Post by bruce on Jul 9, 2018 17:40:57 GMT
There are a LOT of Nap rules out there, and I have not come close to trying them all, so maybe the search will never end. So many rules, not enough time. But I have narrowed down my list of personal favorite rules to the following, with Volley & Bayonet likely joining. All of these are more or less basing agnostic except Age of Eagles, which does have some wiggle room.
For Grand Tactical:
Age of Eagles - a long standing, well supported rule set that has not bogged me down with excessive detail. V&B will likely be in this category. There is a reason when so many copies are sold over a 20 year period. Lots of scenarios available, huge Yahoo group, sensible command and control system. Extra points for being not too hard to learn.
Et Sans Resultat - not always easy (for me), but it has a number of features that are unique, a very creative effort. It comes from a great company with loads of tech support, also sells buildings, 15mm figs, and the best looking campaign books.
Blucher - A solid effort from Sam Mustafa, sometimes seems a little gamey, but straightforward and fun. I find it the best written and illustrated/explained, as are most of Sam's other rules. Also great support from the Honour website.
For Tactical:
March Attack - seems to have not gotten the attention it deserves. Plenty of tactical detail, well written and illustrated, can be used for larger battles, I think, but the details might overwhelm a solo player. Really cover a lot of historical aspects to give a great feel. You have to play it for a while to get everything straight and move along, but it gives good results.
Lasalle - see Blucher above. Available as a PDF, like March Attack, and similarly covers all the concepts I can handle, but I think the results are quite Napoleonic - as far as I can tell.
Neil Thomas - a special category for Mr. Thomas, who is a master at distilling wargames down to their elemental components. His book Napoleonic Wargaming gives you some history, his rationale for rules, and a brief, basic rule set upon which you can expand or not at will. One Hour Wargames is a fun and well thought out set of rules for several eras with lots of classic, useful scenarios. Bruce