What follows is an article I have recovered that I wrote in 1990 and was published in the Canberra Games Society's magazine, probably the one issued for Cancon 1991. WORD wouldn't open the document, but WORDPAD would and all I had to do was reconstruct the tables.
I find it amusing as, anyone looking at my blog would know, I no longer do Napoleonics in 5mm. However, when I wrote this, it was all the rage.
A
personal history and review of Napoleonic Wargaming
by Mark
Haughey.
Since
the 1970s I have collected, and grown attached to, a few hundred carefully
painted 20/25mm Napoleonic figures.
These are mainly AIRFIX with a few MINIFIGS and HINCHCLIFFE thrown
in. Many of the AIRFIX figures have been
heavily converted and my total collection basically represents French and
Anglo/Prussian forces of 1815.
All
this was initially inspired by the movie WATERLOO, a Dino De Laurentiis
production, directed by Sergei Bonderchuk and shot (no pun intended) in Italy
and the USSR. It featured Rod Steiger as
Napoleon, Christopher Plummer as Wellington and Orson Wells as Louis XVIII (a
"small" part!).
My
first "re-enactments" were with playing cards which were soon
replaced by pieces of cardboard inscribed with the exotic sounding names of
"cuirassier" and "chasseur" (which I had great difficulty
in spelling and pronouncing at that time).
I had some vague idea that the size of the cardboard represented the
size of the unit and attempted to resolve conflicts accordingly.
The
first real rules that I tried were FIX BAYONETS by the South Australian
Historical Wargaming Society (SAHWS).
While I acquired a later version of the society's Napoleonic rules
called SABRE AND BALL by Mal Wright, a principal member of SAHWS, I never used
them to fight any battles.
FIX
BAYONETS cost me $1.30 for 26 pages.
They used 60 figure battalions and a write order; move; combat sequence
of play, with both sides moving simultaneously.
I
used cardboard bases to supplement my slowly blossoming AIRFIX Napoleonic
figure collection, which, while relatively plentiful in terms of raw material,
required time to paint and did not provide all the troop types required.
I
still continued with my cardboard after migrating to Bruce Quarrie's rules
which appeared in the AIRFIX MAGAZINE GUIDE 4 - NAPOLEONIC WARGAMING, October
1974. They cost me $3.90 for 64 pages
and included some much needed historical information on organisation and
tactics. With 24 figure battalions they
used a write order; move; combat sequence of play with both sides moving
simultaneously.
The
most memorable things about the AIRFIX rules were the national characteristics
and that cavalry melees could be extremely destructive (with both forces being
eliminated in the 2.5 minutes of "simulated" action!). They did allow me to effectively double the
size of my army as previous battalions were now reformed to provide two. This was an important factor for, as a
"would-be-Napoleon", it allowed me to take on the role of a higher
ranking general - a promotion.
During
this period I looked at TRICOLOR by Rick Crane/TSR produced in April 1974. They cost $5US for 55 pages and used 36
figure battalions. They provided useful
organisational data and introduced to me the concept of movement trays or
stands - a number of figures based together and moving as an indivisible unit,
in this case basically a company. They
used a write order; move; fire; melee sequence of play with both sides moving
alternately. However, as their use would
have meant a demotion in "field rank", I did not adopt them.
With
the 1980s came a switch to the WRG 1685-1845 rules of July 1979. However I never really developed an
attachment to these rules as a way of refighting actions from the Napoleonic
Wars. I did recognise the universal
popularity of the rules though. I paid
$13.20 for two booklets totalling 86 pages providing both rules and army lists
and including a quick reference chart.
They used 16 figure battalions and a response; fire; melee; move
sequence of play with both sides moving alternately.
With
my interest in Napoleonic wargaming waning for lack of a set of rules that
suited me I took to WRG Ancients, using the new figure scale of 15mm. This became my major passion but it did not
stop my searching for the ultimate Napoleonic rules and this lead to me being
intrigued by EMPIRE 3.
What
drew me to EMPIRE 3 was a series of articles in BREAKOUT by David Morgan. EMPIRE 3 cost $29.50 in late 1983 for 160
pages plus reference sheets, charts and status markers/counters. Later I picked up the EMPIRE CAMPAIGN SYSTEM
second hand for $10 (unused - as it still is).
EMPIRE 3 used 12 figure battalions and for me employed many innovative
concepts including manoeuvre elements, strategic and tactical movement rates,
and separate skirmish combat amongst others.
They had an extensive sequence of play comprising ten segments
consisting of much player interaction (or so I thought!). The sequence of play covered issue orders;
attach leaders; declare orders; activate orders; grand tactical movement;
tactical combat (each side moving alternately); bombardment; leader casualties;
rally troops; and recover fatigue points.
While
I used my 25mm figures for EMPIRE 3 I also started to invest in a 5mm army as a
way of trying out the innovations of EMPIRE 3.
