Franco-Prussian War w' "1871"

Bruce Weigle, Gentleman Gamer Extraordinaire and all-around wargame expert on the 19th C.'s wars, published numerous rules which have by far the best wargaming look at the Italian War 1859, Austro-Prussian War 1866, and Franco-Prussian War of 1870 [click]. In addition, he threw in the Second Shleswig-Holstein War of 1864 in the 1859 rulebook [yes, it *sounds* like an Imagi-Nation War, but it's real!].  

With the popularity of the quick-play 1871 rules, he then made new QRSs for the other sets.  The 1871 set of rules has been lingering around for me to try out for a while, but I have always been sidetracked with my own set of rules, "Kepi & Picklehaub", which have been lots of fun to play and develop.

Enter local NJMS [click] gamer from NJ, Dave R., who is the 'other' Franco-Prussian War wargamer in the group [besides me].  He had run a Battle of Worth 1870 [click] game that I was unable to attend.  As I'm a genuine FPW fan, he invited me over at a later date since he still had it set up.

He uses a large piece of "fur" cloth over books, which shapes nicely. While I find it a bit dark to look at, the net effect is quite "naturalistic".  For the scenario, he chose to use about half the available Prussian artillery as this is early in the battle; also, too much artillery makes it too easy for the Prussians sometimes, he said. Seems likely.

Below at Table North end, looking East, the Bavarians [Prussian allies] are forcing the river against French opposition [foreground].

Table Center. French defend the river being crossed by two Prussian formations.  The Prussian batteries are at picture top, but they are rolling poorly against the French. They in turn have infantry in an entrenchment at center, supported by infantry and guns farther back.  My goal was to move up and have a more solid line closer to the Prussians as they crossed.

 

Table South, Prussians forcing a bridge. Just over it to left, the French occupy a wood, and have some infantry regiments moving against it from the town. 

In the foreground, I am racing reinforcements to the South end, as the Wurtemburgers are already across and entering on a road.

More Table South. Zouaves and Ligne / Chasseurs defend a woods just over the bridge.  They sent the Prussians packing a few times, disorganized, retreating across the river from whence they came. A lot had to do with Steve's rolling.

Prussian jagers across the river, opposed by French Chasseurs south of the wood. French general is upside-down as he got whacked gallantly leading the defense.  I'll be rolling to replace him.

Moving up to Table Center again, the Prussian Horde advances, supported by many batteries on the heights behind them [to right].  

1871 uses a Unit = Regiment of three battalions level of play, so should be considered an Operational Level of game. Each Unit has 6 stands, each 2 are one Battalion. So you can sorta see that 6 Prussian Regiments are crossing, each of 4-6 bases. This is a Division.  Ground scale is about 1"=100m, just like my game.

Dave uses smoke puffs to show Disorganization. French fire has been pretty effective, more so than in the real battle. This - again - is mostly caused by the fact that the French aren't getting Suppressed enough by Prussian guns.

Below, the determined stand at the Table South Bridge continues. Zouaves have again beaten off a Prussian attack.  French Fire has not been getting a lot of casualty results, but it has delivered a lot of Suppression resulting in the Prussians losing their orders and also retreating. This has slowed them down and disorganized them. This in turn results in more opportunities for the French to Fire at them.

Table Far South, the corner of the board south of the bridge above. The Wurtemberg advance is being strongly opposed by French cavalry supported by some guns and infantry. I felt that as they were already across the river [off table] they represented a significant threat and acted accordingly, throwing my Reserve Heavy Cavalry brigade at it. Unfortunately, they declined the opportunity to charge!

Table Center. All but one of the Prussian regiments has been forced back - Vive La France! Vive Napoleon le Gros!

The following turn, the French did a number on the Wurtemberger heavy cavalry, then both sides rallied back to their starting positions. I'm sorry I doubted you, guys...!

In the Center-north, the Prussian Horde advances upon the French, but is again repulsed [note the many suppressed 'puffs'].

