Napoleonic wargarning has always been my favorite. The uniforms, tactics and the Napoleonic "myth" have long captured my imagination, and the availability of figures and books have only served to reinforce my love of the period. When I heard that Arty Conliffe was producing a Napoleonic rules system I was very excited. I was playing Tactica at the time and the prospect of a rules system that brought playability to Napoleonics as Tactica did to ancients was very exciting indeed.

Having corresponded with Arty previously, I managed to gain his confidence sufficiently for him to allow the White Rock Gamers to be a play-test group for the game. As it turned out this decision resulted in our involvement in all of Arty's subsequent rules systems - Armati, Spearhead, and those yet to be published - and, more importantly for me, provided the basis for a regular and wonderfully engaging inter-play of ideas with Arty.

Shako has two levels of play - battalion and divisional - but the basis of the rules is found at the battalion level. The great advantage of Shako is that it really does allow the player to manipulate battalions within the context of a battle between reinforced corps in an evening's game.

Given more time, it would be easy to conduct a larger battle with the battalion rules, but for those without this luxury, Waterloo can be fought with the divisional game in less than four hours. Battalions perform all the evolutions of formation changes and combat functions that one would expect at a tactical level of play. The game mechanisms are naturally very playable and easily remembered. Indeed, after a few games one rarely needs to refer to the Quick Reference Sheet, and even less frequently to the rule book.

Play is eased by the fact that a unit's capabilities are closely linked to the Morale Rating (MR) which ranges from 2 (unreliable) to 6 (Guard). A unit's effectiveness in combat and ability to rally is linked to the MR, as is the total number of 'kills' it can Sustain. By simply remembering the unit's MR a player can perform most tactical rulings without complication.

For example, when conducting volley fire, the player rolls one D6, with a 5 or 6 inflicting a permanent kill (6 equals two kills). If the roll also equals or exceeds the MR of the target, that unit becomes 'staggered' and performs less effectively until rallied. Rallying requires rolling a D6 under the unit's MR. Except for a few modifiers, that is all one needs to remember. for these functions. Artillery is handled in a similar manner. One interesting aspect of the firing system is the it is possible for units to become staggered without sustaining a kill, or the reverse can also occur. Another positive attribute of the system is that individual castings are not important - consistent basing is all that is required. Playing with Napoleon's Battles or In the Grand Manner style bases work equally well.

An important section of the rules is called 'Combat Deployment.' As per most rules, Shako infantry battalions fight more effectively in close combat (considered more of a morale issue than the crossing of cold steel) when supported by friendly units on the flank and rear. To encourage the use of historical national doctrines as they existed at a particular time during the period, the plus modifiers are only awarded if the battalions are deployed in formations consistent with that doctrine.

Applied specifically to the flank support, three types of doctrine are identified: use of line, use of column or line, and use of column and line (ordre mixte). For example, British battalions in line will receive +1 for flank support only if both flanks are secured by other battalions in line. Cavalry, artillery and impassable terrain also secure flanks, and there is no requirement to deploy in the formations prescribed by doctrine. Nevertheless, the advantages of doing so are quickly learned and also contribute to the correct 'look' for the armies being used.

Another crucial part of the game is that of divisional orders. Battalions are limited in their range of operations by a command radius from their divisional commander and by the order given tile division. Following a command arrow drawn on a map of the battlefield, 'Attack' orders mandate forward movement until the division arrives at the end of the arrow or is engaged in combat. Since orders cannot be ignored, interesting situations develop whereby divisions are put into awful or advantageous positions due to their orders. 'Defend' orders allow no movement until the enemy is within 18", rendering the deployment of a skirmish line of skirmishers very important. Flank marches and reserve orders are also possible.

The importance of the original plan and the timely commitment of reserves is crucial, as it is difficult to change orders quickly during the battle. The army commander typically has two ADCs with which send new orders. These ADCs must physically ride to the divisional commander with the new order (a new arrow or 'Defend' order, committed to on the turn the order was sent). Since the tactical situation might have changed by the time the order arrives, interesting developments can arise.

One aspect of the rules which people seem to enjoy is the section on town fighting. In contrast to many other rules sets, town sectors are no longer fortress fire-bases that are deadly to approach and impossible to take. As per so many descriptions of Napoleonic battles, towns in Shako, while offering sonic protection, are often won and lost.

It has not been my intent to offer the reader a comprehensive description of the mechanics of Shako. By highlighting some of the key sections I hope to have whetted the appetite of those seeking an easily-played, but flavorful, set of Napoleonic rules (or Seven Years War - special rules and army organizations are included).

The White Rock Gamers have enjoyed playing this game tremendously, and although not required, we have re-based thousands of figures to small unit sizes to allow for larger actions and to reduce the cost of further collecting. In the future I hope to provide Arty with the impetus to produce a supplement of scenarios and a campaign system. Until then I will submit battle reports to the Citadel.