Like many a discussion on the internet, this one tends to move quickly from topic to topic but some themes emerge * more combat detail * it ain't broke don't fix it.

After the general discussion of the system rules, the participants focused on the development of this particular game--they did suggest ideas that became new Optional Reserve rules. I do hope the loopholes discovered in early states of the rules were all addressed in the published version. You will be able to compare this discussion with the published rules to see the final finish.

The author alone is responsible for any errors of omission or commission. These letters have been shortened and slightly amended in order to help bring out the main themes.

Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 10:41:25 -0700
From: Paul Gagnon

Montrčal, April 14th

I first bought Bonaparte in Italy in '79. The other games followed quickly. I like the clean system and the basic concepts.

My question is about the initiative value of the leaders. Does it represent the inherent ability of that particular leader to react to the situation around him, or does it represent the leader's rating modified by the commanding officer's ability to react and see the overall picture as well?

As a wargame design tool, inflating the French subordinate leader's rating while deflating that of the allied comanders would artificially recreate Bonaparte's ability to virtually run around the allies by giving him the ability to concentrate faster in a specific area. This, in a sequential move game where each player can see the other player's forces, can thus reduce the inherent problems to such board wargames.

However, when we use simultaneous and hidden movement, we find that the allies, especially the Bohemian Army, become virtually immobile. The game system which helped to artificially recreate the inability of the allied comanders to see and react to the French movement is amplified to the point of giving the French army virtualy superhuman powers of movement. That is because the effect of not knowing the location of the enemy naturally slows down the forward movement of the allies and none of the commanders have an ability to react to the events around them in the forced march phase. I am fiddling with the idea of modifiers tied to orders (initiative is increaded when ordered to the sounds of the gun as in tSoN, decreased when ordered to defend, etc), modifiers tied to de distance between the comander and the subordinat leaders etc... Any ideas?

You'll just have to tinker with it until it works. Try doubling all the Allied Initiative Ratings. You are right: part of their reticence to move was caused by their lack of information about French troop concentrations, while the French had much better knowledge of Allied forces. This is reflected in their higher initiative ratings. If you are a game player, I will tell you that Initiative Ratings are a composite index of personality, command structure, supply and staff, etc.

However, if you begin to design like that you will never get anywhere. You take a look at Macdonald, for instance, and you see how well he did at moving around, and getting where he needed to be. That's where a turn-by-turn study of the campaign becomes important. That way you can give him a number that allows him to duplicate his historical performance without having to go into incredible detail.

The other question is about the supply system. If I understand correctly the APs available represent the exess of supply after the need of the army as a whole is calculated? If it is so, then is the availability of supply for the allies decreased to reflect indeciveness?

Yes! APs are not merely supply--they represent a host of factors, tangible and intangible, that taken together resulted in the pace of operations that we see historically. I have taken the same approach as the one I explained with Initiative: basically fix a number that allows an historical pace of events, rather than work up a number through endless calculations based on counting empty stomaches.

What I mean to say is that the relatively low supply available to the allied comanders slow movement down, as well as the dispatch distance and the low initiative. If one is to play with hidden movement can one, two or all of these factors be modified to an "original" value, ie not modified to create a play-balance?

Yes! You can simply change the numbers, try giving the Allies a one-or-two column shift and see if that works!!