Table North, the Bavarians continue to advance against the Thin Blue Line. I've sent reserve cavalry there, but they aren't able to do much in such tight space.  They are delaying the Bavarians, however, while the French infantry sort themselves out.

At this point, the Prussians were clearly not going to make their time hack, which was to take the highest hill by Turn 12 [or 15, I forget].  The biggest factor appears to be appalling rolling by the Prussian artillery, despite it being plentiful, it didn't have enough effect on the French guns and infantry to allow the Prussians to roll forward like they did historically. This allowed the French to successfully get a lot of push-back results, resulting in Prussians losing orders, having to be ordered again, fall back then advance again, etc.

Ultimately, the Prussians should take the near side of the hill.  Historically, if the French had performed better operationally, they may very well have received solid support from a nearby Corps and held the Prussians here in this deadly steep valley. 

In game terms, if the French retreat to the defilade side of the hill, the Prussian artillery advantage is nullified, and the French infantry [much of which is elite in this corps] could hold the Prussians.

As a playtest, we went back and forth about a few aspects of the rules.  My main suggestions were:

- simplifying move math [change move rates so divisible by thirds, e.g. 8" to 9"]

- modifying the Combat Results Table to get rid of the "no effect" line

- making commander intervention a bit more dangerous.

Overall, I still feel like the rules are a bit too complicated, with unnecessary gradations of effects that could be settled with a die roll.  However, they are manageable and have good feel.

Dave went on - thanks to the brilliant input from his playtesters, no doubt - to win an award for the game at Cold Wars.  Maybe that makes ME the 'other' FPW Wargamer in the group!  

Going back to 1982 w' "The Complete Brigadier"!

Classic is as Classic does!

I got these rules in the 1980s, around the same time as John Hill's new release "Johnny Reb" [also from Adventure Games], and they really impressed me.  The production value was very high, about the best I've ever seen before or since, frankly.  The bookcase-style boxed set comes with two volumes "Vol. I - An Introduction to Wargames" and "Vol. II - Rules for Battles" a detailed cross-referenced [!!] 4-page Rules Summary [so...not really a QRS], and two brigades worth of counters [Blue & Red] so that you can start playing immediately:

Another notable item - there are no dice included! More on this later.

Volume I Introduction to Wargames starts with the assumption that you know absolutely nothing about table top historical wargaming, and then explains, well, pretty much everything you need to know about historical miniatures, and explains them well! The table of contents shows how thorough Vol. I is:

Each section gives a paragraph or two about its topic in succinct, clear language anyone can get through.  Take the below excerpt about military organization as represented in a wargame:

I enjoy reading it, even though I know already 90% of what J.F. Grossman says - it's such a simple, clear reminder of the historical and gaming facts.  In addition to the clear explanations [which still have strong historical basis 40 years later] the books are liberally illustrated by the very talented Peter Quinlan. His art goes from realistic images like these casualties...

...and these Artillerists prolonging their gun in the mud...

...to what is best described as "wargamer funnies":

I think this colonel should be called "the wargamer"...!

...all of which considerably adds to the enjoyment of reading rules and historical explanations.  I can honestly say that I look forward to reading or referencing in both these books, unlike most rulesets.

Volume II Rules for Battles is a deep dive into the rules, which are incredibly well organized, way beyond most table top rule sets even today. It's like a deep dive into a crystal clear lake where you can see the bottom, instead of the murky silt-obscured river of most rulesets.  I'd say these are more like a second edition set of board game rules, they are that professional and that well organized.  Everything is also cross-referenced and often repeated in other relevant sections, which considerably reduces the amount of page-flipping.  This all makes me believe the rumor I heard that author J.F. Grossman is [was?] an attorney.

The back cover has a summary of a game turn, each Phase written up in a series of logical questions that a player needs to ask of themselves:

This approach is not only easy but acts as a thinking tool guiding the player through the game mechanics to the phase's completion.  Each step is also cross-referenced to the rules in the same volume.  I've never seen such a well-organized set of medium complexity, nuanced rules, and [now that I've play tested them] I can say that it is very fast to look up questions that arise.  No searching - just go to the numbered section.

