This Wednesday's game - Another objective led Napoleonic scenario

Although I've re-rolled for unit defence and combat dice, and slightly re-organised one or two divisions, the forces are exactly the same as the last game - because, I haven't painted any new units to add to the troop roster.

Also, to save some set up time, I've kept the same hill positions as the last game. I have changed everything else. The table has a porcine theme. 

Note that, for this game, baseline initial deployment depth is 16" rather than 18"; the central town sections are two move cards away from the initial deployment zones. The flank zones are 30" wide, the central zones are each 42" wide. The table is 72" wide. The sixteen deployment zones are marked at their intersections with red pawns (one is hidden directly behind Santo Cerdito). Photo taken looking north.

Terrain definition:

• Hills are class II terrain and provide soft cover (cover only counts to troops within). 
• The woods are class III terrain and count as hard cover. 
• The Fondo Fangosa river is class III terrain to infantry and cavalry, and impassable to artillery except at the bridge; troops crossing cannot shoot. 
• Each town section provides hard cover. Santo Cerdito represents a two section monastery complex (cut diagonally, north to south).
• All roads negate terrain and provide road move bonus.
• Fields are class I terrain and provide soft cover. They represent everything from standing crops to undulations in the ground.
• Red objective points: The last side to hold an objective point takes the appropriate army morale points from the enemy morale point bank.
• Black objective points: As red points. Count as taken at the point of deployment in the relevant initial deployment zone. Each side has 10, they cancel each other.

The game will use the following Army Characterisation and Deployment (ACAD) deck. The deck has been devised to assign morale points, characterise the army with extra sequence cards, and decide initial set up options.

The deck contains 38 cards:

• Four x 6 to 10 morale chips only cards (20 cards total).
• Four x 2 to 5 morale chips and function cards (16 cards total); including 7 extra sequence deck cards and 9 initial deployment cards. 
• Two x 0 morale chips and function cards (2 cards total); 2 extra sequence deck cards.

ACAD rules:

Firstly, the basic rules will work in a similar way to the rules in classic Piquet. Each army will be dealt cards in accordance with its ACAD divisor (total units divided by ACAD divisor equals cards). In this case each side has a divisor of 4 (French have 20 units, British 17 but, as umpire, I'm going to give the British an extra card to balance things up): Both sides will, for this game, get 5 cards. 

The total number of morale chips - the red number - on the cards is the sides army morale chip count.

If a side doesn't make its necessary unit chip count  - 1 chip per unit - it must discard it's lowest morale chip cards, one at a time, replacing them with another card dealt from the deck until it reaches the necessary amount. You will notice that the best function cards have the lowest morale chip count, so you lose those first!

There are two kinds of function cards. These are sequence deck cards (black writing) and initial set up cards (blue writing). 

Extra sequence cards are added to the player's sequence deck, with one exception: The Sacrebleu! card is added to the opposition deck. The C'est Magnifique! card is a wild card.

The initial set up cards are an attempt to speed up the initial set up procedure in Field of Battle 2. Consequently, the possibilities are much reduced. There is a sequence of card play during set up. 

1. Any Extra Deployment Zone cards must be played and compared. If only one side has extra zones he can claim the number of zones on his cards. If both sides have extra zone cards the lower number of zones is deducted from the higher and the remaining zones are claimed. Zones must link orthogonally from the player's central baseline zones. The no-man's land in front of the enemy's initial central zones cannot be claimed; the enemy baseline flank zones cannot be claimed unless troops deployed there can be put in or behind class III terrain.  
2. Any Delay cards must be played and the command groups effected determined. The delay cards are added to the delayed side's sequence deck. When the card is turned an arrival check must be made using the command group's leadership die Vs D10: If successful the side must declare the initial deployment zone arrival point; the command group arrives on the next March or March One Command Group card. If no road is available in the zone, arrival is delayed by one further march card.
3. Both sides roll their C-in-C leadership die. The results are compared. Then, alternately, each side deploys a command, lowest die result going first. At the end of each deployment a player may play one or more ...deploy one command group... cards, effectively forcing the enemy to deploy two or three command groups in a row. 
4. After both sides have deployed the players may play any Re-deploy.... cards. Where both players have cards, lowest morale point card re-deploys first.

