The rules which follow have been under continuous development for the last three years and are to be published by Foundry Press, the publishing arm of Bryan Ansell's and Mark Copplestone's Guernsey Foundry. While already two years into development before being optioned by them, the rules bear the distinct imprint of its editor, Mr. Ansell. At his suggestion, and with the enthusiastic cooperation of MWAN editor, Hal Thinglum, these rules are now provided to interested gamers in a playtest format prior to their final incarnation in the near future.

The authors actively invite readers to play the game with whatever figures they may have (Napoleonics or Colonials are recommended in lieu of the specific types). It is our earnest desire to receive reports of your blind playtesting and make all of you extended partners in this venture.

Clubs and individuals who wish to participate by giving us their constructive criticisms will be credited in the final work expected to be out late this year or early next, though the exact timing depends now largely on the quality and promptness of playtest reports. Further, as a small incentive, a free copy of the published rules will be awarded to one of our respondents by random drawing.

While the manuscript that follows should be self explanatory, a few preforatory remarks are in order. First, this is not a complete set of the rules. A section of Optional Rules (including weather, effects of Sappers and Miners, Fatigue, and others) has been left out for editorial reasons. Further, an extensive collection of historical OB's for the First Burma, First Afghan, First Sikh, and Persian Wars, as well as the Indian Mutiny, largely provided from the Andrew Preziosi Collection, are not included for similar reasons. Articles being written by Britain's Kevin Dallimore on painting data and commentaries on history and terrain modeling by America's own "galvanized Yankee", Howard Whitehouse, and other contributors, are also to appear only in the finished product.

Of more immediate concern to potential playtesters is the absence of the three special card decks required for play in the final design. For reasons of limited space, these cards could not appear in these pages. Therefore, the Movement Deck must be generated by the players. This is quite simple as all that is required is a stack of 3xS Cards, or the equivalent, upon which is written the name of each individual Battalion/Regiment/Battery represented on the table top. The Orders Deck (described below) has been replaced with a far less space taking table (but not as interesting or flexible as the card deck!). Likewise, the Commanders', Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery Events Deck has been replaced with four tables requiring the roll of two D 1 0's for results. Players who wish to use the card decks as intended, rather than our less sophisticated substitutes, may contact Chris Ferree at one of his addresses provided below for a 3.5" floppy disk with all three decks on it (in WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows), ready for you to print on cardstock and cut out for use. All three card decks will be provided as part of the finished product.

The authors wish to point out that figures ideally suited to these rules are available in 25mm from Houston's Ships, Redoubt Miniatures, and Wargames Foundry. We also wish to express our gratitude to our fellow members of Tornado Alley HMGS, especially President Jeff Lawrence for his encouragement, and Treasurer Tim Kellogg, Newsletter Editor Scott Saylors, and members in good standing Jonathan Keepers, His Honor Peter M. Keltch, Richard Houston, and Steve Askins for their long time commitment to seeing this project through to the end.

Playtesters and the generally interested are asked to please address your comments, criticisms, and questions by E-Mail to PRWilson@Juno.com, or to Chris.Ferree@DSIBM.OKLADOT.STATE.OK.US.

In lieu of detailed designers notes, here are a few remarks that may help readers understand where we are coming from and perhaps why some things are handled as they are. John Company is predicated on two general concerns. First, a General's capacity to issue Orders, and second, the troops' reaction to those Orders in relation to their irnmediate circumstances.

The ability to issue Orders is embodied in the Generalship Rating which represents the General's inate talent for choosing Orders and his Staff's,capacity for communicating them to the intended Units. The higher this number, the greater the potential for the General to anticipate or react to events in the battle and then get his Orders to those who "need to know". The Orders Deck determines the number of Orders a given Generalship can successfully deliver in that tum. There is a range within each Generalship Rating to allow for variable perfommance from tum to tum, but still the higher rating will be most effective overall.

The actions and reactions of the troops themselves are determined by their Resolve Level. This is a numerical representation of a Unit's capacity to engage in combat by measuring the combination of its "will to fight", leadership, training, and degree of organization.

A Reaction Test represents the situation of a Unit at the moment it is called upon to do anything on the battlefield. Its Resolve Level is adjusted for the circumstances that apply at the time and this gives the Unit's Resolve Status for the tum. It is this evaluation that determines how well a Unit responds to its Orders or even if it will obey those Orders. It is for this reason that Reaction Tests are made before Movement, Fire, or Confrontation in each turn.

The use of the Movement Deck allows for a limited degree of random order of Movement and, thus, when to reveal a Unit's Orders (if any) and determine their Resolve Status.

The Events Decks (here Tables) represent the otherwise uncontrollable and inexplicable behavior of Units that inevitably occur in battle. Events can also occur to General Officers and their Staffs which can further vary their performance at any one time. While these Events certainly add color, uncertainty, and just plain fun to the play, they are not intended as mere "chrome". They are integral to limiting the players' control of battle and to make them not merely initiators, but reactors to developments. Not only must the players respond to the moves of the enemy, but frequently they must respond to the unexpected moves of their own troops!

The goal of "John Company" may be simply stated as a game in which the players have a distinctly limited control of their Units, but still have enough to favor the side which contrives the most effective battle plan and use of reserves. We believe players will discover, as we have, that their battles will begin to take on a life of their own and, consequently, develop a greater sympathy with those who do the soldiering. Like the Generals, only more so, they are the not always voluntary participants in what is, after all, a bloody accident which, once initiated, is beyond the control of any man.

John Company Rules:

Part 1: Unit Classifications, Resolve Levels, Command and Control
Part 2: Formations and Deployments
Part 3: Sequence of Play, Unit Orders, Movement
Part 4: Reaction Tests, Firing, Events

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