Ever since the SWORD & THE FLAME appeared and interest soared in the
British colonial era, I've been experimenting with skirmish rules for that
period. Unbelievably, it appears that I may have finally arrived at a set
with which I'm satisfied and will game for some time ... making some slight
changes now and then, if course.
Five man units of single mounted figures are used for natives and British with but one exception: native cannon are manned by 3 men.
The sequence is an alternating one, and actions are governed by the draw of cards. Each side has a der-k; an optimal configuration is:
| No. of Cards | No. of Permitted Actions |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 |
| 12 cards | |
The deck is shuffled, 3 cards drawn, the rest placed face down. Side A then selects one of its 3 known cards, and moves or fires all of its troops accordingly. Side A then draws one unknown card to replenish and keep 3 known cards in the hand.
The number of actions denoted on a card apply to.all the troops on a side, i.e., they are all moved simultaneously. On any one action, a unit may move or fire, or a cannon may unlimber, or it may fire, or a horseman may mount or dismount. Thus if a 'T' is selected, a gun crew can unlimber their piece on the first increment, and fire on the second and third.
Note that in the rules, which are given on the following two pages, there is, in essence, only one results table; whether the procedure Is firing, rallying or testing morale, the same table is used:
- If the modified die roll is 01 to 10, then nothing happens.
If the modified die roll is 11 to 15, then one "something" occurs.
If the modified die roll is 16 to 20, then two "somethings" occur.
Note also, in the interest of simplicity, there is only one negative modifier, in any of the procedures. The firing calculation subtracts the tens digit of the range measurement in inches.
Note also that in firing, instead of giving a unit in cover a "-1" modifier when being fired at, we give it "+1" if it is not in cover. My theory is that it's always easier to add than to subtract.
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© Copyright 1985 Wally Simon
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