Snappy Nappy - a happy game (pic heavy)

Tried out Snappy Nappy rules tonight with the Le Duc De Gobin at chez Steiner.
BIG game with some 8 Corps each as I really wanted to test the snappy claim for rules.
And they did indeed do actually as advertised.
A fast flowing simple, but not simplistic, game bit with lots of flavour and excitement.
Mechanisms are very easy to pick up and all very plausible stuff.
Of course at this Grand Tactical scale there are a lot of abstractions with no Skirmish screens depicted and similar lower level aspects of Napoleonic warfare.
But they do give a feel for maneuvering Corps of troops and have epic scope.
The rules are not that tightly written but nothing occurred that we could not agree a 'fix' for.
For example no rules for overhead shooting from hills but easy to make a house rule.
Guard and Elite troops are awesome and Conscripts and Militia essentially cannon fodder with Seasoned and Veteran troops average.
A hugely enjoyable game for which I used Scharnhorst system from Blucher to set up terrain and the basic points system in the rules to 'balance' forces (although French have some inherent 'free' advantages - such as greater Command range and more Flexible order interpretation)

Game itself saw my Cavalry heavy right wing ride over their mounted opposition.
But not until a flank charge took out the very dangerous Elite Carabiners.
This forced a Corps of Young Guard in multiple Squares
On my left I marched an Infantry Corps around behind the town managing to time their appearance on French right at same time as my Grenadier Corps was defeating their Seasoned opposition.
However this was timely indeed as my centre was being assailed by the Old Guard in potent columns which my Seasoned musketeers could barely not repel.
As the Duc called time as both his flanks were folding I had several Conscript Landwehr in dire straits as they are weak units in the system.
All in all a fun game with a nice set of rules.

Napoleonic Principles Of War game

Played a game today at Stephens using the Napoleonic Principles Of War rules.
We played these many many years ago but never this revised 2nd Edition set.
I used a 1813/14 French army against a late British Peninsula type force.
We both really enjoyed the game despite having to re-learn the rules.
A nice playable set and we like the variable terrain system.
Use of Commanders quite abstract but the Initiative/PIP and Orders system is fine overall (sort of a hybrid of Shako and General De Brigade).
Pretty much at same level as Field Of Glory with units representing Brigades or Regiments grouped into Divisions and we both fielded roughly a Corps.
Certainly much simpler than FOGN but possibly lacking some of its nuances.
Not the same feel for differences between Guard, Veteran, Average etc as units are based on Strength Points which equate to combat power and morale.
So for instance my Young Guard are 14 strength whereas my Line Infantry are 12 and Conscripts 10 but they all fight, shoot and test morale exactly the same only these strengths levels making any difference.
But it certainly works and flows well.
Units are 3 figures on 3cm x 1.5cm with 3 bases per unit in 15mm so we used 2 of our 4cm x 3cm bases as being closest to this (although they are double depth for Infantry) and this worked fine (same as Shako II units).
Couple of twists in Army lists for British with a Light Infantry Division (cam move in rough type terrain at full speed) and several tough Infantry at 16 strength.
I found the use of Movement Bases a bit cumbersome but it does allow a bit of Fog Of War until the dummy bases are revealed.
Interested to see how Age Of Eagles compares.
All in all a decent set that we may well revisit (along with the 18th Century set)



French Young Guard attack columns approach British lines

French Line and Conscript units hold right flank

Chevaux Legere try to hold the British

Young Guard en evant...............

The British lines await...............

No Retreat: The Russian Front

Played this excellent game with my Dad recently and great fun it was too despite forgetting to utilise the free Soviet Unit upgrades for several turns !!

Such a good balance of playability and flavour.

Black Powder: a little more Seven Years War

Played several interesting turns of a solo re-run of our Black Powder game today substituting my Prussians for Stephens just to thrash out a few rule tweaks.
Mainly I was testing a system of forcing Infantry units to dice (a Morale test of sorts) to charge other Infantry in the Open which seems in keeping with our understanding of Seven Years War engagements.
Whilst it means another dice roll it does seem to work ok with higher Moral level types being potentially more aggressive and Militia types corresponding less so.