Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Gentlemen,

a group of Russian army members has started a long playing project of finding game settings that fit our own understanging of historical accuracy. An overview of these changes and thought will be available very soon. Quite a few changes were made and tested and it looks like much better now. Still the better you test the better is the result. So we decided to conduct a massive testing of the ideas in form of tournament. It is not intended to decide who plays better. It would just be a series of scenarios played, but with logical connections between them, so they are not standalone battles but a campaign.

The idea is that every participant will be associated with one of high level commanders withing French and Russo-Austrian armies of 1805. Each of them will execute decisions made by team leaders ("Napoleon" and "Kutuzov"). These diceisions will lead to a series of small corps-vs-corps scenarions and finally will be followed by a general battle. We shall try to implement a series of cocepts that will allow to take into account such aspects as fog of war, marching fatigue, food supplies etc. The format and the scope are still being discussed and may be changed. So, those interested, please speak up.

Details will follow soon. Stay tuned.

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Will this be in the style of the "Tessier" games, with a "game master" making the moves or just the players making the moves as they receive orders? Do you anticipate having order delays and other command and control situations to mimic historical delays and mis-communications?

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Ernie Sands
1ère Brigade of 2ème Division de Grosse Cavalerie, Réserve de Cavalerie
de la Grande Armée
President, Colonial Campaigns Club

Ernie,

I'm not sure about the Tessier games. So I'll just describe the idea as I saw it. On example.

Suppose it's Nov 8 1805. Every French army commander is told the strength of his corps and it's location. Overal commander ("Napoleon") is told all this info as well. Next he decides who does what. Options may for example be for Murat to follow the Russians rather than march onto Wien. Every corps commander receives these orders. Next without any communication with others he decides how will he execute the order. He may march vigorously loose stragglers, gain a lot of fatigue but probably get into a preferable position. Or he may move slowly, decrease fatigue but arrive late (or too late). The same is done on the Allied side. Next, based on choices made the game master sets up scenarios. With all those factors mentioned taken into account. Next the battles are fought by those directly involved. For example at historical Durenstein "Miloradovich" and "Dokhturov" would fight against one player - "Mortier". But, with different choices "Bagration" could take part as well, or it could be a simple rear guard action of "Miloradovich" or anything else. At the same time there may be one more battle fought at Wien. For example. Next Kutuzov has to decide what to do, not knowing yet about the fact of whether action at Wien happened or not and what was it's result. At a proper time he will be given a chance to change his decision etc., etc. Actually it's just like the campaign game with the only difference that before it started we do not know where it may possibly lead to. It will very much depend on the players. The format is intended for the case when we have several maps that cover locations close to one another, but not a single huge map. For one map campaign even better method may be applied. But right now I do not want to focus on it, as it will obscure the main point - oob, scn and pdt changes.

But, here I need to say a very important thing. Although organising such a scenario would be a great fun, I have to say that right not it's a secondary aim. The primary is to test extensively those concepts we have developed. And hence, for the sake of testing, maybe it will be that every pair of players will fight the same scenarios with different settings/oob structures/etc. We will discuss the results with everyone interested, select the best ideas and dropp off the worst one. Unfortunately the document is not brushed up to perfection yet. And the guys are a little bit shy to show a raw text.

So, probably, the first one will not be too much fun as a strategic campaign. We are talking about 1805 campaign in Austria-Moravia because there was quite some preliminary work done. I'm very much interested in such a campaign on a big map in 1805 around Ulm with Russian army arriving two weeks earlier; 1805 in Kent with Napoleons landing; 1813 on the huge map around Jena with Napoleons forces retreating after Leipzig and allied light forces chasing them; and, the last but not the least, 1799 Suvorov vs Napoleon in Northern Italy - a what if in case expedition to Egipt never happened. I believe such a tournament is just the right format for such a massive what if play. If anyone would be interested to organise such a tourney I will gladly share what I have. One can't organise and take part in it at the same time. And beign a participant is so much appealing to me!

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Interesting! You can sign me up! I might bring some real Anglo-Allied experience to the muddy fields of Russia!

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Marco,

no Russia! It's about fields of Austrian and Moravia. But yes, they are muddy

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I was in a game of Eckmuhl several years back that ran this way. Only problem was that the game collapsed.

Hope that doesn't happen here. The maps were great and it was real Fog of War. I was told what was going on on my flank and that was it. Orders would get to me during the battle.

The battle was played by the umpires in that game. This one will be MP games (or one on one) having the player play against each other in the game engine.

Its an interesting concept and fun to play if everyone (especially umpires) stick with it.

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

OK. I understand. The Overall commander, on each side, will direct each Corps to do something. After those orders, the UMPIRE sets the scenario taking into consideration the directions of EACH overall commander.

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Ernie Sands
1ère Brigade of 2ème Division de Grosse Cavalerie, Réserve de Cavalerie
de la Grande Armée
President, Colonial Campaigns Club

Yes, the CinC gives the orders but the subordinates only know what is going on in their general vicinity. Once they reach the battlefield they then move their troops as per a normal game. If Napoleon is present then orders by him would be given. Otherwise the corps would either elect an overall senior member (you guys should check on Marechal seniority for instance) to command the side with the other commander following those orders as best as possible.

Ideally the series would be helped with a Fog of War feature for MP games similar to what was in the Naval series. Units under command of one player would only see what their units could see. Something I would like to see added to the series.

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

[quote="Bill Peters"]

Ideally the series would be helped with a Fog of War feature for MP games similar to what was in the Naval series. Units under command of one player would only see what their units could see. Something I would like to see added to the series.[/quote]

We have discussed that feature, before, for all the games, as it makes MP games much better; like it is in LAN/Internet play.

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Ernie Sands
1ère Brigade of 2ème Division de Grosse Cavalerie, Réserve de Cavalerie
de la Grande Armée
President, Colonial Campaigns Club

This sounds very interesting Anton. Are you going to publish your changes and methodology to the club? I am particuarly interested in your choice of settings and rationale for each.

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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

I DON'T PLAY WITH ROUT LIMITING OR NME OFF

Ed,

Of course we are. Right now it's a 32 page long document. It's being actively modified and extended in two aspects. First is the initial set of parameters/rules/etc. Everyone involved has his own opinion which is slightly different from the others We need to set some exact figures and this will be made only after some more tests are carried out and analysed. Second, the English is being brushed up. No one want's to release a text in "Russian English".

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Sounds good Anton, if you need a review of the English I will be happy to assist. (Plus I get to read it early).

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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

I DON'T PLAY WITH ROUT LIMITING OR NME OFF

Yes, its something I hope that we could have eventually. No promises though (HO HO HO!).

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

Bill!

HOHOHO!....Is that a clue to a christmas release of a new title!!!

[quote="Mike Ellwood"]Bill!

HOHOHO!....Is that a clue to a christmas release of a new title!!! [/quote]

No, Mike, Bill was referring to the members of the "red light" district of Boise. There are only 3 of them!!

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Ernie Sands
1ère Brigade of 2ème Division de Grosse Cavalerie, Réserve de Cavalerie
de la Grande Armée
President, Colonial Campaigns Club