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Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: olicana on March 25, 2020, 11:39:03 AM

Title: edit: Playing solo. Why Piquet is best. Soor 1745 Part 2
Post by: olicana on March 25, 2020, 11:39:03 AM
Covid 19 is here in its misery and most miniature gaming opportunities have evaporated under its enveloping cloud.

I'm striking back, in a very, very small way, to try ease the tension with a minor diversion. I can play solo games to take my mind of it for a brief while. Solo play isn't something most players do. Partly, I'm sure, it's because most solo games hold little tension or surprises. I know of one set of rules that dispel that idea. They are called Piquet.

I've just started a series of reports on my solo refight of the Battle of Soor 1745 with specific, and constant reference, to how Piquet rules govern games and why Piquet is the best set of solo rules ever written (IMHO).

Link: https://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-battle-of-soor-played-solo-part-1.html (https://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-battle-of-soor-played-solo-part-1.html)

And, there's a lots of pics too, if solo isn't your bag.

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_PG1Yj8hcE4/XnpGo0YNd8I/AAAAAAAAOVY/QR_gMMWY49kCSoLSSfzCQpHGDJnd8kGsgCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/IMG_3239.JPG)

Keep Safe,

James

Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Gunner who? on March 25, 2020, 12:06:42 PM
Your miniatures are beyond imagination - simply stunning beautiful! I will at least copy the decent regimental numbers on the bases...

Can not wait for part 2!

Cheers Fedja
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: FlyXwire on March 25, 2020, 12:52:11 PM
James, this is a very timely thread, with a lot of potential for many of us now.

I'll be following your reports, and TY for taking the topic up!
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: jambo1 on March 25, 2020, 01:32:28 PM
Good read and lovely eye candy!! :)
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: OB on March 25, 2020, 05:32:38 PM
All that and Piquet is great for solo games.  I see Field of Battle 3 has got to the proof reading stage.  Not long now hopefully.
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Leapsnbounds on March 26, 2020, 12:04:27 AM
 Vive Piquet!  My favorite rules.  I look forward to your posts to provide inspiration. Thank you.
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Antonio J Carrasco on March 26, 2020, 11:47:23 AM
Great report! And full of brilliant ideas too. I may try it myself, although with smaller armies (both in scale and numbers!)
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Gunner who? on March 26, 2020, 01:51:17 PM
Hello James,

Piquet is completely unknown terrain for me - there are 3 supplements that could be used for WAS/SYW: cartouche, field of battle and command right? Do you know the differences?

Cheers Fedja

Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: olicana on March 26, 2020, 03:59:31 PM
Classic Piquet by Bob Jones plus the Cartouche supplement is (amended) what I'm using. It is the most detailed set and has the greatest variety of cards, including an Army Characterisation Deck to randomly determine army morale and extra sequence cards, morale modifiers, stratagems, etc. The initiative point system was designed to be unbalanced and unpredictable and this is what makes classic Piquet a Marmite rule set for most - it's why we commonly use Domino Theory (see blog post).

Field of Battle by Brent Oman is a lighter, simpler rule set. It is stand alone and needs no supplements. It works on similar principals to classic PK but is faster and better for large battles than classic Piquet. A lot of people like FoB because the initiative point spread is balanced and it is easier to learn. It also has a very simple odds / even mechanic for sorting out pursuit and immediate morale reaction which is kinda groovy. It does not have an ACD.

Command Piquet is something I only played once and don't remember much about it. We went straight back to classic so, I'd plug for one of the above: Both have merit.

BTW. Piquet is named after the French card game and is pronounced P-K, not picket. It literally means stake, bet or wager. The Piquet card game uses a tailored 32 card deck, in poker I think it is called a Manila deck which discards all 2s through 6s.
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Gunner who? on March 26, 2020, 05:58:27 PM
Thank you very much - I will go for cartouche then...

Cheers Fedja
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Stecal on March 31, 2020, 02:23:40 AM
Yes, all those card based initiative games are coming to the forefront for solo play now.  I may have to find my copy of Piquet in the attic.  The older Too Fat Lardies games are often based on card draw activation too, inspired by Piquet, I believe.  Games like Thru the Mud & the Blood & I aint been shot yet mum.
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: SteveBurt on March 31, 2020, 10:38:43 AM
And indeed Le Feu Sacre (the older TFL Napoleonic rules).
Years ago, when we used to play Shako a lot, I made that card driven, so instead of the phases coming in a predictable order, you drew cards which would say 'side A move 1 division', 'artillery fire', 'rally phase', and so on. It worked really well, and made the game more interesting and would be good for solo play.
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: Sir_Theo on March 31, 2020, 11:16:14 AM
Yes, all those card based initiative games are coming to the forefront for solo play now.  I may have to find my copy of Piquet in the attic.  The older Too Fat Lardies games are often based on card draw activation too, inspired by Piquet, I believe.  Games like Thru the Mud & the Blood & I aint been shot yet mum.

Card based initiative is great for solo games. I always enjoyed Muskets and Tomahawks as a solo game for that same reason.

Really interesting blog post and great pictures by the OP
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: DintheDin on April 01, 2020, 02:57:22 PM
Your miniatures are beyond imagination - simply stunning beautiful! I will at least copy the decent regimental numbers on the bases...

Can not wait for part 2!

Cheers Fedja

+1 !!!  :-*
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: AdamPHayes on April 05, 2020, 09:00:43 AM
Piquet also has some interesting mechanisms in its Theatre of War campaign supplement which I am looking at now to use for generating deployments and terrain for solo games.
Title: Re: Playing solo. Why I think the Piquet mechanism is best. Soor 1745
Post by: olicana on April 13, 2020, 05:39:57 PM
Part 2 here:

https://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-battle-of-soor-played-solo-part-2.html (https://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-battle-of-soor-played-solo-part-2.html)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgTWd85qVUc/XonMSpanUfI/AAAAAAAAOXI/PlBrtFa6vBcMeWtvxLr3MMXlmetBF1mEgCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/IMG_3249.JPG)