Post by Cromwell on Nov 12, 2022 10:22:30 GMT
Thgere seems to have been a bit of Napoleonic interest just lately.
A while back I devised a mapless Naploleonic campaign so I could game using all my 2mm Napoleonic Armies. Below is an article on my campaign I wrote for Wargames Illustrated, it was never published as I could not get decent enough photographs to go with the article.
This is the article.
NAPOLEONIC MAPLESS CAMPAIGN
I built up several Napoleonic Armies using 2mm figures and enjoyed gaming with them mainly using De Bellis Napoleonicis or DBN for short by Alex Testo and Bob Carter of KISR publications. I based the figures on 40mm x 20mm bases (same as suggested for 15mm figures) and made no adjustment to the measurements within the rules.
Now having my armies, I wanted to do a little more than just have “line em up and knock em down” battles. All wargames are enjoyable, but I wanted to explore the Napoleonic world more.
Therefore, I was looking to fight a Campaign, but a campaign where all my armies could be used and that would be solo friendly. I wanted to use my limited gaming space for battles not sprawling maps, so it had to be mapless. Another consideration was that it had to be flexible enough to be used with other rules systems and figure scales. After a bit of head scratching and pencil sucking, I came up with the following idea for a Campaign or in fact a war! It is designed with DBN in mind but I have used it with other rule sets with an adjustment of victory conditions.
The idea is for France to conquer Europe, Russia and the Spanish Peninsular.
Armies required:
French
Austrian
Prussian
Russian
Spanish
British
Give each army except Spain one political point. I listed the names on a piece of card and placed a small dice next to them showing 1. Use a dice of a different colour to show minus political points.
During a battle the engagement is over at the end of the turn in which one side has beaten the other according to the standard DBN victory conditions or of the rule set used. If the winning army beats their opposition by 2 or more units it is a decisive victory, otherwise it is a marginal victory.
Campaign Sequence
Dice with a D6 for location of next Battle 1,2 Peninsular 3,4,5,6 Europe
If Peninsular fight a battle between France and Spain
If French win a decisive Victory Spain is out of the game. France get 2 political points.
If France win a marginal victory France gain 1 political point, Britain will enter the Peninsular for the next Peninsular battle.
If Spain win a decisive Victory France is out of the Peninsular and lose 2 political points.
If Spain win a marginal victory France lose a political point and on the next Peninsular step Britain and Spain become allies.
If Britain becomes allied to Spain then at the start of each Peninsular battle it will be France against Britain and Britain roles a D10. That is the number of DBN army list points Spain will contribute to the battle. Allies are treated like reinforcements during the battle.
Europe
If the battle is in Europe, for the first Engagement France chooses a country to invade, either Austria or Prussia. Russia cannot be attacked until Austria or Prussia are removed from the game.
If France wins a decisive victory that country is occupied and their army plays no further part in the campaign France gains 2 political point.
If France wins a marginal victory they gain1 political point. Their enemy loses 1 political point. However the defeated country can try to become an ally of one of the remaining countries.
If The enemy win a marginal victory France Loses a political point and the enemy can seek an alliance.
If the enemy Win a decisive victory France has failed in her attempt at domination and the campaign is lost. Napoleon is exiled, unless he has won in the Peninsular, then he can have a second attempt. This represents reinforcements arriving from Spain and Napoleon is recalled.
If France lose in the Peninsular Britain can be eligible to become allies of one of the other European powers and then take part in the European theatre.
If Britain enters in Europe, to Win a decisive campaign victory, France must decisively defeat not only Austria, Prussia and Russia but Britain as well. Otherwise if any one European country is left it is a marginal campaign victory.
Alliances.
To become allies the two countries wishing to join roll a D6 and add or subtract their political points to their score.
France to prevent an alliance also rolls a D6 and adds or subtracts their political points, If France beats the highest of the two other scores the alliance fails. If not it goes ahead.
It should be noted Spain can make no alliances apart from the automatic one with Britain.
A country can only ally with one country at a time.
Allied forces are just like Spain, dependent upon a D10 die roll to give the number of Army list points available. They join from a flank randomly decided. Roll 2 x D6 If first roll 4,5,6 allies arrive. Second D6 gives number of units. Do this each allied turn until all reinforcements are on board.
Optional
1) If France decisively defeats a European Power (except Britain) they can annex the defeated country and claim them as allies. The next European battle France fights can have these allies arrive as reinforcements as described before. However, if France suffers a marginal defeat the alliance is broken, and the country allied is restored to Sovereignty and will need to be defeated again. So, annexing and creating allies can be a two-edged sword.
2) If France is decisively defeated and have no victorious Peninsular army, they can still have another attempt. Their Political points are set to zero. Pick either Prussia or Austria and that nation invades France! If France wins a decisive or marginal victory they can start again. If the invaders win a Decisive or marginal victory they occupy France and the war is over and Napoleon exiled.
Conclusion
I have tried this solo and found it gives an interesting campaign or in fact entire war. It is hard for France to win but not impossible. Just like history the Peninsular can become a real Thorn in the side of France. France’s chances can be increased by using the optional French allies’ rule
I have made no attempt to record lost units and deal with recruitment for replacements. This would in my opinion add more complexity and record keeping.
I played solo as France using DBN rules. The action tends to swing between Europe and the Peninsular. France can win important political points in Spain or lose them!
I have also tried this solo as the opponents of France. France randomly deciding which country to attack and then playing that army.
When I fight the battles, I use the standard 12 point DBN army and use the standard DBN victory conditions. If using other rule sets armies can be built using their army lists or your own and adjust the victory conditions to define what is a margin or decisive victory.
