Dawn's Early Light:

The War of 1812 Rules

by Jim Arnold

by Fitzhugh R. McCrae

At the other end of the rules spectrum is this set from Frontier Miniatures devoted to the War of 1812. It is designed for either 15mm or 25mm figures, with respective ground scale of 20 and 10 yards per inch. A turn equals 15 minutes, one casting equals 20 men. Movement is simultaneous, requiring written orders, using a turn sequence of: write orders, artillery fire; remove losses; pre-movement small arms fire.; remove losses; movement; postmovement small arms fire; remove losses; melee; remove losses. Morale checks are taken, when needed, after losses. The rules appear to be simple and clear. Musketry, for example, is a simple matter of counting the number of firing figures, multiplying this total by a factor using relevant modifiers (and they are ones you would expect covering such considerations as initial volley, firer is moving, range, open order, etc.) along with a die roll, dividing by 20 and the result is the number of target casualties. Dawn's Early Light The War of 1812. Two nice touches are a point cost table to allow the player to purchase an army and a section on amphibious operations including gunboat data chart and the effect of currents on movement. A short unit organization section is provided. Dawn's Early Light is a throwback to an earlier day when rules emphasized playability and fun. It appears to have enough historical leavening to appeal to those who desire a reasonable amount of realism and probably won't stand up to the merciless gaze of the rules lawyer.

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