The 4-page players reference sheet contains nearly everything you need to play the game, by phase, and is cross-referenced into Vol II so that you can quickly answer any questions about "how do I do that?"

Obviously, if you are familiar with the horse and musket period, you will quickly pick up and use the rules, perhaps learning a few historical facts along the way.  But unlike most other rule sets, if you are new to the history AND the hobby, you can also get playing quite quickly, especially if you have played other games, such as a GMT board game, of about the same complexity level.

Every step to get started - organize two forces, create a challenging table and logical game scenario - is clearly laid out.  Once you start playing, the game flows easily off the reference sheets onto the table. The occasional lookups into Vol II for rule questions reduce with each game played.

So what are the rules like?  

The BLUF is that they are full of period flavor at every level, have extremely little chance / random mechanics, and tactical situations arise almost entirely from the interaction of player decisions. This delivers the head-to-head intensity of chess but with pieces that move simultaneously in a multitude of ways. Some of the mechanics are a bit Old-School but work smoothly and well, and frankly have more "real-feel" and less "gameyness" than many excellent contemporary rule sets. Many of the mechanics are now the standard of tabletop historical gaming, so one can say these rules are well ahead of their time.  And nearly any situation one would have in a scenario from water crossings to breastworks, is covered in the rules.  Thus the claim of the title "The COMPLETE Brigadier" is well-earned.

To summarize: one feels like a Brigadier fighting his brigade against an opponent rather than a player manipulating a game system.

Essentials. These rules have a clearly stated scale:

- a 5 minute Game Turn [representing about 1 minute of measured action and lots of wasted time]. 

- Ground Scale is 20y to the "space" which is the width of one stand of the players figs: 1"/25mm or 40mm wide for 15mm figs, and 60mm for 25mm figs.  

- The figure ratio is 1 Figure is 20 men.

Each Game Turn has six Phases in which both players simultaneously perform the same Actions:

1. Command 

2. Melee

3. Movement

4. Fire

5. Morale

6. Stamina, i.e. fatigue.

As Mr. Grossman puts it, the Command Phase plans the unit actions, Melee-Movement-Fire executes them, Morale and Stamina are the result of the units actions and interactions resulting in events.

1. Command. Commands are written down for each unit, typically one will write 2-4 turns of orders in advance since your personality - the Brigadier [the Complete Brigadier of the title] - can't be everywhere at once doing everything that is useful. Ergo, you have to use resource management with your general.  You must plan ahead a few turns, projecting what you need to do and guessing what your opponent is likely to do.  All the commands are evocative of period formations and drill, with acronyms of 1-2 letters that make them easy to write down on the roster sheet each brigade will need.  For example, if you want your unit to change formation into a line forwards at the march rate, you write: LN-F/M.

It reminds me a lot of the classic Wooden Ships and Iron Men naval game - full of flavor, and you have to plan ahead!

2. Melee is resolved using a value per figure mechanic, with very few modifiers. Generally, more figures will win altho it is difficult to do if you target unit is well supported with secure flanks. A few factors like Disorder and Stamina play a role, also. The totals are divided and the resulting ratio determines the results for the Victor and the Loser, which are clearly summarized on the Reference sheet. Again, it is very period evocative: one can "take ground", "pursue" a retreating unit for additional casualties, or reform, or fire.  There are several choices for the Victor, and each needs to be carefully considered alongside the battlefield situation and the victory conditions.

3. Movement is per the written orders, and has *great* feel with simple but period suitable terms and maneuvers.  This is one of the few Horse and Musket games where I really do feel like a Brigadier or Division general!  Expected and unexpected things happen with the execution of the written orders in this phase, as the opponent also moves.  Generally, it is better to play it conservative, keep your troops together in a well-organized line, and bring fire upon the enemy.  But for those wilder sort of gamers - and generals - you can take a wilder and riskier approach. Indeed, trying to second-guess what your opponent is ordering for his troops significantly adds to the realism and the fun of the game!

