For King or Empress -- new Seven Years War rules set

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

I'm very pleased to announce the release of For King or Empress: Fast Play Rules for Miniatures Battles Covering the Seven Years War.
http://www.firstcommandwargames.com/published-rules/for-king-or-empress.html

This is the third rules set from First Command Wargames. Here's some details about the rules set:

For King or Empress includes:

• Easy-to-understand rules mechanics, illustrated with diagrams and photographs
• A system that brings the battle to a resolution, so victory is declared on the tabletop
• Several interesting ways to set up battles, from march-on attacks against a deployed defender, to a unique, positional, grand tactical system conducted before the battle.
• Rules for terrain generation that provide accurate, yet diverse battlefields
• A logical point system, allowing you to create your own engagements or refight ones from History
• Army lists for all the major (and several minor) combatants of the Seven Years War, often broken into early and late-war periods
• Two tiers of army sizes which allow you to field small forces quickly, or expand them to major armies like those controlled by Frederick the Great, Archduke Charles, and more!
• A myriad of Optional rules to tweak just the right feel for your games, or put them in a Historical, campaign context
• A flexible basing system, allowing you to use troops you already own or guide those just starting out

Everything you need to play is here, and small armies can require as few as 15 stands of troops, so what are you waiting for? Your sovereign expects victory from you!

Feel free to ask questions about the rules and I will be happy to answer!

Prince Henry of Ohio
www.firstcommandwargames.com[/list]

[fred]

Intersting - do you have any photos of games in progress?

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for your interest! I'm the editor and graphics guy for First Command Wargames -- not the author of For King or Empress. Steve Verdoliva (the author) has been running them at conventions in the area for a few years, now. I'll ask him. He's NOT a web-savvy guy, so probably just has pics on his phone...!  

He's running demos of the small size battles at Advance the Colors () at the end of this month. If he doesn't have anything to send me -- or if none of my contacts has pics from convention games -- I'll make him take pics at this convention. You are absolutely right -- the "look" of a game is important.

Prince Henry of Ohio
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[fred]

That would be good. A game report, with photos, that explains a few of the core mechanics is always a good way of explaining a new ruleset to potential buyers.

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

Hi Fred,

Here's a blog post with lots of shots from games in progress that Steve has run at various conventions. No battle report, but still you can see what a game looks like:

http://orcafinnbasement.blogspot.com/2016/09/for-king-or-empress-photos.html

[fred]

Thanks.

I like the look of the units. Less sure about the blizzard of counters in the later pictures, and the lack of terrain.  

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

Less sure about the blizzard of counters in the later pictures, and the lack of terrain.  

 

Fred, I have been telling Steve for years to put more terrain on his tables! Rest assured, the rules include terrain generation that will pretty much ensure more terrain than he tends to use in his own convention games.

We're actually going over to his house this evening to play a game of For King or Empress. I'm going to help him set up a blog so he can post his own battle reports instead of relying on his friends to do it...

So, hopefully, I'll have a link or two to post after this evening.

As for the counters, I think I have converted him to using puff balls for markers rather than giant wooden placards). Either way, the game does not require those giant markers. It can be done on a much more subtle scale.

Thanks for the comments...!

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

Intersting - do you have any photos of games in progress?

Just in case you didn't notice the other thread, here's a batrep of sorts:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=93753.0

[LawnRanger]

Hi henry
     Looks a very nice game , could you answer some of my questions about the rule ,

     I play die Kriegskunst  in 15mm and enjoy the period  what ratio is it set at? 40:1 ?
would i need to rebase my army ?
How does command structures work with certain nations ?
whats the ground scale like ( how fast will my chaps move per turn ) ?
how many bases to a unit ?
whats the game turn order ?

Happy gaming LR .

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

As there is a thread about rules for WSS I will ask the question here, can these rules be used/adapted for WSS? 

[wkeyser]

Looks intresting but I have a hard time with the look of the units. This is after all a linear period and all the units look like they are in columns?

But look forward to seem some more battle reports and playtesting.

William

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

I play die Kriegskunst  in 15mm and enjoy the period  what ratio is it set at? 40:1 ?
would i need to rebase my army ?

