Tuesday, June 4, 2024

General d'Armee - First Time Playing

Just got back from my buddy's place for a General d'Armee game. There were seven of us - including my buddy hosting the game - and the first time with the rules for all of us. Suffice to say, we managed to stumble through a turn and a half. The scenario was based loosely on the 1809 Campaign with some of my buddy's vast collection of Austrians and Bavarians. I played a brigade of Bavarians, which included a battalion of skirmishers. One of the unique things about the rules is the use of ADC's - rolling D6's at the top of the turn to see how many can be assigned to the army, and then choosing selected actions for the units with the ADC. This gives the units certain advantages and bonuses. It also uses D6's for scouting and the possible uncovering of hidden units at the start of the game. Also, artillery can actually cause casualties to itself for bad die rolls. Anyway, that's about all I can remember as this was my first time exposed to the rules. It's definitely more detailed than Black Powder or even Valour and Fortitude (from what little I know of the latter). We ended the game due to time, as it was mostly a learning game and didn't really expect any victory conditions met. It's always nice to game with old buddies - most of them game together once a week with various rules. I only show up occasionally when my buddy hosts games as he's only about 10 minutes from my place. Here's a few pictures from the game.








A final thought on the rules: I personally won't be getting into them - I'll play if someone else hosts/GM's it, though. Well, thanks for stopping by and wishing you all the best.

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for your snapshot. I've watched the author with the Lardies crew running through the rules which is very helpful. It seems that half of these 'new improved' game mechanics are all well and good but they aren't an improvement - just different. I'm not attracted to them myself and I relate to what you say - if someone else hosts it's fine.

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    1. Yes, I shouldn't pass judgement after only a first game - and even the host/GM was unfamiliar with them too. That said, the 4 page "QRS" was a bit too charty for my tastes. Regards, Dean

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  2. Good for you for being ready to try different rules. Not everyone likes everything.

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    1. Thanks, Joe. Yes, my buddies like to playtest rules - they're all seasoned gamers, so their opinions are valued by me. Kind regards, Dean

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  3. A friend of mine was keen on giving these a go once upon a time Dean, but we generally just stick with our other friend Marks home brew rules for the majority of our "group" games - its Napoleonic Austrians and Prussians v the Bavarians this weekend actually, so watch out for an AAR on that soon!

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    1. Thanks, Keith. Yes, the most-seasoned gamers say the best Napoleonic rules (or for any period), are the ones you make yourself. Maybe taking the best parts of different rule sets, and combining those into one. Warm regards, Dean

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  4. Personally I played General d'Armee a couple of times and have to say I was not impressed at all. Others seemed to like them so I guess it's a case of beauty lying in the eye of the beholder.

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    1. Thanks, Mike! Yes, I wanted to be polite about it, but there are too many "tables" for me. It took a long time referring to the "QRS" for resolution of shooting and combat. And, yes, there are a lot of advocates for the rules here too. Kindest regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks, Matt. Sadly, we ran out of time (played for about 2.5 hours), before we could reach any conclusion. Best regards, Dean

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  6. Not play that rules yet, but looking as great fun!

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    1. Thanks, Michal. Nice table and figures, but the game was slow-going, not just due to the rules, but all of us having never played them before. Warm regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks, Ray! Yes, table layout and figures were nice. However, we struggled through the rules. Kind regards, Dean

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  8. Nice looking game Dean. I have the GdA 2 rules but haven’t tried a game with them yet.

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    1. Thank you very much, Mike. I'll play it again, but not planning on picking them up myself. I'll stick with Black Powder or maybe Rebels & Patriots (for smaller games). Kindest regards, Dean

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  9. Nice looking game Dean. Already have Black Powder and FoB 3 which I enjoy so not sure I'll ever get around to GdA although I am curious.

    Christopher

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    1. Thanks, Christopher! I'm with you, not getting the rules, and much more comfortable with Black Powder and Rebels and Patriots. Warmest regards, Dean

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