Other members of my local wargaming community were switching to 5mm for
Napoleonics in conjunction with EMPIRE 3 and this provided the necessary
inspiration for me to also try this scale.
I was careful in my selection of a 5mm army to choose something quite
different from what I already had and settled on a Russian corps of 1812. This change of figure scale was difficult for
me as I found that the visual charm and romance of the uniforms was
significantly diminished but, apart from some fiddliness at times, it did lend
a general's eye view to a battle and that was what I wanted.
I
found EMPIRE 3 slightly complex and realised that I would have to seriously
study them before I could play with ease.
Unfortunately the number of games I attempted generally resulted in my
troops failing to activate and therefore I tended to sit out the games while
others played (and argued) around me! I
did enjoy the promotion as I now I felt that I was high ranking general
participating in a significant engagement.
However
I found myself at the end of the 1980s still wanting innovation but also at
level that I could easily absorb and readily use to refight Napoleonic battles
(not skirmishes). I also wanted
preservation of investment - the one result of two decades of Napoleonic
wargaming being that most of my 20/25mm army is based according to WRG which is
also roughly suitable for EMPIRE 3. I
also had this 5mm army that I wanted to use.
A
check of my personal wargaming library shows I also bought GUARD DU CORPS by
Rudy Scott Nelson ($6.50 for 67 pages) and RULES FOR NAPOLEONIC LAND WARFARE by
G W Jeffrey, published by SKYTREX ($6.50 for 27 pages). I have a second hand copy of NAPOLEONIC ARMY
LISTS by R M Evans, dated August 1986. I
paid $2 for these and they provided 41 pages of data for 1:50 and 1:20 figure
ratio scale armies. I bought the
September/October 1981 issue of THE COURIER as it contained indepth reviews of
BATTALIONMASSE, VIVE L'EMPEREUR, GENERALSHIP NAPOLEONICS as well as
EMPIRE. The magazine also contained yet
more "official amendments" to WRG's 6th Edition Ancient rules but
while this is another subject, it helped to maintain my interest in things
other than Ancients.
Then,
in 1990, I came across AVALON HILL's NAPOLEON'S BATTLES, their first (to my
knowledge) foray into miniature rules.
They are a complete system including terrain pieces and die cut
cardboard units as well as a comprehensive introduction to wargaming the period
for those new to the subject. NAPOLEON'S
BATTLES and the separate "expansion module" cost me $73.72 (club
discount at the local games shop - THE GAMES CUPBOARD). This was for 160 pages all up plus reference
charts.
The
cardboard units included with NAPOLEON'S BATTLES means that you can have a
"miniatures game" straight out of the box without any investment in
painting and basing figures. Great for
first timers or experienced players with existing armies established for
alternative rules (more about using NAPOLEON'S BATTLES for 25mm and the
compatibility with WRG 1685-1845 basing later).
These cardboard units have also allowed me to easily take the game when
travelling and thereby introduce it to friends with the option of being able to
immediately play.
NAPOLEON'S
BATTLES use 16 figure brigades and an extensive sequence of play comprising
seven phases consisting of much player interaction. The sequence of play covers control phase
(arrival, communication, rally, command and supply); manoeuvre (all-out attack,
administration, movement, reaction); fire (representing skirmishing and long
range artillery fire); combat (representing close range firing and melee);
construction; pursuit; and isolation.
This sequence is repeated for each side however within it both sides get
to fire (alternately) and the non-phasing side can interdict (react) with its
cavalry. Some of these phases are also
optional depending on what advanced or optional rules have been decided to be
used (for example: all-out attack - an advanced rule; and construction - an
optional rule).
I
was attracted to NAPOLEON'S BATTLES from its completeness and as a reference
source but did not really consider it initially for gaming as it was centred on
15mm. I had rejected moving to 15mm
earlier due to cost and the fact that this would have made my existing 20/25mm
and 5mm collections totally redundant in my eyes.
I
was lucky to have my first game with Brenton Searle who had temporally rebased
his EMPIRE 3 collection of 5mm Napoleonics using blue tack and light adhesives
for NAPOLEON'S BATTLES. The 15mm bases
and scales were used with 10 to 12 5mm figures replacing the 4 15mm figures. I think it was his second or third game and I
was impressed by the ease at which the game system had been mastered and that I
had an actual sensation of commanding my forces - deciding when to attack and
allocating reserves.
NAPOLEON'S
BATTLES I found allowed me to expand my one corps EMPIRE 3 5mm army to two
corps (with the consequential "promotion" for me as their
"general"). This 5mm army has
since grown and now represents the five corps (two infantry and three cavalry)
of the Russian right wing at Borodino, 1812.
At
first I did not consider NAPOLEON'S BATTLES as a vehicle for battles using my
20/25mm collection. Upon researching the
base sizes I discovered that with only a 50% increase in dimension the 15mm
base size was effectively equivalent to WRG 20/25mm basing for single
figures. The rules had suggested doubling
the 15mm base size for 20/25mm figures but I believe this to be
unnecessary.
