Death or Glory!

(Free Napoleonic Rules from the Napnuts)

Introduction

These rules are designed to simulate Napoleonic Brigade/Division  sized battles.  The basic manoeuver units are the infantry battalion, cavalry squadron and artillery battery.  The rules are designed to be playable, without sacrificing too much realism.

Basing and Scale

Equipment

Sequence of Play  

Movement is simultaneous. At the beginning of the turn, each player rolls a die for initiative. The player with the initiative moves and fires first.  The turn sequence is as follows:

COMMAND /RALLY PHASE

The following actions take place during the Command/Rally Phase:

Orders

Each brigade is given a general order at the beginning of the game.  This should be written down on a separate order sheet.  Each brigade commander is given wide discretion to achieve his objectives.

Drastic changes of orders must be sent to the unit in question from the Commanding Officer via messenger.

New orders may only be sent in the Command phase and will travel to the brigade commander in question by light cavalry charge speed.

Upon arrival - i.e. messenger making base contact with brigade general - new orders may only be acted upon after the command phase of the next turn (This delay represents reading and reaction time). 

If the Commanding officer is with the brigade concerned, changes of orders may be shouted out during the Command phase and acted upon immediately.

Command Ratings

Command ratings have effect on unit morale, rallying and control tests. Command ratings are given to the Commander in Chief, Divisional and Brigade commanders. Command ratings for some famous historical commanders are given below:

If a commander is not listed – players may agree on command ratings for each commander taking into account the commander’s historical level of performance.  Otherwise, roll 1 fire die for each commander.  The resulting die roll is the commander's command rating for the game.

C-in-C may influence fire and melee results if present with unit for the entire turn (i.e. within 50m since the preceding command phase).  +1 modifier to fire and/or melee die rolls.  +2 if exceptional C-in-C – eg Ney, Soult, Picton, Moore, Craufurd, Bluecher, Archduke Charles.  +3 if Napoleon or Wellington.

Reforming Unformed / Disordered Troops

Unformed troops reform after 1 full turn of inaction.

Disordered troops become unformed after 1 full turn of inaction and reform after 2 full turns.

If unformed/disordered troops are fired upon while reforming – roll for morale.  They may only reform if they pass the morale test.

Routing troops attempt to rally

To be eligible for rally, routing troops must either be out of sight of enemy troops, screened by friendly formed troops, or 250m from nearest formed enemy troops.  If none of the above conditions are fulfilled, they continue to rout until at least one condition is fulfilled; or they go off the table (whereupon they are lost for game purposes).

Roll 1 percentage die.

Modified result must equal or be less than unit’s morale rating.

Modifiers:

Deduct morale rating of either Brigade, Divisional or Corps Commander attempting to rally the unit (within 50m) – Commander must be from the same parent unit.

Routing troops which rally are treated as disordered.

Retreating Troops

Retreating troops automatically rally.  They are treated unformed.

CHARGE PHASE

Player with initiative declares his charges.  Player without initiative declares reaction for units receiving charges and declares his own countercharges.  Player with initiative then declares reaction for his units receiving countercharges.

Charge Restrictions

Charge Movement Bonus

Add 30m for infantry, 80m for cavalry   

Notes                                                                                                                                                  

Charge Procedure

Charge Reaction Test

Roll 1 percentage die

Modified result must equal to or be less than unit’s morale factor. Treat a roll of 0 as 10.

Modifiers

If a unit fails by 10%, it fires a ragged volley (1/4 firepower) and must retire 50m (in good order and facing the enemy).

If a unit fails by 20%, it must about turn (1/4 move) and evade (being disordered as it does so).  This is treated as a retreat – not a rout.

If a unit in square fails, it is shaken.  It does not retire nor retreat – but there is a negative modifier for subsequent melee combat.

If they stand, they may fire/complete their manoeuver

The strength of fire depends on the fraction of the move required by charging unit to make contact with defender.  ie if it takes half a move for the charging unit to make contact with the defending unit, then the defending unit may only fire at half strength.  Range is averaged out and appropriate modifier applied. 

Special rule for infantry being charged by cavalry:

Since a full cavalry charge move may exceed 400m and infantry muskets may only fire at max 200m range, infantry being charged by cavalry may only fire at half strength at most.  Range is averaged out and the appropriate modifier applied.

Charging Light cavalry finding themselves faced with a standing foe must test morale, even if they did not come under fire, to see if they complete their charge.  All other troops test morale only if required by combat result.

FIRE PHASE

The phasing player may fire all, some or none of his troops.  Those troops which fired during the fire phase may not move for the remainder of the turn - they are assumed to be firing for the whole move.

Infantry Fire

An infantry battalion may only fire upon any one target or combination of targets within a 10 degree arc of its frontage. 

However, the firing battalion can only make one fire die roll.  Casualties are taken equally by each target unit.  Exception:  Firing units in square or with refused flank.  In such cases, each side of the square or the refused flank may make a separate die roll if firing at a different target unit.

Only the front 2 ranks of figures may fire.

Range is measured from the base of the firing unit to the base of the target unit. 

In cases where units are not parallel to each other - measure range from the edges and centre of the firing unit to the respective edges and centre of the target unit.  Add the ranges together and divide by 3.

Procedure:

Fire Modifiers:

Range Modifiers:

Skirmishers

Skirmishers may only be deployed up to a maximum of 200m from their parent battalion, regt or brigade.  They may not be moved beyond 200m from their parent unit.

Skirmishers do not screen a target from artillery fire.

A skirmish screen only screens a target from infantry fire if it is sufficiently dense:

- Infantry/Cavalry in line requires a minimum of 4 skirmisher figures

- Infantry/Cavalry in column requires a minimum of 2 skirmish figures

- an artillery battery requires a minimum of 2 skirmish figures

Once screened, a unit may not fire (except artillery) nor be fired upon.

A skirmish screen more than 2 figs deep blocks fire by friendly skirmishers.

Each company of skirmishers may pick its own target.

Skirmishers may move and fire to full effect each turn.

Skirmishers may not approach closer than 40m to a body of formed troops.  If advanced upon by formed troops, they must retreat leaving the 40m gap.  When charged by infantry, skirmishers automatically evade.  If charged by cavalry, skirmishers must about face and attempt to evade.  If caught, they count as routing troops and take casualties without fighting back.

Skirmish fire is resolved as per normal firing.                                       

Generals' Risk Table

Artillery Fire

Artillery fire is resolved in the same way as infantry fire:

MOVEMENT PHASE

Moving player may move all, some or none of his troops which did not fire in the Fire Phase up to the maximum of their movement allowance.

Movement allowances for each troop type are as follows.  All measurements are in millimetres.

All units (except skirmishers) may not move through other units.  If part of a unit is obstructed by another unit, the unit may not move further.

 In difficult terrain, movement rates are reduced as follows:  

FORMATION CHANGES  

                                           Infantry                                             Cavalry