Scale: Each casting equals 100 men; one gun equals approximately 12 guns. 1"=100'. Maneuver units are infantry brigades (or multi-battalion regiments), cavalry brigades and artillery batteries, infantry units are 16-28 castings, cavalry 12-20. These units are combined into larger units, known as columns, divisions or wings (hereafter, for simplicity, "columns"), the integrity of which must be maintained during the game.

It is presumed that the long-range fire of small numbers of cannon of small caliber are more important for infantry morale than for fire effect. Command figures represent column and army commanders and their staffs.

Formations

Line: No more than two ranks deep at all points.
Column: a single stand wide, and all stands one behind the other, touching, and all facing in the same direction. Artillery has no formation, but has a facing direction and is either limbered or unlimbered.

Formed units (that is infantry and cavalry) may be in one of three conditions:

GOOD ORDER, with all stands touching and properly aligned,
DISORDER, with stands out of alignment, or
ROUT, with stands facing in all directions. and in no discemible order.

Sequence of Operations

1) Attempts to rally disordered or routed units.
2) Long-range artillery fire. Effects are simultaneous.
3) Movement: Both sides dice, and high roller moves first. Low roller may countercharge. Then low roller moves, and high roller may countercharge.
4) Musketry and canister.
5) Melees. Victorious attackers may continue to move and attack until they have gone twice their normal movement distance, but are subject to additional short-range fire. Morale is not a separate phase, but is tested as called for at the end of each fire and melee phases.

Command and control The subordination of each unit must be made clear prior to the start of each game. Commanders of columns may give onty one order per turn. This order may apply to all elements of the command or to some subordinate fraction. Those units not given orders may fire or countercharge as appropriate. Each column commander has a command radius of 12", and only units within this radius of the command figure in whole or in part may be freely moved during the movement phase. [As an example, if the commander wishes the Regiment du Roi to detach itselffrom the line and garrison a village, he must be within 12 " of the regiment the wishes the entire first line to advance, he must be within 12" of the line. Obviously as brigades lose alignment, the commanders will have increasing difficulty making his influence felt.] Army commanders may give direct orders to any unit within 12".

Movement Formed infantry move 2p/turn in line, and 8" in column. Cavalry move 6" in line and 12" in column. Artillery moves at the infantry column rate until it unlimbers (which consumes 1/2 move) and then may not move again, though it may adjust facing.

Formation Changes. Units may opt to change formation other than move. From column to line perpendicular to the line of march, or about face; penalty 1/2 move. Other changes in face or formation require two moves. Units caught in melee while changing formation are disordered.

Musketry. Roll 1d6 for each four infantry at 1" or less. 1, miss; 2,-5 kill 1; 6 kills two. From 1-2", roll 1D6. 1-3 misses; 4-6 kills one. British roll 1 die for 3 castings. Levies roll 1 die for 6 castings.

Artillery: at camster range, medium guns have the effect of 12 close-range infantry and heavy guns of 16. Roundshot effect is as for 4 long-range infantry.

Medium guns canister to 4", roundshot to 6"
Heavy guns canister to 6", roundshot to 10"

Melee. Melees occur when opposing units are in stand to stand contact, and can only do so when specifically so ordered. Only infantry and cavalry in line and in good order may initiate a melee. Cavalry if ordered to charge will do so, but may not melee infantry lines in good order from the front. Between equal troops roll 1d6 for each two castings in good order in the first two ranks; 5,6 kills. Units of the same arm but inferior class roll at a -1.

Infantry fighting cavalry kill only on a 6, and cavalry fighting infantry kill on a 4,5,6. Non-charging cavalry (to include those struck in rear or flank) roll at a -1 against charging cavalry. After one round, the side with the most casualties checks Morale. If it stands, both sides are locked in melee for the next turn. At the end of that round of melee, the side taking the most casualties rolls again. If that side stands firm, the attacker falls back 1/2 move and is disordered. In dual attacks, both sides fall back. Units in disorder do not stand, but fall back one move after one round of melee. Units in rout are removed from play if meleed.

Morale. Each brigade or battery has a class number reflecting its morale and training. To remain in good order, it must roll at or above its class number on 2d6. Elite units are class 3, veteran units are class 4, and most units are class 5, with notably unsteady units class 6. Units falling below their class number are disordered.

They must roll again, and if they fail a second time rout, retreating a full column move. Units test morale when under fire, when charged, prior to entering a melee (adding one to the die roll) and when formed infantry rout past within 4". Units in disorder fire at 1/2 effect, and melee as the next class lower. Disordered infantry will not close to melee, and if disordered while attempting to do so (i.e., disordered by defending fire while charging) halt 2" from their objective. Artillery cannot be disordered, but if they roll a disorder result, and then fail a subsequent roll, they have abandoned their guns, and guns and men are removed from play.

