[Editor's Note: This is a preview of the intro to Chris's article, which will appear in Wargame Design #7.] A revolutionary concept hides within the rules folders of OSG's Campaigns of Napoleon series: the Vedettes. These flashy characters, the famous Hussars, Chasseurs, Uhlans, and Cossacks of yore, for the first time in gaming, are able to display their true talents. Before OSG, light horsemen were relegated to playing the part of weak but fast infantry. Their primary role as scouts, as a moving shield for the army, was ignored. Consequently, using your vedettes properly takes some thought. It also requires a significant adjustment to your standard wargaming methods. The following is a primer for all of you would-be Hussars. Vedettes first appeared in The Emperor Returns as traditional dummy markers. Their role was to confuse the enemy about where your real force was. In later games, beginning with 1807: The Eagles Turn East, the vedettes (touted as "smart dummies") began to come into their own. In the four games released since 1807, these small, 50-man units, fanning out across the countryside, have become the true eyes and ears of your army. Using them properly will help you pin down the composition and whereabouts of the enemy, while foiling his attempts to discover the same information about you. There are two fundamentals for using vedettes effectively: Use your vedettes, and use deception. Make your vedettes earn their pay. In our obsession with big battles, we players tend to disregard any unit that doesn't have a big combat factor. Vedettes are a crucial part of your order of battle, and should be used at every opportunity, both to confuse your opponent, and keep tabs on him. Except for the first turn of the game (when you know where your enemy is from the set-up), there is really no way to attack an opponent intelligently until you've scouted him out first. There's nothing more humbling than setting up a game-winning attack only to find that you've targeted a Major General. to be continued in 'Wargame Design' #7 Back to OSG News February-March 2001 Table of Contents Back to OSG News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Operational Studies Group. 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