Franco-Prussian Wargaming

[Ray Rivers]

I own a copy of 1870, have never used the rules but often read the historical data packed into the book. A quick look says they use 3 stands per infantry regiment, 2 per cavalry regiment. Number of figures per stand? Whatever you think looks good.

Thanks, mate. I thought it was something like that.

As for "The Prussians always win"... that's when using points comes in to even things out. A long time ago when I was doing ACW, we assigned points to make sure that a veteran Confederate army couldn't just steam roll an average Yankee one.

In this case, I just can't see one corps fighting another. That would be way too lopsided.

[Ray Rivers]

we have or home rules adjusted to do 8 or 12 man battlions.

Are those just based on your wargaming experience or did they originated from a certain rule set?

[Mark Strachan]

I have been playing FPW since the mid 1980s and have used an organisation where the Germans are in battalions of 28 figures and the French in 20 (the difference being to match the difference in theoretical establishment).

However, this period is the beginning of small unit tactics of which the Germans were strong advocates and frequently divided battalions into half battalions, further divided half battalions into individual companies and companies into platoons, as the tactical situation required. My future games will be based on German battalions of four stands (probably of six figures) each representing a  company. The French were not adverse to dividing battalions either, but due to a poorer quality of their officer and NCO classes they did it clumsily, failing to achieve it as efficiently as the Germans, and as a result I will make a French Battalion three stands (again probably of 6 figures) each representing two companies.

I agree with earlier comments that The Germans didn’t have it all their own way and on at least four occasions in the early battles their base tactic of marching to the sound of the guns and engaging the enemy wherever they found them led them into some dreadful situations and had the French commanders had been up to the mark the Germans would have been severely punished.

[Atheling]

What about Regimental sized games?

Are perchance any scenarios kicking about for games of that scope?

[Old Contemptable]

I have been using "They Died For Glory" they are my favorite set of rules. The units are battalions, three of which make up a regiment.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/59568506@N02/albums/72157676834765216

[Atheling]

Just to ass to my earlier comment.

Richard from the TooFatLardies mentioned in the last Oddcast that he would be working on something for the FPW for Sharp Practice- my guess is that this will appear in the annual at the end of this year.