The Best Napoleonic Rules for Divisional actions...?? HELP..!!

[VonAkers]

Hi Guys
I have been looking for some Napoleonic Rules , but it seems opinion is divided ...LOL ?

Here are my modest requirements

I will mostly be in the Peninsular and mostly playing 1 to 2  maybe up to  3 divisions a side .
I wanted something that has a bit of flavour and historical accuracy
I dont want to just play it in 2/3 hours.... like say Naps Battles..
I will never play in competitions .
Any help would be must Appreciated.
Cheers

 

[vtsaogames]

I dont want to just play it in 2/3 hours.... like say Naps Battles..

Not sure what you mean here, since I don't play Naps Battles. You want a shorter game or a longer one?

[VonAkers]

Hi VTS
What I meant was in regards  to NB's I meant  that I dont wish to play Waterloo in 3 hours and only have brigades as the units.
Cheers

[vtsaogames]

Ah, you don't want grand-tactical rules. Gotcha.

Divisional level rules where the basic units are battalion/regiment/battery, plenty of those. New ones; Lasalle 2nd edition (have not played).
Coming soon; Shadow of the Eagles (I game tested, like 'em), most games play in 2-3 hours

I'm sure other suggestions will be coming soon.

[SteveBurt]

General d'Armee would be a good fit. Very nice set of rules with a lot of period detail. Lasalle v2 is at the same level but less detailed. Shako is also still a good set that has held up very well.

[wrgmr1]

Shako 2 has divisions as an organizational maneuver element, with infantry battalions and cavalry regiments in each. We can play 2 to 10 divisions a side in 3 hours.

[LazyStudent]

+1 for General d'Armee

Or if you would like even more gritty battles, then I suggest General d'Brigade. Jon has a great blog that shows the kinda battles than can be played solo with GdB (http://grymauch.blogspot.com/). He even played Waterloo, although it took him several sessions.

[bluewillow]

I suggest General de Brigade or In the Grand Manner, regularly play two or three division games, plus supporting cavalry division in 4-6 hours.

cheers
Matt

[Phil Portway]

Shako II is my preferred large battles set!

[freerangeegg]

I would second General d'Armee. It has some nice subtleties, but is very quick and easy to pick up. The biggest game I have played was Talavera last year with IIRC 4 divisions per side and they gave a very enjoyable (and historical) game.

[olicana]

I found General de Brigade too involved, and I don't like head counting - in fact I recently sold my Delux copy on ebay. I prefer something simpler and, frankly, more 'modern'. I'm hearing good things about Lasalle 2. Black Powder will deliver a result in that time but they are not everyone's cup of tea. Field of Battle and Piquet give a good exciting game but, having a novel basic mechanism, they are a steep learning curve for the first couple of battles unless you know someone who's played them to give you a run through game.

I'm watching this thread with some interest. 20 - 30 units a side is also my range.

[valleyboy]

Look no further than General d'Armee
I'd looked for years and stopped looking when I found General de Brigade, but GdeA by the same author Dave Brown followed it and gives a superb game

[custosarmorum]

I would also suggest LOA's Republic to Empire.  It wprks well if you are looking at a couple of divisions and a brigade plus of cavalry.  I was playing around with the General de Brigade rules which were fine, but RtE were a little smoother in my opinion.

[LazyStudent]

I found General de Brigade too involved, and I don't like head counting - in fact I recently sold my Delux copy on ebay. I prefer something simpler and, frankly, more 'modern'.

Interestingly Olicana, I would say the exact reasons you were put off of GdB, are the reasons why I really enjoy it. It is very involved and you do count minis. But I really like the decisions the nitty gritty mechanisms give one, as well as watching units shrink over the course of a battle. Additionally, I find it wonderful the way one can recreate historical orbats, tailoring the size of each unit to the nearest 1:20 model to man ratio. Rather than simply lumping all battalions into a small, medium, or large categorization. I guess it just goes to show why there will, and should, never be a one size fits all set of Napoleonic rules.

I would suggest you check out General d'Armee though. Same author but more 'modern' than the 20yr old GdB.

Or, if you'd like something different then I can recommend Napoleonic Command II, by Jeff Knudsen at the War Artisan Website (http://warartisan.com/rules)

[olicana]

Additionally, I find it wonderful the way one can recreate historical orbats, tailoring the size of each unit to the nearest 1:20 model to man ratio. Rather than simply lumping all battalions into a small, medium, or large categorization.

I'm even more heretical than that. Currently the smallest command group I have is the division - no brigade commands - and I scale my divisions at 1 infantry unit per thousand men. My units use battalion tactics, but I have far fewer of them. I'm more for game than simulation, which often puts me at odds with the purists.

I guess it just goes to show why there will, and should, never be a one size fits all set of Napoleonic rules.

Couldn't agree more. The world, as they say, is big enough for everyone to share.

A recent solo game using home spun Piquet at that scale. It looks pretty Napoleonic to me, at least.