Strategy Game

Strategy Game

This set of rules – for the horse&musket era - can be combined with any existing set, as it concentrates on launching armies in written order and does not affect game mechanics otherwise.

A. Basics

The gaming table is divided into rectangles, 3 in depth and 4 in width. Their size depends on the scale of the table. The first and third row of rectangles in depth is the launching area (therefore, these can have a reduced size compared to the one between them if necessary). The one amidst the two launching areas is the operating area where no units can be placed during the game (but the ones already placed, obviously, can move there themselves).
Naming areas in width follows the classic army setup, centre and flanks.
The table in theory looks like this:

Launching area 1.	Right	Right centre	Left centre	Left
Operating area		X	X		X		X
Launching area 2.	Left	Left centre	Right centre	Right

Each of the 12 areas is rolled on two 1d6s to determine what sort of terrain they have.

Dice 1
1-3 plain
4 forest
5 building
6 building and forest

Dice 2
1 river
2-3 plain
4 wheat/rye field or workfield
5 wall
6 hill/height

The two dice are presented together; on the other hand, one of four areas in width must be plain – these could still have walls or fields on them. The results of the dice do not have to cover the whole area, but must be featured in each.

B. Goals
Combat elements of the game can be implemented from any existing gaming system. Goals can vary according to this – from holding certain areas to the total destruction of armies.

C. Placing units
Players divide their troops to ’waves’. These waves follow each other in conventional time or number of turns by the nature of the rules played.
Waves take the traditional roles of vanguard, main army and the reserve. The main army can be divided into more waves if the setup requires so.
Special requirements for each wave:

Vanguard: No heavy cavalry. More than 50% of light infantry must enter table. 3/4 turns regarding quantity of units.
Main army: Any units can enter the table. 4-6 turns.
Reserve: No light cavalry. More than 50% of low quality troops (volunteers, Landwehr, militia etc.) must enter with this wave.

Each wave can contain command units and messengers / ADCs of choice.

Units can be placed anywhere in the launching zones except artillery which cannot move further into the zone than one infantry movement (or 10cm / 4in) from the edge of the table.

The way our units arrive into the battlefield is strictly scripted and no exceptions can be made. Before launching the first waves, players write down their battle orders specifically, containing which units enter the field and on which part of the launching zone (example: Light cavalry Squadron 1, left flank, middle, 20cm from edge). These are written for each wave specifically and made public before the wave in subject begins (but the units are already placed on the table), so that their opponent can check if they are keeping up to it.
If enemy units occupy the launching area and launched units cannot execute the written orders, they launch off from the edge of the table.

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This set of rules was written by Andrew J. McCory on 12/05/2012 and had been translated to English and made free for public on 26/09/2012.
Comments and criticism are welcome on the ’Rules’ page of my blog http://randomncreative.blogspot.com.