Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Just curious as to what are generally deemed to be the best set of optional rules to use? Any thoughts?

(I realize that everyone has their own taste, but there are probably standard set ups used... I'm thinking whatever is used in the NWC gaming contests is a probably a good choice)

Thanks,
Tim

The Default rules in the SON Tournament are not a bad set. I think you should always avoid Multiple Infantry Melee and always use No Melee Elimination. The attacking player will invariably want the Isolation Rule ON and normally Rout Limiting OFF. Some of the Optional Rules have a neutral effect like Optional Fire Results and Optional Melee Results, but most rules either favor the attacker or the defender. In the end, the rules selected should be a compromise with your opponent, but beware, as a very unbalanced set of optional rules that greatly favor your adversary will significantly shift the balance of any given scenario and greatly reduce your chances of victory. The proper selection of optional rules is critical, and something that I hope is being throughly covered by all Trainers in the club with their Cadets.

For me as the Attacker you could have Rout Limiting OFF and my opponents, the defenders, would still have all of his units pass their morale checks after I melee them.

Frankly I have seen that tactic (of attacking to rout) backfire as many times as it has worked. The attacker ends up with a bunch of Disordered units stuck out and if you can do the counter attack right you can get them to run like wild geese. And if the Isolation Rule is ON they end up weak as kittens.

Whenever I have tried to use that tactic it has backfired on me. Frankly it goes to show that even the best laid plans of mice and men ...

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

Greetings, Tim.
Both of the above post replies offer excellent advice to your question. As I believe you are a French officer (do not forget to add your signature as Brigadier Jones has directed) I would recommend that you also enter Pierre's Tavern and you will find many threads dealing with this very subject.
Regards,

Hey, cool, Pierre's Tavern! Why I have been missing those posts all of my career here. I think I will just stroll on over and have a look........who exactly is this big fellow blocking the doorway? He seems to have some deep seated aversion to my fine, red coat and.......what do you mean I need a password? (Gasp!)

Oh, the indignity!

Yes, attack the Allies as much as possible, get the usual French luck on the die rolls, win the battle.

Short threads, but to the point!

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

Regarding luck, I will quote from a foreword to Clausewitz (briefly, I promise ). "... to exclude or deny chance was to go against nature, indeed, chance was to be welcomed because it was part of reality. It was not only a threat but also a positive force to be exploited. Napoleon expressed this idea perfectly in his operational dictum: Engage the enemy, and see what happens. The commander put himself in the way of chance, the power at his disposal and his will to use it enabled him to turn chance into a new reality." As far as this refers to "lucky French die rolls," I will admit to the use of master dice makers from the guild on Corsica...

Ben Butler used that element (chance) too. He rolled dice like I do.

Napoleon almost had his rump handed to him at Austerlitz. Had the Russians been better lead in places his forces would have come running back down the hill. You must read Goetz' book to understand just how close of a "near run thing" the entire battle was.

When he won he claimed the credit. When he lost it was someone else's fault.

Reminds me of many NBA players!

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

REVISITED
See me next post.

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Hi Christian

Well thought through and I need my brain in gear to respond.
Perhaps one comment I would make I like 15 minute turns so disagree about MCM.
Pass through fire is also an area of debate perhaps its more important if your French and attacking in mass column.

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Jim Hall
Field Marshall
Commander Anglo-Allied Army

Looking forward to your response.
Indeed with 15 Minutes things look different, especially with cavalry as I have the feeling that cavalry is overall a bit too slow, I think for the "Musket & Pike" series there is or was at least talked about changing the movement rates of the different cavalry types so that lighter types have some more movement points.
Maybe that could work here too.

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Deleted, will do a full thread for Optional rules.

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