.. of enhancements I would like to see in the engine (in no particlular order, except as I remember them):
1) A new <i>march-column </i>formation for infantry and cavalry, entered/exited from line at ~4MP and from column at 1/2 turn. Only this formation would get pike/road/path bonus. It would attack and defend as disordered and would have only flank hexes. The French and British would get faster movement in this formation than other nationalities.
2) Reduce stacking limit in town/forest hexes by 1/2, but leave the skirmisher limit at 1/8 regular stacking. Thus 250 skirmishers could strongly defend a forest town hex against a maximum of 1000 attackers.
3) Separate movement point costs for skirmishers from battle column, since they are a distinct formation. This would allow skirmishers to have faster movement through forest hexes, battle columns to have slower movement through town hexes, etc.
4) Make squadrons the basic cavalry unit, regarded as a <i>formed</i> unit, able to break down into 2 flugels/companies each for <i>open order</i> assignments. Of course, use the historical squadron counts (4 for most French, 8 for Austrian light and 6 for Austrian heavy cavalry, etc.)
5) Assign fewer points to Hussar/Chasseur/Cheveauleger casualties, and more to Cuirassier casualties, leaving Dragoons unchanged; the rationale seems fairly obvious.
6) Create a new <i>City</i> hex type with maximum stacking set at about 750 infantry, 375 cavalry or 6 guns, completely unchargeable by cavalry.
7) As a corollary, maybe as an optional rule, allow cavalry to charge only <b>one</b> hex into Town hexes but disorder them <b>before</b> they initiate melee. This would remove the necessity for a MOE rule.
Allow square to be formed in covered terrain. A Square is nothing more than an extreme refusal of both flanks, until the flanks meet again in the rear, which simply happens to be an effective anti-cavalry measure (by refusing all flanks, curiously enough).
9) Introduce additional <i>National</i> traits, as there certainly were plenty:
i) Allow French additional movement in square, a tactical doctrine their elite units used frequently.
ii) Give Austrian/Prussian/Polish light cavalry bonuses when in open order, such as better visibility and slightly increased movement. (Cossacks might get the movement but not the visibility - suggestions from Russian players welcome.)
iii) Give British units in Line a melee bonus to reflect their better-aimed volley fire at extreme close range - perhaps 10% instead of the 25% others get in column, but let them have it in attack <b>and</b> defence.
10) Introduce a <i>closed-order</i> battle column with effective anti-cavalry capability (eg no flank attack bonus and charge at only *1.5), increased vulnerability to artillery (+20%) and small-arms fire (+10%) relative to a square, and fast movement to/from normal column. Available to all except the British I believe.
11) Track artillery rounds separately by round-shot and case-shot, and by battery with replenishment wagons as for infantry ammunition.
That's enough for tonight. I have no expectations of seeing all of these next spring, but it would be nice to imagine one or two being implemented each year for the forseeable future. (Otherwise I might have to get off my @$$ and write my own game engine, as I have been threatening to do for years now.)
Lieutenant Pieter Geerkens
2ème du 22ème, VII Saxon Corps,
L'Armèe du Rhin
"Even in the attack, [I found] the spade is the equal of the rifle." - Erwin Rommel
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