Sunday, September 16, 2012

"Crisis on the Danube, 1809" with Snappy Nappy (Part 1)

    I enjoy our hobby of wargaming with miniature soldiers acros a fairly broad range of periods and genres, but I am sure that it will surprise no one that the Napoleonic era has always been my favorite. Among the many campaigns and battles of the French Revolution and Empire era, the 1809 campaign against Austria has always had a special appeal. The late David Chandler, in his marvelous book, The Campaigns of Napoleon, first used the heading "Crisis on the Danube" for his chapter on the events of opening phase of the campaign in Germany inApril 1809. James Arnold (with Dr Chandler's permission), used the same title for his excellent book on the same events, and of course John Gill's recent trilogy on the entire 1809 campaign (a "must have" for a wargamer interested in the events of 1809), Thunder on the Danube is a nod in Dr Chandler's direction. Of course, the title of this blog and my 1809 scenario book is part take off and part tribute to all three authors and their works.
    Starting almost 20 years ago, Russ Lockwood published a series of artticles in the Midwestern Wargamer's Association Newsletter (MWAN), describing the evolution of a set of simple Napoleonic rules and their application to a "Campaign in a Day". A commercial version was published in 2009, and I aquired a copy from Russ himself at Historicon 2009, in the midst of our own series of wargames commemorating the  200th anniversay of those events. Since reading these simple yet elegant rules, I've been itching to plan a "Campaign in a Day" of my own. Barry and I did a fairly big play test game with the rules in late 2009, which certainly lived up to it promise of quick play emphasizing the grand tactical and/or operational level, and yet giving rerasonable results with a decidely Napoleonic flavor. Other projects intervened, but now our wider gaming group, the Hartford Area Historical Gaming Society (HAHGS) has decided to go forth with a large scale Campaign in a Day based upon the 1813 campaign, in April of 2013. As a warm up, we plan to run a smaller Campaign in a Day) with Snappy Nappy based upon the same Crisis on the Danube of April 1809. With the cooperation of the organizers this will take place at ELLIS CON XXIV to be held on Saturday, November 17 , 2012 at Ellis Technical School in Danielson, CT.

Snappy Nappy


Snappy Nappy is available from On MIlitary Matters (link includes a nice selection of player comments). It is also available frm Caliver Books and Partisan Press, among others. There is a detailed description of the game in a review here on The Miniatures Page , although this appears to be for an earlier version (the one pictured was released in 2009). After rummaging through the nbasement, I at last found and re-read my own copy as part of the process of planning for the event.

Here's the Introduction to the Rules to give you an idea what they are all about:

