Rather than make it possible to break squares to encourage charges, ALL cavalry should test within charge reach of enemy infantry in the open to see if they charge, and if they fail, they do. This is the old v1 impetuous cavalry rule, applied to squares only. Much maligned (including by yourself Al...

But I agree, too many fresh squares were broken in v1. I also agree. In fact, you could count the number of actual battalion squares that were broken in the Napoleonic wars on two hands. Those are BATTALION squares too, and the FOGN rules have units of three or four battalions that are broken regul...

can I simply say, "I'm charging THAT one, so that one has to counter-charge and the other is left behind"? No necessarily. Your opponent can intercept your charge if they pass a CMT (FOGN v2 5th Draft p17). The non-target cavalry can wheel up to 2MU and move up to 4MU to get in the way. This may al...

Was there any practical difference between British Dragoons and other British Battle Cavalry, or was "Dragoons" just a regimental name by then? Sorry for the delayed reply: British Dragoon Guards were called that to identify the regiments that were originally the 'heavy horse', as opposed to the Dr...

Keith

I'm not sure that sledging them counts unless you are actually going...

Alastair

Hi Lawrence

As with Keith, please put me down for a ticket too as I will be arriving in Oz at the same time. Will pay on the day.


Thanks

Alastair Donald
Auckland

Auckland. Easier for me.

Al Donald

I'll be there with something Penninsula and British/Portuguese/Spanish to add some colour to what can be a vulgar brawl

Alastair Donald
Auckland, NZ

Sorry, don't have the rules with me.

Can cavalry, being the only target, get shot at by troops occupying a BUA at greater than 2MU?

Alastair

On this thread much has been made of Oman. James R Arnold in a series of papers published as part of the Napoleon series( for which he on a prize) is critical of Oman - and Fortescue. He says among many other things Indeed, Oman has been outed as getting confused over the formations adopted by the ...

Conscripts probably shouldn't be allowed to do alot of things, like being able to form effective line form clumn while under fire - but the rules don't model that. Actually, I take that back. The rules probably do (rerolling 6's). Excellent. Let's get the squares thing unto the same level of accura...

I think that the current rules for squares have it about right. I like bold statements based on no evidence. They're easy targets. If you could provide the evidence in the Napoleonic period for a series of steady squares (a unit of them) knocked over by two or more brigades of cavalry. It would be ...

Case 2: (two attacking cavalry units - no support): If you were using the agrument that in game terms - surely there would be TWO cavalry units to one veteral infantry unit, all small, based on points cost? So Case 1 is irrelevant. What about what actually happened - Case 3 - Three brigades (units)...

Now you keep citing El Bodon. How close were the cavalry on an on-going basis? I don't have my books with me. I have been citing El Bodon mainly because when others have referred to it they have made errors in fact – it didn’t help when I referred to a point my comment could have been read two ways...

By the time a decision is needed as to whether to form square in my turn or risk forming it in your assault phase, the positioning of the 'units' relative to each other is already determined. It would enable a player to make a call whether to form square before caring out an advance or retirement. ...

Light cavalry are unlikely to break even disordered squares needing 4 hits on a 5+ Terry, at El Bodon there were two French dragoon brigades and two light cavalry brigades. There wasn't just light cavalry. Oman, Vol IV, p564. And artillery that fired at the squares and columns as they withdrew. Ala...

The only concession I would consider is to allow a unit to move a certain distance (to be decided) during a move in which they change from square into tactical or march formations. This would simulate them forming defensive square when charged by cavalry, then moving off in 'open' square after repe...

Currently veterans in tactical have a 71% chance of forming square when attacked. In the game, one can adequately represent the historical situations using tactical and only moving into square when attacked. It's being pedantic to insist that you must visually have units in square moving (noting ye...

particular entries: > "Quarter Distance" - is only used for troops in column > "Had we better not form Square" - self explanatory Terry, the quotes you have mentioned are about the remaining troops of Pictons division that were leading the retreat from El Bodon. The squares of the 5th/77th Foot and...

In any event we must be careful to not make super troops If the British would be made into super troops by making them reformed, and the French are reformed already, doesn't that make the French the super troops you are talking about? And the Prussians? And the Russians? And the German States? :D A...