Tactical Napoleonic Battle

1st Corps British Napoleonic Infantry.

Over the last weekend we were introduced to a great set of new Napoleonic wargaming rules, 'Tactical Napoleonic Battle', design by Andrew Parr of Sydney. The rules are still in the play testing stage however they have been written well and are enjoyable to play. The rules are designed around having a small force or Brigade, consisting of a few infantry battalions, a battery of guns and maybe some cavalry, but the point system will only allow max of ten infantry battalions (with nothing else). The game can be played on a dinning room table, which is how Andrew has designed it and lasts for a little over two hours, depending on how well you have read and learned the rules.

Front Rank Highlanders, painted by Leroy Simpson, hold a town section.

A heavy cavalry brigade arrives on the flank of a french line brigade.

British Elite Miniatures Royal Horse Artillery pound the French as they advance forward.

The starting army size for the game is 500 points and this can be spent on the different classes of infantry, cavalry and artillery. Points are also sent on upgrading those units for higher moral or elite statistics. The combined force also receives a overall commander for free and if points allow you can buy another sub-commander. The commanders allow you to move your troops, who are in the command radius of 6 inches, without penalty. The units out of command have to take a moral role to carry out any other function other then firing. The placement of the commanders is vital for the tactics of the games and to get the other side thinking on how to deploy his troops and where it would be most effective to place his commanders.

Front Rank Spanish infantry guard the allied flank.

British Command stand, painted by Leroy Simpson (all figures are Elite Miniatures)

Casualty markers, used to designate the number of unsaved hits on a stand.

After paying for your troops you can then decide on which type of commander who will have to lead your army, this will depend on the nationality of the forces used. Next you picked a nationality trait for the army, which for the British might be that it is a professional army. This will allow then to have a greater chance of scoring a hit when rolling during the shooting phase. There is also design for reserve forces, which depending on how many troops you have on the board must be placed off the table until rolled for. Flank marches can also be used by any Army, remembering that this is just a small battle between small forces and not part of a great battle.

Elite Miniatures Brunswick Leib Battalion.

The French reserve cavalry brigade moves past the supporting artillery.

We played three small battles over the weekend. On the first day were games consisting of the five hundred points and on the second day we played a bigger game, increasing the total points to 1200. Everyone who played, John Williams, Brian Buskell, Jeff Smith and Myself, enjoyed the games immensely. There was no arguments, no indecision's on the play of the rules and lastly there was laughter throughout all games. Finally I think Andrew has designed a great set of rules for the period and when they come publicly available they should definitely be added to your collection of rules to try out.