We will use our hybrid classic Piquet / Field of Battle rules to fight the battle. At present these are very much a work in progress. The table-top aspects of the rules are embodied in a two side quick reference sheet. To give regular Piquet players an idea of where we are with these, and for Peter and Graham to look at before Wednesday, I'm posting the QRS here. 

FIREPOWER Costs 1 IP per unit firing. CoR may not fire. Squares and skirmishers may not opportunity fire.

Resolve fire: Roll modified CD10 Vs DD6 modified by DD bead only: Lose 1 UI per 3 pips > difference. Minimum qualification, range and arcs of fire: At least half the shooting unit’s frontage must have a clear line of sight to one full stand of the target. Range is measured middle to nearest. Arc of fire is a unit wide corridor, straight ahead for formed musketry, and up to 45º to either side for artillery and skirmishers; if any friends are in the fire corridor the target is obscured. Units reaching 0 UI: Infantry, cavalry and limbered artillery is routed; unlimbered artillery is silenced; all units are eliminated at ≤ 1 UI. Opportunity fire by the reactive player: Opportunity fire Vs shooting targets is carried out simultaneously; opportunity fire Vs marching targets is carried out at chosen range. Firepower challenge: Immediately following fire that causes UI loss, the shooter may issue a firepower challenge.

Down 2

Down 1

No Change

Up 1

Up 2

Circumstance

Inferior position / Obscured by friends

Frontal

Vs flank or rear.

Losses

Shaken

DO / Per UI loss

Artillery range

48”

< 36”

< 24”

Canister < 12”

Infantry range

12” (Rifle 18”)

< 8”

< 4”

Firer formation

Column of coys / 1 stand screen

CoA, square or town / 2 stand screen

Other

Formed infantry in line

Target formation

Unlimbered artillery / Skirmish

Other / Limbered artillery

Artillery Vs any column, waves or square

Target cover

Hard

Soft

Unit quality

Red bead

Green bead

Blue bead

Purple bead

FIREPOWER CHALLENGE Vs parent unit Costs 1 AMP.

Challenge Die: Inflicted 1 UI loss: Roll D8 Vs modified DD6. Inflicted 2 UI loss: D10 Vs modified DD6. Inflicted 3 UI loss: D12 Vs modified DD6. Result ≥ D8 Vs formed: Unit is halted, shaken (shaken rout). Result ≥ D8 Vs skirmish & artillery: Unit is halted; skirmish withdraw or the parent unit is shaken (shaken rout); artillery limbers Result > D8 and double Vs formed: Unit is routed. Result > D8 and double Vs skirmish & artillery: Unit is halted, shaken (shaken rout); skirmish withdraw; artillery limbers. Result > D8 and triple: Catastrophe! Unit is routed.

Down 2

Down 1

No Change

Up 1

Up 2

Circumstance

Shaken

DO

Attached leader

Initial strength

- 2 UI

- 1 UI

Full

Formation

Column of route

Other

Column of attack, square, waves or town

Nearest threat

≤ 3”

≤ 12”

> 12”

> 24”

Unit Quality

Red bead

Green bead

Blue bead

Purple bead

MELEE COMBAT Costs 1 IP to initiate melee.

