Wargaming Rules Page
The following rules were created for a number of reasons. They include:
1. To engender the belief that each unit in the Napoleonic wars, whether it be a company of skirmishers, a battery of guns, or even Col. Anonymous had value, and wasn't to be sacrificed in a cavalier manner.
2. To facilitate maneuver. In all 3 of the current games it is quite possible to degenerate a battle into something more akin to storming a fortress than fighting a battle of manuever.
3. To end the almost endless dickering over optional rules.
These rules are mandatory and not subject to bartering. They are intended to increase the historical aspect of the game, and have been thoroughly playtested. They have been shown to increase the playability and enjoyability of the game.
Although they may not please everybody completely, and are in some part compromises between various ideas and interpretations of historical actions made by us and other wargamers, they have been found to work out rather well.
Please be specific and type the rule number and general idea of the rule.
Rules concerning skirmishers
1. Movement near enemy infantry:
1a. Changed Skirmishers may not advance more than 3 hexes from their own friendly formed battalions unless in covered terrain. Covered terrain is defined as villages, woods, orchards, or unfordable river hexes. Covered terrain EXCLUDES bridge hexes, ford hexes, and hexes adjacent to bridge and ford hexes. In other words, if skirmishers are posted to guard a bridge or ford hex, they must be backed up by formed units within the 3-hex range. They may not cross open terrain which is covered by the threat hexes of enemy formed bn's and cavalry.
1b. In covered terrain, they may move freely but not engage in any activity behind the enemy's front.
1c. If isolated from their own friendly troops because they were either by-passed by the enemy, routed behind enemy lines, or for any other reason cut off, they must remain stationary, unless a clear path can be found to freindly lines. They may not engage in any offensive action, including capturing of unaccompanied officers, supply wagons, or objective hexes.
2. In action with enemy infantry
2a. Changed Stacking: No more than 125 skirmishers may occupy any one hex in open terrain. No more than 225 Skirmishers may occupy a hex of covered terrain. NOTE: A peasant hut does not define cover for more than one company of skirmishers
2b. Changed Skirmishers may maintain the 3-hex distance from their own friendly formed battalions in the open until being covered by the threat hexes of enemy cavalry or infantry. They may fire during their defensive phase. During their next movement phase, they must retreat to within the same hex and integrate into their parent bn, or behind their own friendly formed battalions, or, their own friendly formed battalions must advance into the same hex as the skirmishers who have just been approached. They may not fire while in the same hex as their parent bn. or another formed bn. If the skirmisher companies are unable to reach fridnly formed bn's, they may not form and uninterrupted line to delay the enemy. Specifically, no two adjacent hexes in open terrain may be held by skirmishers forced to withdraw by formed bn's or cavalry. Enemy formed bn's are not required to melee skirmishers to cause their withdawal unless the skirmishers are in a covered hex.
2b1. Changed Skirmishers may retreat to fill gaps between their friendly formed battalions, or to the flanks of their own friendly formed battalions, as long as their is no more than a 1-hex gap between each friendly formed battalion. If the gap between friendly formed battalions is more than 1 hex, they must end their movement phase either in the same hex as a friendly formed battalion, or behind a friendly formed bn.
2c. Changed If the enemy fails to advance toward the line formed by your friendly formed battalions, the skirmishers may again advance to the limit of the 3-hex range, but not into the threat hexes of enemy formed bn's or enemy cavalry. The threat posed by the enemy outweighs all other considerations
2d. Changed Skirmishers in covered terrain are not obligated to retreat per rule 2b. They may maintain their positions, and must be forced out. If forced into the open, they must retreat to friendly forces by the shortest possible route.
2e. NEW Skirmishers may melee only other skirmishers and artillery
2f. NEW Skirmishers may not move adjacent to any enemy unrouted formed bn's or Cavalry unless they enter covered terrain.
3. Movement near enemy cavalry
3a. Skirmishers may not advance within six hexes of enemy cavalry unless they end their movement phase in the same hex as a friendly formed battalion, or in covered terrain. In the case of cavalry, any terrain that would cause the cavalry to become disordered during their charge can be regarded as cover.
3b. Skirmishers may not move in front of their own friendly cavalry to prohibit the enemy from making cavalry countercharges unless they end their movement phase in the same hex as a friendly formed battalion.
4. In action with enemy cavalry
4a. If a company of skirmishers bumps into a hidden body of cavalry, it may fire during it's offensive and defensive firing phases. On it's next movement phase, if the enemy cavalry hasn't withdrawn, it either must retreat to the same hex as friendly formed battalions, or friendly non-disordered formed battalions with cavalry support must advance to support the skirmishers in question, unless the skirmishers are in covered terrain.
4b. Skirmishers may not be used to encircle or otherwise entrap enemy cavalry in open terrain. In covered terrain, they are free to execute whatever damage they can to the enemy cavalry.
