Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

I have been seeing a lot of squaring when it was not historically called for. A lot of us are starting to put guns with squares long before any cavalry unit shows up ...

So .. for 2017 I am going to start using a new House Rule for all new games that reads like this:

1. No infantry unit can form square unless there is a cavalry threat present.

2. A cavalry threat is any cavalry unit that can charge and gain a bonus against infantry in melee.

3. The threat range is their movement range to contact plus 4 hexes (basically 2 moves away). Thus if the cavalry unit is 4 open hexes and then 4 field hexes away it is NOT a cavalry threat. It could not reach your position in 2 moves.

I am using the "2 moves" rule as I know that one move distance would be a bit too close. But if a cavalry unit is absent from the scenario then squaring should not be allowed. It was a defensive formation against cavalry. It was not meant to be a "360 ZOC" formation to deny units the ability to move by them. I say only allow squaring, if cavalry are absent, if there is a historical use of it in that battle where there is infantry vs. infantry. Otherwise ... no squaring unless there is cavalry present.

By the way ... I was for eliminating the ZOC for squares .. why? Because just watch any cavalry charge against a square .. the cavalry went right by them (taking fire in the process) and the square did not stop their movement .. .it was not like the cavalry were in "the adjacent hex" either.

Squares should not have a ZOC .. pure and simple. And its that ZOC that is causing a lot of our games to become ridiculous matches of infantry in column vs. squares. The losses to the square are also not correct. In theory the unit would be decimated and hors de combat if a column attacked 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)

The problem with that house rule is it opens up abuse by the other side.

In flat terrain, one could hide cavalry behind approaching infantry columns. You might suspect there is cavalry coming, but you can't do anything about it. Then they can just move in and charge your unprepared infantry who were not allowed to form square.

If you are going to use that house rule, you would almost have to play with manual defensive fire on to give the defenders a chance to form squares.

And I totally agree about the squares and their ZOC. If there are squares in every other hex, cavalry should be able to charge right past and around them if they want to.

Not sure why one would what to from squares when there is no danger from cavalry, yea the 360 ZOC is a benefit but the square is also a better target. Infantry fire on such a square gains + 25% and artillery fire +50%.

But I would be too for removing the ZOC for squares, especially as I don't see any bonus if such a square is meleed. I would expect if a side of a square is meleed by an infantry unit in column, that it would either give the attacker more attack strength or the defender less Defending Strength because the majority of the square is likely not even facing the assault.

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Mike - I always have the ground in LOS in front of me by using units on higher elevation ... or at an angle to the units attacking ...

If ANY cavalry (that gets the bonus) is spotted and it disappears behind troops or the folds of the terrain it would automatically justify the ability to square. Pretty simple fix.

But what is happening is that many of us are squaring up to use the square as a ZOC barrier... three such squares separated by one hex can hold up the advance of a brigade for many turns. Yup, I bring up the guns and blow them away but it takes too long. Simple thing .. just dont square in order to create a ZOC wall.

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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)

Surely ZoC is an artificial concept, created by the early game-writer to prevent troops marching past other troops who would normally fire at them, without being fired at. So;

If the game is played in auto-fire mode then no unit should have a ZoC - the autofire will let units fire at any thing that crosses their line of fire.

If a manual fire phase is being used, then all units should have a ZoC - otherwise cavalry (especially) could gallop right past a unit in square without a single shot being fired.

The problem (never having experienced it) seems to be that squares are using their ZoC to form a barrier to movement. In this case the problem might be that the square is too effective at defending itself in such a formation. If it took more damage relative to its current disadvantage (e.g. fighting as "isolated") then players would not use squares because they would simply be massacred by a columnar melee or Line fire.




Lt Serena

Yes, ZOCs only project into a hex that it faces thus denying the idea that it has to do with the ability of a unit to project its strength into adjacent hexes.

Most of us use the Weak ZOC rule for that reason. I think that NO ZOC rule would not be good. Probably opens up the door for more blitz type movement. However, a No ZOC rule for squares makes perfect sense.

Units didnt usually waltz by a unit in line. The fire was devastating at one hex. Often I think that the firepower of one hex fire, if raised, might make folks think twice before they moved adjacent to melee a unit's frontal hexes.

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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)