Wargame Rules – Artillery

The use of just 1D6 to determine all combat and morale rules has proved a great improvement on the previous rules, which used 2D6. It has simplified outcomes and also made them much more unpredictable.

However to determine artillery fire casualties it has raised problems which I am currently struggling with. The artillery rules are as follows:

Total require for a hit
06 – Artillery at long range
05 – Artillery at short range
05 – Building, woods or hills at long range
04 – Building, woods or hills at short range
04 – cavalry at long range
03 – cavalry at short range
03 – infantry at long range
02 – infantry at short range

Combat factors
each casualty – minus 1
walled town – minus 1

When all artillery crews are at full strength there are no problems. However after the first three battles of a campaign each army will have battle casualties. These are reduced to just 1 per brigade when the army is regrouped (receive reinforcements and redistribute casualties). So when at the start of the fourth, fifth and sixth battles it is normal for many brigades, including artillery, to start the game with one casualty.

The photograph above shows the artillery casualties at the start of the game. 4th and 6th French corps artillery each have one casualty. The Prussian artillery do not have any casualties. This is quite unusual, more often only one side will have a casualty, or else both sides will have a casualty thus sharing the problem for both players.

The attacking army must try to reduce the effectiveness of the enemy artillery. Failure to do so will almost always result in failure. For example an infantry brigade will be receive casualties twice before they reach defending artillery. At long range the gunners require 3 to hit, at short range only 2. Each time they receive casualties the infantry have to test morale, they deduct 1 for each casualty plus 1 for being disordered. With two casualties the infantry are very likely to fail their morale and retreat or rout.

Counter battery fire is the usual way to reduce the effectiveness of enemy artillery. However at long range the gunners require a total of 6 for a hit. If they start the game with one artillery casualty the maximum they can achieve is 5. They would have to move to close range of the enemy gunners (4”) to be able to hit them.

When I wrote the rules I anticipated that rolling a 6 in counter battery fire would not happen very often. I don’t know what the odds are, but I do know that it has happened surprisingly often in our wargames. And, of course, it always seems to happen to the wrong side! If the attacking army are unable to hit the enemy gunners their infantry are at a huge disadvantage in launching an attack.

Balance is all important in wargame rules, and I am not sure that I have it right in this particular case. In all other circumstances the artillery rules work quite well. With two dice, allowing a maximum of 12 outcomes, I could adjust the tables. This is not possible with jus t one dice.

Despite my reservations I am inclined to keep the existing rules and just accept that rolling a 6 to hit the enemy gunners is actually quite hard. And when it does happen it is just luck. Sometimes it is better to accept an apparent unfair advantage, and accept that you can’t always find a solution to every problem.

Hildesheim Campaign – Day Three

21 August 1813 – Northern Germany Day 3

The Prussians attack Holle
1st Prussian army – occupy Seesen
2nd Prussian army – attack Holle
3rd Prussian army – regroup Langelsheim

The French retreat to Alfeld
1st French army – defend Holle
2nd French army – retreat to Alfeld
3rd French army – regroup at the border

Battle of Holle – End of Move 2

The French, commanded by Napoleon, occupy the three game objectives at the start of the battle
Old Guard woods on the right
2nd French corps road junction in the centre
3rd French corps farm on the left

The Prussians, commanded by Blucher, arrive at the start of move 1
4th corps attack the woods on the right
5th corps attack the road junction in the centre
6th corps attack the farm on the left

4th corps, on the right, never look like taking the woods
They capture and hold one section, but the French hold the other two

5th corps in the centre, is the main Prussian attack
Blucher takes command of half of 6th corps to support them
They break, and rout, all of 2nd French corps

6th corps, on the left, pin the French holding the farm on the left
With the centre broken, Blucher attacks the farm with artillery and two brigades
The French hold the farm for three moves/hours, but eventually retreat

At nightfall the Prussians hold two of the three game objectives and win the game

Comments

Another very enjoyable wargame, with the advantage moving from one side to the other
The game lasts a maximum of 12 moves, and could go either way until move 8

The French cavalry were unlucky, and lost all three melee, though the guard rallied
The Prussian cavalry could then threaten the Prussian artillery and force them to withdraw

The massed Prussian infantry attack on the three objectives started on move 6.
Only one brigade could occupy or enter each game objective
Both sides had committed their best infantry brigades to hold and attack
So it required a prolonged fight to determine the outcome

However the Prussian cavalry could pin the French reserve infantry
This allowed the Prussian infantry to bring their full strength to bear

The French have lost 12 infantry. 4 cavalry and 2 gunner casualties (5400 men)
The Prussian have lost 7 infantry casualties (2800 men)

A decisive Prussian victory

Feeling My Age

 

I don’t often have a moan on any of my blogs, because I usually feel that I have a lot to be grateful for and know only too well that there is a lot who would happily change places with me tomorrow.

