Horse & Musket Era Single Combat
Balboa Game Co. (circa 1986, $15.00)
Designer: Thomas R. Coveney
Players: 2-10
Playing Time: 30 minutes and up
Period: Horse & Musket (1775-1830)
Scale: Tactical

Turn: not stated
Figure: 54 mm
Unit: single horse and rider

Components:

26 page rulebook, 2 folding 54mm cardboard horse figures, 2 folding 54mm cardboard rider figures, 2 plastic discs, charts and tables card, light cavalry log sheet, heavy cavalry log sheet, 2 six-sided dice, ten-sided die.

Balboa says:

“Become a cavalryman during the American Revolution, the French Revolution, or the Napoleonic Imperial Age. Try to maximize the advantages of a Dragoon, Hussar, Cuirassier, Lancer, Horse Grenadier, Cossack, Light Dragoon or Mameluke ... The system includes weapon differentiations, increases and decreases in experience leading to combat modifications, one-on-one and team play, and campaign operations. Movement and combat operations are done with written orders and simultaneous moves, with player options for when and where an attack is delivered.”

The reviewer says:

“The designer ... has been a student and scholar of the ‘horse and musket’ era for over 20 years. He can discuss the most trivial aspect of a grenadier’s uniform. In short, he knows his stuff. If he says a shako decreases the chance of being killed by one point, then you know it damn well does. The point of this note is to say that the rules are a bit cumbersome in action ... The game is great fun with lots of tactics and handling points to consider in skewering your enemy.” Peter Flynn in The VIP of Gaming 4.

Comments:

This game looks like it has a lot of potential. It features an incredible wealth of historical detail and the rules cover almost everything imaginable that might effect single combat between horsemen. Topics touched upon in the rules include communication, uncontrolled horses, morale, surrender, camels, campaigns, terrain and optional character development rules.

Unfortunately, each time I open the rulebook I quickly feel compelled to move on to a different game. The rules are poorly organized and extremely wordy. The rulebook would definitely benefit from more attention to editing and layout.

If you are interested in the eras covered, Dragoon vs. Hussar is probably worth a look. Just be prepared to face 20 pages jam packed with small sanserif type!

Collector’s Notes:

While titles released by Balboa Games don’t seem to turn up that often, there is rumored to be a stash lingering in old store stock somewhere in Southern California. Two years ago I had the good fortune to discover a single copy of Dragoon vs. Hussar still sitting on a game store shelf. Although there doesn’t seem to be a strong demand for the game, some sellers may expect a premium price because of its apparent scarcity and obscurity. Boone lists low/ high/average prices of 5/23/10.40 at auction and 15/40/30.00 for sale.

Other games that sound like court cases: 4th Reich, Puremen vs. Mutants (TFG); German Eagle vs. Russian Bear (Lou Coatney); Hannibal, Rome vs. Carthage (AH); Lee vs. Grant (Victory); Lee vs. Meade (Rand); Ney vs. Wellington (SPI); and Wellington vs. Massena (3W).