Snappy Nappy represents a bold new way to wargame Napoleonic battles and campaigns with miniatures. The simple rules can be easily understood by the rawest Marie Louisa newbie, but are subtle enough for the most experienced grognard. Snappy Nappy moves quickly, allowing an ebb and flow to the battle usually unseen with current rules. How does Snappy Nappy play? A newbie exclaimed: "One thing I'll say. At the end of each turn, you see progress. I can't tell you how many games I've played where nothing happens." Too true. Forget overly complicated rules that make your eyes glaze over. Forget shoulder-to-shoulder battalions moving only a foot or two on a tabletop. Snappy Nappy revels in the big battles with big movement. One of the first customers noted: "First impressions are that the rules are well written and in an easy to understand format, I didn't need a lot of flipping back and forth to understand them. Simple as advertised, but I think the subtle may be there as well...What intrigues me most is the scope of the games, these are not grand tactical, I would describe them as operational." And if you ever wanted to share your enthusiasm for the Napoleonic era with the younger generation, Snappy Nappy is it. Simple to start, quick to learn, and with an emphasis on maneuver -- battles unfold with noticeable speed. Snappy Nappy teaches the differences among the three arms (infantry, cavalry, and artillery) while offering command perspectives on flanks, mass, and reserves. Napoleon said: "Read and meditate on history...read and meditate on the campaigns of the Great Captains...This is the only way to learn the art of war." We'd add a corollary about using miniatures to "see" the art of war unfold. But don't be stuck with old rules -- Snappy Nappy brings miniatures meditation into the 21st century with a bold look, a memorable name, and a bolder set of rules. 1.0 Introduction "Read and meditate on history. It is the only real philosophy...Read and meditate on the campaigns of the Great Captains. This is the only way to learn the art of war." --Napoleon Napoleon continues to fascinate students of military history, not only because of his accomplishments, but also his failures. The same ambition that drove an unknown Corsican youth to crown himself Emperor of Europe also forced his ultimate decline and fall. Name the battle most associated with Napoleon and you'll find it to be Waterloo--hardly a ringing endorsement of his genius, and yet, it is his genius that remains with us and makes Napoleon one of those Great Captains of war. But reading about Napoleon only goes so far. At some point, we need to take the two-dimensional lessons of ink on paper--or perhaps electrons on screen--and make them three-dimensional opportunities for meditation. We want to experience the art of Napoleonic command, perhaps as Napoleon, one of his marshals, or even as one of his opponents, and match wits across a battlefield to see if we are as good as our historical commander de jure...or perhaps even better. Snappy Nappy is a set of historical miniatures rules for Napoleonic battles and campaigns. It is designed to combine the flavor of the period, the art of generalship, and simple -- yet subtle -- rules to create an enjoyable and playable recreation of operational Napoleonic warfare. I hesitate to call it "introductory," but if you read military history, you will be able to grasp the essence of the rules in the first 15 minutes (as over a dozen years of playtesting experience has shown us)...because we want you to be a commander, not a calculator. Created initially in 1994, Snappy Nappy arose from Napoleon's suggestion of reading about the campaigns of history--specifically Napoleon's campaigns--which talked about maneuvers across distances, feints and probes, finding and pinning the enemy, calling in more forces to pressure the flanks, then forcing a decision point and pursuing with élan. Most Napoleonic miniatures rules concentrated on the tactical level. The grand sweeps so often mentioned in books were limited to shoulder to shoulder formations of battalions inching across the terrain. And that's just fine if you're in the mood for such company- and battalion-level situations. But Napoleon and his marshals didn't fiddle with a company of skirmishers. They moved armies and corps (and sometimes divisions and the occasional brigade) from town to town, seizing--and sometimes missing--opportunities. That's what the memoirs and histories tell us. That's what the arrows on the maps show us. And that's what Snappy Nappy allows you to do on a tabletop. Snappy Nappy lets you run huge battles in a short amount of time. Indeed, campaigns can be run in an afternoon. It provides a command and control structure that allows you to vary the commander-in-chief's orders without rampant disregard for his intention. It offers a simple combat system that concentrates on morale loss rather than "figure removal" for speedier play--as well as simulating those events that cause utter panic to dissolve units into oblivion as well as the occasional superhuman fortitude. It rewards coordinated use of the three combat arms as well as punishes irresponsible deployment and attacks. It is also scalable. A 1-on-1 game works just fine, but for real excitement and fog of war, use multiple tables and 15-20 players. Games of 18 players across seven tables, and 22 players across four tables, have been run successfully in an afternoon. A host of smaller games with "only" 8 to 10 players across four tables and numerous 4- and 6-player games on one table have been done successfully by all skill levels. So if you want to spend more time being a commander instead of a spreadsheet, Snappy Nappy is for you. If you are brand new to miniatures wargaming, you'll appreciate the ease at understanding the interaction of the "4Ms": movement, musketry, melee, and morale. If you're already a tabletop veteran, you'll enjoy the subtle elegance of its mechanics as you think more about historical accounts than flipping through charts and rules. Snappy Nappy. The name says it all: it's a snap to learn and will make your simulation of Napoleonic warfare fast, furious, and fun.

    In the files section of the HAHGS site there is a nice PDF of the MWAN account of the 1813 "Campaign in a Day" as played by Russ' group, which is great for getting an overview of how the whole thing works.
   I had previously set up the forces in Snappy Nappy terms for the Danube theater in 1809:

The Crisis on the Danube, 1809

 Scales:  1 stand = 2000 Infantry, 750 Cavalry, or 24 Guns
1” tabletop = 150 yards tactically, about 300 yards strategically

L' Armee d'Allemagne, L' Empereur Napoleon I: Genius
Starting Location:  


II Corps, General de Division Nicolas Oudinot: Reliable
Starting Location:   

1st Division, Tharreau
1st Brigade – Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Claparede
1st Brigade – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd  Brigade – Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Light Cavalry Brigade, Colbert – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

3rd Heavy Cavalry Division, d'Espagne
1st Brigade – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
8# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
8# Horse Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


III Corps, Marechal Louis Davout: Genius
Starting Location: 

