Black Powder - The infantry in melee versus square rules

Following the game a couple of weeks ago, where I mentioned a dissatisfaction with the melee rules for infantry versus square, I've had a week off in Venice where I had a deal of time to think about it. I've just posted a reply to the comments to that post and thought it might be useful to reprint it as a separate blog entry here:

I have played quite a few games using rules from the 'Warlord stable' now, and I'm quite impressed by the tool box approach, which is very similar to the approach of Bob Jones and all those, including myself, who have written supplements for the 'Piquet stable'. Rules should never be hard and fast. Indeed, in most games here we generally run a 'special rules menu of the day' approach.

Being a Piquet player, I also agree with Gareth to some extent. No combat should ever be a sure thing. However, the case of the square at Garcia Hernandes was a VERY rare event; anyone reading Nosworthy's book 'Battle Tactics of Napoleon and his Enemies' can plainly see the strength of a well formed square versus cavalry, as he goes into the occasions when a square was broken, how and why, in some detail - like the instance where lancers prodded one to death from out of bayonet reach following a heavy downfall of rain which rendered the use of muskets impossible. BP largely accepts this by saying cavalry can never charge a square if it is in good order, which goes some distance beyond the rulings in some Napoleonic rule sets. 

In BP, the problem isn't the combat factors, which look about right for infantry Vs square, and cavalry Vs square for that matter, and the break test is probably dead on for cavalry versus square too. Nor, as it happens, do I believe the rule is far out of place for later periods where squares had significantly more firepower - e.g. later 19th century colonial periods. The problem is the special break test rule for square in melee when fighting infantry in the Napoleonic period / muzzle loading, black powder era.

My solution, following a week in Venice, where I had time to think about it, will be as follows:

Following a combat where any infantry win a melee Vs a square, the break test will be treated as standard, and if the square retires it will do so as a disordered line. All troops fighting Vs the square, including cavalry (if any), will get their full post combat options (such as sweeping advance).

I think that should work. Very little fiddling about with the rules as they stand, just a slight change to the reading of the special 'square taking the break test' rule.