Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

I have played the Talonsoft games when they first came out. I enjoyed the colorful units but I grew out of the eye candy aspect of gaming and was seeking something more historical in a game. Especially with the way that the skirmishers would block the route of formed infantry. I can remember Jim Dobbins mobbing me with Russian skirmishers in our NIR battles all too well.

So when I had a chance to go to work with John Tiller on the HPS Napoleonic series I jumped at the opportunity of helping to erase some of the errors of the past.

The result over 10 years of work is that we have an engine that is fun to play and much of the old blitz days are over. Provided that you find someone that plays with a historical flare the games are alot of fun to play. I do not regret the hours I have spent in email discussions trying to get some new option worked out with John and Rich.

Our customer base also added in ideas and together the product is (more than ever) alot of fun to play.

If anyone is reading this forum as an observer you cannot go wrong in picking up any of our Napoleonic titles. I highly recommend them to someone that loves the period and enjoys a good battle - Napoleonic style! [:D]

Colonel Bill Peters, 17th Dragoons, III Corps, French Army
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Swiss-Swedish Army CinC, Musket and Cannon Game Club - Come over and see what we are all about!

I agree, they are the best avilable IMO.[:D]

Lieutenant General
Ed Blackburn
Commanding Second Div, II Corps, AAA
3rd Bn / 1st Regiment of Foot Guards

They had that little movie that after a while was a pain also, the only thing I would like is better music !!!!!![:D]HP all the way !!!

Col Kliff Marbot
3/3 e Artillerie de Cheval
2nd Div I Corps LaGrande Armee

Just would like to point out that I find that NIR did not have Blitz tactics but was actually the opposite due to absence of "weak ZOC", smashing artillery fp, overpowered skirmishes and linear casualties calculation.

Blitzkrieg tactics is what i find to be the problem when plying HPS with manual defensive fire off. Cavalry ability to charge additional hexes after their first melee makes artillery extremely unsafe close to the battle line (more like a burden), while on longer ranges its simply ineffective. Mindless AI target selection makes the problem even worse.

Anyhow with manual defensive fire on I find that HPS engine is the most realistic Nwars simulator currently available but of course there is always something to be improved.


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

Actually if you play with the NME rule and deploy your artillery correctly they do not get run over. At least not in the 10 min turn format.

Even with the Waterloo 10 MP format you should be able to deploy them to where they can get in good shots and then pull back when you need to.

Most players stick a unit in FRONT of the guns in LINE or COLUMN and then the cavalry hits THEM and gets the extra attack into the guns. That is the problem.

Just deploy your guns out of range. Once the cavalry gets to within 6 hexes start thinking of pulling them out.

Colonel Bill Peters, 17th Dragoons, III Corps, French Army
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Swiss-Swedish Army CinC, Musket and Cannon Game Club - Come over and see what we are all about!

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the guns become uncrewed by a successful melee assault? Then in the following turn, they could be meleed/spiked if the owners were unable to regain the guns.

Making artillery elimination a 2 turn process would reduce losses and make them a less tempting target for extended cav charges.



Maréchal Jeff Bardon
Division de Cavalerie
IV Corps, la Grande Armee

I would like to leave the spike rule alone. I also would like for them to have to be re-taken (yes, for one full turn) and then the crew comes back automatically on the next turn.

I do NOT want the ACW series format where they can just pop up again out of the earth (Dune books where the natives would just pop up out of the desert comes to mind!).

Spiking could be an option at best. But the popup format is a big negative for me.

Colonel Bill Peters, 17th Dragoons, III Corps, French Army
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Swiss-Swedish Army CinC, Musket and Cannon Game Club - Come over and see what we are all about!

Please, please, please don't do anything with the artillery that resembles the confusing mess of the ACW games.

Lt. Colonel Dale Lastowicka
1st Regiment of Light Dragoons
3rd British/KGL Brigade
Cavalry Division
II Corps
Anglo-Allied Army

[8D][:D][;)][}:)] (cunningly devising how to mess it up!)

Sure, lets leave it as is. Its fine with me!

Colonel Bill Peters, 17th Dragoons, III Corps, French Army
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Swiss-Swedish Army CinC, Musket and Cannon Game Club - Come over and see what we are all about!