However.......

Last June I turned 80 which is one of those critical birthdays which it is more difficult than usual to ignore.   We moved to Spain in my early 60s, and I remember thinking “60 is the new 50”.   It may not be true, but there is an element of truth in it.   My wife and I were still quite fit and made the most of moving to this lovely part of Spain.   

A month after we arrived a new U3A was formed in our local town, and we were amongst the first members.   This introduced us to hundreds of ex pats who had taken the decision to move to Spain for our retirement.   In 2006 there was a real surge of brits moving to Spain, encouraged by the many TV programmes such as “A life in the Sun” and the free four day visits paid for by local estate agents to encourage the move.   It was a very exciting time and great to be surrounded by like minded people of a similar age.   Everyone was new, so everyone wanted to make friends.

We took full advantage of the many coach trips organised by the U3A for four day trips to Madrid, Granada, Seville, Barcelona and Saragossa – plus many many more.

We also discovered hill walking with a local walking group, a hobby which we have enjoyed ever since.   For ten years or so we walked as part of a group, but as they got older we started our own walking group.    This not only kept us fit, but widened our circle of friends.

Equally important we built our first custom made wargames table.   Our house was bought “off plan”, which meant we had a large say in how the rooms could be adopted.   We were able to expand an underbuild to provide us with a space large enough for a 6x6 foot table, and an adjoining room for shelves to hold the model soldiers and model buildings

A third project was to make a large collection of model houses to populate our wargame tables spreading from north Germany to southern Spain.   And in two scales, one for 28mm and a second for 18mm.    My wife was the artistic one who designed and built the card buildings.   I got to paint them.   This kept us busy for a couple of years.

My 70^th birthday passed by almost unnoticed.   I have never been one to celebrate birthdays or occasions.   Nor do I particularly enjoy eating out, despite the many excellent and relatively cheap restaurants available locally.   I would rather have a favourite meal on our naya (balcony) on a warm June evening with a cold glass of wine followed by brandy and coffee.

However 80 years old demanded my attention.   As it approached I became aware that many of our walking friends had given up hill walking.   Being in the U3A there is always a supply of new arrivals eager to join in new activities, particularly walking which is not only healthy but also a great way to meet new friends, even if your are not a natural mixer.   However the group was remaining the same age (average 70ish) but we had gone from the youngest to be far the oldest.

My wife Jan had had an accident on the mountains, which made her very wary to tackling the harder climbs.   We had always walked together, and I just didn’t enjoy the walks so much without her.   So I decided to start a new walking group, but this time easy 9km valley walks.   We both enjoyed them, and within a few months it was just as popular as our previous more challenging mountain walks.   But it was an admission that we were both finding the walks we previously enjoyed very challenging.

In March last year my optician confirmed that I had cataracts of both eyes which now needed attention.   I was quite shocked to discover that I had lost 20% of the sight in both eyes in just a few months.  I visited our local GP and was referred to the local hospital.   But, as in the UK, there would be a long wait.   With all the elderly Brits living locally there is a lot of call for replacement knees and hips plus of course cataracts.   It would take 9 months to get the hospital appointment, and another 5 months to get a date for the first operation.   Fortunately my sight did not get worse during this long wait – at least until a few weeks ago.

In late May I became aware that I could no longer read paper size print without eye strain.   I managed ok with the computer, until a few weeks later when I found that becoming difficult too.

Then a week ago I caught a bad cold/flu from my wife, causing me to worry that the operation might be cancelled if they realised when I turned up for the operation.   Finally four days ago an early heat wave arrived without warning.   Temperatures rose from a pleasant 24-26c to a very uncomfortable 34-36c.  

So for the past few days I have been feeling very sorry for myself.   Unable to spend so much time on the computer, feeling too ill to either walk or want to wargame and the approaching operation on my eyes which I would rather not think about too much.

Tomorrow is the first cataract operation, and the weather forecast is for lower temperatures next week.  So hopefully when the next blog comes along I will be feeling much more my normal self and not feeling so sorry for myself.

To celebrate the above I have updated my blog photograph.   The earlier one was taken in about 2008, this one was June 2025.   Our walking group surprised me with a birthday cake and a photograph of Jan and I after one of our walks.  I was starting to feel a little dishonest positing the earlier photo and can feel that I am being more honest with this one.

