines firefight. French runs out of ammo and lose his general, so russians fired out his ammo without contrafire. But russian losses were so big, that they can't participate in skirmish firefight anymore and charged. French repelled easily and russians rout.
On next day, after night recovering, the French unit was as brand new, but russians remained only 1/3 of his starting strength.
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Post by bruce on Apr 7, 2016 21:30:25 GMT
Sho - are these your own rules, that you referred to in another post?
Captain - I have spent the winter here painting and basing figures and buildings, buying more rules as well. Have not had a game of anything in months. I now have both editions of ESR, the new one just came out. Have not played yet, so I cannot comment too much but it looks good and has some different mechanisms than some of us are used to. The emphasis is on planning and seeing the battle, giving the right orders.
I plan to use Field Commander NApoleon, a solo campaign board game from DVG, for campaigns and ESR to fight the battles that evolve. I have played Blucher, but have drifted away from it. Bruce
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Post by Sho on Apr 7, 2016 23:00:58 GMT
Yes, my EMPEROR rules. Little tests of final version, fully reworked from 15mm to 6mm.
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Post by john124 on May 12, 2016 3:00:01 GMT
When I have enough troops painted I intend to use IN THE GRAND MANNER rules. I have used them before playing 28mm games at the whc. Like most rule sets I will tweak them, incorporating divisional integrity. Also based on what I have read, I may reduce the effectiveness of cannon (those big Russian foot batteries are a real killer), enlarge villages/towns and recently there have been two new rule sets which have their grounding in ITGM. So it would be interesting to have a look at those as well. john.
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Post by brighty on May 12, 2016 22:04:48 GMT
I like Black Powder and Blucher. I mainly play BP at a friends house on a Friday with a few other guys so we have upto 5 a side. So when you think you have your opponent on the ropes a cavalry unit comes out of nowhere on your flank to cause all sorts of trouble. I also like Blucher, to takes 10 minutes to learn, but 10 weeks to master. We have a good following at our club, WAR. We will be running a comp. at our show WARFARE in November, I find this set of rules nice and quick and you get a conclusion to a game in an evening. I have also taken part in Blucher competitions, winning 1 and coming 3rd in another along with various other places. I will be taking part in another comp next month in Oxford. If you guys are interested the details are on the BHGS website.
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