Having invested 5.47 Euro in a copy of Steve Parkers Dominion of Napoleon Bonaparte, I thought I'd better give it a go. I decided to use my Risk figures as a quick way of getting into the game.
The first thing I realized was that I need a better way of a) differentiating units and b) recognizing which units are elite, unreliable etc. For these games I used a) 3 fig units for Line and 2 fig units for column infantry, b) little dice to indicate Elite and units in defensive positions but in future I need a better system - I ended up referring to the plan in the text a lot. I tried to remember which units were unreliable (either at the start or because of artillery bombardment and this, as the name suggests, was unreliable also).
I used the forces and deployment directly from the Historical Battles section of the rulebook for this run through of the following battles; Montenotte, Lodi and Rivoli.
Napoleon, flushed with success from putting down Royalists, goes on a grand tour of Italy..
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| Image on loan from Wikipedia |
1. Battle of Montenotte
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The French are outnumbered but in defensive positions.
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The Elite Column Infantry (French left) were certainly the most valuable unit for Napoleon doing most of the damage to the Austrians before finally breaking after repeated attacks.
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A victory for the French.
2. Battle of Lodi
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Unlike in the real battle the defending Austrians defeated the French in my battle. The Austrian Line Infantry holding the bridge (centre) did not break and only the Elite French Cuirassiers were left fighting at the end of the battle (should have thrown them at the bridge...)
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3. Battle of Rivoli
The French were again on the defensive with Line Infantry on high ground, and unlike in reality, the Austrians were unable to shift them.
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The victory at Rivoli spells defeat for Austria and the First Coalition. Next stop: Egypt.
Good to see the new rules in action 👍
ReplyDeleteKeeping track of the variable unit qualities sounds like a challenge - would small coloured tokens do the trick-?
Cheers Martin. Yes, some sort of token maybe or I was considering a card slid underneath the base that had a description showing the units' classification.
DeleteCould do with a bit of scenery too, such as Kaptain Kobold has done.
I use tokens - a small red stone for elite, a grey one for defensive and a white one for unreliable. Obviously if I tart up the game with terrain I use that to show defensive bonuses.
DeleteCheers. Yes I think I'm going to do the same. A bit of scenery definitely makes a difference as your games have shown.
DeleteGood quick battles. Great for campaigns. I have used small colored cubes for status when playing around with unpainted figures. For my painted Risk troops I use red plumes for elites or disciplined and cut off the plumes and or paint them with mixed trouser colors. For units that become unreliable during the game I use small yellow cubes. Perhaps you could try red cubes or markers for elites and yellow for unreliable? I use little fairy garden cottages for BUA's, small trees and hills etc for other terrain.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark. Some nice ideas, thanks for sharing those.
ReplyDeleteWe keep saying it, but these games are perfect for fighting speedy campaigns!
Maudlin Jack Tar,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this really helpful review of the rules. I also have a copy but have yet to try them out … and your blog post has encouraged me to do so as soon as I can.
Would adding a small flag on a base help to identify elite units? It is something that I have been considering … as well various other options.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks Bob. A flag is a nice idea for distinguishing Elite units. Some sort of temporary mark will also be required for units that become unreliable during the game.
DeleteI'm looking forward to seeing your games.
Very nice. You could always mark out a battlefield grid (not really necessary, but maybe just indicate intersection points?) on coloured A4 paper. Then laminate it & use dry marker pens to show rivers, bridges/fords, woods, earthworks/defences and anything else interesting or important (such as villages/towns etc). Coloured A4 paper or card is relatively inexpensive.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered making the “columns” deeper? So, as you’ve already done, Line infantry would be 3 figures in a line so = “ … “ but your infantry Columns would (assuming they fit on your bases) be 4 figures in 2 ranks of 2, so = “ :: “
Cheers,
Geoff
Thanks Geoff. A laminated battlefield is a nice practical idea.
DeleteAs you say, the grid is not really necessary and could easily be removed now that I have a feel for the game.
Quick and interesting battles. I like the way you use Risk tokens in your wargames. They are so readily accessible for everybody who wants to try to game something new. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI recently saw the 2002 Napoleon miniseries on Prime.
Thanks Roger - the RISK figures were bought on ebay without the rest of the game. I already had a copy but mine was older and came with simple tokens instead of figures.
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