Units in disorder must roll one or more over their class number to return to good order. Units in rout must do the same to go to disorder, then attempt the next turn to return to good order.

Countercharges. Formed cavalry may countercharge either to defend themselves or to defend friendly units. Split the difference between charging units. Infantry may not countercharge cavalry, and if infantry is countercharged by cavalry, it halts and acts as a defender.

Terrain. Woods conceal units from visibility until units are within 6". Visibility in the woods is likewise 6". In light woods, cavalry may move only in column, and a 12 speed. Formed infantry in line move at 1/2 speed. Cavalry subtract 1 from melee dice.

In dense woods, cavalry and artillery may not leave roads, and formed infantry may move only in column and at 1/2 speed. Villages and towns: there is no visibility into or through. Cavalry and artillery may pass through, but may not defend. Attacking infantry melee as one third their numbers. Units fire in at 1/4 value. Hills conceal units on the reverse slope from fire and visibility. Units gain no charge advantage in melee going uphill, and artillery moves up hill at 1/2 movement. Lakes and rivers are impassable. Streams may be forded by infantry and cavalry at 1/2 movement. and by artillery at 1/2 movement when so specified by the game designer. Units may not charge across streams, or fire while their front rank is in them. Units may cross without penalty by bridges, but in column only.

Weather. Light rain reduces fire outside towns and villages by 1/2. Heavy rain eliminates fire outside of towns and villages. Reduced visibility limits observation to 12". Units whose movement phase it is may make 1/2 their total move before any responsive move is attempted. except for cavalry countercharging in their own defense.

Commanders. A column or army commander touching a brigade adds one to all morale/training die rolls. but if the brigade takes casualties, roll 2d6: Against roundshot, the commander is killed on a roll of 2; against canister or musketry, on a roll of 2 or 3, and against melee, he is killed on a roll of 2. 3 or 4. When the commander is removed from play. his subordinate units may make only responsive moves for 1D6 turns until his replacement assumes command. If the army commander is killed. the senior subordinate commander assumes command next turn, and is replaced as through dead.

Unusual armaments. Infantry are presumed to be armed with flintlock smoothbores and socket bayonets. This was not always the case. Units with pikes and matchlocks fire in units of 6 rather than 4. Units with matchlocks but no pikes fire in units of 4, but may be frontally meleed by cavalry.

Units with plug bayonets fire in groups of 4, or plug in their bayonets and are safe from cavalry. In their firing mode, they are one class worse in melee. Pike-armed units may not fire, but cannot be frontally meleed while in good order. Cavalry may choose to approach to 1" and discharge pistols, rolling 1 die and killing on a 6. If charged by the pikes, the cavalry falls back 1/2 move and is disordered.

Optional Rule: Squares. Some well-trained units of bayonet-armed infantry had already learned to form square. Only class 3 or 4 units, so designated by the game designer may form square, Squares consist of stands facing in all directions, and may not move. Cavalry may not melee a square in good order, but roundshot has double effect. If a qualified unit in line is charged by cavalry more than 6" away, it may anempt to form square by rolling two above its class number. If it fails to form square, it forfeits all fire and is disordered.

By Way of an Explanation:

Once more, an attempt to produce a short, simple set of rules that didn't require a standard basing and required no bookkeeping nor special tools. Here I'm attempting to replicate the large battles of the Marlburian era--50,000 men and more on a side, with no cadenced step and grossly inadequate staffs. If only exceptional commanders and armies can bring a battle to a decisive conclusion under these rules, then they're probably about right. Fortunately, at this level the commander wasn't troubled with skirmishers or light cavalry, which does a lot to simplify the rules. This set's Fredrician und Napoleonic brothers are still in playtesting.

Note that making basing non-specific is not the same as saying that basing doesn't matter. Obviously it will make a difference how many castings are on a stand and how densely packed the different arms are, but any two armies using the same basing conventions should be able to fight using these rules.

Two special points of note: If the castings are individually based, columns should probably be about two castings each. Guns should have about a three or four man crew. This overstates the number of men needed to serve the guns, but makes up for the fact that real-life gunners were a harder target than mass formations. Most gamers use gun crews of about this size, or have spare gunners. Of course, if you'd rather use a two-casting crew and give gunners a saving throw, please feel free!

Distances are for 15mm castings. Please adjust accordingly. My thanks to Alan Moss for help with playtesting.