napoleonics

Eagles At Quatre Bras is a set of free wargames rules for brigade level Napoleonic games on a division level. Author Norm Smith writes:

They are solitaire friendly, can be played through in a single session and are set at the lower end of the complexity spectrum. Emphasis is on giving a good game rather than simulation.

Using a 4’ x 3’ table with 4” hexes, gives a grid of around 12 hexes wide by 9 deep, which typically accommodates something like the Battle of Quatre Bras with around 4 divisions per side.Units are representing brigades and divisional artillery, with a hex limited to holding no more than 1 unit and any accompanying leader.

Scale and basing of the figures do not really matter as it is simply the formation in the hex that is considered, with the player showing line, column and square formations for infantry and line for cavalry and artillery. A suggestion is 2 or 4 bases for infantry and cavalry and 2 bases for artillery.Giving a ground scale has been deliberately avoided as this allows for some disfunction, such as light infantry being able to fire two hexes and also leaves the player with some flexibility when designing battlefields, to get bigger battles into this small area or to go to a lower level such as units representing regiments. Basically if it looks and feels right, then go with it.

The system uses standard six sided and ten sided dice (the 0 on a D10 is read as ten), plus a pack of standard playing cards.