The latest version of my Really Simple Napoleonic Wargame Rules

Whilst I was on my recent cruise, I managed to spend some time redrafting my Napoleonic wargame rules. They are still a work-in-progress, but I feel that they are almost at the point of being as good as they are likely to get.

---

REALLY SIMPLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME RULES
STRENGTH VALUES

• Musket-armed Infantry units are allocated an initial Strength Value of six.
• Rifle-armed Infantry units are allocated an initial Strength Value of four.
• Cavalry units are allocated an initial Strength Value of four.
• Artillery units are allocated an initial Strength Value of two.
• Generals are not allocated a Strength Value.

TURN SEQUENCE

• Both sides throw a D6 at the beginning of each turn. The side with the highest score moves first that turn.
• During its part of a turn a side activates each of its units and Generals in turn, starting on the left and moving to the right.

MOVEMENT

• Musket-armed Infantry in Column can move up to two hexes.
• Musket-armed Infantry in Line can move one hex.
• Musket-armed Infantry in Square cannot move.
• Rifle-armed Infantry can move up to three hexes in any formation except Square.
• Cavalry in Column can move up to four hexes.
• Cavalry in Line can move up to three hexes.
• Limbered Artillery can move up to two hexes.
• Unlimbered Artillery can move one hex but cannot fire during the same turn.
• Generals on horseback can move up to three hexes.
• Generals on foot can move up to two hexes.
• With the exception of Rifle-armed Infantry, units expend one hex of movement to change formation (i.e. from Line to Column; from Column to Line; from Line or Column to Square; from Square to Column or Line; from limbered to unlimbered; from unlimbered to limbered).

FIRING

• No unit may fire at an enemy unit that is not in direct line-of-sight.
• Infantry Muskets have a maximum range of three hexes:
• If the target unit is in adjacent hex, the firing unit throws 6 x D6 if in Line or 3 x D6 if in Column or Square;
• If the target unit is two hexes away, the firing unit throws 4 x D6 if in Line or 2 x D6 if in Column or Square;
• If the target unit is three hexes away, the firing unit throws 2 x D6 if in Line or 1 x D6 if in Column or Square.
• Infantry Rifles have a maximum range of four hexes, and each Rifle-armed Infantryman throws 1 x D6 regardless of the range or the target's formation.
• Artillery units may not move and fire during the same turn.
• Artillery has a maximum range of six hexes:
• If the target unit is in adjacent hex, the firing unit throws 8 x D6;
• If the target unit is two hexes away, the firing unit throws 6 x D6 if the target unit is in Line or Column or 3 x D6 if the target unit is in Square;
• If the target unit is three or four hexes away, the firing unit throws 4 x D6 if the target unit is in Line or Column or 2 x D6 if the target unit is in Square;
• If the target unit is five or six hexes away, the firing unit throws 2 x D6 if the target unit is in Line or Column or 1 x D6 if the target unit is in Square.
• Firing units that are co-located with a General increase their D6 scores by one.
• Targets in cover reduce the firing unit's D6 scores by one.
• Firing units that have or are going to move this turn reduce their D6 scores by one.
• Results of firing:
• If the target unit is in Column or Square, the Strength Value of that target unit is reduced by one by each of the firing unit's dice scores of 4, 5, or 6.
• If the target unit is in Line or is Artillery, the Strength Value of that target unit is reduced by one by each of the firing unit's dice scores of 5 or 6.

ASSAULTS

• A unit assaulting another must do so by moving into an adjoining hex and still having at least one hex of unexpended movement left.
• Both sides throw D6s to resolve an Assault.
• Musket-armed Infantry units throw 3 x D6.
• Rifle-armed Infantry units throw 1 x D6 per Rifle-armed Infantryman.
• Cavalry units throw 4 x D6.
• Artillery units throw 2 x D6. (N.B. Artillery units cannot initiate assaults but can defend themselves when assaulted.)
• Attacking or defending units that are co-located with a General increase their D6 scores by one.
• Results of an Assault:
• If the defending unit is in Square or the attacking unit is in Column, the Strength Value of that unit is reduced by one by each of their opposing unit's dice scores of 5 or 6.
• If the defending unit or the attacking unit is in Line or the defending unit is in Column or the defending unit is Artillery, the Strength Value of that unit is reduced by one by each of their opposing unit's dice scores of 4, 5, or 6.
• The unit that reduces its opponent's Strength Value by more than it has lost itself is deemed to have won the assault, and the opposing unit must fall back one hex at once if its Strength Value has been reduced to 50% of its original Strength Value as a result of the assault.
• If this is not possible (i.e. all the possible hexes it could fall back into are already occupied or the unit that has to fall back is in Square) then the losing unit is deemed to have disintegrated and is removed from the tabletop.
• If the result of the assault is drawn (i.e. both the defending unit and attacking unit have suffered no reduction in Strength Value or have had their Strength Value reduced by the same amount) the assault may be continued next turn if both units remain in their present hexes.

MORALE

• When a unit is reduced to 50% of its original Strength Value, it throws a D6.
• If the score is 3, 4, 5, or 6, the unit is unaffected but it must take a further morale test when it suffers another reduction in Strength Value; if the score is 1 or 2, the unit must fall back one hex at once and must continue to retreat for the rest of the battle or until it has been rallied by a General.
• If this is not possible (i.e. all the possible hexes it could fall back into are already occupied or the unit that has to fall back is in Square) then the unit is deemed to have disintegrated and is removed from the tabletop.

RALLYING RETREATING UNITS

• A General can attempt to rally a retreating unit by being in the same or an adjoining hex.
• The General throws a D6, and if the score is 4, 5, or 6 the unit will rally and stop retreating.

DESTROYED UNITS

• Units are destroyed when their Strength Value is reduced to zero.
• When a unit is destroyed it is immediately removed from the battlefield.

GENERALS

• Firing units that are co-located with a General increase their D6 scores by one.
• Attacking or defending units that are co-located with a General increase their D6 scores by one.
• If a General is co-located with a unit that suffers a reduction in its Strength Value, the side that has inflicted that reduction may choose to see if the General has been 'killed'. They throw two D6s:
• If the total score is 11 or 12, the General is 'killed' and his death counts as one of the reductions in the unit's Strength Value;
• If the total score is less than 11, the General survives and his survival negates one the reductions in the unit's the Strength Value.