INTRODUCTION

After several years of complaining about the length and complexity of most published rules for smoothbore musket warfare, I decided to actually do something about it. It's not that I have a personal dislike of 50-page rules sets; there's also the difficulty of explaining one to a nev, or even to a fellow veteran, gamer at a convention. I've also grown somewhat annoyed at the delight of rulesrnith's habit of inventing new basing systems, and more than a tittle frustrated at the "one size fits all" rules whicb attempt to cover battles of 100,000 men and skirmishes of 2-3,000 in a singk set, since they are all in the same period.

So I've drafted 12 pages of rulesÄfour figure:man ratios in each of three periods, so that one of the 12 should be suitable for any battle from Sedgemoor to Palo Alto. Simply compare the numbers of castings available with the numbers of troops present and by comparing the size of the battlefield to the scale and the available table space.

As the rules assume formed infantry fire and fight in two ranks; to accommodate gamers with castings based two deep, as these two ranks represent a varying number of ranks and width of files, ground scale may vary somewhat from period to period within a given casting ratio. At no time is any given basing systen called for, though obviously different frontages per figu›e and number of gunners per gun will have tactical consequences. Any comparably based armies will be able to fight one another.

None of the rules require rosters, templates, swathes, sticks or burst circles. Markers have been kept to a minimum, as have written orders and hidden movement. Units are either in good order, disorder or rout, and there are no more than five grades of troops. I am painfully aware of the the omissions and simplifications, but every set of rules is a compromise between realism and playability. These are intended to be read quickly and played in a few hours without grossly distorting historical capabilities. Modify them as you see fit and enjoy.

Regarding command control: that an ofiicer with telescope could see units at about three miles, and at 1"=200', a 4' X 8' table is "only" four miles wide. Thus a commander in the center on an elevation could see off the table in all directions. An aide, galloping 900 feet per minute, could ride to either table edge in about 10 minutes.

Battalions were basically run by voice commands and a brigade commander with a good set of lungs could do as much as drums or trumpeters. The time required to change a brigade's formation was a serious consideration. but elaborate rules regarding the transmittal of orders seems unnecessary. The corps commander has ordnance sergents to ensure his guns have the proper ammunition and a chief of staff to enaure that orders are transtnitted clearly and quickly. It should not be necessary for a gamer pretending to be a corp commander to "game out" the actions of these subordinates.

All distances are based on 15mm scale. They should be halved for 6mm, doubled for 25mm, and adjusted to the players' mutual satisfaction for 10 and 20mm.

The first of these rules, "Light Division" follows. More (I bope) will appear in the future Good luck and good gaming!

These rules are intended for 1:20 to 1:30, and basing by company or platoon. with one artillery piece representing three guns or two howitzers.

FORMATIONS: Infantry operate as battalions, cavalry as regiments or independent squadrons. Line formation is companies side by side and two ranks deep. Road column is on a road and to exceed four castings wide. It is separated from adjoining units by one stand's width. Attack columns may be up to eight castings wide. Skirmishers are a single rank, and double-stand interval, or half as many troops per stand. Infantry squares are as dense as possible with stands facing all four directions. Artillery have no formations, but is either limbered (gun and one limber) or unlimbered (all guns in a battery side by side and touching)

SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS:

1. both sides attempt to rally disordered or routed units, testing against their morale and/or training
2. artillery fire.
3. troop movement & responsive moves. This is done alternately, with French present moving first.
4. musketry. Guns which did not fire at 2 may fire here.
5. melee.
6. victorious units may break through and pursue, repeating steps 3-6 until all movement is used up. Casualties are removed & morale tested after 2, 4 &5.

Conditions

MORALE AND TRAINING: All units have a morale and a training grade, which is a number from 2-5. Class 2 are veteran and elite, such as Old Guard. Class 3 are either veterans or elite, such as grenadier battalions or Young Guard. Most units are class 4, and raw or conscnpt units are class 5. In most cases, training and morale grades are identical, but Russian infantry have a training grade one grade under the norm, and a morale grade one level above the norm, not to exceed 2 and 5. British infantry have a training grade one above their morale level. All units start in good order: stands are touching and aligned, and troops are willing to carry out any command.

Training: Units roll against training to maintain order when charging, to form square when charged and to determine firing range. British (not KGL) cavalry must roll to rally after a successful charge, or continue on toward the nearest enemy unit in a forward direction.

