Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

With the new HPS Waterloo game out, I thought it might be interesting to reprint a series of posts I made back in 2003 regarding HPS' Napoleonic series. Hope you enjoy it.

Part I - Let's get physical

Okay, let’s look at a couple of things here, physical space of a hex and drill & formations for Napoleonic troops.

In the area of physical space represented by a hex I would like to start by saying there is one line of thought that the hex is abstract anyway so defining limits is somewhat moot. Another line of thought is the hex area does need defined. I think it does so that we can extrapolate historical dimensions into game terms.
According to the game a hex is 100 yards by 100 yards. This is 3600â€

Al -
I am going to answer this thread over on the Unofficial HPS Napoleonic forum where you have also posted the same text.

If anyone is interested in seeing the response take a look over on the other forum.

Oberst Wilhelm Peters
2nd Kuirassiers, Reserve Korps, Austrian Army
[url="http://www.acwgc.org/acwgc_members/burr/Austrian%20Army/Bill_Peters.htm"]Officer Battle Dossier[/url]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bill Peters</i>
<br />
If anyone is interested in seeing the response take a look over on the other forum.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Bill,

Could you give a link, please[:I]

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Mayor Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
commander of Little Russian grenadiers regiment</b></center>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Kosyanenko</i>
<br /><blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bill Peters</i>
<br />
If anyone is interested in seeing the response take a look over on the other forum.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Bill,

Could you give a link, please[:I]

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Mayor Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
commander of Little Russian grenadiers regiment</b></center>

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Well first all of the Unofficial forums are found via: www.wargame.ch

Look under Discussion boards and then click on the Unofficial HPS Forums link. Some members dont even know that this link can get you to all of the forums for all of the sister clubs.

Finally, here is the link to the thread that Al started over on the Unofficial HPS Napoleonic forum.

http://www.wargame.ch/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2845

Bookmark that earlier link for expediting your forum browsing.

Oberst Wilhelm Peters
2nd Kuirassiers, Reserve Korps, Austrian Army
[url="http://www.acwgc.org/acwgc_members/burr/Austrian%20Army/Bill_Peters.htm"]Officer Battle Dossier[/url]

Bill,

No need to respond, you already did. People can go through the NWC archives back in 2003 to see all the comments. I didn't edit any of the post, so some parts (like the ones answering some questions you had asked at the time) may be irrelevent.

I merely thought some of the information may be interesting to some of the new memebers around here who came in after getting HPS Waterloo like Jagger, etc.

Colonel (ret) Al Amos
1er Dragoons
AdN

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Al Amos</i>
<br />Bill,

No need to respond, you already did. People can go through the NWC archives back in 2003 to see all the comments. I didn't edit any of the post, so some parts (like the ones answering some questions you had asked at the time) may be irrelevent.

I merely thought some of the information may be interesting to some of the new memebers around here who came in after getting HPS Waterloo like Jagger, etc.

Colonel (ret) Al Amos
1er Dragoons
AdN
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Here were the original questions that I posed to the community at large on Aug 22, 2002:

I need to know how the public feels about:
1. Large Austrian battalians split into two separate battalians (1000 men and over). For Wagram it would give I Korps 23 more maneuver elements and the II Korps 20 more maneuver elements. This will help combat the fact that the French can overwhelm their opponent by sheer amount of counters. One complaint was that additional units can be accidentally/intentionally separated from each other to which I reply so can skirmishers which wouldnt stray all over the place. Again a House Rule would have to be instated or just let them separate.
2. Stacking - should we limit the amount of stacking to: 1400 inf., 700 cav, 12 guns per 100 meter hex?
3. Movement rates - should they be lowered?
AND/OR
4. Time scale - should we go to 20 minute turns?

Just so you know what Al was responding to.

As to Al's response:

Response to this was put up on the HPS Unoffical Napoleonic Forum.

This thread was worthy of responding to and letting the guys know how I viewed this as a HPS Scenario Designer as of now.

My goal is to try and keep the NWC forum open for club related posts and put up all game engine suggestions on the Unofficial forum where folks that are not members can see all of the responses.

Basically separating the club from the company since its obvious that we will be getting in new games in the future and the game company forums, official or unofficial, are the best place to discuss the game engine. Its a trend that I hope that most if not all of us will get into. Its just a short link away from this board. And easy to find really.

No, not dictating how you use this board - just trying to put HPS game questions and comments on the board where the tech guys like Rich and I hang out. And where folks that are either new to the clubs or games can see in ONE place.

If we can keep all of the HPS material on one forum it will make it easier for all of us to find data when we need it.

Yes, go ahead and post here if you like. I still plan on responding to the threads here over on the other board. And will put a link here to the new thread.

In summary, Al, this was a good post to put back up. Along with the thoughts that others have been voicing they allowed me to share some info on future titles that I thought that you guys would find interesting. Input is always appreciated but just remember that I dont have much patience with "its my view or the sea-view" or "if you dont change the game the way that I view history then I will take my toys and go home" - saw this all too often in the not so distant past and basically walk away from folks that spout off like this. Your thread has room for maneuver so to speak and you dont come off as an egotistical historian anyway.

Everyone has their own view on how these games should be changed. The players would prefer to see it done from the official side. Official files and so on.

The problem is that no two people on this board agree on the values that we should use. Thus if I go with one person's view I piss off the other guy! I do want to correct some values but to do them too often will upset the stability factor. The series doesnt have a standard set of PDT files and neither Rich nor Charlie have a problem with that - NRC basically parted with the defacto Talonsoft/Tiller PDT file used in BGW and NIR as did I in EC/WC. That we are not unified in how we view the PDT file is not a big issue. Yes, the gamers want stability but since no two gamers can relate to me the same set of figures for me to put in a PDT file then I believe I have designer's license to determine what is best for the games. Oh yes, and with my playtester's feedback of course.



Oberst Wilhelm Peters
2nd Kuirassiers, Reserve Korps, Austrian Army
[url="http://www.acwgc.org/acwgc_members/burr/Austrian%20Army/Bill_Peters.htm"]Officer Battle Dossier[/url]