Currently trying to write a one page set of rules for the ‘45. Here’s where you come in... What essential or fundamental aspects of the fighting in the Jacobite campaign of 1745 are needed to be considered when writing a set of rules for this period?
Here are a stab at a few considerations:
ReplyDelete1) Government troop moral problematic effecting shooting (firing too early)
2) Highlanders movement less impacted by terrain
3) Highlander charge, fired weapons dropped them and charged. Do you let them shoot and then charge?
4) Time to deploy troops for battle caused a few issues
5) Weather (rain) effect on shooting
Good luck with your rules. Will you be posting them once happy with them? Or close to happy, not sure if wargamers are ever happy with rules.
Eager to see what you come up with. Short, sweet, and simple seem to be good guidelines. Easy to recall, fast, fun, and (at times) furious.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Unpredictability of Government forces, including militia etc, and Lowlanders is a huge factor.
ReplyDeleteStationary cavalry can be charged.
As I believe that the evidence shows less than half of the Highlanders had swords then they didn't all throw down their muskets before charging. They could certainly fire, melee then fire again (see Falkirk). I'd love to be persuaded otherwise regarding the swords!
Certainly weather and shooting.
Just a few thoughts.
Ronnie
This time we should win.
ReplyDeleteKey issues;
morale of poorer quality troops facing Highland charge.
Would echo Peters comments.
Wot Stokes says. I've been following his rules developments on his site and love what I see!
ReplyDeleteRonnie
That highland 'fire then charge' tactic would make an interesting and distinctive mechanism : reminds me slightly of Neil Thomas Pike and Shot, I think he only allows foot to charge when they 'run out of ammo'.
ReplyDeleteIs it rather 'scissors paper stone' in a way? Highlanders look fierce and charge ferociously, English may break in terror, but if they stand, their volleys and bayonets probably win? All about mind-games, perhaps..
I really like Stephen Simpson's two-page rules from Wargames Illustrated 75 and 134, and have run them successfully with 18mm Wofun '45 Paperboys. Units have two hit-points, rolls are D8-D6, modified by flanking, outnumbering, etc. Roll zero or less and you lose an HP (or break if you lost your second). Highlanders get faster charge moves and a -1 to the roll for ferocity; poor-morale Hanoverian units only have one hit-point, so they are likelier to break once attacked. Easily modifiable for individual scenarios.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered about that throw down the musket thing. Surely these are valuable weapons that you might need in a bit. I can see the lairds dropping a musket then it being picked up by a retainer. Then Stuart Reid would have us believe that the first rank was all fighting gentlemen and everyone else was just making up the numbers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help everyone. I will scribble away and if anything tenable emerges l will post them here.
ReplyDeleteThere are some very nice mechanics in Andy Callan's rules in the Paperboys Jacobite book. One interesting feature is that the Highland units begin to 'bunch' together.. the further they charge, the narrower their frontage becomes. It means you have to make some interesting decisions about when to launch the charge.
ReplyDelete