Morale: Units roll against morale when passed through or within 6' by a friendly non-skirmisher routed unit, when taking casualties from fire ( 1 point penalty for each 25% cumulative losses) when charged by cavalry (infantry and artillery only) and after losing a melee. Line battalions with organic grenadiers add one to their die rolls.

Testing: Units test morale and training by rolling 1d10 and attempting to roll at or over their stat. Thus Old Guard normally pass a morale test unless they roll a 1, where landwehr must roll a 5 or above to pass.

Units failing a morale test by one point go to disorder. Units failing by two or more points are in rout.

Regardless of penalty or plus. a 1 always fails and a 10 always stands.

Results: Units in disorder have stands out of alignment, and may not change face or formation. They shoot and melee at 1/2 value. Cavalry units disordered while charging may continue to charge and break through, but suffer the penalties of disorder in melee. Artillery and skirmishers cannot be disordered, and disregard such a result. Units in disorder must roll against training at the start of operations to be returned to good order. Units in rout have stands facing in all directions. They cannot move or shoot. To recover from rout, units must do nothing and take no casualties for one turn, then test against both training and morale, passing both tests.

MOVEMENT:

Normal movement: Units only moving move to maximum distance. Changing face/formation or limbering/unlimbening involves a 1/2 distance penalty. as does firing volleys. (Skirmishers and artillery fire without further penalty). Formed infantry and cavalry may exceed maximum movement by up to 50% to make melee contact or exploit a successful melee breakthrough/pursuit), but must roll against training or become disordered.

Formed infantry battalions or cavalry regiments forming a skirmish line or in skirmisher formation and forming a close ordered formation retreat one full move, and must form on or from the center of the unit.

Responsive Moves: The player who is not moving may still make certain moves in response to enemy action. His formed cavalry may countercharge attacking cavalry, taking breakthrough and persuit as appropriate. Shrmishers may retreat up to 3" away from formed unit to avoid melee, musketry or close range musketry. Gunners (not guns) may move up to 3" to avoid melee contact. Gurs meleed by infantry alone may (if they successfully roll agaiunst training) limber and move away from their attackers.

Formed infantry may attempt to form square when attacked by cavalry by rolling against training. Units in line or charged from less than 6" suffer a 1 point (cumulative) penalty.

As an example, the 5th KGL at Waterloo advances in line. They are a standard infantry battalion with a 1-point edge on training for being British, so could normally form a square on a roll of three or better, but take a one point penalty for being in line, and a one point penalty for being charged by cavalry within 6", so must roll a 5 or higher to form in line.

Units which fail are disordered.

Movement Distances
movement (in inches)	INF	CAV	HA	LT-MED FA	12PD FA
Road Col/Limb	8"	12	12	8	6
Attack Col	6	8	-	-	--
Line/Unlimbered	4	6	4	4	2
Skirmisher	6	8	-	-	-
Square/backing up	2	-	-	-	--

FIRE:

Small Arms:

Up to two ranks of formed troops may fire. if they are the same battalion and touching. Roll 1d6 per 4 3-rank infantry, or 3 2-rank infantry or skirmisher. For muskets: 5.6 hits at long range and 3-6 at close range. For rifles: 6 hits at long range, and 5.6 hits at close range. Against charging cavalry, roll against training to fire at close range.

Canister: Roll 2d6 per light gun. 3d6 per medium gun and 4d6 per 12-pd gun or howitzet. 3-6 kills. Ball: Roll 2d6 per gun for 1 st rank, and 1d6 for each additional tank penetrated to maximum distance; 6 hits. Squares are counted as 8 ranks.

Counterbattery fire: Artillery firing on a hostile gun rolls two dice. Light guns disable their targets on a roll of 12, medium guns on a roll of 11-12, and 12-pd guns on a 10-12. Disabled guns are removed from play.

Shell: Shell hits 1d6. Shrapnel shell kills 1d6 plus 2.

Skirmishers: all fire kills against units in skirmisher fotmation are halved

Firing rangess
Gun	Canister/Short Range Small Atms	Ball/Shell/Long Range Small Atms
Howitzer	8	min 16; max 24
12-pdr guns	10	20
Med Art	8	16
Lt Art	7	14
Rifle	4	6
Musket	2	4

MELEE:

Melees occur when units in good order are ordered to close. Skirmishers may do so only as noted under terrain. Infantry units disordered while charging halt within musketry range. Normally, two ranks of a battalion or squadron take part in a melee. Roll 1d6 for each four infantry or artillery, each three light cavalry or each two heavy cavalry. Cavalry is killed on a roll of 6. and infantry on a roll of 5,6.

