what's SONG OF DRUMS AND SHAKOS?
Song of Drums and Shakos (SDS) is a fast play Napoleonic skirmish game
written by Sergio Laliscia and based on the Song of Blades and
Heroes (SBH) mechanics. Muster your squad. Deploy your soldiers and
fire volleys at the enemy… and when the moment of truth comes, fix
bayonets and charge.
Whereas Napoleon's Battles and Lasalle are respectively addressed to
grand-tactical and tactical level, SDS is for small combat or
skirmishers between patrols, advance guards, foraging parties,
reconnaissance squads, vedettes and such.
I found SDS while reading a small and fun After Action Report (AAR)
with some nice pictures in the
Fitz-Badger's Soweiter League blog. The described game used a
'lace and tricorne' version of a seemingly fun Napoleonic skirmish
ruleset named Song of Drums and Shakos (or Song of Lace and
Tricornes as Fitz-Badger named it) designed by Sergio Laliscia and
edited by
Ganesha Games. A rapid visit to their website, and the e-books
for Songs of Drums and Shakos and More Songs of Drums and Shakos
(SDS and MSDS from onwards) were in my computer.
The
Song of Blades and Heroes Yahoo Group (SDS having the same rules
engine than the 'Song of...' family) provided me with more useful
stuff - including an
EXCEL calculator to make SBH war bands that I immediately
refurbished for SDS. The subsequent internet surfing found some
links of SDS blogs, like
Drums
& Shakos, the blog of the game designer and many others with
AAR's of specific games.
The solo side of SDS was also immediately found, and the
Batrepps
blog provided me with
Lone Shako, a somewhat complicated solo variant for SDS, and an
simpler solo activation procedure initially designed by
Doghi
and easily transferred to a worksheet.
With SDS only the strategic level is still not covered... but that is
another history. You can watch the state of the Project in the
PROJECT LEPIZIG BLOG, searching for the 'Song of Drums and
Shakos' label.
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