modifications of the rules
I currently use the thirdd edition of
Napoleon's
Battles edited by Lost Batallion Games. However I have made
several modifications to the Rules. Some are related with the higher
size of the 20mm figures I use (respecting from the 15mm figures
used by the rules designers), but other have been designed to cover
some situations not contemplated in the design of a brigade-level
rule-set such as NB.
BASE SIZES
I use 20 mm figures (or 1/72, H0/OO...) SO the bases must be
greater
than the given in the rule-set, designed for 15mm figures.
- Close order three-ranks Infantry bases are 2.5x2.5 cm squares
(1"x1") to accommodate 4 figures whereas two-raks infatry are
mounted in a 3.8x2.5 cm (1.5"x1"). The bases for
Open order Infantry are 8.0x4.0 cm (3.2"x1.6") also for 4 figures.
- Cavalry bases are 4.0x3.5 cm (1.6"x1.4") for two figures.
Cossacks and other irregular cavalry use 4.0x7.0 cm (1.6"x2.8")
and three figures.
- Artillery bases are 3.5x4.0 cm (1.4"x1.6") for two
artillerymen and gun.
- Generals of division
bases are 2.5x3.5 cm (1"x1.4") and have a mounted General officer (and
an infantryman for Good or Excellent commanders)
- C-i-C, Corps and Wing Commander bases are 4.0x4.5 cm
(1.6"x1.8") and have a mounted General officer and two additional
figures.
INFANTRY FRONTAGE
The slightly greater front of the close order three-ranks Infantry
takes into account the full deployment (in line or 'en bataille') of
all the 480 men so the distortion is almost null.
The reasoning is: 480 men/3 = 160 men/rank. A infantry base has a
frontage of 1" = 100 yd, SO each real infantryman will occupy 100
yd/160 men = 0.625 yd/man = 1.875 ft/man = 57.2 cm/man. This value
is very close to the found in the Infantry manuals of all nations in
Napoleonic era.
For two-ranks infantry and making similar calculations:
480 men/2 = 240 men/rank, so the frontage of these infantry bases
must be the 240/160 = 1.5 times the frontage of a three-ranks base,
i.e. 1.5"
CAVALRY FRONTAGE
The use of two-figures bases gives a greater flexibility
allowing to depict different combat or march formations. The
frontage of a real cavalryman was around 1.30 yd. Each cavalry base
has two figures @ 120 men/figure = 240 men, but Napoleonic
cavalry habitually formed in two ranks, so the frontage of a cavalry
base corresponds to 120 real cavalrymen, which must occupy 120 *
1.30 yd = 156 yd of terrain, i.e. 1.6" in the game table (around 4
cm).
Cavalry losses are as per the rules but two cavalry figures are
removed for each three NB losses.
effects of the change of scale
No rule must be changed for infantry and/or artillery. In the case of
cavalry, is necessary to multiply the number of figures for
3/2 in some cases (for example to determine outnumbering
in combat) as well as to remove 2 cavalry figures for each
3 casualties.
UNDER-STRENGHT UNITS
There is not a minimum number of men for an unit (infantry or
cavalry). In that way, situations in which under-strength units were
present in the battlefield can be covered. For example,
semi-depleted brigades because of previous casualties or units with
specifical roles as were the Prusian cavalry regiments assigned as
close supports to post-1812 Prussian infantry brigades.
BUILDINGS (Built Up Areas or BUA's)
B.U.A.'s are 13x13 (5"x5") squares (See BUA's
Section) with one fixed and one removable building (with an
underlying ruined building). There is sufficient space to deploy a
seven-bases Infantry brigade, so the area can be actually
occupied.
Rallying of routed units
An attached general is not required but then a '-3' additional
modifier must be used.
Avoiding routing and dispersion
The NB2 optional rule is always used. An attached general is
not required but the dispersal attempt requires a previous
rout move.