1st Division, Morand
1st Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Friant
1st Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

3rd Division, Gudin
1st Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

4th Division, St. Hilaire
1st Brigade – Elite (10 Legere, 57 Ligne)      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Light Cavalry Division, Montbrun
1st Brigade Pajol - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade Pire - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade Jaquinot - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Heavy Cavalry Division, St. Sulpice
1st Brigade – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery:
8# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Artillery - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
8# Horse Artillery - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


IV Corps, Marechal Andre Massena: Dashing
Starting Location:

1st Division, Legrand
1st Brigade – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Baden) – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade (Baden) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, St. Cyr
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade  (Hessians) - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

3rd Division, Molitor
1st Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

4th Division, Boudet
1st Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Light Cavalry Division Maraluz
1st Brigade – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade – (Hesse/Baden) Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
8# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
8# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Horse Artillery - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Pontoniers

 
VII Corps (Bavarian), Marechal Francois Lefebvre: Reliable
Starting Location:

1st Division, Prince Royal
1st Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Wrede
1st Brigade – Veteran (Jagers)      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade – Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

3rd Division, Deroi
1st Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Corps Cavalry
Bavarian Dragoons – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Bavarian Chevau-Legers - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
12# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6#  Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


Wurttemburg Corps, General de Division Vandamme: Dashing
Starting Location:

Division Neubronn:
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade (Jagers) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Cavalry Division
Wurttemburg Chevaulegers - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery:
6# Foot Artillery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


Ad-hoc Corps. Marechal Jean Lannes: Charismatic
Starting Location:

Reserve Division Dupas
Infantry Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Light Cavalry Brigade - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Rhinebund Division Rouyer
1st Brigade (Nassau/Anhalt) – Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Waldeck/Saxon Pr) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Reserve Division Demont
1st Brigade - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

1st Heavy Cavalry Division, Nansouty
1st Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT



Der K. K. Hauptarmee, Feldmarschal Erzherzog Carl: Charismatic
Starting Location:


1 Armeekorps, GdK Heinrich Graf Bellegarde: Weak
Starting Location: 

1st Division, Vogelsang:
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Ulm
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Advanced Guard Division, Fresnel
1st Brigade (Jagers) – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Freiwilliger) – Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Light Cavalry Brigade (Uhlans) – Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


2 Armeekorps, FZM Karl Kolowrath-Krakowsky: Poltroon
Starting Location: 

1st Division, Brady
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Treunefels
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Advanced Guard Division, Klenau
1st Brigade (Jagers) - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Erz. Karl Legion) - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Light Cavalry Brigade (Uhlans) - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


3 Armeekorps, FML Friedrich Hohenzollern-Hechingen: Dashing
Starting Location:

1st Division, Lusignan
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, St Julien
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Advanced Guard Division, Vukassovich
1st Brigade (Grenz) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Erz. Karl Legion) - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Light Cavalry Brigade (Hussars) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


4 Armeekorps, FML Franz Rosenberg: Reliable
Starting Location: 

1st Division, Dedovich
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Bartenstein
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Advanced Guard Division, Somariva
1st Brigade (Grenz) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade – (Grenz) – Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Light Cavalry Brigade (Hussars) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


5 Armeekorps, FML Erzherzog Ludwig: Weak
Starting Location:

1st Division, Lindenau
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Reuss - Plauen
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Vienna Volunteers) - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Advanced Guard Division, Klenau
1st Brigade (Grenz) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Grenz) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
Light Cavalry Brigade (Hussars) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


6 Armeekorps, FML Johann Hiller: Reliable
Starting Location: 

1st Division, Kottulinski
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade -Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade (IR Deutschmeister) – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Jellacic
1st Brigade (Hungarian) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Hungarian) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade (Hungarian) - Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Advanced Guard Division, Vincent
1st Brigade (Vienna Volunteers) - Conscript      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Grenz) – Seasoned      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
1st Lt Cavalry Brigade (Ch-Legers) - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Light Cavalry Brigade (Hussars) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Horse Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
12# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


Reservekorps, GdK Johannes Liechtenstein: Weak
Starting Location:

1st Division, Rohan
1st Brigade (Grenadiers) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Grenadiers) – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade (Grenadiers) – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

2nd Division, Kienmayer
1st Brigade (Grenadiers) - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade (Grenadiers) – Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Cuirassier Division, Schneller
1st Brigade  - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
3rd Brigade - Elite      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Dragoon Division, Rottermund
1st Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
2nd Brigade - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT

