Best Napoleonic Rules?

[SJWi]

I realise that this thread is likely to get some pretty partizan replies so will explain more.  I have never been a big Napoleonics fan, but about 9-10 years ago was lured into it when Warlord's  Black Powder was released.  Before I knew it I had Peninsular Portuguese, Spanish and Kings German Legion in 28mm, with other friends fielding the dastardly French .  We played a few games of Black Powder before losing interest, and my main opponent is currently an ex-pat overseas.  I have considered selling my collection but my mate has told me "I'll be back one day" and so I am going to keep hold of them. That still leaves the question of rules.  Our forces may amount to about  10-12 infantry units, 3-4 cavalry units plus a few guns per side. I can't see us going much bigger than that plus we normally only game on a 6 x 4 table.

I've seen the thread talking about "Lasalle v2", and my mate has bought Reisswitz Press' "General de Brigade" . Any view on the merits of the various rulesets out there that would suit this size of battle?

Thanks.     

[Cat]

Ah, 'best for that collection of figures' narrows down the options.

With those figure counts, you may want to look at DBN.  There are lots of good gameplay videos on Youtube as the author has been whiling away lockdowns.  These should give you a pretty good idea if you might like the game or not.  Rules are always scale-agnostic, adjust base sizes and ranges to taste.  Each stand represents a brigade and each side is a corps up to a full army.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DBNwargaming/videos

This fall, Osprey will be releasing Silver Bayonets, Napoleonic skirmish level with Gothic horror thrown in.  May or may not prove to be an entertaining game, stay tuned.

[SJWi]

Cat, many thanks. I hadn't heard of DBN before but have just checked out their website. As well as the Napoleonic set the WW1 Middle East rules look intersting!

[Emir of Askaristan]

I like Lasalle and have played v1 many times. Not tired v2 yet, but there is plenty of information on it on the Sam Mustapha website - https://sammustafa.com/, including a sample scenario so you can suss out if it matches what you have.

Your numbers of units and playing space is very much in line with the the rules, I think, so you'll probably be ok. You shouldn't need to rebase anything either.

I think you mean General D'Armee by Reisswitz (Too Fat Lardies)  you don't like Lasalle, give them a read. Again I think you'd be ok with numbers of units, but possibly less so with the playing surface. I have them too but prefer the former.

[SJWi]

Emir, yes , you spotted my deliberate mistake. More seriously I am now confused. The same author has written General de Brigade published by Caliver Books and General de l'Armee published by Reisswitz Press.   Apart from the titles which imply different scales of battles can anyone explain the core differences. I suspect I may have the same problem with his new WW2 rules "O'Group" which seem aimed at the same level of ORBAT as his previous rules published by Partizan Press.   

[has.been]

It does depend on what you like. Given your 'design brief'
I would go for Rebels & Patriots.

[SJWi]

has.been, thanks for the tip. I must admit I thought "Rebels and Patriots" was more a company level game "skirmish" game akin to Sharpe Practice 2 ? I guess what I was trying to get over is that I have a few brigades per side of say 12, 24-figure battalions plus cavalry and guns.  I'm not a Napoleonic devotee with huge armies....or any intent to buy much more!

[NurgleHH]

I think I would test Fistful Of Lead: Big Battles bei Wiley Games. The designer of the rules is here in the forum and makes great support. You can find the rules here. Easy, but great in the possibilities in Games. Card/Dice-driven Engine. Here is the Webpage: https://wiley-games.myshopify.com/

[Norm]

Bataille Empire might be worth you exploring. They are not cheap(£32 in the UK) but the single volume has the rules, copious background information and extensive army lists, plus 4 example scenarios.

More importantly, it would fit with your troop numbers and table space.

[SJWi]

Thanks everybody.I’ll check out all your recommendations. I don’t know Battaille Empire but know the authors ancient/medieval set “L’Art de Guerre” is well regarded. The price tag doesn’t put me off. Having spent several hundred £s  on figures and months or even years painting to scrimp and save over a good rule set now seems stupid.

 One good thing. There seem to be a few good sets out there at the moment.

[olicana]

I have a copy of General de Brigade Deluxe (as new) going cheap. Bought but never played.

£22 including postage (2nd class in UK), if you are interested PM me. I think they normally retail for £32.

If you don't want them, this was a reminder to put them on ebay. Thanks.

[vtsaogames]

Coming soon: Shadows of the Eagles by Keith Flint, designer of Honours of War, Seven Years War rules. Designed for 3-6 brigades per side, rather like your collection. Number of figures/basing not an issue. Units take anumber of hits, first becoming weakened and then if nor rallied, routed.
I did some game testing for this. An AAR is here: https://corlearshookfencibles.blogspot.com/2020/02/maida-1806-reprised-shadow-of-eagles.html

Edit: rules due in late March.

[LazyStudent]

Welcome to the rabbit hole. Be glad you didn't ask this question on the TMP forum!

But having played and really enjoyed both GdB and GdA, I will try to reply as best as I can.
GdB - Set at a brigade level, a well versed player can run a couple of brigades. There is a lot of granularity and some very good mechanics. E.g. The firepower of a battalion is calculated by the number of figures (1 figure =20men) remaining in the battalion, thereby it allows for casualty removal via taking off of bases when a number of casualties have been taken. It breaks down once you go beyond about a Division(+) per side. I have played large "Army" level Peninsular theater games before, but these were multiplayer and whole day affairs. And in the end, a lot of the battle developed into sectors of roughly 1Div per side battling it out.

GdA - Set at a divisional level, the maneuver elements can still be battalions, but can also jump up to regiments. Battalions are no longer defined by the figure numbers, but now more generally as small, standard, and large. Causalities and battlefield disruption to the battalions are both combined and used to measure the fighting ability of the battalions. As a set they work well in a multi-division/Corps sized game. I haven't tried having multiple Corps on the table yet, but from the sounds of your figure target you aren't aiming for that anyway. 

If you are looking for an abstract game I would also recommend DBN, but for more tactical set of rules I would pick GdB. GdA sits in the middle, although to the tactical end.

Other rules I have looked at but not played are:
Morale Napoleon
March Attack
Both look like a very interesting set of rules, and are available on the Wargames Vault for download.

[Mindenbrush]

I like Age of Eagles which is based on Fire & Fury Brigade but has been adapted to Regimental level for the War of 1812.
There are a lot of free scenarios available for Napoleonic’s from the Susquehanna Historical Gaming Club.

[armchairgeneral]

Osprey have a new set coming out, Absolute Emperor

https://ospreypublishing.com/store/military-history/upcoming-books/preorder-3-months/absolute-emperor