Some suggested amendments for the Corps-level Portable Naponleonic Wargame rules

THE PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME contained three sets of rules, Brigade-level rules, Division-level rules, and Corps-level rules. Although they all used the same basic game structure and mechanisms, these were adapted to suit the specific level of command being represented on the tabletop. In the Corps-level rules, many of the tactical aspects found in the other rules were abstracted, and players were expected to issue orders to their subordinate commanders ... and these orders were not always acted upon immediately.

Recently, Gary Sheffield has been developing a Napoleonic project based around the 1812 invasion of Russia, and he has made the following amendments to my rules that I think should enhance my simple Command and Control rules. They do required the use of D10, D8, D6, and D4 dice, but I do not think that this will present too many problems to those players who want to use these amendments.

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Initial Movements

• To speed up contact between the armies, at the beginning of the game units may carry out double moves (i.e. infantry move 2 squares, cavalry move 4 squares etc) until opposing units are 4 grid squares apart, at which point, armies revert to normal moves.

Forced Marches

• Divisions can attempt to force march – i.e. add 1 grid square to the move.
• This is achieved by rolling a 5 or more on the appropriate die.
• The chance of this happening is affected by the quality of the divisional commander:
• Outstanding commanders – Roll a D10 die
• Above average commanders – Roll a D8 die
• Average Commanders – Roll a D6 die
• Poor commanders – cannot get their troops to force march
• Forced marches carry a penalty.
• A formation which carries out a forced march that takes them into combat fights then at a disadvantage, so -1 on the die roll.
• Penalties for force marching are cumulative up to a maximum of -2.
• Formations can lose penalty if spend they spend 1 or 2 turns stationary and out of combat.
• Example: French 3rd Division force marches 3 turns consecutively, the 3rd turn taking it into close combat. It thus fights at -2 on the die roll. After the combat it remains stationary and out of combat for 2 turns, thus removing the penalty of fighting at -2. If it had remained stationary and out of combat for only 1 turn, it would have fought the next combat at -1.

Orders (see p.103, para 3)

• Outstanding commanders – Roll on D10
• Above Average commanders - Roll on D8
• Average commanders – Roll on D6
• Below Average commanders – roll on D4

National Characteristics for the 1812 campaign

• To represent the national characteristics of the armies in the 1812 campaign, all French Corps and higher commanders are rated as at least above average.
• To represent the national characteristics of the armies in the 1812 campaign, all Russian units apart from militia are rated as at least Average.
• No Russian commander is rated higher than average.

Close combat

• When an entire division is attacked in flank, and some elements of a division is of a superior quality than others (e.g. a mixture of Grenadier and Line brigades), the bonus for elite troops only counts if elite troops are in the majority, (e.g. 2 Grenadier brigades and 1 Line brigade).
• If as result of winning a combat, the grid square to the immediate front of the victorious unit is vacated by the enemy, the victorious unit may advance to occupy that square.
• If that brings on another combat, that is fought in the next turn.
• Dice used in combat:
• Elite units roll a D8 die
• Average units roll a D6 die
• Poor units roll on D6 - 1
• All Russian infantry when defending get an automatic +1
• In a situation where multiple attacks are being made on a division spread out over 2 grid squares, only 1 square’s worth of units can have support from a single commander.
• Troops adjacent to enemy can choose not to engage in combat. This represents a situation where units choose not to close with the enemy; instead an indecisive firefight occurs, which does not produce sufficient casualties to affect the situation of either side.

Results of combat

• If a unit in column is driven back, the whole division is pushed back – i.e. a base (representing a brigade) doesn't take a further hit through retreating through its own men.

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