Artillery
6# Horse Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT
6# Foot Battery - Veteran      Bold  Firm  Nervous  Disrupted  Panic  ROUT


 Map of the Danube Theater, April 1809
(From "Thunder on the Danube", volume 1: Abensberg, by John Gill; one of the literally dozens of maps that add greatly to the value of the books)

    I have the basic concept for the operational map and component tables done; the area covered will be roughly that between the Isar and the Danube. There is plenty of work still to be done figuring out the terrain for the individual tables, but we have all the troops (and far more) that we need for the project; nothing needs to be painted special for it! I am really looking forward to this project, and the bigger 1813 one in April!

Peter

Sunday, September 9, 2012

French Infanterie Légère (Light Infantry), Part 1

    I have long had a special affection for the French Light Infantry of the Napoleonic Wars (Infanterie Légère), starting with the (French Language) copy of Fred and Liliane Funcken's L'Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats du Premier Empire that I bought circa 1970. Their paintings of French Light Infantry were especially animated and attractive. Thus it is hard to believe that I have left them for last  among the French to cover!

    As mentioned last month, my standard French Napoelonic wargames "Divisions" each have 5 "regiments", 4 of Line (Ligne) and one Regiment Léger. This post will focus more on the uniforms with more detailed information about their formation and organization in part 2. As usual, my units are organized and uniformed for the era circa 1809.


First up is the 7e Léger, part of Gudin's Division. All the units in this post will be Wargames Foundy figures. By this time, the familiar French battalion organization of 4 center companies (called chasseurs in the Light Infantry regiments), 1 grenadier company (called carabiniers in the Light Infantry), and one light infantry or sharpshooter company (oddly enough, called voltigeurs in both the line and the light infantry units) was in force. The Carabiniers generally had red plumes, shako cords, epaulets, and red tassels on their boots and red sword knots. At one time, it was common for the Carabiniers to wear bearskins, but by 1809 that practice was fading, much as it was in the Line for the grenadiers. When worn, the bearskin lacked a front plate, might have red or white cords, and had a cloth patch at the top/back, usually being quartered in red and blue and bearing a white lace cross.


The Voltigeurs had yellow or buff (chamois) collars (often piped in red, blue, or white) on their uniforms, and used yellow as a  distinctive color, usually paired with green and/or red, for their plumes, epaulets, tassels, sword knots and cords. Just as in the case of the Line, there were an especially large number of variations in distinctions for the Voltigeur companies from regiment to regiment. For most of my units of Infanterie Légère, I use green plumes topped with yellow, yellow epaulets with green crescents, green shako cords, and yellow tassels and sword knots.


The four Chasseur companies of each battalion of Light Infantry often wore epaulets as well, the Infanterie Légère viewing themselves as elite units when compared to the bulk of the Line troops. These were most commonly green with red crescents, or just plain green. White cords on the shako were probably the most common, but green cords were also known. Plumes, where worn, were usually red over green, but the opposite as well as solid green were also known.


The next unit up is the 10e Léger, which formed part of St. Hilaire's Division. This was a famous unit, with an excellent fighting reputation.  Like all the units of Légère, it wears a dark blue jacket (initially cut shorter than that of the Line) and pants, with white piping on the dark blue pointed lapels, and cuffs, and sometimes on the seams of the pants as seen here.  


The collars (aside from the Voltigeurs) were generally red piped with white (or sometimes blue), as were the flaps of the cuffs. Some units wore pointed cuffs, others round cuffs without flaps. The buttons were all white metal, and belts were white.


White metal was used for the chin scales of the shakos, as well as the cords and epaulets worn by the officers.


The pom poms of the Chassuer companies followed the same scheme as the Fusiliers of the Line - sky blue, purple, aurore, and dark green, but I prefer all of mine with green pom poms, and so they are here.


Formed up in square, we have the men of the 24e Léger, part of Cara St. Cyr's Division in 1809. This picture shows the silver accouterments of the officer well, along with his red over green plume.


Another view of the 24e Léger. The Light Infantry often consciously imitated the style of dress of the Light Cavalry. Early in the Napoleonic era, it was common (regulation, actually) for the plumes (and cocade) to be worn on the left side of the shakos, but that had become uncommon by 1809. 


