<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Antony Barlow</i>
<br />This is a welcome change as far as I'm concerned. However what was the reason for not extending this change to disordered units in line formation as well, given that the game allows units to change formation to line in covered terrain? So why not allow such units to reform in line when they become disordered (especially if you consider disruption a simulation of a shaken morale state as much as a physical disorganisation of a formation)? Units in line would still be penalised with disorder if they moved, which is correct.
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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Several sets of miniature rules I have played had differences on wooded terrain. Basically you had dense woods, those that were not maintained, and then you had those that were "kept" by the local folks. A woodlot for lack of a better term.
When troops moved into the former they were put into a GENERAL order and basically there was NO formation. When they came out of the woods they would take one turn to reorder. They were vulnerable to charges and melees for that one turn.
For the latter type of terrain the unit could remain in its own formation but at a reduced movement rate and possible disorder/loss of formation when it moved through such terrain.
Since the HPS series only has ONE type of woods (with orchard SORT of covering the woodlots) they are considered as per the former type.
That said since John DOES allow for different formations in the woods AND he is allowing for reorder of Columns this is BETTER than making the troops go into some formation which upon leaving the woods would leave them vulnerable for a turn to a charge.
While this may not be the answer you want its how I rationalize the entire situation.
Here is how I would like woods and towns to be handled:
Woods (not orchard):
This represents unmanicured forests. Still has undergrowth and is mainly for skirmishers to move through. Infantry that enters the woods is put in a General order. They fight at 1/2 strength. Skirmishers in woods fight at 1x strength against ANY unit including GENERAL order. Cavalry would NOT be allowed in forests. They would NOT rout into them either.
Towns:
Similar to Woods except that if you enter a Town via a road you remain in Column formation. You could change into General formation to utilize the cover OR Line formation if you wanted to use your firepower (but you dont get the cover bonus). Or you could remain in Column.
Orchards:
Utilizing the PDT Height line you can increase the height of this terrain to be say 15-20 meters. This would be similar to the woods terrain in height. Infantry in orchards could be in any formation they want but if they move their disorder.
A note on disorder:
I would prefer two units states: their Command status and their Formation status.
Formation status would be changed when they cross over a wall, stream, woods, etc. to Disrupted.
Command status would be disordered based on a failed command test (toss out the status called Detached which would be for Commanders only. Units that are Disordered would have 1/2 MPs but would still fight at normal rate.
Formation status would be recovered based on morale (and I would prefer a training grade for each unit as well for this test). You would get one test each turn which you would invoke for the unit AFTER you crossed the terrain which caused you to be Disrupted.
I would like to see three unit states as well:
Shaken
Blown (for lack of a better phrase)
Routed
Each would require a turn to recover from. Thus Disorder would ONLY have to do with the Command test.
Light cavalry would be exempt from Disorder as they were used for Scouting. Skirmishers would need to remain within 6 hexes of their parent unit in order to remain undisordered.
Add in the training grades:
Levies
Drilled
Elite (for lack of a better phrase)
Levies would add an additional +1 to their test to reorder from movement which causes them to Disrupt.
Drilled would add nothing to their roll.
Elite would deduct 1 from their roll.
Anyway, we all differ probably on how we would like to see the entire issue handled but what we have is far better than what we had.
Bill Peters
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt and ... more to come)
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