by Peter L. Hollinger
These army lists are written for use with the W.R.G. "1685-1845" Horse and Musket Rules. Printed by BATTLEFIELD, 50 Clissold Parade, Campsie, NSW 2194, Australia; they are available in the US from Z L M, 2425 N. 47th St. Milwaukee, Wl, 53210 For the beginner in Napoleonics this is an excellent little book because the basic organization for the armies is given. I have seen many gamers scared off of Napoleonics because they just want to play the game and couldn't be bothered organizing their armies. With this book the problem appears to be solved. There are 63 armies listed: 14 Marlburian Armies, 15 Seven Years War Armies and 18 Napoleonic Armies including 3 French Armies, 7 Indian armies with the French and British armies in India, 5 Middle East armies and 4 American armies for the War of 1812. This should give anyone interested in Horse and Musket armies a pretty complete list. As with the W.R.G. Ancient Army list there are maximum and minimum numbers of troop types and the same is applied to the fighting quality of the troops involved. As with any attempt with army lists there are always different opinions as to which army had what and whether they were veteran, or trained troops. As a matter of fact this is the main criticism I've heard from others about these lists. I'm not all that fussy. For the more experienced gamer the lists provide some good information although if you know anything about Napoleonic armies there is little new. They can still be useful, though, if you are a Napoleonic gamer interested in getting a Seven Years War army or playing some 1812 battles. For those people interested in the small German States you are out of luck as these armies are incorporated into the larger armies. I feel that is as it should be. I recommend these army lists to anyone interested in developing a Napoleonic army quickly and anyone starting in the Horse & Musket Period for the first time. More Reviews
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