Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

You'll have to excuse my poor knowledge of foreign languages but is "renowned" French for pititful?

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Field Marshal Mark Nelms

Keep in mind some historical scenarios will favor one side or the other, I think historcial Wagram will favor a comepetent French player for example. To get the historical bias out you may need to look at the what if type or alternate type scenario. Having been playtesting on a number of games I can tell you balance is a major goal but we also want to offer the historical option. Always consider the skill level of both players and the rules if you want to be fair.

I believe in most of the games with notable exceptions of Leipzig and 1814 having rout limiting turned off is going to favor the French and that is historical. If you want play balance then tick it on.

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Field Marshal Sir Edward Blackburn, 1st Duke of Aberdeen K.G.
85th (Buck's Light Volunteers) Regiment of Foot
16th British Brigade
7th Division
III (Peninsular) Corps
2nd Battalion, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards

Obviously you are not very good at picking scenarios!
Battle On

For years, I have struggle when playing with a decided cavalry inferiority. Wagram is a case in point but for me so has been Borodino. This is a bit easier in 1814 and to a lesser extent in 1813 for the allies, because of the number of guns and, in 1814, the French often lack the infantry for a good combined attack in the scenarios in which they have a cavalry superiority(Vauchamps, for instance).

It is my belief that many of the scenarios are stacked in favor of the French, even if in many, such as many Jena scenarios, the VP's required for French victory require destroying the Prussians. By this, I mean, it is easier, in the rare contest of equal players, for the French to win on the battlefield, if not the VPs. I do not see this as a flaw, but rather history. Jena, Friedland (ok we do not have this one, and I have heard zero rumors of it being made), Wagram, Borodino, the Battle of Eckmulh, Lutzen, and Bautzen (do not have the latter two either)---what do these all have in common? Napoleon got there firstest with the mostest and this presents a challenge to the allied player and the scenario designer.

Even some battles where the numbers are more matched (Borodino), the quality of the French and more so their organization gives them an advantage. In the 1805 game, the Austrian army organization, and the Russians to, gives the allied players headaches, compared to the lean and efficient corps organization of the French.

Sure, many scenarios CAN be one by the side with the odds stacked against them, but it is rare. I do not mind playing them, though, unless they are truly no win...

Writing this and the Borodino post has me thinking of digging up NRC and installing it...

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In Jena (the twin battle large map one), the organization and quality favor the French, while the cavalry and VP requirements favor the Prussians. On the whole, I found it rather well balanced. In our match, Colin made expert use of the Prussian cavalry while making a fighting withdrawl in the south. More Prussians fell than French, but as the day closed, Apolda remained in Prussian hands and the flanking maneuver at Camburg had been stopped cold. Alexander Zaytsev and I had a draw at Jena due mostly to his skillful maneuvering at Auerstadt. Tomasz and I playtested this one and his use of the Prussian heavy cav caused a lot of problems for me

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Marechal Jeff Bardon
Duc de Castiglione et Prince de Wagram
Commandant de la Garde Imperiale

Jim if you want a bon 1812 game you should down load the H&R Games they can't be beat ! NRC is so dated the units look old and hard to me to move .