NROW Play Test Game at Charlie's

Last Friday a group of us gathered at Charlie's gaming loft to play another game of Napoleon's Rules of War. Charlie has been considering some revisions in the rules which we've been play testing. The changes hope to streamline the system a bit while retaining the historical accuracy.

The battle was Austrian versus French. Sides were chosen randomly. I ended up being the French left flank - a defensive command anchored on a farm with infantry and artillery. Opposite me, Earl with all three combined arms available. More on that later.

The aggressive Austrians: Earl, Byron, Mike and Ralph.

The French: Mark, Bob, Rob and me (the empty chair).

Our plan was to defend on our left flank and left middle with my larger but poorer quality command, while Mark's cavalry and high-morale command was used as a central reserve. On the right center and right we would attack. These photos show part of Charlie's impressive figure collection facing us...the white menace indeed.

The Austrians were having none of our French shenanigans. Earl pressed my command hard, pressed a wood I had defended with his Tyrolean Jagers and later repulsed my charge with a staunch defense by the same Jagers. Later he would obliterate that command threatening it with cavalry then destroying it in square with his horse guns. Well played.

In the center Mark and I ganged up on Byron's grand battery of 12-pound guns taking out a section early in the battle. Byron exacted revenge later on destroying Mark's heavy battery. At the end of the battle Earl's Jagers got too close to my batteries and were destroyed by the withering fire of the guns canister rounds.

While Earl, Byron, Mark and I were fighting a gentlemanly fight on the left, on the right it was pure bedlam. Rob's various attacks were repulsed by Ralph's Austrians while simultaneously Mike's attacks were repulsed by Bob's defense and counter-attacks. The telling blows were Mark's reserves finishing off a couple of Mike's well worn units. When we called time both armies were well mauled with the Austrians suffering only slightly more casualties than the French. A fun night with many good fights and great data for Charlie to work with.