Hildesheim Campaign – Day Two

 

20 August 1813 – Northern Germany Day 2

The Prussians attack Seesen and retreat to Langelsheim
1st Prussian army – attack Seesen
2nd Prussian army – observe border
3rd Prussian army – retreat to Langelsheim

The French advance to border
1st French army – concentrate on border
2nd French army – advance to border
3rd French army – defend Seesen

Battle of Seesen – End of Move 2

The French were not fully deployed at the start of the battle.
8th corps were in and around the woods in the centre
7th and 9th corps were either side of Seesen, but could move at the start of move 1

The Prussians were off table at the start of the game, but would arrive start of move 1
3rd corps would have to move over the hill on the left, which would delay their arrival

The French occupied all three objectives before the French could get anywhere near
7th corps the hill on the left, 8th corps the woods in the centre and 9th corps the farm on the right
On move 4 the French cavalry in the centre charged the Prussian artillery
The gunners abandoned their guns and ran to the nearby infantry square
As the French cavalry swarmed around the abandoned guns, the Prussian cavalry charged
The French lost the melee and routed with 20% casualties.
8th French corps would never recover from this set back

The Prussians were delayed by the hills on the left and right
So it was late in the day when they could launch their three attacks
With only one move to go all three combats were undecided
But on the last move the French took the hill on the right and the woods in the centre

The French lost 7 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (3000 men)
The Prussians lost 3 infantry and 1 artillery casualties (1300)

Comments

I wish I could convince all serious wargamers to attempt the sort of simple games which Jan and I enjoy. I am sure that many would be put off by how simple the mechanics of our rules seem. Everything is decided by the roll of 1D6. This means that all combats and morale tests are very unreliable.

There are a small number of plus or minus points for both combat and morale. This reflects elite, regular or conscript troops. They also reflect firepower and skirmish ability. And of course casualties affects both combat and morale. Morale is also affected by the position of the corps commander, if he is within 4” of a brigade they get plus 1.

So the rules are not as simple as they at first appear. But if one side rolls a one, or a six, for either combat or morale it will have a dramatic effect.

I suspect that luck plays a larger part in my wargame than it did in real life. However it is a game, and when both players are very experienced and rarely make a mistake it can easily become predictable and boring. This enhanced element of luck changes all of that.

I can honestly say that I enjoy our wargames now more than I have ever done in the past. Not many could say that after Wargaming against the same player for more than 55

Hildesheim Campaign – Day One

 

19 August 1813 – Northern Germany Day 1

The campaign opens with a Prussian surprise attack on Hildesheim district

The Prussians are deployed to the east of the Goslar-Hildesheim border
They are out of sight of the French, but are concentrated ready to attack
1st Prussian army – observe Seesen
2nd Prussian army – observe Holle
3rd Prussian army – attack Harsum

The French are deployed to the west of the Goslar-Hildesheim border
One corps from each army is deployed on the border
The remainder are in reserve for ease of resupply
1st French army – defend Holle
2nd French army – defend Harsum
3rd French army – defend Seesen

Battle of Harsum – End of Move 2

The winner must occupy at least two of the three game objectives

Village on the left
Woods in the centre
Hill on the right

The Prussians start the game with a considerable advantage
All three corps enter the table at the start of move one

One French corps occupies the woods in the centre at the start of the game
The other two corps will not arrive until the start of move 2

On the left the Prussians reach the village first, however it is occupied by one brigade
They send two brigades to attack the village, the rest deploy to slow the Prussian advance
The French occupy the village on move 10, but lose it on move 12

At nightfall neither side hold this objective

In the centre the Prussian gunners are routed by the French gunners
Without artillery support the Prussians are unable to attack the woods
At nightfall the French hold this objective

Only infantry can fight on the hill on the right
Both CinC lead three infantry brigades to take the hill
After a prolonged melee all six brigades are routed
However the Prussians rally first and take the hill
At nightfall the Prussians hold this objective

Neither side has taken two of the three objectives
But there are three Prussian brigades in rout and only one French brigade
The French are declared the winner

Comments

Very interesting and enjoyable first game of the new campaign
The Prussians should have won, they had the advantage of surprise
This translated to all three corps arriving on the table at the start of move 1

The French had one brigade on the table at the start of move 1
But the other two would not arrive until the start of move 2

As always luck played an important part in the game
Artillery fire on gunners is usually ineffective
It takes a roll of 6, with a six sided dice, to hit gunners
Yet in the centre the Prussian gunners were hit three times
This is a compulsory rout, and they were out of the game
Without artillery the Prussian corps could not attack the centre objective

The Prussians took the village on the left towards the end of the game
However the French had their best skirmish brigade to counter attack
They also redeployed their artillery to fire on the garrison at short range
In the last two moves they caused three casualties (30%) to the garrison
The Prussians routed and abandoned the village
It was too late for the French to occupy the village
And the Prussians had an elite brigade ready to counter if they did

The most interesting part of the game was the infantry battle for the hill on the right
In my current rules only infantry can fight on hills, cavalry and artillery can move but not fight
Both CinC took command of three brigades of infantry each and marched onto the hill
Only two brigades on each side could deploy to skirmish or melee.
Over a period of three moves all six brigades were routed
The Prussians went first, but also rallied first, and were able to return and occupy the hill

Not a good result from the campaign point of view
The attacking side have lost the first battle, and will have to retreat

Hildesheim Campaign – Introduction

Europe

The next campaign phase is set in northern Germany and the objective is to take the city of Hildesheim. This will be the 94th campaign phase since we started the 1813 campaign in April 2009. This map shows the location, and winner, of each of those phases.

