Basic "tiles" expansion

 The plan for these tiles was to use them for all sorts of different war simulation eras.

I did the play-test and discovered a need for more 'command' elements, so I have expanded the command pieces.

the new 'green' forces

I also discovered that the four colors was really a minimum (for formation ID and national characteristics), so I searched the raw materials and discovered that I had enough for one more full set, including the new armor, anti-tank/AA artillery and mechanized/skirmish markers.

combined with all the other colors
making for 5 separate forces

Now I have enough to put on some really different simulations, I have plans to include some different sort of plastic table coverings and simple map works are coming into view.  Things that could only work with such simple tools.

Murat Playtest

 I was asked by a fellow Napoleonic game player to go over a set of tabletop rules they have built and have some commentary for them.

I decided to use the battle of Quatre-Bras to run a game in, as the layout is reasonably well known and the history well known.

You will see the die rolls in the images, along with the turn counter (d20), red & blue dice are combat & morale AND the initiative dice
the white one is for luck or morale or firing
the green one for morale and movement

deployment
(the French light horse still to arrive)

initial positions

artillery fire was wearing down the opposing batteries

'smoke puffs' can be seen in front of the guns
they will drift across the field to the west
as it was determined wind was from the east

Allied troops arrive (top left)
while the melees are joined in the woods
(both left and right)

Dutch troops are falling back in both woods
French Cavalry (center) is pushed out to the right

now artillery has begun hitting the Brunswick forces hard

close range fire had run out of ammunition in the woods
(double 1's)

snake eyes also ended ammunition for the British
troops before Quatre Bras

the ensuing melee went REALLY BAD

now across the lines the French were pushing back the
Anglo-Dutch allies

more artillery fire was massing against the black
clad Brunswickers

the Brunswick force had fallen back into QB
while British guardsmen came forward
the Dutch in the woods (left in image) had been
fully pushed out now

British guards fail to stem the French tide
(right side of image)

the Dutch outside the woods fail to rally at all
continue to fall back

the Brunswick forces in QB are being encouraged to hold
via Wellington and his staff directly

the French left had broken out of the woods

in Quatre Bras, firing goes well for the French

then a melee causes the Brunswickers to collapse

Wellington is killed in action

the whole force had only a few guards to hope to re-take
Quatre Bras

This quickly failed

the French sent guard horsemen to open the right flank
only a force of Hanoverian conscripts were in the way

they lost the die roll of the exchange by 14 pips!

the Anglo-Allied force was now routed
Wellington was dead

The system allowed for good employment of combined arms and I really liked the one page QRS.

There are some changes I have suggested via an email to the designers.

Thank you for reading this quite delayed AAR.