[Patto]

There’s some really interesting ideas in this blog. I hope I can usefully add to this:

As far as I can tell it wasn’t unusual to deploy ‘sections’ of guns in support of a handful of battalions doing a specific job on the battle field. To allow for this in Napoleonics, rather than overdo the fire factors I intend to use battalion gun ratings as per Seven Years War for example. So the detachment might be a factor of 1/1/1 as opposed to the 2/1/1 and longer ranges of half batteries.  This allows for the gun to provide tailored support, at shorter ranges (up to 24cms in 15mm), but also have it’s real impact on the morale of targets hit. They will not be hit disproportionately by the artillery; but the effect say if it was in closing fire might be a good reflection – as these detachments were sometimes capable of doing real damage. If memory serves there are good examples of this kind of thing at Ligny (1815). According to A. Field in ‘Grouchy’s Waterloo’ (hopefully got this reference right) one gun could do a fair bit of damage in the right place. Having said this, you don’t want a situation with loads of individual guns floating about, unless it is the Seven Years War or some such period that had a lot of light pieces at battalion level. Paradoxically, although I’ve argued it is not unusual in Napoleonics, it should not become the norm – if that makes sense. Good uses could be made for advance or flank guards or assaults/defenses on and of  particular pieces of terrain such as towns/villages/bridges etc.

I also tend to use two models per battery to better reflect the ‘footprint’ of the battery. This means the section or half battery is one model. This works well on the table; and there is no confusion as to which guns are full/half batteries.

I’ve also started to rebase my Seven Years War figures and the artillery has four, three or two figures. This reflects heavy/positional (E.g. Prussian Brummers), field and light pieces respectively. Coupled with two gun models per battery it will help players (mostly me) remember what’s what.

[Patto]

Thanks Phillip. Much appreciated. I think I have the movement covered in that all units are on movement trays which works well for both identification and ease of play on the table. Combat wise it might be worth fighting as a brigade, rather than as individual units within the brigade. Having said that it seems using the stats for a line infantry unit for a whole brigade might be too ‘light’. I’m now thinking of importing some ‘Hail Caesar’ thinking into this. Really appreciate the comments so far as it has greatly helped me begin to outline an approach.

[Patto]

Thanks Karl. That’s definitely worth a try. Is that the only ‘change’ you implement? Do you alter anything in terms of game processes?

I was starting to think around how I could develop factors around brigades or half brigades. This would be more akin to moving blocks of troops rather than units. I was wondering if anyone else did something similar. What I want to avoid is a step towards Age of Eagles or some such similar set of rules. I want the feel of the large battle and sweeping troop movements with the BP mindset. It’s a work in progress.

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