Initiating Melee: Infantry cannot initiate melee Vs cavalry except in class III; artillery, skirmishers, units in square or CoR cannot initiate. Melee can be initiated automatically if moving into contact with a DO or Shaken unit or from behind a flank. All other melees require a Melee! card, or Heroic Moment card, to initiate. Resolve melee: Roll modified CD10 Vs modified CD10. Modify for all circumstances, as the melee continues, until one side loses 1 UI or more. Lose 1 UI per 3 hits taken. Cause ≥ 1 UI: Enemy falls back one move at full rate, shaken (if already shaken, rout); infantry in square or town, or unlimbered foot artillery hold, shaken and the melee continues (if already shaken, rout); unlimbered horse artillery limbers and withdraws one move at full rate, shaken. Cause ≥ 2 UI: Enemy routs; artillery is destroyed; cavalry destroy enemy infantry. Units at ≤ 0 UI: Infantry & cavalry routs; artillery is destroyed; all units are eliminated at ≤ 1 UI. Winning infantry: Infantry may follow up 3” to occupy the ground (not in contact with fresh enemy unless in town), or stand in place; all winning units are DO. Winning cavalry: Roll DD (Opt: Dn 1 British) Vs D8: If the result is ≤ D8 the cavalry loses 1 UI for pursuit unless this reduces the unit to ≤ 0 UI (UI loss does not incur AMP loss). If cavalry do not pursue they can follow up 3” to occupy the ground (not in contact with fresh enemy), stand in place, or rally back at half rate; all winning units are DO.

Down 2

Down 1

No Change

Up 1

Up 2

Circumstances and losses

Shaken

DO / Per UI loss / Inferior numbers

Higher DD / Initiating / Superior numbers

Orientation

Flank or rear Vs front

Front Vs front

Front Vs flank

Front Vs rear

Unit formations

Column of route / All artillery / Cavalry Vs square

Skirmish line / Waves Vs Cavalry line

Other

Column of attack

Square Vs Cavalry / Cavalry Vs infantry not in square

Terrain

Cavalry Vs or in II or III terrain.

Infantry Vs or in II or III terrain

Superior position / defending in town

Unit quality

Red bead

Green bead

Blue bead

Purple bead

MOVEMENT Costs 1 IP per group, DO or Shaken unit moving. Maximum internal ‘group distance’ is a 6” link between units (measured nearest to nearest). DO and shaken units are always out of group and cannot form a link.

Line

CoA, CoC, Waves and limbered

CoR

Road Bonus*

Foot

6”

8”

12”

4”

Horse

12”

16”

18”

4”

Officers & couriers: Officers move 18”. Officers may attach or detach on a Leadership card but, not both. Column of route & column of companies: May ‘snake’ without penalty. Skirmish formation: May move into and through class II and III terrain without penalty. Class II terrain effect: Stop at contact; stop at boundary before exiting. Class III terrain effect: As class II terrain; move at half rate; formed troops are instantly disordered. March manoeuvre: Infantry & cavalry may oblique move in class I & II terrain; infantry & cavalry may back-step at half rate; infantry may wheel 45º and move at half rate; Cavalry may wheel 90º and move at full rate; artillery may pivot 45º, limber or unlimber and move at half rate; squares may move, to a face, 3” in class I or II terrain. Movement on Melee cards: Units in line, column of attack or companies may charge up to 3”, straight forward, to contact (do not stop at terrain) on a Melee!, or a Heroic Moment card used as a Melee! card. Opportunity movement at contact: Infantry can attempt to form square Vs cavalry; unlimbered artillery crew can attempt to run 4” to shelter with formed infantry: Roll DD (Dn1 if DO or shaken), on a result of 1 the unit fails to act and is disordered. Rout moves: Move on all Army Morale cards. Infantry 12”; cavalry 18”. Do not stop at terrain borders or count terrain. Stop at the table edge before leaving on the next Army Morale card.

LEADERSHIP Costs 1 AMP per rally check. Costs 1 IP to move or attach.

Disorder (DO): Units automatically rally from DO if the unit’s commanding officer is within command radius when the card is turned. Cavalry cannot rally in class III terrain. Move or attach: An officer can move his command radius or attach to a unit within his command radius, once. Rally: Roll modified LD10 Vs D8. ); Rally 1 UI per 3 > D8, may not rally back to full strength; rally shaken; rally routers or silenced if > D8 and the unit now has ≥ 1 UI. Casualty check on a 1: Roll D6, on a result of 1 - 2 the officer is killed (lose 1 / 3 AMP officer / C-in-C); on a result of 2 - 6 the officer is incapacitated; replace / recover on own next Army Morale card.