This picture shows the somewhat outdated bicorne worn by the standard bearer, and the white piping on the dark blue turnbacks.


This unit is the 15e Léger, part of Friant's Division of Davout's Corps in 1809. These Foundry figures are "Running, with muskets at trail". This is a suitable pose for the Infanterie Légère, which were supposed to be able to keep up with cavalry at the trot.


For this regiment, I have both the Voltigeur and the Carabinier companies wearing the busby. This was a common variant for officers of the elite companies in the Light infantry, and not uncommon for the Voltigeurs, but a rarity (although a known variant) for Carabinier companies.


When the Carabiniers did wear the colpack, the most common pattern for the "bag" was as shown here; red piped in white (silver for officers). Dry brushing their red plumes with a light orange color has highlighted them nicely, I think.


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This final shot of the 15e Infanterie Léger shows the colpack of the Voltiguers nicely; here the yellow bag is piped in red, and the plume is red over yellow. The Magic Wash has once again brought out some of the detail on the yellow items. Green could easily have been substituted for red on the plumes and bag, or even a green bag piped yellow has been recorded.  I must admit that I do like the jaunty look of those colpacks!


This concludes my first post on the Infanterie Légère of the French Napoleonic era. In addition to some more uniform variants, I'll cover the formation of the Light Infantry and its organizational details more in part 2. 

Good gaming,

Peter

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Galactic Knights - First Two Battles

    Barry and I got together this weekend to try out the Galactic Knights rules for the first time. I had read them through several months ago, but pretty much forgotten everything in the meantime, while Barry had never seen them before. Not surprisingly, therefore, we started with the introductory scenario, section 2.5, "Operation Greenhorn" Although this called for using all Terran ships, I used Avarian models (with Terran stats) for interest, while Barry's forces were modeled with the actual Terran ships as called for in the scenario. As noted earlier this year, I have owned these miniatures (originally produced by Superior Miniatures as their Starfleet Wars line)  for decades, and painted them many years ago - see my earlier posts detailing the models and their stats in the original Starfleet Wars rules.

    So, we set the ships out, and had at it! The first turn we mis-remembered the range bands, and thought we were out of range of even the long range weapons - hah, not the case! Long range, although not relevant for the Light and Medium beams that were most of the ship's armament, is a whopping 12 to 24 hexes. As we were both learning the rules, we chose to just ignore the mistake when it was recognized during the Combat phase of Turn 2.



Here are the positions of the ships at the conclusion of movement, Turn 2. The white, triangular, Star Wars Imperial type ships on the right are the Terrans, and the dark blue, bird-like ships on the left are my Avarians. The six sided dice were what we decided to use for "Drift" markers. Each ship has its own unique drift marker, and the movement system uses them as a clever but simple way to reflect inertia/vector movement. Each Turn STARTS with a drift phase. At that time, each ships DRIFT marker is moved from the hex it occupies into the hex of its ship, and the ship is then displaced the exact same distance and direction as the marker was itself moved. If the situation was as illustrated above, then each ship would DRIFT forwards 2 hexes in the direction it is facing, as all of the ships have their drift markers directly to the rear, two hexes away.  


Here is the situation after Movement on Turn three. My Avarians have kept a tight formation, while Barry's Terrans have split up their formation somewhat; I don't recall the results of the Turn 2 fire exactly, but I think one of my Destroyers (the smaller models) took moderately heavy damage, while I rolled poorly and did little damage to my targets. Note that my Avarians still have their drift markers uniformly behind them 2 hexes, while Barry's Terrans have their Drift markers in different configurations. After ships DRIFT, and INITIATIVE roll is made - opposed D10 rolls, with a +1 modifier for each functioning sensor unit your Fleet has above that of the enemy, up to a maximun of +4. The Winner of the Roll then chooses whether to be the Alpha side or the Beta side. The Alpha side moves HALF their ships, the the Beta side moves ALL their ships, then the Alpha side moves the other half of their ships. It costs 2 maneuver points to move 1 hex straight ahead, 1 MP to turn 1 hex side of facing (i.e., 60 degrees), and 1 MP to move the ship's DRIFT marker 1 hex in any dire4ction. Any combination of the above, an any order are permitted, except that a ship cannot enter a hex containing another ship. Well, *actually*, that is just for this scenario's teaching purpose; thereafter you can move through your own ships but not enemy ships, but you still cannot END your move in the same hex as another ship, friendly OR enemy.


