Neve Mind the Matchlocks, action in Moëns

Here some photos of the great game we had yesterday, Robert and I.

The rules from Andy Callan are rather nice, they feel like playing a large skirmish game. The command system and cards are good, fire and combat work well.

A few comments for thing to remember for next time:

• cavalry units fight better in line, since at charge time, the first rank might fire pistols, and during a prolonged melee, only first rank might fight.
• it is possible to give an order to a group of units, if they perform the same order. No other details are given, so we might try to be strict and say that the group of units should also have same orientation and direction of movement, and the two actions should also be exactly the same.
  • this would solve my feeling, while I was playing, that brigade formation could not be really maintained during the game, but units behaved essentially as disconnected entities. Maybe this is normal for a skirmish game.
• figures in buildings apparently can only be attacked by close order foot.
  • they are also unseen until the fire, so a building might be held indefinitely against skirmishers, since the enemy skirmishers could not fire the unseen occupiers, unless the occupiers fire, and they cannot assault the building.
    • this looks like a stall rule, which should be addressed, maybe allowing the skirmishers to attack in case the occupiers are not firing and are thus unseen.
• dragoons should be considered skirmishers both when mounted (operate in swarms…) or foot.
  • there is no mention of horse holders, which might be attacked independently from the rest of the unit which, as in our game, might be in a building where horses cannot enter.
    • Still the action outside of the building occupied by dragoons, where a detachment of horse dispersed the enemy dragoon horses and killed the horse holder was a smart idea, good for a skirmish game.