Bob Hurst has a giant collection of Franco-Prussian 15mm figures, and doesn't get many opportunities to exercise them. In August, I visited the Hurst homestead, and we set up a scenario pitting four divisions of French against an equal number of Prussians. Eight stands of figures were defined as a brigade, and three brigades comprised a division. One of the divisions on each side was composed of cavalry, and true to form, the cavalry of both sides took it on the chin as, time after time, they attempted to charge home. The unique item about our rules was the use of a 'deterministic' fire phase... no dice tossing for us. The guidelines for rifle fire stated: (i) Up to 10 inches, 2 casualty markers automatically placed on the target unit. (ii) From 10 to 20 inches, 1 casualty marker was placed on the target (iii) When the target was cavalry, it received 1 additional marker (iv) Whenever French infantry fired, there was a 70 percent chance of the target receiving an additional marker. The rules governing artillery fire were similar. Artillery ranged out to 60 inches: (i)Up to 30 inches, the target automatically received 2 casualty markers (ii) From 30 to 60 inches, the target took 1 casualty marker (iii) When Prussian artillery fired, there was a 70 percent chance that the target received an additional marker. After the active side moved his troops, the non-active side was given a fire phase. He diced to see how many of his divisions could fire. Table 1. 01 to 33 All divisions may fire 34 to 66 All but 1 division may fire 67 to 100 All but 2 divisions may fire Due to the deterministic method of firing, casualty markers blossomed all over the field when a fire phase occurred. The limitations imposed by Table 1, above, prevented the situation from getting out of hand. Later on in the sequence, there was a fire phase for the active side, and here, too, up popped quantities of casualty markers. One of the final phases of the bound was that of melee, and the units of both sides carded their casualty markers into combat, and received even more due to the combat results. At the end of the bound, we determined what all these markers really meant in terms of "real" casualties, i.e., stands taken off the field. Each marker counted for 15 points, and the markers on a unit were totaled to produce a percentage, R, and referenced to the following chart: Chart 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- No losses R --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit loses 1 stand 1/2 R --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit loses 2 stands --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thus a unit with 5 markers, with a total R equal to 5x15, or 75 percent, if it tossed very low, say 24, below half the R factor, would permanently lose 2 stands, while if it tossed high, above 75, it lost nothing. Aside from firing, other sources of casualty markers were: a.When a unit took a morale test and failed, it received 1 marker b. When a unit won a melee, it received a marker c. When a unit lost a melee, it received 4 markers. I can assure you there was no lack of markers, especially on the cavalry units. Many times, as the horsemen charged across the field, they had as many as 8 to 10 markers piled on them. Few cavalry units succeeded in charging home, and fewer still, if they did make contact, won the resultant combat, since each marker counted against them in the melee. I rather liked the deterministic method of setting out casualty markers. It certainly was rapid. Remember, each side had a total of 9 infantry brigades, each of which had the potential to fire, and these, coupled with the artillery, could have lead to lottsa dice tossing on the fire phase (two per bound). Instead, all you did was to point at a target unit, and PLOP!, there went at least one casualty marker. Bob and I fought two battles... after the first, we papered over all the holes we found in the initial rules set, and I have no doubt that when we get together for Battle #3, the third edition will be even more complete. Sometime ago, Pat Condray, in THE COURIER, reviewed three different current sets of rules for the Franco-Prussian War. I think he found fault with two of them for not providing a "go to ground" provision for infantry, when it tested its response to being fired upon. And so, I could do no less than comply with the Condray scheme of things... 1, too, had a "go to ground" provision. After being fired upon and receiving its automatic markers, an infantry unit took a morale test. Each casualty marker placed on it counted for 5 percent, and these were totaled to produce a Morale Level M, and the following chart referenced: Chart 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit holds position M --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit goes to ground 1/2 M --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit falls back, receives 1 marker --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that the same markers used in the morale test on Chart 3 were used on Chart 2. Their values were different... each counted for 15 percent in Chart 2, and 5 percent in Chart 3. What happens to a unit when it "goes to ground"? In our rules, there's a 90 percent chance that, the next time the unit is called upon, it stands up and obeys orders. If it fails the 90 percent test, it remains on the ground, the men borrowing deeper. But if charged, it suffers in the melee procedures. Back to PW Review July 1999 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 Wally Simon 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