Truants Game Day, 8/20/10 - Napoleonic Fast Play

So my buddy Adrian & I managed to pull off a decent Napoleonics game using fast-play rules we developed last Friday. Since the sagacious Truants who participated all said they had a good time with them, I feel relieved. Most of the gamers had decades of experience and offered some great ideas, and possible tweaks to the rules. Of course, we appreciated their insight - and were expecting this since this is the first game we used the rules. The one thing we decided (just last night) was to add a saving throw for cover instead of the earlier rule to decrease dice to the shooters. Actually this is what I had initially wanted, but...oh, well, I'm just happy its back. There was a lot of discussion after the game about morale checks and leader influence - but nothing earth-shattering as the spirit of the rules are for fast-play, convention players. Since the rules are so simple, and the players so experienced, I managed to snap a few pictures - most came out okay - here they are:

We called the game after several turns; which incidentally were started by the side determined by die rolls at the top of each turn, instead of the I Go - You Go  method. This game was a hard one to call - the British had their left flank in control - all of their Rifles and most of the Highlanders were intact. They had also managed to decimate the French Cavalry - both heavy & light units. The center of the battlefield was looking like a sure French victory - the French Light Infantry having eliminated the units of British Infantry there. The British right - which started out with a Rifle unit and Spanish Guerrillas occupying the town, was pretty much now in French control. Although, right outside of the town, there were a good amount of British infantry facing a small French artillery battery. Considering the British not having any artillery nor cavalry makes me really want to add a horse artillery unit to their side. It was a pretty balanced game though; and the French cavalry could have possibly had a greater impact.

In any case, there is one last Truants game next Friday, before we all head "back to school" - literally, as two of the members are educators. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the last game as I have to go to a graveside memorial service for a relative. I'm sure it'll be a great last game too - Kevin Smyth is hosting another ACW naval game - I really like those a lot. Well, I'll be otherwise focusing on the Samurai game we're hosting next month. We plan on adapting the rules we used today to that game too!