1814... Napoleon activates berserker mode

Today I played a game of 1814: Empire's End, a 2p wargame designed by Eric Walters. During his career in the army, the designer applied conflict simulation as a teaching tool in the Marine Corps and the Joint Advanced Warfighting Division within the Institute for Defense Analyses. You can read an interview about this approach HERE. This accumulated experience tells in the game. The rules are very simple (it takes 15 mins. to learn them), but conceptually and without unnecessary die-rolls they show a deep understanding of the important factors in Napoleonic warfare: supply lines. stragglers, forced marches, bypassing fortresses when time is a factor, etc.. In short, with just 16 counters and a letter size map, it is one of the most elegant designs about the period one can play. As a bonus, admirers of Napoleon's strategical brilliance playing the french side get to unleash his characteristic one-two punch-and-move maneuvers.

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5 wargaming mechanics that I dislike

1. Command Radius . Ok, it may work if there is only one general (like in DBA), but this business of each commander having his own radius as if it is a shouting contest... Wally Simon debunked it long ago better than I could: "There was only one way Kris could maintain control of his entire division, keeping them all within his magical 3 inch radius, and that was to continually scrunch all six units together in one solid mass, cavalry, infantry and artillery [...] There are many gaming ploys that deal with command response functions, systems that supposedly reproduce the difficulties of commanders keeping their forces under their control, and, in my considered opinion, the 'mysterious aura' ploy is probably the worst of them all" (PW Review May 1999) Guilty party example: Grande Armée. 2. Rerolls . The kind of rerolls that bother me are not those tied to some mechanic but what I call the insert-coin reroll. You start the battle with X rerolls and you may use them wh...

Five Parsecs From Home (1e) Week 1

Fleeing from the brutal crackdown decreed by governor Mantis on people that are not up on their taxes, our drifters ( see session 0 ) meet in a back alley of the mega-city Nemain. They don't want to be pressed on the local guard to make up for their debt. They read on each others eyes the fear of being at the end of the rope. Sakir, a paranoid and resourceful enforcer tasked by a fringe religious group to scout the galaxy for ancient artifacts, suggests to the pair a temporary refuge. He knows the location of an Ashtari Cult den. After all, they also worship artifacts and their religion is in good terms with Sakir's fringe cult. The other two agree. Mostly to rest for a while and also for the chance to sample the infamous gasses that the Ashatari inhale to have visions of archeological sites. Sakir Once in the den they relax. Perhaps a little too much. Echo, the quiet and lethal bounty hunter, wrecks a sofa with her power claw while whole-body-shaking enthralled by the drug. An...

Napoleonic Battlerep with Hordes of the Things

Today I tested my HoTT Napoleonic variant playing a battle of French Vs British with Wofun 18mm miniatures. I used the Solo Tactical Engine uploaded by David Lemon to the file section of the DBA & HOTT Wargaming FB group. It worked great! Before the battle, poor scouting only revealed to the French the presence of Highlanders in the village. Napoleon deploys with a strong center of veterans wearing dustcoasts ... and a battery strategically placed on the heights Wellington chooses a mixed center, allied infantry stiffened by the thin red line... ...and close artillery support... ...which he directs personally. The battle rages on!! Specially in the center and the French right. On the left, conscript units on both sides just stare at each other The French veterans advance and do not waver when battered by cannon fire On the British left, 1st Foot infantry advances with Dragoons in close support The chaps of the 1st Foot face and repel an ambush from voltigeurs l...

Morris' Wargaming Escapades

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