4. Fire is attritional and much more realistic than most games, as in casualties happen much slower and at realistic rates.  There are about 8 possible modifiers each for the Firer and the Target. However, only about 4 are commonly used. If you don't make a scenario with mounted skirmishers firing at an open-order unit manning a breastwork, etc, you avoid the other 12. 

Resolving Fire is most easily done with a calculator, which takes about 20 seconds. One takes the number of figures firing, divide by the weapon's Range Factor [typical is the flintlock musket with a Close Range Factor of 7 and a Long Range of 21] and you get a Hit ratio which is then adjusted by any multipliers. 

For example, a Confident firer gets +50% and when firing at cavalry +50% more, resulting in about double Hits.  The final ratio is then rounded up or down and that is the number of figure casualties.  In execution, it would look like this;

1) 24 muskets firing at Long Range [Factor 21] inflict 1.14 hits, 

2) x1.5 for Confident firer is 1.71 hits,

3) x1.5 for Cavalry Target = 2.57 hits

4) rounded up, is 3 Hits. 

After many years studying gaming charts, making a few quick calculations on my phone is preferable I find, despite not being a 'math guy'.

5. Morale has a number of situational modifiers. These give you a clear goal of how to organize and fight your force in the field. They show that keeping your troops organized and fighting together in a battle line while trying to break through and disorganize the enemy fighting line is likely the winning tactic. 

For example, a Green infantry Unit will greatly benefit from friendly units on the flanks and a rear support, making it's Morale better than a completely unsupported Regular Unit.  Crack units, the best, can be trusted to effectively fight on a flank or on an independent mission.  And thus one sees why so often cavalry and light infantry are better units historically...

It is impossible to plan for every eventuality, especially the choices of one's opponent, and sometimes just one +1 to the good or to the bad can either keep a unit in the line or cause it to become Shaken.  Battlefield events and your opponent will affect your troops' morale and surprises can definitely occur in preceding phases to change the outcome of this phase!

6. Stamina is the cost of unit activities.  Most units have 12-16 Stamina. It costs 0 to move at the normal March rate, but 1 for the Quick rate and 1 to Fire. It is 2 to move at the Double.  Given this and a 12 turn game, or so, and units should have enough Stamina to maneuver on the table and keep up a steady Fire. However, the cost for a Charge [2] and Melee [2] with a pursuit [2] can add up quickly to 6 Stamina spent, and a unit that is low on Stamina. This provides both a brake to unrealistic amounts of unit activity and a pretty clear end to the game, as both sides units start to run low and players realize that both time - and energy - is running out. 

Knowing when and how to spend Stamina becomes another resource management exercise that significantly enhances the realism of the game, and will reward the thoughtful player.

Rating "The Complete Brigadier"

Sure, it is hard to put a number on many aspects of rule sets.  My only justification in doing so here is 44 years of tabletop miniatures experience, and several design, playtesting and publishing credits over the years, along with some research into the topic of wargame design. Despite that, this is a subjective exercise that will likely be more useful in the explanation than in the number values themselves.

Today, I will be using the methodology from the guys at Little Wars TV [I am a Patreon patron] who certainly express their approach clearly, altho one may disagree with it:

from: https://www.littlewarstv.com/scoring-methodology.html

Presentation: [10%] 10 / 10 for reasons stated above.

Playability: [30%] 7 / 10 due to medium complexity vs. modern tastes / bandwidth and more abstraction in modern popular historical wargames. Grognards will find it more like an 8 or 9/10...

Mechanics: [30%] 8 / 10 for extremely clear Deployment, C&C, Melee/Move/Fire/Morale rules; also many mechanics "ahead of their time" like a Base Width is the standard unit of measurement on the table. Took away a point as the granularity while flavorful and enjoyable can be a bit demanding.

Historical Flavor: [20%]10 / 10!  I've played very few games that make me feel, in nearly every phase of the game, that I actually *AM* the commander I am supposed to be.

