Age of Eagles question

[Conquistador]

BLUF:  How fast does it play - I remember the Fire and Fury games locally seeming to last forever and have so many things to do (some group members mindset might not have helped) to play a turn.

Has anyone played the sample scenario Battle of Craonne, 1814, and how long did it take?

It seems table heavy (1970s/1980s flashback) - of course Empire (whatever number, 1. 2. or 3) may have damaged me in that regard - which is a concern although tables can be infrequently accessed in special situations.  THW games are a lot like that - it appears to be a of tables but most only accessed in specific situations.

Gracias,

Glenn

[LawnRanger]

I can only give you my point of view of AoE .

I find that they are a very good set of rules ,The thing is when you have a short time to play any game its VERY HARD not to put loads of figs out and over load the table/game,and slow it all down .

 If I have 2-3 hrs to spend then I would put out  8-10 units is  ( weather its a single man in a skirmish game or a whole brigade of 3k of men as a unit) .which is l division..

As you have played fire and fury its on the same lines ,Once you have the sequence of play in your head then I find than the turns run well and the order of the game is good .

not sure its table heavy ? yes you have a table for firing and a table for combat I think most games have this mechanism now a days .
The thing you do find is that they  have a table for moment which might be a bit strange ?

You are playing at Division /Corp  ,so this simulates the friction of war ,Order not getting through ,Brigade cmd not acting quick OR not wanting to do it ! ,adc getting killed with orders , ect..

So this stops you moving your whole army like a well oiled machine,and puts the spanner in the works every now and again which I think is great  ..
hope this helps if you want more in depth of about the rule  just asked will be happy to answer any questions .. 
Happy gaming LR   

[Vonkluge]

I have played various Napoleonic rules (15mm) for over twenty years and in an out of period due to inability in finding good rules, that played fast (given what you are playing!) were not overly complicated and gave a good feel for the tactics and decisions used in the period. I had given up and put away my figs because I thought it was hopeless.... then we discovered AOE, we have been playing regularly for the last 4-5 years and love it more every time we play. Its a set that even after ten years still enjoys a popularity beyond all others that have come and gone. The author (who adapted it using the Fire and fury rule with permission as a base) is still supporting them and answers questions, personally, and in only a matter of days, sometimes hours on the Yahoo AOE group. I have asked questions WHILE we played and received answers before the game was over!!! Check out some of my battle reports on my  website www.HistoricalHobbies.com look in the combat photographer section.

Napoleonics by its very nature is a Big Battalions game, yes you can play "skirmish" but that is not "NAPOLEONICS" masses of men, rank after rank is, yes you are going to have lots of figures, thats the fun, dont want lots of figures? play a board game...  Napoleonics is a life long passion, not a well "I'm going to do this for a few months kind of thing. Sure you can start small a brigade or two, better just cut out bases and primer and mount 1 figure to each base and PLAY, find out if you like it....then build from there. I started by buying someone's old badly painted army and then slowly replaced them.... the old troops becoming my "lending army"

How long? depends on how big a game, how many troops, players, terrain, and most of all the familiarity with the rules by the players and their skill level. but 2-4 hours is about average.

Regards,

Bill


 

[Conquistador]

<snip>
Napoleonics by its very nature is a Big Battalions game, yes you can play "skirmish" but that is not "NAPOLEONICS" masses of men, rank after rank is, yes you are going to have lots of figures, thats the fun, dont want lots of figures? play a board game...

I never said that.  Since I would build my forces with 3 or 6 mm figures there would be lots of figures.  When I retire we are going from a 5 bedroom house to an apartment and many (25+ mm) armies I seldom or never use will be sold/given away/trashed to fit into the space available.

I just want a fast game that doesn't spend hours for a couple of turns because the players are micro-managing Battalions or even Companies as Army Commander and gives a feel for the battle from the Army Commander's view.  Not much qualifies for both of those in my experience.

Gracias,

Glenn

[LawnRanger]

Vonkluge well said they are a great set of rules for division /corp games     I love them 

Conquistador
  Are you saying that you Looking for a set of rule ,That you are the army commander /Commander in Chief ? of a ARMY of 2-3 Corps and still what to move Battalions around in the game ?

AND still have a fast game ??   just moving ALL the Bn in one Corp would take you along time let alone 2 / 3 Corp???
and by god what happens when you get to combat  with half the corp ..

As for hrs for a couple of turns That aint AoE  you should be able to have 5/6 turns a hour ! once you get into the rules ..

Happy Gaming LR 

[Conquistador]

Vonkluge well said they are a great set of rules for division /corp games     I love them 

Conquistador
  Are you saying that you Looking for a set of rule ,That you are the army commander /Commander in Chief ? of a ARMY of 2-3 Corps and still what to move Battalions around in the game ?

AND still have a fast game ??   just moving ALL the Bn in one Corp would take you along time let alone 2 / 3 Corp???
and by god what happens when you get to combat  with half the corp ..

As for hrs for a couple of turns That aint AoE  you should be able to have 5/6 turns a hour ! once you get into the rules ..

Happy Gaming LR 

No, no, no!

I find the whole Army Commander (or even Corps commanders) fiddling with Battalions/Regiments anathema!  Brigades is the lowest level of unit a Army or Corps Commander should be concerned with! 5 or 6 turns an hour for players knowing the rules is acceptable.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

<snip>

I just want a fast game that doesn't spend hours for a couple of turns because the players are micro-managing Battalions or even Companies as Army Commander and gives a feel for the battle from the Army Commander's view.  Not much qualifies for both of those in my experience.

Gracias,

Glenn

doesn't

It should be "fast" so you can finish a medium sized battle in no more than 4 hours (our standard local convention session, really large battles spread over two sessions acceptable; standard evening time available for a shop/home game IMO.)

It should give a feel for the battle from the Army Commander's view (ideally ordering Corps and possibly divisions.)

Multiple player games could logically have Corps Commanders running Divisions and Brigades.

The fun factor for me is playing with good friends, finishing a game without being forced to micro-manage the units way below a commander's normal span of control.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Vonkluge]

Hey glen,
When I gave my overview of the game it was not as much directed at you as napys in general, please don't think I was always responding to your questions I think that AOE WOULD BE PERFECT for you and as I said try playing with just cardboard squares in the correct base size to get a feel for it. Then if you like it start to sell off those 25-28mm minis and buy your 15s
AOE very much gives the feel of an army / general of division command feel, much of the "Fiddely" parts you mention are amalgamated into larger processes and assumed to have happened without having players deal with the minutiae that higher commanders would have left to subordinates. An example would be in AOE if cav charges you from more than five inches away you automatically get modifier for being in square since upon seeing the cav charge lower commanders would have done that with out being told. No rearranging of troops required. Intact I find many players of other games find it hard when they don't have to do it.

[Conquistador]

This is sounding better and better.  

Sorry about my confusion/centric thought process...  

Gracias,

Glenn

Who obviously needs to sell some miniatures/rules/modules to make an "investigational" buy.