It was certainly very refreshing, well at least from a wargamers point of view, to see such a selection of wargaming orientated articles in the last edition of FE. I especially liked the 'Bullet or Bayonet' article by David Commerfield (UK). This is just what I like to see, so keep up the good work. On the wargaming demonstration front the NA Team, namely my daughter Sarah, Krys Lanowski, Matthew Cain and Bob Elliot have been continuing our crusade to spread the good word of the NA and Napoleonic wargaming to the general public. As you are aware the NA team are off to the Norwich show, NOW 97, which we hope will be a great day for all. However in order to reach publishing dates for FE this article has had to be submitted before we attend the show. So more about the show and our massive Albuera, 'game-it-and-go' participation game in a future edition of FE. We have also started to do the rounds of the local libraries and to date have put on two demo games at Billericay and Great Baddow in Essex. All the games were well received by the public with much interest in the NA and wargaming being shown by people of all ages and backgrounds. The libraries have not only been a great platform for increasing awareness of the NA and its activities but also for meeting other gamers. So if any of you gamers want to jump on the band wagon then just contact your local library or county hall. Should you need any assistance then just give me a call via the usual channel and I'll be pleased to help. With reference to Jeff Lewis (Japan) excellent article 'Command control and the stiff upper lip', I myself have been doing some similar research into this area as a means of expanding my current wargaming command system, detailed in my 'Off to War' rules. Below is a small section from the command and control table which I have developed. To use the table; select the nationality of the troops which are to receive new orders, then select the troop type (e.g. Infantry: INF or Cavalry: CAV) which is to be issued with the new orders. Look down the relevant INF/CAV column and select the class rating of the commander who is issuing the order. Now look across the table to see what the strength the unit receiving the new order is currently at. Obtain a figure from where the column and row intersect. To this figure add the score of 1 x Average dice, this score becomes the basic command factor. Now throw 1 x twenty sided dice. If the score on 1 x D20 is equal or below the basic command factor then a new order may be issued to the unit. Failure to throw the required figure will mean that no new orders may be issued and the unit must continue with its current course of action. This is to represent the ADC being killed or lost. I am sure that with some minor adjustment that this system could be used with most current rule sets. So feel free to give them a go, I'll be glad to receive any feed back you may have. As I said in an earlier addition FE lets get the rule debate going. Austrian British or Portuguese after 1811 French Russian 100% or 4 Gun Crew 99 - 75% or 3 Gun Crew 74 - 50% or 2 Gun Crew 49% or less or 1 Gun Crew INF CAV INF CAV INF CAV INF CAV . . . . . A . . 16 15 14 12 . . A . . * . . 15 14 13 11 . A * . A B . . 14 13 12 10 . * B . * C . . 13 12 11 9 . B C A B D A . 12 11 10 8 A C D * C . * A 11 10 9 7 * D . B D . B * 10 9 8 6 B . . C . . C B 9 8 7 5 C . . D . . D C 8 7 6 4 D . . . . . . D 7 6 5 3 Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #36 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1997 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com