Support: [10%] 3/10 as both the author and publisher are MIA and there is no dedicated single internet location to get questions answered and additional scenarios or resources.

Final Score:  78 or "Highly Recommended"

Where to purchase?  You will have to check out re-sellers like Noble Knight and of course eBay, but asking around in various Horse and Musket gaming forums can get a copy in your hand for as little as $8 plus shipping.

Well, this has been an interesting review to make, and I did enjoy trying to use the LWTV rating system myself.  But most importantly, what does The Teaspoon Napoleon think of these rules?  Sitting atop his silver spoon [with a 'Paris' stamp'] he appears a harsh judge, but the facial expression seems a bit more generous than his posture.

I may be reading into Le Petit General's body language more than a staff officer should, but I *think* he concurs.  Or at least is not actively disagreeing...

What about you? Comment below!

Mustafa's "Blucher" - All the Rage!

And by all accounts, he was a pretty ANGRY guy!

Well, after some back'n forth, "Sound Officer's Call" Steve agreed to run me through a game of Blucher.  I'd read the rules and reviewed the QRS, and found it to be the same sort of tightly written no b------t set of rules as "Lasalle".  Unsurprising, since Lasalle is the Unit=Battalion version of the same rules.  Blucher is a Unit=Brigade.

Overall, the rules are relatively simple, especially in the Basic version.  You play a corps commander, and are mainly concerned with positioning your Units [Infantry Brigades, Cavalry Regiments / Brigades, Artillery Battalions / Grand Batteries] and their Fatigue level.  Units have combat points which directly correlate to shooting and close combat dice. Typically, it is 4-5 Elan [Militia, Conscripts] to 7-8 Elan [Guard], with most units being around 6-7. When a Unit "hits" you in shooting or close combat, you lose a point of Elan. When your Elan is gone, the Unit is removed.  

Artillery works a bit different, it has several shooting dice, usually starting at 5, and decreasing by 1 or 2 until it gets to '2', after which it "Retires" from the field due to low ammo.  

Without going into details of the IP, every time you Fire with a full strength Unit you've a pretty good chance of putting one Fatigue on it, until you get low in Elan.  Close combat is more certain - the winner gets 1 Fatigue and the Loser gets 2!  This metric means that even winning Units are only good for a couple of Close Combats, after which they are weak enough to be easy prey for fresh reinforcements [hmm, sounding a lot like history here...].

While it read pretty cleanly, the best way to get aquainted is to play!

Steve threw down Quatre Bras, more or less, which was very suitable since we were just two days after the anniversary.  Map from [HERE].

A Horde of Rampaging French Grognards is attacking a mixed British - Dutch - German force near a strategic crossroads.  Can the British hold the French off long enough for a strategic win elsewhere??  Let's see!

Below, view from the British lines. 

Hordes of the French Things in 10mm advance upon the hapless Dutch-Belgian militia brigade, thinly scattered like a speedbump across their front.

Above, a few Nassauers and such will attempt to hold Bossu Wood from the Godless Revolutionary Savages who have spilled blood from Portugal to Moscow! [can you tell which side I'm playing?].

First Momentum roll of the game, I almost max out the possibilities.  I enjoy playing a psychological game against the French Commander, grimacing and trying to be nonchalant.  Will the Allied Psyops plan work?  We'll see!

"Seems they have quite the numbers today, eh" says Wellington calmly. "But mark my words, they will come on the same old way."

Below top, two Dutch militia brigades hold Gemioncourt [in game terms a wood and a town]. Below bottom, the British Guards and friends advance to their aid.

French to the front of them, French to the left of them, yet the Militia boldly stand.

French cavalry brigade outflanks the woods as infantry pins the front.

The Dutch militia go Prepared.  Turns out this is not a help at all unless there are cavalry about... I guess I'd prefer if it was just called "Square".

Below, Wellington gets his spyglass on the Horde bent on destroying King, Country and all that is Decent and Good in European Civilization. Or something to that effect.