I
do not believe NAPOLEON'S BATTLES developers had given much thought to other
scales. Their advice on page 18 of the
"Introduction to Miniature Wargaming" is in my opinion not up to the
same standard as the rest of the game.
It fails to address to the same level of detail the important area of
conversion from other rules and scales.
Given the popularity of WRG rules for the period (all Canberra Games
Conventions have used them) having a compatible basing system means that other
converts or participants can be readily found.
The investment in WRG based figures is preserved - or so I thought.
When
I finally became involved with some of the local Napoleonic wargamers, who I
thought were WRG diehards, I was shocked to hear them exclaim when I pointed
out the compatibility: "why would you want to ever use WRG
again!". To reinforce this
sentiment they had rebased their entire 20/25mm collection for NAPOLEON'S
BATTLES. I should add that a number of
previously EMPIRE 3 5mm players have done the same.
20/25mm
NAPOLEON'S BATTLES replaces the 15mm scale one inch standard unit of movement
with 4cm. In other words if the rules
specify a 10 inch move, for 20/25mm this equates to 40cm. The 20/25mm basing sizes are as follows:
Troop Type
|
Width
|
Depth
|
Infantry stand (4
figures - 2 x 2)
|
30mm
|
40mm
|
Single Infantry
figure
|
15mm
|
20mm
|
Cavalry stand (4
figures - 2 x 2)
|
40mm
|
80mm
|
Single Cavalry
figure
|
20mm
|
40mm
|
Artillery stand (1
model, 2 to 3 crew)
|
60mm
|
40mm
|
Divisional Staff (single
figure)
|
40mm
|
40mm
|
The
single figure basing is equivalent with WRG.
However the WRG stands are 4 x 1 for infantry and 3 x 1 for cavalry so
some flexibility is required as is also the case with artillery.
In
my opinion the hardest thing about NAPOLEON'S BATTLES is adjusting to the use
of brigades as the basic unit. Once this
mental leap is made everything falls into place. Until this occurs however, players familiar
with Napoleonics may struggle with the concept of units fighting better in line
than in column in what appears to be melee and being able to freely
interpenetrate. It is in reinforcing the
brigade unit concept that 5mm is particularly good. As a stand in a 5mm unit looks like a
battalion, a 5mm unit being a collection of stands looks more like a brigade
(ie a collection of battalions). The
negative aspect of brigade sized units is in the lack of historical unit
definition but then a brigade frequently had a historical designation
itself. Anyway for the Commander in
Chief regimental distinctives were normally lost with distance and the smoke
and dust of the battlefield.
In
basing my 5mm figures I have used fewer figures and based them more spread out
for the lower quality troops (such as the Cossacks who I only give 6 figures
per stand) and for higher quality, such as grenadiers, I have based 12 figures
in a 4 x 3 formation at the back of the stand's base. Such simple practises make the different
troop types (the Russians have 16 at Borodino - 5 cavalry, 7 infantry and 4
artillery) readily apparent without straining the eyes.
The
"Introduction to Miniature Wargaming" booklet provided with
NAPOLEON'S BATTLES in the chapter on background to miniature wargaming mentions
that rules, along with figures, have progressed over the years. This certainly has been my experience and in
the following table I have included some simple data on the rules mentioned
above.
Rules
|
Figure Ratio
|
Ground Scale
|
Time Scale
|
FIX
BAYONETS
|
Inf 1:20
Cav 1:20
Artillery model =
battery
|
1mm = 1yd
|
1 turn = 5 mins
|
AIRFIX
|
Inf 1:33
Cav 1:33
Artillery model =
battery
|
1mm = 1yd
|
1 turn = 2.5 mins
|
TSR
|
Inf 1:20
Cav 1:20
Artillery model =
battery
|
1” = 1.25yds
|
1 turn = 1 min
|
WRG
|
Inf 1:50
Cav 1:40
Artillery model = 2
guns
|
1mm = 2.5’
|
1 turn = 80 seconds
|
EMPIRE 3
|
Inf 1:60
Cav 1:60
Artillery model = 2
guns
|
1” = 32yds
|
1 turn = 60 mins
|
NAPOLEON'S BATTLES
|
Inf 1:120
Cav 1:80
Artillery model =
battery
|
1’ = 100yds
|
1 turn = 30 mins
|
The
critical observation is that the scales have increased with one figure now
representing more and as a consequence the units in play representing higher
formations. By substituting more 5mm
figures in place of 15mm or 20/25mm figures a wargames unit still gives a
visible representation of a sizeable body of men.
The
playing area now covers more ground allowing the significant engagements of the
period to be reenacted on the table top and indeed NAPOLEON'S BATTLES includes
a list of the major battles and provides them as scenarios for use with the
game. With one turn representing more
time battles can be refought in a manageable number of turns. The overall result being that players are now
"Napoleons" refighting Napoleon's battles!
1 December, 1991
