National Characteristics in Black Powder

[Unlucky General]

G'day comrades,

My mate Grant and I are looking with some new found cynicism more specifically at the national/unit characteristic applied to British Highland units in Black Powder - namely 'Tough Fighter'. Before we go ahead and dismiss it (which affects my army, being a British Peninsular one) I was wondering if my reading on the subject is just deficient.

Is there any evidence anyone knows of which necessarily ascribes a superior fighting record in close combat for Highland troops in the Napoleonic wars - more than any other British infantry regiment for example? I can't think of any examples which supports it - but I may have missed plenty.

[SteveBurt]

High morale (e.g 92nd foot at Maya charging when down to 1/3 strength because the piper played the charge), but not seen any evidence of better fighting ability. I think that’s a wargamers myth.

[jon_1066]

You are playing Black Powder, it's not a detailed simulation of a Napoleonic battle.  Think of it more like a simulation of HG Wells and his chums playing out a Napoleonic battle.  So what the reality was is less important than the story that is being conveyed.  Highlanders are fearsome hairy barbarians who are tough in battle.  That's the story, in the same way the French are an unruly mob and the Russians can't shoot.  They come on in the same old fashion and you see them off in the same old fashion (even if such a thing wasn't the reality at all).  Trying to find historical precedence and even statistically significant data for such a thing is a fools errand.

If you want to be "realistic" you should get rid of the bulk of the National Characteristics, especially at Battalion level.  Battalions varied as much within an army in performance as between armies.  On their day many units performed well and on another day they could perform very badly.  To me that is what the dice are for - is the unit on a good day or bad day?  You roll the dice and find out.

[Harry Faversham]

Spot on, don't overthink BP.
Imagine a young Frenchie conscript, who's just seen dozens of his mates shredded by a staggering volley. Then the poor bastard hears the skirl of the peeps which scares him shitless, and then through the battle smoke the 'Ladies from Hell' come calling with levelled bayonets...

Nice thought that, innit?

[Rick F]

You are playing Black Powder, it's not a detailed simulation of a Napoleonic battle.  Think of it more like a simulation of HG Wells and his chums playing out a Napoleonic battle.  So what the reality was is less important than the story that is being conveyed.  Highlanders are fearsome hairy barbarians who are tough in battle.  That's the story, in the same way the French are an unruly mob and the Russians can't shoot.  They come on in the same old fashion and you see them off in the same old fashion (even if such a thing wasn't the reality at all).  Trying to find historical precedence and even statistically significant data for such a thing is a fools errand.

If you want to be "realistic" you should get rid of the bulk of the National Characteristics, especially at Battalion level.  Battalions varied as much within an army in performance as between armies.  On their day many units performed well and on another day they could perform very badly.  To me that is what the dice are for - is the unit on a good day or bad day?  You roll the dice and find out.

Probably the best post I've read about wargaming in years and can be applied to all rules and games.

[Von Trinkenessen]

It reminds me of a "Featherstone" Quote : It's Wargaming not war.

A game not a simulation.

[Elbows]

I have a brilliant book, some 30 years old, on 'proper' Napoleonic wargaming, and really the major differences in the armies were simple:

-Marching pace.
-Marching frontage.
-How many ranks they preferred to fight in.
-Logistical supply train methods/practices
-Preferred weight of artillery
-Preference in cavalry types

Very few of these will ever come to the front in a modern 'Napoleonic Arcade' game.  A lot of it is simply salesmanship.  You have to create some artificial differences to cater to some folks.