Meanwhile, behind him in Bossu Wood, the only consolation these two Units have is that they are not sitting on the victory condition.

Turn 2 Momentum Roll for the French - I try not to jump up and down with glee...

Have to say that I find it odd to roll for my opponent's Momentum.  I would rather prefer to let him do it, without looking, and then just cover it up.  The Momentum points are spent to activate Commands and Units.  I found that one rarely ran low on them, but it occasionally did happen.

The French quickly force the militia out of the woods, and the town is next. This heavily outnumbered command is going to retreat, the only question is "when?".

French cavalry flanking Gemioncourt. The militia have 3/5 and 4/5 Fatigue. French infantry and cavalry finish off the Dutch.  "The Horror!  The Horror!"

Detmers brigade now stands along in the farm itself.

Then they two are swamped by the rising tide of Blue!

and the town stands empty and forlorn...

Meanwhile, the French have flowed past Gemioncourt entirely. The French Dragoons try to overrun the Guns, but tie and are repulsed!

"Well done," says Wellington.  "Of course, we expect that from British guns."

The foot artillery continue to support the Bossu Wood. But the Allied Cavalry has now made it up to support their left, which they succeed in doing.

Above, Allied light cavalry drive the French horse from the field. No Risk pieces were harmed in the making of this charge...

With some optimism, the French Quiot brigade charges the British guns.

And they succeed in taking the guns.

Meanwhile, near Quatre Bras itself, a wild cavalry melee is brewing.

With nothing more than their Powder Blue coats to protect them, the Lowlanders brace for another onslaught, and the entire French cavalry brigade charges.

They destroy one light cavalry regiment, but the Powder Blues stick around despite being out-weighed if not out-apparelled in cavalry.

Some issues with Unit placement are occurring as the center gets crowded and our lack of familiarity with actually moving the Units becomes a problem.

But, Blucher is a pretty forgiving system.  It is not driven by mechanics, but rather more by the decisions of the players.  If both players agree and get the effect they want, then many of the mechanics are easy to work out.

Over on the left, the British elite infantry are holding a hedge line and the road against the somewhat Fatigued French cavalry.

Farther left, Guards and Guns are damaging some French Units.

Above, the British Guards roll LOTS of 6's and easily hold off the French line.

Below, the British guns, are munched by a weak French cavalry regiment.

"I say, there seems to be a problem with our guns today," observes Wellington.

French are now attacking Quatre Bras as the second wave of Allied reinforcements arrives. They are fresh but militia, yet they hold the initial advance quite solidly, shooting the French to pieces from their barricades!

The French brigade evaporates - but there are more coming!

At this point, it seemed like the French wouldn't be able to take Quatre Bras. Overall, it seemed like a repeat of the historical outcome - the British hold the field but are unable to reinforce Blucher.

However, turns out we both forgot about the French guard, which was inadvertently left behind first due to a lack of Momentum Points, then because in discussing the rules and various other things, and of course figuring out various points in the rules, we just forgot about them.

My thought is that the French, with the Guard, would have taken and held the town, but there would have been some problems with their flanks due to their by-passing of the Bossu Wood.

Overall, this was a great run-thru of the rules. 

Forgetting the actual results, and some of the more unusual dice rolls, the game played quite smoothly.  Both of us were more concerned with where to put our Units and their Elan / Fatigue, than with lots of small persnickety rules.  You really do feel like a corps commander, and that you are making decisions at that higher level instead of worrying about if the Royal West Caldonians have got their tot of rum for breakfast and stocked up on dry musket rounds.

Most of the mechanics will be immediately familiar to any experienced wargamer.  Momentum is closely related to the command pips in the DBx family of rules.  Both the firing and close combat rules are entirely familiar.  However, it is the BALANCE of rules, and what is NOT put into Blucher that really makes it shine.  It is encumbered with neither novelty nor a multitude of rule exceptions, and this makes it an exceptional rule set.

I will definitely look forward to trying these rules some more, and borrowed Steve's unit cards to do just that!