This is not the original campaign map. In July 2021 I created a series of maps covering all of Europe and divided into fictional regional areas. This was to avoid the difficulty of researching actual maps and trying to confirm national and regional boundaries in 1813, plus location of rivers and mountains. I divided Europe into 33 military regions, each of 9 districts. Each district is a campaign phase, and has 9 towns each of which is a wargame table.

North Germany

This may shows the new military regions and districts. But it also shows the historical national boundaries, such as France, Hannover, Westphalia and Prussia. This is only for information, and to help orientate. The rivers shown do not follow their actual rout, but are so that I can include them in the campaign.

There are three regions in North Germany
Osnabruck Region – French rear area
Brunswick Region – campaign area
Berlin Region – Prussian rear area

Brunswick Region

There are nine districts in Brunswick Region

There have been 24 battles fought in this region

The French have won 13 and the Prussians11
Each star shows the location of a battle fought

Hildesheim Campaign

The campaign is fought between the French held city of Hildesheim, and the Prussian held city of Goslar.

First French army is commanded by Napoleon. It is divided into three armies, each of three corps. They are deployed to the left of the border. The map shows the location of each of the nine corps at the start of the campaign phase.

The Prussian army is commanded by Blucher. It also has three armies each of three corps. They are deployed to the right of the border. Their objective is to take and hold the city of Hildesh

Infantry Combat and Morale Values - The Solution

Typical Austrian Corps

All corps of all nationalities, except for the French Old Guard and the Spanish Army, will have the same combat and morale value as follows:

1 infantry brigade CA FB SC
2 infantry brigade CB FC SA
3 infantry brigade CB FB SB
4 infantry brigade CC FC SC

1 cavalry brigade CB

1 artillery brigade CB

C indicates the class of troops, used for morale
F indicates firepower, used for volley fire
S indicated skirmish ability

A are elite and will add plus 1 for combat or morale
B are trained
C are conscript and will be minus 1

In addition each casualty will deduce 1 for both combat and morale tests

In the past the same grades were used, but each brigade had a different combination of plus or minus for morale, volley fire or skirmish. This made it difficult to compare and identify different abilities on the wargame table. The order of battle sheet had to be consulted each time there was a combat or morale test.

In future the first brigade will be elite, and where possible grenadier figures will be used
They will be ideal for hand to hand fighting, average for volley fire and poor for skirmishing

The second brigade will be excellent skirmishers and jager, riflemen or light infantry figures used
They will be most suited for open order fighting, average for morale and poor for volley fire

The third brigade will be standard, trained infantry, line infantry figures used to represent them
They will be average for morale, volley fire and skirmish

The fourth brigade will be poor quality and landwehr or militia figures used when possible
They will be poor for morale, volley fire and skirmish.

This will make it very easy to allocate the most suitable brigade to each task, and also make it easier to identify them on the table.

 

French Old Guard

This is the only exception, apart from Spanish infantry. They are the elite of the French army, but by 1813 were not on a par with the Imperial Garde before the Russian campaign. I wanted them to be different from the other corps, but I may change my mind about that after play testing.

1 infantry brigade CA FB SC
2 infantry brigade CB FB SB
3 infantry brigade CB FC SA
4 infantry brigade CC FC FC

1 cavalry brigade CB

1 artillery brigade CB

The first two brigades are grenadiers, the last two chasseurs. So the elite skirmishers are in the third brigade. The fourth brigade are conscripts.

Typical Spanish corps

I have sufficient figures for four Spanish corps, but only enough cavalry for two corps. This was deliberate, because I wanted the Spanish to be weak in cavalry.

1 infantry brigade CB FC SC
2 infantry brigade CC FC SC
3 infantry brigade CB FC SB
4 infantry brigade CC FC SC
1 cavalry brigade CB 
1 artillery brigade CB 

At present I am using a completely different order of battle for the Spanish. This is because even in 1813 they were inferior to the French infantry, even to the conscripts. This will be very hard to replicate on the wargames table.

In addition only half of the Spanish corps have cavalry, which leaves them at a huge disadvantage.
To counter this I have increased their armies to four corps, rather than the three in all other armies.
They will also have the advantage of large bodies of guerrilla brigades to attack French lines of supply.

Once more I may change my mind about this after a period of play testing.