Here is the situation at the end of Turn 3. The Terrans have concentrated their fire, with the DD's Battle Axe and Warhammer combining with the DDL Dauntless; this combined fire power punched through the shields and armor and knocked the ship out of action. The Avarian DD Thrush is seen here venting plasma, as her crew flee to the escape pods before she goes critical!The DDL Falcon and DD Raven look on, having done much less damage to the Terrans once again.


Situation at the end of Turn 4; the inertia (DRIFT) of the opposing fleets has caused them to pass by each other, thus having to maneuver around to stay engaged. Combat is fairly simple - each Weapon system rolls a D10. The number "To Hit" is determined by the ship's profile, smaller ships having lower numbers (4 for the DD's), and larger ships having higher numbers (5 for the DDL's). Rolls Less than or equal to the target's profile hit the target. The damage done depends upon the Weapon and the range - at Short range (4 hexes or less), Light beams do 2 damage, Medium 3, and Heavy 4 damage. Each layer of shields deflects one point of damage, except that rolls of 1 or 2 ignore the shields. Damage points that get past the Shields one way or the other then are scored on the armor; we played it wrong and had it so that all the armor on a given facing had to be destroyed before interior damage was done; this was an error caused by a quick skim of the rules; in fact, this works in layers as well, so the 1st layer of armor takes one hit, and then the next point goes on the second layer, etc. Any damage from a given weapon above that then goes directly onto the ship's interior systems.  So, if a Heavy battery firing at close range scored 4 damage on a ship (and not on a roll of 1 or 2) with one layer of shields and two layers of armor, the first point would be deflected by the shields, and one hit each marked off on the first and second layers of armor; the final point would go on to hit an internal system, the exact system being determined by the ship's layout (on its ship chart), and the roll of another D10 for each shot that does interior damage. Had the same shot scored with a roll of "1" or "2", then the shield(s) would be ignored, one point each marked off on the 1st and second layers of armor, and the remaining 2 points of damage would continue onto the interior systems. A single D10 is then rolled for both damage points scored by the same weapon, and two hits are then marked off on the same column. This matters because once hits have been marked off all of a column of interior systems, any and all additional hits on that column go straight through and start marking off "Critical Hits"; when all of those are gone, the ship is destroyed/surrenders!We got that part (all interior hits from the same weapon go on the same row) wrong, too, this first time out!


Here is the situation at the end of Turn 5. In the Combat phase of Turn 4, Avarian fire knocked out the engines of the Terran DD Battle Axe (with the red drift die behind it). This means that it is doomed to continue moving 2 hexes in the same direction until it moves off the table, as it has no thrust to change its drift or direction. Ouch! The shield generators are another interior system that can be destroyed; when they are knocked out, that layer of shields on the appropriate facing(s) are inoperative. That lead to a question on our part, as to whether each shot should be calculated individually (in case in knocked out the shields for a subsequent shot). We did it that way, but I think the intent was that all shots fired by a given ship at a given target be calculated simultaneously. This is much simpler. The Combat phase of GK is done by alternating ships, one at a time, starting with the Apha player. Whatever damage that ship scores on its target(s) is assessed immediately; thus a ship that is crippled or destroyed will have little or no shot compared to what it might have had had it shot before being damaged. This makes the selection of the firing order for your ships quite important. Also, all weapons and defensive systems have set fields of fire/defense, so it can be advantageous to position your ship with its more damaged side away from the enemy. In addition to doing this by turning the ship, for 1 MP a ship can "roll", thus inverting the right and left sides of the ship from the standard - in the picture above, the light blue glass bead in the hex with the Avarian SDL indicates that the ship has indeed "rolled". There are printed markers provided for "Rolled" ships (as well as DRIFT markers), but I hadn't bothered to print them out for the game.


Situation at the end of Turn 6. The Battleaxe continues drifting out of the action, while the Avarian DD Raven has disengaged by jumping into hyperspace (the shimmering gold in the hex indicating the residual energies left by its departure. Meanwhile, the Avarian DDL Falcon has put maximum thrust into disengaging (its Jump/Warp drive, another interior system, was damaged by Terran fire last turn)
. Victory to Commodore Barry and his Terrans!


