General de Brigade

[zietenausdembusch]

Gentlemen,
congratulations to a very interesting ruleset. Clear layout, easy to read, plenty of illustrations and a scale that allows me to play all those classic Grant/Asquith scenarios and table top teasers. Very good, indeed!

The solo playtests I conducted raised a few questions which I'd like to ask under seperate headings here in the forum for ease of reference. Here's the first one:

In order to bring an enemy unit in the firing arc of a 12 pdr. gun, it is necessary to change its facing. Can I do this? Rule 7.5 Wheeling on p. 35 states "Artillery will wheel at their respective prolonging rates.". The table on p. 34, Movement Rates, only lists "prolonging rates for 6-8 pdrs. and 3-4 pdrs.. So, if a 12 pdr. cannot be prolonged, it cannot wheel, therefore no facing change. Am I missing something?

Many thanks in advance
Olaf

[Dougie]

A 12pdr gun is unable to rotate. It can limber up and manoeuvre and then unlimber to face in a different direction. The rules as they stand limbering and unlimbering take 1 full turn each so a 12pdr battery would take 2 turns to face in a new direction and it could fire on turn 3. A 6pdr battery could prologue round 2” per turn, (fine if it is just one gun but slow if it is 2 or 3) or it could follow the same procedure as the 12pdr and take 1 turn to face a new direction and fire on turn two. During the procedure of limbering and unlimbering you are able to face a new direction so a three gun battery would be able to effectively rotate on the spot during this process.

I feel that the speed at which you can do this would be reflected by the ground condition. If the ground is frozen (Leuthen) or especially hard you could allow 12pdrs a prologue move of 2” and 6pdrs 4”. But this would have to be scenario driven, the rules as written are assuming average ground conditions. Other factors to consider for prologue and limbered artillery would be ploughed fields, tall dense cereal crops, how wet the ground is, how bad the roads are and the like, this would all be in the scenario. Even on a good day guns are hard to move.

Dougie

[angus konstam]

Olaf,

I'm delighted your enthusiastic about the rules. Sure, there are an annoying number of typos, the playsheets were scrambled at the design stage, and we've found a few cock-ups - but despite that people think they they work really well, and do the job with a certain degree of period flavour!

All your points are eminently sensible - as are Dougie's responses. Unlike me, he actually tales wargame rules seriously - I have an unashamedly cavalier approach to rule reading and writing, so I suppose that balances out!

You can find better versions of the playsheets on my wargaming website, where Dougie and I will also post an errata sheet as we can both spare the time.

Best Wishes,

Angus Konstam
www.edinburghwargames.com

[zietenausdembusch]

Hi Angus,

it's good to know that the rules are not only, in my oppinion, well designed but also well supported.

And by the way "an unashamedly cavalier approach to rule reading and writing ... " does fit the period, does it ?! [Although, I must admit, I see some advantages in Dougies somehow more "prussian" approach ;-)]

All the best from Berlin
Olaf