Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Gentlemen,
I am looking for some clarification, if anyone has it.
I was flipping through the various Quatre Bras scenarios, and noticed a slight deployment difference, with the D-B troops in hex (26,39).
In scenario A (the historical scenario), the infantry is deployed IN FRONT OF the artillery, screening it, and preventing it from firing. Additionally, the infantry is facing down right, toward the road, as one would expect, but the artillery is facing down left (not that it matters since it is screened anyway).
In scenarios B & C, the artillery is deployed in front of the infantry, so it can fire, and it is facing down right, toward the road, where one would expect it to face.
Then, in scenarios N & O, the artillery, while still deployed in front of the infantry, is again facing down left, away from the road.
To me is seems highly unlikely that scenarios A, N, & O are correct, particularly A. While I realise that Prince William was not the most astute tactician, even the most junior officer in the D-B army would understand that deploying the infantry, in line, in front of the artillery, is not such a good idea. When playing the scenarios, since the French move first, the A-A Commander has no opportunity to adjust this deployment. At best all the A-A Commander can do is change formation during the defensive phase, and hope some of the guns survive the inevitable assault, and rout out of there. The artillery deployed in the road is not much better, but at least it gets 1 defensive shot, before it gets stomped.

Was this done on purpose, or just some little deployment error that never got incorporated in a patch?

Is there some house rule about this, like maybe modifying the scenario before starting a game?

Is this something that has even been observed and/or addressed before?


Ensign William Davis
23rd (Royal Welsh) Fusiliers

You are right, the initial deployment of 2nd DB division is completely unhistorical.
This website - http://www.waterloo-campaign.nl/ describes the deployment of Allied troops around QB in a great detail. (Under 16th June section / The action at QB/ pdf files).

This is another great article on this topic by Erwin Muilwijk:
http://www.wargame.ch/wc/nwc/newsletter ... eBras.html

I do not know whether this issue was officially addressed. I personally preferred to follow the historical scenario and deployment.

If you are interested I can email you a number of files, which modify original PTW into PTW New Settings and make the game more historical especially in terms of British reinforcements arrival. Other key changes are: movement, initial deployment, quality and a few other things.


Major Alexey Tartyshev
Moscow Grenadiers Regiment
2nd Grenadier Division
8th Infantry Corps
2nd Army of the West (NWC)

I would be most interested in seeing them sir. Thank you.
WillieD13@yahoo.com



Ensign William Davis
23rd (Royal Welsh) Fusiliers

sent yesterday

Major Alexey Tartyshev
Moscow Grenadiers Regiment
2nd Grenadier Division
8th Infantry Corps
2nd Army of the West (NWC)