Lancers hit dismounted troops on a 4-6. Saber-armed troops hit lancers on a roll of 5 or 6. Charging cavalry adds 1 to their die roll. Cuirasiers may count up to four ranks when charging in column, and Prussian and French infantry may count four ranks of infantry charging in attack columns.

Saber-armed cavalry may not melee formed squares. Lancers do so at a -2. Better-trained units add 1 to their die roll per level of training difference. Units attacking from the rear add 1. Maximum add is two. Only two files of units struck in the flank count. Any unit engaged may roll at least one die.

Whichever side takes the greatest casualties in a melee round is the loser, and must check morale. Units already in disorder may not stand, but must roll to see whether they rout. Units in disorder fall back one move. Routed units fall back two moves, and suffer casualties from one more melee round if both sides stand firm on morale.

Attachng units recoil 6" and are disordered If cavalry attempt to charge infantry who successfully form square, they swerve to either side (by die roll) for a full charge move, and are disordered. Units unable to swerve rout backwards one move. Skirmish troops meleed outside woods or buildings by formed troops are automatically destroyed.

Effects of Weather

Normal visibility is unlimited. Fog reduces visibility to 6". Rain precludes small arms fire except in built-up areas, and reduces visibility to 6". Light rain reduces visibility to 12", and reduces small arms fire by 1/2. Firing groups are now 4 or 6. Mud reduces artillery movement by 1/2 and reduces the firing range for ball by 1/4. Cavalry may advance into melee contact, but receives neither melee increment nor movement bonus.

Effects of Terrain Hills screen units on the reverse slope from fire and visibility. Artillery forteits 1/4 movement limbered, and 1/2 unlimbered. Units charging uphill against standing defenders are -1 in melee. Woods screen from visibility until observers are within 6". Visibility within a woods is a maximum of 6". Cavalry meleeing any non-mounted units in a woods subtract one from their die roll. Units move through light woods at full rate in oolumn or skirmisher formation, but only 1/2 speed in line or square.

Dense woods may not be entered by artillery. Only columns and skirmishers may pass through them, and only at 1/2 speed. Streams carry a penalty of l/2 movement and units must roll agairst training or become disordered Artillery may only cross streams at fords and bridges Rivers are impassable except at fords and bridges.

Built-up areas may be occupied only by infantry, and attacked only by infantry. Defenders have a one-point morale advantage, [If guards roll a "1", roll 1d6: they will stand one 1-3 and fall back on a 4-6.]

Defending light infantry count for double their normal melee value. Firing at built-up areas is in double-sized musketry units, and still takes a -2 penalty for muskets and -1 for rif1es Stonefences or earthworks halve the effect of musketry and artillery, and are impassable to guru. Hedges block visibility as woods, and are impassible to gun. and cavalry, and disorder infantry.

Special categories of Troops:

Light Troops: Only light cavalry and light infantry may be in skirmish order. Light companies of line battalions can only skirmish within 6" of the parent unit, except for irregulare such as cossacks, lancers may not skirmish. Irregular light horse may not frontally attack formed units in good order.

Pikes: Certain levies in tbis period were armed witb piks. Such units may not fire, and have only two formations: road column and attack column. Cavalry may not frontally attack pikes in good order, and if cavalry is attacked by pikes, it recoils 1/2 move.

Commanders: Players should draw up a chain of command, and may use a general officer casting for each brigade or higher formation. These officers move as skirmisher cavalry, but do not count for though they are rated as heavy cavalry if attacked while standing alone.

If attacbed to a unit tbeir command, they add one to morale and training rolls. However, if the unit suffers casualties. he must roll 2d6. Against roundsbot, the general is removed on a 2; against canister or musketry on a 2 or 3. and against melee on a 2, 3 or 4. When a general is removed, his subordinate units may make only responsive moves or fire until he is replaced. Roll a 1d6 at the end of each turn. When a 6 is rolled, place a new commander with any units of the player's choice. Generals have no effect on hostile units, and may not approach within 6" of them unless attached to a unit.

Optional Command and Control Rule: Each commander must have no more than four battalions of infantry or regiments of cavalry and a maximum of one battery of artilery or a oommand of pure artillery. Unless reproducing a historical unit, these units of infantry or cavalry should be of the same morale/training grade. Units not within 12" in whole or in part of the commander may only make responsive moves.

Note to Game Designers: When translating terrain, you should restrict built-up areas to a size occupied by one morale unit, though BUAs may be adjoining.