Had a wonderful chat with Terry, you know him as the man behind the Marie Louise rules for La Batt!
Listen in on his ideas and thoughts around his new Napoleonic system.
The precis regarding On Battles, [which you can follow on Facebook as it evolves with regular updates, and of course CSW]:
On Battles is a game of grand tactical command, maneuver, and combat during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Period. The system is focused on command, maneuver and combat that is fast playing, yet accurate and rich with detail.
The game is 125m per hex. Units are battalions and companies for infantry, regiments, and squadrons for cavalry and companies for artillery. Each strength point is 100 men for infantry, 50 men and horses for cavalry or one section, or 2 guns, for artillery.
The rules consist of a Basic and Advanced set. Players can choose to begin with the Basic Game and pick and choose rules from the Advanced Game to suit their tastes. Or players can jump right into the Advanced Game and understand how grand tactical maneuvering was practiced on the battlefield during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The careful counter design avoids complicated rules for stacking and a myriad of situational complications. Complicated fire and close combat calculations are avoided. The system focuses more on morale than combat losses. Charts have been whittled down to one 11×17 card without sacrificing detail, especially for the Advanced Game. Every facet of the system has been elegantly designed to add rich detail without cumbersome game mechanics resulting in a fast-playing grand tactical game.
In the Basic Game there is the usual Line, Column and Square and two types of Skirmishers. The Advanced Game adds close columns, attack columns, closed square, Austrian division masses. Artillery is simplified for the Basic Game. The Advanced Game adds bombardment zones, bounce through, howitzer fire and canister fire. The Advanced Game also gives players more tools to react to enemy moves.
The piece de resistance of the Advanced Game are the command rules. Players choose to form their brigades into Grand Columns or Lines of Battle. To deploy for battle the player must decide which evolution to use to form Line of Battle and shake his men into fighting order. To cross a bridge or move through a defile in the face of the enemy will take careful planning to avoid being embarrassed by the enemy when the columns emerge on the other side. Keeping the troops in good order is all-important if the day is to be won.