Rules concerning formed infantry
5. Movement near enemy formations
5a. Disordered formed battalions may advance adjacent to enemy formed battalions or artillery, they may fire during the offensive fire phase, but they may not melee.
5a1. If a formed battalion is disordered during the enemy defensive fire phase it may not participate in the intended melee.
5b. Disordered battalions may not advance to within 7 hexes of a known, non-cossack, force of enemy cavalry unless non-disordered formed units are placed between the enemy cavalry and the disordered unit(s) in sufficient enough density that their ZOC's will block a cavalry charge.
5c. Changed Non-disordered formed infantry may advance to within firing range but not adjacent to enemy cavalry. The formed infantry may fire upon the enemy cavalry.
5c1. Infantry may not attempt to encircle a cavalry unit unless that cavalry unit's strength reads 2XX or lower and none of the infantry formations are lower than 3XX.
6. In action with enemy formations
6a. Formed battalions may not form square unless enemy cavalry are within charging distance which may be modified from the 6-hex norm by terrain.
6a1. If the formed battalions have formed square from a cavalry threat, they must return to column or line formation as soon as possible once that cavalry threat is removed. The cavalry threat being removed is defined as: A. The withdrawal of the enemy cavalry. B. The disorder of the known enemy cavalry either by their own routing, or melee by your own friendly cavalry.
6b. Formed infantry, being attacked by enemy infantry may not form square during their defensive phase to block a flanking modifier, unless the enemy has left gaps through which a KNOWN cavalry force can charge through.
6c. Infantry may not form square inside fortifications or chateau.
6d. Infantry may not form square in ford or any other river hex.
Rules Concerning Cavalry
7. In action with enemy formations
7a. Cavalry may not charge into or melee enemy formations in woods, orchards, or villages.
7b. Cavalry may not charge through hexes containing their own friendly infantry, whether they be skirmishers or formed battalions.
7c. Cavalry over fatigue 6 is considered blown, and may not charge, Countercharge or perform any offensive melees. It is expected that players will do their utmost to reduce their cavalry fatigue by using the "squadron" function. This is expected and accepted, though, even with using this method, cavalry fatigue will increase quickly.
7c1. Cavalry that is fatigued 7 or above must withdraw from the battle area so as not to constitute a threat. The highly fatigued cavalry is considered "blown" and must be rested to fatigue 5 or lower.
Rules Concerning Artillery
8. Movement and Action with enemy forces
8a. Artllery may not move into, unlimber, or fire from chateau hexes.
8b. Artillery may not be moved so as to impede the retreat of enemy formations.
8c. If formed enemy troops numbering a force comparable to the force in the hex containing the battery advance adjacent to unlimbered artillery, it must limber up, so as to avoid capture in the melee. It may not fire during that defensive phase.
8c1. If your opponent has cut off all avenues of retreat for the battery, or if it is in a fortified hex, it need not limber up, and may fire during it's defensive fire phase.
8c2. If the battery and possibly the infantry or cavalry in the same hex win the melee, the battery must withdraw to the rear so that it may unlimber elsewhere, or until the attacking troops are repulsed. If the attacking troops are repulsed at least 2 hexes, then the battery may return to it's original position and set up to fire.
Rules concerning Supply Wagons
9. Movement and action with the enemy
9a. Supply wagons may not be used to impede the retreat of enemy forces.
9b. Supply wagons may not move into chateau hexes
9c. If caught behind enemy lines, supply wagons may not move, even if captured.
Rules concerning unaccompanied leaders
10. Movement and action with the enemy
10a. Unaccompanied leaders may not be used to impede the retreat of an enemy force.
10b. Unaccompanied leaders caught behind enemy lines may attempt to seek friendly forces, but may not move into any objective hexes.
New! Bypass Surround and Capture/Surrender
11. Units which have been by-passed and surrounded by enemy forces are allowed ONE offensive phase to attempt to reach friendly forces or clear a path to safety. If they fail to clear a path of retreat, they are considered to have surrendered, and need not be meleed.
To have cleared a path of retreat, the previously trapped units must have:
1. Become adjacent to or share a hex with their own friendly units.
2. or ended their offensive phases in a friendly ZOC.
3. or ended their offensive phase, closer to friendly lines, with the force not overlapped by enemy ZOC's.
New! Road movement restriction
12. To simulate the stretching out of units as they march down a road the following practice is now in effect.
The first unit on a road hex may march a full 12 hexes
The second unit may march 10 hexes
The third may march 8 hexes
this will continue down the line until no units can move, and a 1 hex wide gap remains between the units using road movement.
In cases where units have come from off-road hexes, the first may move his full remaining allowance of movement points. All units thereafter must must have a one-hex gap in between, to simulate the stretching that comes with imporved march speed.