Project Waterloo: The Table terrain set up... and the rules!

 

Hougoumont is in the mid foreground.

Pappelotte Farm is in the foreground. 

View from behind the Allied ridge position. 

Based upon Martin Rapier's variant of Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargames:

One Hour Napoleonic (MR 02.01.24) 

from https://tgamesweplay.blogspot.com/p/one-hour-wargames-rules-and-scenarios.html

Turn sequence. 1) Draw Chance Card 2) Shoot 3) Move, Resolve cavalry charges 

Unit	Move	Combat	Notes
Cavalry	3	3D6	charge only; 2x dice flank attack or vs Light Infantry, or Artillery not in cover; 2D6 v Heavy Cavalry
Heavy Cavalry	3	3D6	charge only; 2 x dice flank attack, or vs Light Infantry or Artillery not in cover.
Artillery	1 .5	1 box range: 3D6  2-4 box range: 2D6 5-8 box range: 1 D6	2 x dice vs flanks of infantry or cavalry, or vs Squares Ignores all cover except fortifications.
Line Infantry	1.5	1 box range: 3D6 2 box range 1 D6	May pivot to face a charge
Light Infantry	2	2 box range:  1 D6	Attacks ignore cover. No flanks. Take half hits from infantry/artillery fire but double hits from cavalry. Rifles increase range to 3 boxes (still 1 D6).

Shooting requires LOS, may fire overhead from a higher elevation. Arc of fire +/- 45 degrees, 360

from an occupied SP/Town. Artillery may not fire from town. Units move OR shoot. Roll specified

number of dice. 3+ to hit. Half effect 5+. Quarter effect 6. Reduce morale 1 for each hit. 

Cavalry do NOT shoot! Targets that suffer 3 (or more) hits from shooting from a single source = 

retreat 1 box directly away from source. Steadfast troops ignore this effect.  

Conscripts retreat one box as above when suffering 2 (or more) hits from a single shooter.

Rout Units rout when their morale is reduced to 0. Attached Leader +1. If a unit is routed by

Line Infantry musketry (1 box range), the firer may advance into the empty box. 

Movement Units face a box side; no diagonals!. May pivot at the start and end of their move only,

otherwise move forward, plus or minus 45 degrees; moves on the diagonal cost 1.5. Standard move

rates are for units deployed for combat. 

Reluctant units- must roll a D6 and score less than their remaining remaining hits to advance

 or charge.

Interpenetration Light Infantry may pass through and be passed through by any troops from any angle.

Other troops may temporarily overstack if they are facing in the same direction at the start of the turn, but

must end the turn unstacked, (so units may swap places or pass through). 

Cavalry ChargesCavalry must have LOS to target to charge (so no charging over ridges or through friendly units).

Cavalry may not pivot before charging and must have enough movement to enter the target box.

Cavalry can charge over bridges or into towns or a wood via a road but at half effect due to

narrow frontage. This is in addition to any cover bonuses the target may have. If the charge routs

the enemy, occupy the target box, otherwise cavalry remains next to the target unit. Units with

Shock charging units without same gain an extra D6 in melee. Only the unit that charges inflicts

casualties! Note that Infantry and Artillery may NOT engage in melee! Only one unit may attack

a single target.

Impetuous units that charge MUST continue to charge on subsequent turns as long as there are any

valid targets!

Square Infantry units may go into or out of square at the beginning of their movement phase.

Units in Square may not move or shoot, but also may NOT be charged by cavalry while in Square.

Bayonet ChargeIf a Line Infantry unit routs an enemy with massed (1 box) musketry, it may

advance into the vacant box. 

Column of Route.Line Infantry/Guns +1 box cross country, +2 boxes entirely on road. Cavalry,

Light Infantry +1 box entirely on a road (no bonus x-country). Treat units as flanked for all combat,

may not fight in column of route apart from cavalry. Cavalry may charge in CoR at half effect. To exit

formation, move a normal move next turn.

Roads. Roads may only be used in Column of Route, they allow units to enter/cross otherwise

impassable terrain and impart a movement bonus. 

Infantry charge response vs Cavalry Line Infantry may pivot to face cavalry if charged. 

 

Terrain 

Towns and Strongpoints (SP): Towns fill a whole box, SPs are isolated farm complexes etc. All

unit types can end their move inside towns and SPs; but only infantry can occupy them. Occupied

towns and SPs count all their sides as “front”; they can thus shoot 360° and cannot be charged/shot

“in the flank/rear”. Line and Light infantry attacked at half effect by Line Infantry. Artillery cannot

fire while in a town, but fires at units in them as normal. Cavalry can only charge units inside

towns/SP at half effect vs cavalry/guns (5+) and quarter effect vs Infantry(6). 

Morale Hits reduce morale. When a unit has lost all its hits, it routs and may not be recovered in the

timeframe of the game.

 Leaders

An Army may have one or more leaders allocated to it. Leaders move with units or as cavalry

although they may enter woods. A leader stacked with a unit under their command allows it to take

one extra hit before routing. 

Leader Risk If a leader is in a box which takes a hit, leader is removed on a 2D6 roll of ‘2’. If the

leader is in a box where the unit routs, or if they are overrun by an enemy unit, they are lost on a

1D6 roll of ‘1’. If they are overrun and survive, the leader retires 1 box. 

Unit types

Leaders

Army and Corps commanders of notable repute 

Line Infantry Conventional infantry formations operating mainly in close order. They are assumed

to have skirmishers screens and attached artillery, accounting for their long range. Represent

6-8000 men, but the size may be adjusted for different battles, but keep the 2:1 ratio with cavalry. 

Light Infantry Infantry with a much thicker skirmish screen, and a limited number of formed

supports. The optimum units for operating in broken or close terrain. They also have attached

artillery. Represent 6-8000 men.

Cavalry

Close order cavalry, very effective against infantry in the flank or against guns and light infantry. 

Heavy Cavalry

More effective against other types of cavalry. Have attached horse batteries. Represent 3-4000 men 

Artillery Corps/Army reserve artillery grand batteries. Most artillery is assumed to be attached

directly to units. Represent 50-60 guns. Units assumed to have around 20-30 guns each. 

Troop quality Excellent units with high morale and cohesion or possibly very strong units - 7 hits.

Good Units with good morale and cohesion - 6 hits. Poor Units with poor training, leadership,

morale, tactics or possibly just weak - 5 hits. French Old Guard Units - 8 hits

WATERLOO Commander effects

Wellington - at the end  of any Allied turn, may move up to 3 boxes and attempt to rally 1 unit.

Picton: +1 D6 for shooting at 1 box range  for any British infantry of his command within 1 box.

Hill: British and infantry within 1 box may re-roll 1 missed die when shooting.

Orange: units of his command within 1 box may force enemy to re roll one successful hit from  

fire or melee.

Napoleon- at the start of any French turn may attempt to rally one French unit.

Ney - any unit he is attached to adds 2D6 in melee; all adjacent French units add 1 D6 in melee.

D’Erlon:  Units within 1 box get an extra D6 in melee

Reille:  Units within 1 box may force enemy to reroll one successful hit from Fire per turn.

Lobau:  Units within 1 box may reroll one missed die in melee per turn

Rally by C-in-C:  Roll1 D6:
1          No effect
2,3,4    Regain 1 hit
5,6       Regain 2 hits

* 1st hit cannot be rallied off.