Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

I'm wondering which optional rules should be used for HPS games? Any input will be much appreciated. [:)]

P.S. I'm most interested in knowing if Flank Morale Modifier should be used

Chef de bataillon Ranson Lee
Commandant de 7ème Division d'Infanterie
IIèmé Corps d'Armee Nord

I use Flank Morale because it seems to make good sense and because it encourages the formation of actual battle lines instead of the rather unhistorical every-other-hex pattern. With Flank Morale, it also makes sense to "sandwich" low quality units between better ones at the ends of a line who can stand with an exposed flank--again rather historical.

However, others consider Flank Morale an unhistorical morale booster, together with Rout Limiting (which I never use because routs should be general rather than partial).

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D.S. "Green Horse" Walter, Maréchal d'Empire
Duc des Pyramides, Comte de Normandie
Commandant la [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/3_VI_AdR_Home.htm"]3e Division Bavaroise[/url], L'Armée du Rhin
Commandant [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/EdM_start.htm"]L'Ecole de Mars[/url], L'Armée du Rhin
Commandant la Brigade de Grenadiers de la Moyenne Garde
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I recommend only VPs for leaders and cavalry countercharges.

Flank morale makes for brick walls of line formation battalions, which were not actually used. Rout limiting makes it vastly worse. The result is to encourage ahistorical linear tactics of an American civil war variety and to strongly penalize column tactics.

Columns have to stack. They work by increasing melee power, both on attack and defense. They get enough fire strength from lots of little shots with skirmishers along with the columns. But if you have 2-4 battalions in a column hex, you cannot remotely afford to put one in every hex. You invite eliminations for failure to rout etc.

With both of those off, both line and column tactics are possible. Lines fire better, still, as they should. You can risk side by side lines with good infantry. You don't want or need huge chains of them, but you can increase the firepower on a modest frontage without using too many men, which is what real lines can actually do for you.

Flank protection becomes a matter of avoiding giving the other guy a potentially routing shot, since fire or melee taken through a flank is much more likely to rout the unit hit. But the reason to do it is not any artificial boost to unroutable status, it is to avoid giving the enemy an opportunity he can actually exploit with an actual attack.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by JasonC</i>
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I recommend only VPs for leaders and cavalry countercharges.

Flank morale makes for brick walls of line formation battalions, which were not actually used. Rout limiting makes it vastly worse. The result is to encourage ahistorical linear tactics of an American civil war variety and to strongly penalize column tactics.

Columns have to stack. They work by increasing melee power, both on attack and defense. They get enough fire strength from lots of little shots with skirmishers along with the columns. But if you have 2-4 battalions in a column hex, you cannot remotely afford to put one in every hex. You invite eliminations for failure to rout etc.

With both of those off, both line and column tactics are possible. Lines fire better, still, as they should. You can risk side by side lines with good infantry. You don't want or need huge chains of them, but you can increase the firepower on a modest frontage without using too many men, which is what real lines can actually do for you.

Flank protection becomes a matter of avoiding giving the other guy a potentially routing shot, since fire or melee taken through a flank is much more likely to rout the unit hit. But the reason to do it is not any artificial boost to unroutable status, it is to avoid giving the enemy an opportunity he can actually exploit with an actual attack.

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JasonC...

You are most welcome to join our club, if you have not already...

Monsieur le Marechal Baron John Corbin
Duc de Paive
Commanding the Division de Cavalerie de la Jeune Garde
NWC President

Jason,
It's good to see you back after all this time. I learned a lot from your tactical treatises in my early days in the club and enjoyed one or two of your scenarios too.[:)]

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