About Bonaparte: Some Rules Modifications for the British

     In my last post, I described some modifications that I use for American forces in my About Bonaparte games. At that time, I also promised the next being on modifications for the Anglo-Canadian side. I'm going to format it slightly differently than my previous two posts (for some reason the paragraphs had little separation. Hopefully, I've corrected it this time).

    Some of the changes aren't really changes at all, but rather modifications and/or clarifications. Part of the reason is because Canada was considered a "backwater" as far as War Office was concerned. Officers relieved or otherwise removed from the Peninsula (where the "real" action was) were good enough for Canada. Americans? Ah, just a bunch of republican upstarts and amateurs. 

 

British light 6-pounder

    Under the existing About Bonaparte rules, British infantry always deploy into line formation, never attack columns. Road columns for movement only may be used. British regulars are always considered Veterans after 1809.  All British infantry will have an Officer attached. In AB, the attachment of an officer definitely has positive morale effects. For Spain, maybe that's perfectly true, although I have my doubts.

British line with skirmishers out front

    My modifications here are minor. The British forces in Canada were basically garrison forces. What actions they had prior to 1812 were primarily border control and policing. The local tribes were relatively peaceful, and the military presence of the U.S. south of the border was minimal. So, here's what I've done:

    1. Only British reinforcements in late 1813/1814 will be considered Veterans. Troops in Canada prior to the war will be considered Trained.

    2.  All units must have an attached Officer. Attached Officers will be diced for prior to the start of the game. 1-4, they will not affect morale when a flag is thrown. On a 5/6 they will operate normally, allowing the unit to ignore one morale hit.

    3. RN sailors act as (Trained) skirmishers on land, never Veteran. RN artillery crews on land will be considered Veteran.

    4. Canadian Sedentary Militia will always be considered Green. Select Embodied Militia and Canadian Artillery will always be considered Trained. All Anglo-Canadian artillery will be light.

    5. Each Brigade (3-4 units) requires a General Officer. Two or more Brigades acting together will require an additional General Officer and 2 Aides (Officers).

    6. Anglo-Canadian cavalry were primarily used as scouts or recon. I only know of one cavalry charge, and that was a single troop of light dragoons charging an American company (who were able to get to cover in time).

    7. Native allies will always be considered Irregulars. They will follow the rules outlined in the American War of Independence/French and Indian War sections of the basic rules.

    Well, that's it for now. I have come to like these rules. They are by no means perfect, what rules are? But they play fairly well (and of course are subject to local modification). For those who are interested, they are available from Caliver Books: Partizan Press and authored by Dirk Donvil. Check them out at www.caliverbooks.com . Until next time...

About Bonaparte: Some Rule Modifications for the War of 1812

As many of you are aware if you've followed my thoughts and musings over the last few years, the Anglo-American War of 1812 is my favorite Napoleonic Era conflict, and this goes back well-over fifty years. Recreating the war in 54mm however is something I've only done in the last seven of so years. Part of the issue, and this is applicable to other eras, is the need for a set of rules that are relatively simple but at the same time convey the essence of what is trying to be recreated. Before discovering Dirk Donvil's laudable About Bonaparte rules, I had tried several others including the almost venerable Charge! rules of Charles Grant. It was a long, albeit enjoyable trek. I have now played Dirk's rules several times including solo, club, and convention venues. They work. They are fun and they capture the spirit of Napoleonic battle. But, as always, and most of us have done this a some point in our pursuit of the hobby, we feel the need to tweak the basic rules to satisfy our particular interpretation of an issue or event. Within the basic rule set, Dirk has provided a number of properties unique to each of the major powers during the Napoleonic Wars. But while Great Britiain has a full set of these, the fledgling United States, that upstart on the other side of the Atlantic was totally ignored (along with the Royal troops in Canada). I'll discuss my American Army distinctions today and will follow up with the British next time. I've tweaked those also. American regular infantry can only deploy in line. Since the flank companies of these regiments were usually light infantry, each regiment may deploy two (2) skirmishers . American Rifle regiments, both militia and regulars, always deploy as skirmishers, unless behind works or fortifications. U.S. Regiments 1-7 are considered to be trained, and may progress to veteran status as the war enters its second year. All other U.S. Regiments will initially be considered green. Those under the command of Scott, Ripley, or Brown may be upgraded as the game designer sees fit. U.S. Regular Artillery may be either trained or veteran . Militia line is mostly green. Miltia Rifles and/or uniformed volunteer units (very much like military clubs) drilled with more frequency and may be considered trained. Johnson's and Coffey's Regiments of Kentucky Militia are considered to be mounted rifles and veterans. Finally, U.S, forces are organized into Brigades of 3-4 regiments. Two or more Brigades will form a Division. Artillery was generally controlled at the Division level. That's the basics. I'll go into more details later or for that matter modify these as I play more games. Until next time...