Synopses & Reviews
How would you have fared as one Napoleon's marshals, or in command of a division of redoutable British redcoats under Wellington? Grand Battery offers you the chance to find out. This book includes all the rules you need to play miniature wargames set in the Napoleonic Wars, plus plenty of useful background information you need to get started.
The book provides a concise historical overview of the events and battles of the period, and includes sections on the weapons and tactics of the various armies. The buyer's guide gives an up-to-date survey of the wealth of ranges of miniatures available and advice on which are compatible with which. Organizational tables give a breakdown of typical formations for all the major combatants and most of the minor ones (any one for a Wurttemburg infantry division?), allowing you to structure your collection and also to organize hypothetical games quickly with 'off the peg' orders of battle. Three historical scenarios are also included, each with their own specific orders of battle, maps, objectives and victory conditions.
The rules themselves, which utilize an innovative card-driven turn sequence to simulate the unpredictable ebb and flow of battle, are designed for playability, while still giving 'realistic' results and rewarding sound tactics. Though designed primarily for division level games with 25 or 15mm figures, the command and control system takes account of corps or even the largest army level games and they are easily adaptable to any figure scale. Get ready to march to the sound of the guns
Synopsis
This book offers everything the reader needs to know to start playing miniature wargames set in the Napoleonic Wars . At the core of the book is a set of original rules, devised with clarity and playability, as well as 'realistic' results, in mind. They are intended to appeal to both the novice and the veteran gamer. Brief campaign rules are included to allow tactical tabletop battles to be put into the context of longer strategic games. But it offers far more than just a rule book: Contents Concise overview of the historical period and the conflict in question. A grounding in the weapons, formations, strategy and tactics of the period. A full set of original, playable rules. Key tables, charts and rosters required for the game, with photocopy permission Three historical scenarios to play, focussing on the campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula (the Peninsular War), of varying size and complexity (plus the promise of bonus scenarios online). Organizing troops. How to organize your forces using scaled-down orders of battle Uniform painting guide with advice on ranges of paint etc. Terrain and buildings. How to plan and make appropriate terrain and buildings to enhance the games, focussing on essential and period-specific pieces. Sources of terrain pieces and materials. Accessories: guide to various other accessories to enhance play: range sticks etc. Buyers' guide to figure and model ranges, paints, terrain etc. Computer gaming: A guide to available computer games for the period. Bibliography: 'Must-have' references for the period.