No rebasing is needed. We give the formula for what we use with 10mm figs, but it is completely up to you as long as you are consistent. There is no figure counting for shooting or casualties, so strictly speaking, you don't have to worry about a ratio. That said, with the battalions based above, I can give you an idea were you to use a similar basing system.

Notice that the "front rank" of each musketeer battalion is really just a color guard, or sorts. It has two flag bearers, an officer, and a drummer. The next two ranks have 12 total musketeers. Since an infantry battalion is supposed to represent about 600 men, you could say it is about 40-50 to 1.

How does command structures work with certain nations ?
whats the ground scale like ( how fast will my chaps move per turn ) ?
how many bases to a unit ?
whats the game turn order ?

Depending on the size, each army will be divided into 2-4 commands. The commanders are given a number of cards (1-2) that are inserted into a draw deck. When the commander's card is drawn, that general's units activate. Each nation has an individually-tailored command structure as far as number of generals per units, and quality of their generals.

From the rules, "Ground scale varies by the size of figures used. For 10mm armies, 100 yards equals 1 inch.
For 15mm and 25mm armies, it is about 50 yards per inch."

One base = 1 unit.

Cavalry normally moves from 8" - 10" and less, of course, if bogged down in terrain.
Infantry moves between 4" - 8", less in terrain, of course.

Turn order is commands activating by general. Then when it is that command's turn to move:
-- Make Command check (representing ability/skill of commander)
-- Fire artillery
-- Move
-- Other Shooting
-- Melee

I hope all this helps! The PDF copy of the rules is only $8 if you want to read them first, before ordering a printed copy (which are also affordable at $15).

WKeyser: Yes, it is indeed a linear period. You will see the games develop in that fashion. The individual unit basing simply takes advantage of the 10mm scale to put a couple flags out front of the unit with the officer for eye candy. If you think of those back two lines as the real lines of troops, it might look better in  your mind's eye. Remember -- base how you want. No required basing in For King or Empress.

Ethelred: Absolutely, these rules would work for War of Spanish Succession. Steve actually plans a campaign book and supplement that will likely cover both the WSS and the War of Austrian Succession. If you have specific questions, I am happy to forward those to him.

Thanks, everyone, for your interest! Feel free to ask more...

[FifteensAway]

I think only the following should be on a table during a historical miniatures game: the figures, the terrain, unobtrusive casualty markers if needed, and unobtrusive morale indicators if needed.  Well, maybe firing indicators in the form of smoke puffs (not those red puffs!).  Everything after that falls under the category of clutter.  Even the measuring devices - only use when needed then off the table, please.

That being said, will these rules work with those desired restrictions? 

I think I can live with this card mechanism (sounds like it was borrowed from Habitants and Highlanders) though I generally harbor a deep dislike of card driven miniatures games.  It just seems so wrong - do you want to play with cards or miniatures?  To me, the whole point of miniatures is the visual element.

[Prince Henry of Ohio]

I think only the following should be on a table during a historical miniatures game: the figures, the terrain, unobtrusive casualty markers if needed, and unobtrusive morale indicators if needed. 

I am with you on your sentiments about battlefield clutter. My friends tease me about my abhorrence of that relic from the 70s and 80s, the "casualty cap"! 

As a game mechanic, you do need to keep track of hits on a unit (which is what Steve is using the red puff balls for). We told him to buy smaller, less garish ones, but this is what he bought. Hey, it is better than the big wooden placards saying 1 Hit or whatever that he uses in his Ancients games...haha. If I were running the game, I would be using much smaller pom-poms in a color that blended in (black? green?). It would reduce that look you don't like. Or you could use what I do for some of my own games. I flock washers with rocks, bushes, stumps -- you name it. Those become the hit markers and don't detract from the look of the battlefield. In some cases, they can even add to the look if you use abandoned equipment, small explosions, etc.

I hear you on the card draw mechanic -- it is certainly a rage in gaming, nowadays. However, in this game, the unequal number of cards in the deck reflects differing command and control ability of generals. My Austrians in our most recent game had one Poor and one Average commander. Over the course of the game, my Austrians did react slower, and maneuver less adroitly than my better-commanded Prussian opponents.

Thanks for the comments!