Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Sirs:

After gaining some experience with the new options and engine changes, I would like to raise the following:

1. The Detached Units optional rule prevents a unit that is out of command range of the bridge commander from initiating melee combat. I like this rule because it seems historical and encourages unit cohesion and reducing somewhat the wild melee actions that we often witness. One observation though is if a detached unit becomes isolated or surrounded, it would likely not be able to fight it's way unless it was stacked with its BG. This would be especially detrimental to cavalry units -- which would in effect be as good as dead since they are prevented from beating their way out of a wet paper bag so to speak. Players should consider this negative consequence of the detached rule when it is being used.

2. With the new engine changes, supply wagons now rout with common frequency. The problem is that the supply wagons don't appear to ever regain good order. This prevents them from moving closer to enemy units and can hamper their attempts to evade capture. It does appear that routed supply wagons can continue to supply the army's units but they are limited by their routed status. Based on my game experience, I recommend that supply wagons should be able to reorder. And what causes a supply wagon to rout in the first place? Is it because they are stacked with or are adjacent to a formed unit that routs?

Thank you all for any feedback.

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FM Sir 'Muddy' Jones, KG
2nd Life Guards, 1st Squadron, Household Cavalry
1st Duke of Uxbridge & Anglesey K.G.

It does appear that routed supply wagons can continue to supply the army's units but they are limited by their routed status.

I'm not sure if they can.

I certainly would like to see Supply units being able to rally.

At the battle of Jena I had a supply wagon rout 25 hexes away from the Prussians.

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2ème Brigade, 1ère Division, 1er Corps d'Armee
Général de Brigade

In regards to the detached units, yes its a bit too much that they could fight there way out of a wet bag but then it was a pretty bad idea to get them isolated at all. If that is a thing happening close to friendly troops they have to make contact with that unit again.

In regards to routed supply, besides the fact that the new OR seems rather roughly designed and that it needs a good portion of refinement, the problem here is simply that supply has no quality, that means no moral and without moral no recovery from rout. Would be nice to give them quality ratings too, not only for that OR but also for the fact that at certain times the supply was provided by civilian drivers and such units should obviously be rated F unless something special is know about them. Once armies resorted to military drivers the ratings should maybe be on level with the line infantry or one level below unless something special is know about them.

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Gentleman,

I know I’m new here but would like to offer my opinion nevertheless. I agree with the Detached Melee rule. If a unit becomes isolated and does not have contact with its command I believe it should lose the ability to melee. From a military standpoint the unit without orders would not attack but rather drop into a defensive posture. If they are attacked, they obviously would defend with desperation, but I agree that a formulated attack would not be possible in this era of fighting. Plus, as mentioned, from a game standpoint, it does force a player to be cognizant of his units command and cuts down on the “gaminess.” We do, or could have the whole battlefield recon’d before the match starts leading to some interesting choices that a commander of this era could, and may never have made. I’m all about playing the game to potentially change history, but I want to do it by fighting a battle to strategic advantage not because I purely got “out gamed” due to system.

Thank you for your time in considering my opinion.

With Respect,
JJ

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Mayor Joshua Jansen
Chief of Staff
Imperial Russian Corps

Would also be nice if routed units did not rout through enemy lines and reform into their original fighting status. And why must they rout across open fields to the one cavalry unit out there. Frustrating game play.

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Major General Richard Bradshaw, 1st Viscount of Manchester

Lloyd's Battery, Royal Artillery
Royal Regiment of Artillery
Reserve Artillery & Engineers

Indeed, although a unit that looses its head doesn't act logic anymore it should at least act in ways possible. Routing through enemy units should be impossible.

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Indeed, I agree! This is one of the features that is more of a pain. Especially if your unit reforms and you're trying to get it back to your lines.

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Generalfeldmarschall Scott Kronprinz "Vorwärts" Ludwig von Preußen
Kommandeur des Königlich-Preußischen Armee-Korps
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Allied Coalition
Allied Coalition Webmaster & Club Website Support