I hope this gives some food for thought and with a little ingenuity I am sure it can be used for other armies, periods and nations.
A while back I devised a mapless Naploleonic campaign so I could game using all my 2mm Napoleonic Armies. Below is an article on my campaign I wrote for Wargames Illustrated, it was never published as I could not get decent enough photographs to go with the article.
This is the article.
NAPOLEONIC MAPLESS CAMPAIGN
I built up several Napoleonic Armies using 2mm figures and enjoyed gaming with them mainly using De Bellis Napoleonicis or DBN for short by Alex Testo and Bob Carter of KISR publications. I based the figures on 40mm x 20mm bases (same as suggested for 15mm figures) and made no adjustment to the measurements within the rules.
Now having my armies, I wanted to do a little more than just have “line em up and knock em down” battles. All wargames are enjoyable, but I wanted to explore the Napoleonic world more.
Therefore, I was looking to fight a Campaign, but a campaign where all my armies could be used and that would be solo friendly. I wanted to use my limited gaming space for battles not sprawling maps, so it had to be mapless. Another consideration was that it had to be flexible enough to be used with other rules systems and figure scales. After a bit of head scratching and pencil sucking, I came up with the following idea for a Campaign or in fact a war! It is designed with DBN in mind but I have used it with other rule sets with an adjustment of victory conditions.
The idea is for France to conquer Europe, Russia and the Spanish Peninsular.
Armies required:
French
Austrian
Prussian
Russian
Spanish
British
Give each army except Spain one political point. I listed the names on a piece of card and placed a small dice next to them showing 1. Use a dice of a different colour to show minus political points.
During a battle the engagement is over at the end of the turn in which one side has beaten the other according to the standard DBN victory conditions or of the rule set used. If the winning army beats their opposition by 2 or more units it is a decisive victory, otherwise it is a marginal victory.
Campaign Sequence
Dice with a D6 for location of next Battle 1,2 Peninsular 3,4,5,6 Europe
If Peninsular fight a battle between France and Spain
If French win a decisive Victory Spain is out of the game. France get 2 political points.
If France win a marginal victory France gain 1 political point, Britain will enter the Peninsular for the next Peninsular battle.
If Spain win a decisive Victory France is out of the Peninsular and lose 2 political points.
If Spain win a marginal victory France lose a political point and on the next Peninsular step Britain and Spain become allies.
If Britain becomes allied to Spain then at the start of each Peninsular battle it will be France against Britain and Britain roles a D10. That is the number of DBN army list points Spain will contribute to the battle. Allies are treated like reinforcements during the battle.
Europe
If the battle is in Europe, for the first Engagement France chooses a country to invade, either Austria or Prussia. Russia cannot be attacked until Austria or Prussia are removed from the game.
If France wins a decisive victory that country is occupied and their army plays no further part in the campaign France gains 2 political point.
If France wins a marginal victory they gain1 political point. Their enemy loses 1 political point. However the defeated country can try to become an ally of one of the remaining countries.
If The enemy win a marginal victory France Loses a political point and the enemy can seek an alliance.
If the enemy Win a decisive victory France has failed in her attempt at domination and the campaign is lost. Napoleon is exiled, unless he has won in the Peninsular, then he can have a second attempt. This represents reinforcements arriving from Spain and Napoleon is recalled.
If France lose in the Peninsular Britain can be eligible to become allies of one of the other European powers and then take part in the European theatre.
If Britain enters in Europe, to Win a decisive campaign victory, France must decisively defeat not only Austria, Prussia and Russia but Britain as well. Otherwise if any one European country is left it is a marginal campaign victory.
Alliances.
To become allies the two countries wishing to join roll a D6 and add or subtract their political points to their score.
France to prevent an alliance also rolls a D6 and adds or subtracts their political points, If France beats the highest of the two other scores the alliance fails. If not it goes ahead.
It should be noted Spain can make no alliances apart from the automatic one with Britain.
A country can only ally with one country at a time.
Allied forces are just like Spain, dependent upon a D10 die roll to give the number of Army list points available. They join from a flank randomly decided. Roll 2 x D6 If first roll 4,5,6 allies arrive. Second D6 gives number of units. Do this each allied turn until all reinforcements are on board.
Optional
1) If France decisively defeats a European Power (except Britain) they can annex the defeated country and claim them as allies. The next European battle France fights can have these allies arrive as reinforcements as described before. However, if France suffers a marginal defeat the alliance is broken, and the country allied is restored to Sovereignty and will need to be defeated again. So, annexing and creating allies can be a two-edged sword.
2) If France is decisively defeated and have no victorious Peninsular army, they can still have another attempt. Their Political points are set to zero. Pick either Prussia or Austria and that nation invades France! If France wins a decisive or marginal victory they can start again. If the invaders win a Decisive or marginal victory they occupy France and the war is over and Napoleon exiled.
Conclusion
I have tried this solo and found it gives an interesting campaign or in fact entire war. It is hard for France to win but not impossible. Just like history the Peninsular can become a real Thorn in the side of France. France’s chances can be increased by using the optional French allies’ rule
I have made no attempt to record lost units and deal with recruitment for replacements. This would in my opinion add more complexity and record keeping.
I played solo as France using DBN rules. The action tends to swing between Europe and the Peninsular. France can win important political points in Spain or lose them!
I have also tried this solo as the opponents of France. France randomly deciding which country to attack and then playing that army.
When I fight the battles, I use the standard 12 point DBN army and use the standard DBN victory conditions. If using other rule sets armies can be built using their army lists or your own and adjust the victory conditions to define what is a margin or decisive victory.
I hope this gives some food for thought and with a little ingenuity I am sure it can be used for other armies, periods and nations.