Piquet Les Grognards - solo (and some new additions)

Solo game of PK Les Grognards played using French and Prussians.

Interesting to see 'original' style PK in action (although Les Grogs has several changes to initial set) with separate ratings for Firing, Melee and Morale compared to Field Of Battle's Combat and Defense.

I used a optional Active/Reactive D12 rolls for Initiative wherein each side gets to use rolled number for initiative use.
This worked well and less at times jarring extremes than standard D20 and Phase Limiting system.

Use of Opportunity chips and using 1 Pip or every single action seems odd after FOB.
But allowing Cavalry (and Old Guard) to perform Morale Challenges I like along with Cavalry Opportunity Charges (FOB sort of covers this by having units capable of multiple moves on single card play - dice rolls allowing).

Having to place extra Dress Line cards into decks along with Major Morale card and then discarding cards based on losses is also interesting.

The combat systems work fine as do the card decks but overall I found the game to be a lot less dramatic than FOB which subsumes a lot of these things into the Even vs Odds rolls and uses Pips merely to turn cards not per action.
The FOB system streamlines so much as no need for the Deployment and Move in Class II/IV cards from PK as again the Evens vs Odds system elegantly caters for this.


FOB2 Melee is definitely more exciting as resolved in same turn as initiated (FOB1 was more akin to original PK) and not having to wait for a Melee Resolution Card.

Still PK is streaks ahead of most rule sets for non-linear sequence of play and narrative building but its newer offspring is indeed hard to better in the drama and speed of play stakes.

Les Grogs has a Grand Tactical version (each unit a Regt/Brig) included which I must try and the horizon movement option looks interesting.

As to the new additions-

Print version of set I acquired on PDF

and

And two (what am I thinking !!???) new additions to the Steiner Clan.

Piquet Les Grognards game set up

Set up a solo game using Piquet: Les Grognards Napoleonic supplement.
I also used the Theater Of War system to generate the terrain, deployments and pre-battle set-ups (main outcome being the absence of 6 Prussian units !)
Only couple of turns done using the basic D20 Initiative System (works fine for solo games) but a few pics taken.

Piquet: Les Grognards French defeated.............

Finished off PK game with Prussians as victors against the Young Guard.
Prussians got a few large Impetus runs (16, 18, 12 & 11 in a row) allowing them to move and deal a lot of damage to the static French.
Prussian Artillery done some fearsome carnage with some timely Artillery Reload and Move cards.
French did get some small amount of Impetus and use of their Opportunity chips causing Rout of two Prussian units but not enough to counter the dominant enemy.
French Morale chips dwindled to naught quickly and they ended up gifting chips to adversaries.
Major Morale checks saw French suffer numerous Morale Checks and they quit the field with their whole right wing and center virtually gone.
Really enjoyed using PK after all these years.
Not as fast playing as Field Of Battle but some more tactical nuances with Interpenetrations (ie lack thereof) and separate Morale stats.
However only real gripe I had was the numerous counters needed to track unit status with Unformed, Disorder, Rout, Out Of command, Officer Check, Silenced and of course Unit Losses all required during game at various times.
Cavalry are fairly brittle in the system with stand loss at 2 hits per stand compared to other 3 hits per stand and need a bit of careful handling.
Against a live opponent the use of Opp Chips and Tactical/Cavalry Morale checks would be more telling but the card system of PK is excellent solo tool.


   French left wing in trouble

   The center with soon to Rout French Light Infantry in wood and 7e Young Guard in line

   The French right with Prussians in the town and flooding over the hill (all French Infantry      here were Routed or Destroyed)

 
   Prussian view of their right wing as they mass against French

 
   Prussian center again massing to break the French

   Prussian left about to break the French right wing

         French advance breaks on a Prussian wall...............