Divisional batteries
NB only depicts on the table the reserve and horse artillery
batteries. This leads to some historical inconveniences. For
example, some armies (specially the British) used the foot batteries
as close supporters to infantry brigades and thus, in NB, the
British armies are always short of artillery when compared with
French ones. In other occasions, the small size of the historical
engagement simulated (for example in the Peninsular War) does
not justify the presence of artillery units and... I like the guns!
Therefore I use divisional foot batteries in some scenarios.
These batteries have a smaller mobility, never can evade
and their Fire Factor is lowered by using a '-1'
modifier.
As NB designers factored the fire of the divisional batteries in the
Fire Factor of infantry units, with the above modification the
infantry fire is only skirmish fire, actually almost ineffectual.
There are several possibilities to take that into account:
1) Use an additional “-3” modifier to Infantry Fire Factors, OR
2) Modify the Rule 7.3.3 ‘Resolving Fire’ so a ‘two losses’ result is
converted to ‘one loss’ and a ‘one loss’ is a miss, OR
3) Carry out the infantry fire as usual without any modifier. The
resulting losses are not marked on the target unit, but are only
used to cause disorder (Recommended).
SPECIAL UNITS
Almost every type of unit is covered in the rules. However some of
them are missing, usually because the designers do not considerated
it as deserving an inidividual category: for example the French
Dragoons transferred from Spain to Germany in 1813 and used there as
heavy cavalry. These units (and others such as the divisional foot
artillery described above) can be easily added by modifying a
similar unit type..
flanks and rearguard
The NB designers are very strict about the lack of negative modifiers
when an unit is attacked in flank or rearguard. Their rational is
that NB being a grand-tactical game, the abstracted brigaded
commanders will care about the actual location of their sub-units,
into the brigade area. However, I think (along many more NB players)
that the moral effect of an attack in flank or rearguard must be
taken in account.
Therefore, an unit attacked in flank will suffer a '-2'
additional modifier in the combat resolution. If the unit is
attacked in the rearguard, the modifier will be -'3'.
independent brigade generals
In some small armies, like the fighting in the Peninsular War, could
be interesting to simulate the semi-independent tactical role played
by some Brigadier Generals (for example the
British Cavalry and Portuguese independent Brigade Generals) by
showing they in the tabletop.
These Brigade generals must remain continuously attached to their
brigades, so their command radius is not printed in the labels (nor
counted in the points value of the Army). The labels can be glued on
an individual General figure or on the command base of the affected
unit, as preferred.
l'order mixte
experimental and NOT TESTED
This tactical formation, as dear to French generals, deserve its
inclusions in the allowed infantry formations. Brigades in such
formation are basically in column, but one or more bases of the
rear rank are placed in the front rank. The Movement
allowance is the columnar substracting 1" (or 2") for each
base added to front. The Combat Factor is the same as in 'Column'
with a `+1' modifier.
Recovering losses (as per Grande
Armée) experimental
and NOT TESTED
The unit must be previously rallied and within the command
radius of its Corps Commander or must have attached an officer. It
must be at a distance of the enemy greater than 6". The unit losses
must be greater than 4 and never will be fully recuperated. The
modified Response number
of the unit is entered in the column corresponding to the number of
losses to be recovered,
and the red number gives the
Recovered losses.
The modified response number is calculated as follows: 1D6 plus
Attached higher rank-general: “+2” for Excellent, “+1” for
Good and “-1” for Poor
-3 because the unit is disordered
After the process, the unit is disordered
LOSSES TO BE RECOVERED | |||||||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12+ | |
0 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0 |
1 | 4-6 | 3 | 3-4 | 3 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
2 | 7+ | 4-6 | 5-6 | 4 | 4-5 | 4 | 3-4 | 3 | 2-3 |
3 | 7+ | 7 | 5-6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
4 | 8+ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | ||
5 | 8+ | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | |||
6 | 9+ | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | ||||
7 | 9+ | 9 | 8 | 8 | |||||
8 | 10+ | 9 | 9 | ||||||
9 | 10+ | 10 | |||||||
10 | 11+ | ||||||||
RECOVERED LOSSES |