Having had these rules (Battle of the Ancient Regime) for awhile I have decided to give them a try out . I pointed up a couple of small armies and planned a meeting engagement . The French have a Squadron of Hussars and 2 Regiments of Foote.
Hodge disapproves of 'new fangled' rule sets and starts a sit in protest. The Allies had a Squadron of Lt. cavalry 2 composite units of Grenadiers and a Lt gun .
Units are moved/shoot on the turn of a card - black for the French red for the Allies. When a joker is drawn it can be used to preempt opponents moves/firing etc and can be held in hand till needed.The French played their's to move a unit first.
The French deploy having past through the hamlet .
The Allies move into line.The drawing of cards leads to a certain tension who moves next and is great for solo gaming I've always found.
The French move their next regiment up to try and flank the Allies line , in the background the cavalry clash and the Allied Carbineers are routed.
The Allied Command draws a joker and uses it to fire the Hessian Grenadiers first.
Movement is generous and and shooting distances greater than the ranges in 'Charge', this means things start happening sooner in the game .
The Allied cavalry flee and are pursued by the French Hussars , unlike in 'Charge' there are moral tests after melees , rout and pursuit move distances are determined by dice throws.
The situation at present, the French cavalry have retire to reform , in the centre the Allied Grenadiers and the French Swiss Regt. are engaged in a fire fight and the French Regt. Du Roi is about to turn to the flank to form a line which will threaten the Grenadiers flank . The Allies are trying to bring up support with the British Grenadiers forming up in the distance and the Artillery is going to deploy to cover the left flank . So far the rules seem to be working okay - you only use the play sheet and consult the rules for the occasional clarification . There are 2 play sheets and which one you use is dependent on your table size , I am using play sheet 2 as my table is 5' x 8'. I'm continuing the game and will report further in the next posting.
I am curious to see what you think. I have a copy of the rules but I must confess that I've never even read them . . . some serious health issues got in the way and I had more or less forgotten them . . . so please let us know what you think of them.
ReplyDelete-- Jeff
looking positive at the moment , there is a difference in the unit sizes , but don't think this matters- Tony
DeleteI'm in a similar boat. I agree with Hodge for the most part. I dislike change.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot to be said for their cavalry rules and that way lies temptation.
Very interesting, I look forward to the next installment.
ReplyDeleteNow these seem rather interesting. I'm quite a fan of drawing cards in wargames (especially solo), as I feel they add in useful doses of the unexpected. Looking forward to the next session.
ReplyDeleteP.S., slowly scrolling down from the top on my little laptop, I was momentarily freaked by Hodge - weird! I need a drink now...