    As hoped for, we had time to spare before Barry was due to take the Czarina out to dinner (the Empress was away for the day, so I had no such constraints, LOL). Therefore we proceeded to the second teaching scenario, 3.6, Advanced Training: Operation Minion. This scenario again has three ships a side, each side having a Star Bomber, a Crusier, and a Battle Cruiser. This introduces three new weapons, the Plasma Torpedoes (here carried on the Star Bombers), Missiles (here carried on the Cruisers), and Fighters (here carried on the Battlecruisers). Once again, although both sides used the Terran designs, I used Terran models for Barry's force, and Avarian ones for mine.


This is the situation at the end of Turn 3 (I think). In turn 2, I knocked out the engines on Barry's Starbomber with some medium range fire; it was thus doomed to maintain course and speed, and as all of its weapons, including the deadly but volatile Plasma Torpedoes (fired in salvos of five each, doing 4 points per hit, but if a full magazine is hit by enemy fire, they explode and the ship is destroyed) are effective at Short range only, I have cleverly maneuvered to keep my ships OUT of harm's way. I have launched  Salvo of five Missiles from my Cruiser (the penny) as did Barry (I shot all of his missiles down with my Light Beams, which can double as point defense), and placed my Starbomber at close range from his Cruiser. Unfortunately, Barry was Alpha fleet this time and concentrated the fire of his Battle Cruiser, the Excalibur, on my deadly but fragile SB, the Icarus. Miraculously missing both Plasma Torpedo bays, the shots still eliminated all of the ships Critical Hit boxes, and thus the Icarus is seen venting plasma. However this meant that my first shot was with the Missile salvo, which, along with fire from the Avarian Battle Cruiser Eagle and the Cruiser Peregrine did heavy damage to the Terran Cruiser Fearless. This managed to knock out her engines as well, greatly reducing the Terran fleet's maneuver options!


Situation at the end of Turn 4; Both Cruisers launched their second and final salvo of missiles (in the simple fighter/missile rules, these are launched during the movement of the parent ship, and then move 12 hexes in any direction!). Both Battle cruisers have launched 2 squadrons of fighters (the maximum their launchers will allow in a single turn). Each BC carries 2 squadrons each of Light (interceptor) and Heavy (like torpedo bombers) Fighters. Barry has launched his Heavy fighters, while I have launched my Light fighters, planning to take out his missiles and Heavy fighters, and save my own Heavy fighters for a later assault upon his powerful Battle Cruiser. In the event, I shot down all of his Heavy fighters before they could get their shots off, as well as almost all of his missiles. Some of my own missiles survived the cruiser's Point Defense shots, and went on to inflict additional damage on the already crippled Cruiser Fearless.  My own BC Eagle and CC Peregrine concentrated their Medium and Heavy beams on the Terran BC Excalibur, scuffing its armor up a bit in the process. I also put the Terran SB out its misery with a few well placed shots, once again incredibly missing both of the Plasma Torpedo Bays but eliminating all critical hit boxes.


Situation at the end of the Drift Phase of Turn 5; The Terran Cruiser has drifted completely off the board; Barry wins the initiative and, in view of the odds against him, jumps to hyperspace while he still can. The Avarians tweet and warble in celebration of their victory over the smooth-skinned monkeys!


    It took us less than 4 hours, starting from a bare table and both being almost ignorant of the rules, to complete both games. We made more than a few errors, but the games went quickly and generally smoothly, and were fun to play. The combination of the weapon's fields of fire, shield and armor orientations, and the Drift movement created plenty of incentive for maneuver. This was welcome, as that was the big gripe I had with the original Starfleet Wars rules; aside from the need to anticipate your enemy's actions to a degree (movement and targeting were according to written orders), the strategy involved in the games was pretty much limited to trying to get into the optimum range for your particular race's weapons configuration. I look forward to trying the alternate "Command" Fighter/Missile rules, and then the real Avarian/Terran teaching scenarios!

    One might note that the space field is rather "blue" looking; I have a nice space mat (old GeoHex), but it is not gridded. I made this old Naval mat a few decades ago, using blue felt and an iron on template. It has seen better days, and probably a few mice.


"There's a Tear in the Fabric of Space" - Literally!

    I guess I'll have to break down and get a gridded Space mat, either from Glaactic knights here ($44), or
The Panzer Depot here ($33 - they sell most GK products at a substantialo discount, and have given great service), or a Hotz Mat (similar in price to GK, many sizes and grids available).

Peter