Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

More importantly, the MORALE of the respective forces was generally the key to success, not the size of the forces per se. At its simplest, a Napoleonic attack was a colossal game of "chicken." If the attackers pushed ahead (e.g., did not pause to return fire, were disorganized by defensive fire, etc.) the defenders, in effect, needed to pass a morale check to see if they stood or ran away. If the defenders crumbled, the attack succeeded, if not, the attack generally failed. That's how a single battalion of Middle Guard could drive off an entire division of Landwehr Prussians at Plancenoit. As someone already pointed out, the key to British tactical defenses was that they would: 1) Hold their defensive fire until the attacker was at point blank range (25 - 30 yards); 2) Deliver one (1) volley of fire which generally shattered the attacker's front rank; 3) Immediately counter-charge the now disorganized attackers.

None of this can be simulated with the Tiller game engines.

Sure, the 100 meter hex is overcrowded with the current system. But how do you ever win a melee within 15-30 mins using reduced stacking with a melee table that is all about strength and 2:1 odds?

H&R has it all wrong. In the Napoleonic period units would move up, assault and win melees. Yes, firepower did stop attackers. But the Napoleonic period is not about Seven Years War linear combat.

Go back over the battles and the time scales. Entire areas werre decided in less than an hour of meleeing and it had nothing to do with the units stopping to fire.

We have already found out that artillery was not able to sufficiently soften up a defender. That goes clear up to WW2! So it wasnt this concept of "They would bombard the defenders and then attack." Try telling that to Napoleon at Austerliz. His men fought against Russians in short combats in a back and forth style.

Anytime the attacker stopped to fire for the most part .. they LOST.

British would fire on the French columns as they came up and over the slope. Front of French column would fold. French would return fire (weak). British would counter charge with grenadier column. French would rout.

All of this talk aboout a fresh enemy holding is ridiculous too .. that you had to wear them down. its all about matchups. Not strength and fatigue is not always an indicator either.