Down 2

Down 1

No Change

Up 1

Up 2

Circumstance

Routing

Shaken

Attached leader

Nearest enemy

In contact

Enemy < 12”

Enemy 12” – 24”

Enemy  > 24”

Leader quality

Red bead

Green bead

Blue bead

Purple bead

Command radius (nearest to nearest)

Command 8”

Command 12”

Command 12”

Command 16”

ARMY MORALE 0 IP / AMP costs.

Move routers: Routers of both armies move. Replace / recover officers: Roll for the quality of replacement officers with a -3 modifier. If at zero AMP: Check C-in-C LD Vs D8. If ≤ D8, check each command group LD Vs D8. If ≤ D8, all unit command group DDs are reduced one level. Units are removed when reduced below DD4 (red bead).

LULL

Steal the initiative: Both players roll C-in-C LD; if the reactive player rolls higher he steals the initiative, winning the difference in the rolls as IP, to play immediately; if he then turns a Lull card and loses the resulting roll, his stolen initiative is reduced by the difference in the dice (to no lower than 0).

MANOEUVRE Costs 1 IP per group, DO or shaken unit.

Infantry & cavalry: A unit may choose one stand and change formation on it (CoC or CoR may change to line by turning each stand 90º, forming on the leading stand; a unit may wheel forwards up to 90º on a leading corner, or pivot up to 90º its centre, or about face. Skirmishers: Unshaken line infantry can deploy integral skirmishers; line infantry can withdraw integral skirmishers; ‘skirmish trained’ light infantry can deploy or withdraw a full skirmish line. Skirmishers can deploy up to 4” directly ahead of their parent unit. Artillery: A unit may pivot up to 90º on its centre, or about face; a unit can limber or unlimber. Square: Infantry in square (or sheltering gun crew) may not change formation if cavalry are within 12”.

HEROIC MOMENT Usual IP costs.

Action on next card: Movement rate on a Move or Melee! card can be doubled for a chosen unit; a dice roll on the next card can be adjusted Up 1; a C-in-C will automatically pass Army Morale tests at 0 AMP; ignore Lull cards; etc. Firepower Adjustment: A chosen unit may immediately fire with an Up 1 modifier. Initiate Melee: A chosen unit may initiate melee, counting the Heroic Moment card as Melee!

BLUNDER

Next card test: To use the next card each command group must test LD Vs D8. If the test is failed units within the command group cannot use the card.

REDUCED FIREPOWER

Squares, Integral skirmishers and artillery sections: Ignore Infantry Firepower and Artillery Firepower cards and ‘reload’ on the Reduced Firepower card instead.

UNIT INTEGRITY

Infantry: Initially have 4 UI. Cavalry: Initially have 3 UI. Artillery: Initially have 2 UI. Hits: All UI are 3 hits.

MORE ON SKIRMISHERS

Mandatory fall back: Skirmishers cannot close with a formed enemy and will automatically fall back towards their parent body to maintain a distance. When the frontal distance between a formed enemy and the parent body is ≤ 4” skirmishers will fully withdraw and rejoin their unit. UI losses on skirmishers: UI losses on skirmishers count against their parent body. Loaded status on deployment: Skirmishers deploying from their parent unit adopt its current ‘loaded’ status.

ATTACHED LEADERS

Casualty checks: Attached leaders must test whenever their unit is the target of firepower or melee. Roll D6, on a result of 1, or a result ≤ UI losses, the officer may become a casualty: Roll D6, on a result of 1 - 2 the officer is killed (lose 1 / 3 AMP, officer / C-in-C); on a result of 2 - 6 the officer is incapacitated; replace / recover on own next Army Morale card.

Looking at the tables you will notice a line for 'coloured bead' modifiers. For Piquet players unused to our roster sheet system, well, we don't ever use them. Instead we use 'unit pin plates' with coloured beads. See photo below: Looking at the unit from behind, the bead on the left is the DD bead, the bead on the right is the CD bead. Green beads indicate No Change, red beads Down 1, etc. The number bead is the command group ID number. Ignore the yellow bead - yellow beads were part of the abortive integral skirmishers rule we ditched at the end of the last game.