I have to confess that when I find a set of rules that I like, I do tend to stick with them. And for the job that they do, I think Volley and Bayonet works. But having said that, except recently (see here), I haven't played these for... a decade and more! Hopefully the Rivoli project will radically alter that state of affairs. However, it perhaps says something about the mechanics that there is something that always draws me back.
This choice is quite unusual for me, as I tend to choose rules that are specific to the tight period or conflict, for example They Died for Glory for FPW. Whereas, Volley and Bayonet is a broad set to cover the horse and musket era from c.1700 to c.1870. In this respect, I believe it might be the thing that scratches that itch to play the big battle rather than a part of it.
Another thing of note are the design notes. You may not agree with them all, but Frank Chadwick certainly makes clear the rationale for the systems in Volley and Bayonet. Have a look here.
Scale
A jump that needs to be made in player imagination is that one infantry and cavalry base (typically 3 inches by 3 inches for Napoleonics and after) represents a regiment or brigade. So what you are playing with are formations. Not individual units. The player does not even worry about line or column etc.. The assumption is that the brigade and regiment commanders will deal with that stuff. You are the general commanding the army, and that is your only concern. So "like" number one is the player is the commander in chief... not the colonel or sergeant!
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| 3 French divisions defend against 3 Austrian. |
There is none!
Not strictly true... there is a command radius between division commanders and their brigades. To be out of this really inhibits forward movement and can leave a brigade disordered if it does. When a unit is disordered it is one bad decision away from routing and/or being permanently disordered. It actually makes a player conscious of command and control issues without elaborate mechanics having to be employed.
Movement
Movement is ENORMOUS. If you play the full scale an infantry brigade can move 16 inches; heavy cavalry up to 20 inches. But it works! Remember this is truly grand tactical and it has to be appreciated that one turn equals one hour. However, terrain, manoeuvring, and the presence of the enemy can soon limit those massive moves. Plus, fast unsupported advances can invariably lead to unwelcome outcomes.
You can scale down to half move rates and missile range - especially good if you choose to halve the size of the bases.
Morale and Division Exhaustion
One of the things that I like best is the division exhaustion rules. Each unit has a strength value which can degrade with losses. Typically a Napoleonic brigade (one unit) will have a strength of 4-6 (1 strength point equates to c.500 men). The units in a division contribute their strength to the Division Exhaustion. So, when a division typically suffers 50% loss of strength points across its units, the division must take a test to see if its morale collapses. As you can imagine, this is not good news if it happens.
The point score of the Division Exhaustion test can be adjusted to reflect the quality or resilience of the division - say down to 40% losses for a fragile division; up to 60%, for a high morale, very resilient division. So, not only does which unit have its morale rating, but the division exhaustion level can be applied to this as well.
In short, these rules are simple but on greater reflection are actually quite nuanced. The mechanics do allow for the forms of fighting in the 18th century, and also later with the advent of rifled small arms and artillery.
I just need to play them more!
A ruleset I've never tried, but your points have piqued my interest. May have to pick up a copy
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil. Doesn't do any harm to have a look. I still use version 1. There is an updated version, but I've not been inclined to get... "if it ain't broke don't fix it!"
DeleteI have heard of this set but never used them. The mechanics sound perfect for large scale 6mm games played at a grand scale.
ReplyDeleteThey are Lawrence. The scenarios in the ruleset include the likes of Austerlitz.
DeleteRichard, finding a ruleset, learning it well, and sticking with it, is a process more of us could follow. While I do not have V&B, I did play a game at a con one time. My vague recollection was that some processes were abstracted at a time I was interested in more detail but the abstractions worked. From your overview of the game engine and philosophy, seems to me that V&B may have been ahead of its time. Many certainly view it as a classic and good to see you hanging onto these old rules and keeping them in your gaming rotation. I find myself squarely in your camp.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jonathan. Considering they were published in 1994, ahead of their time seems about right. I can understand that the abstractions can be off putting. But I think your comment about what we want is interesting.
Delete1. We all look for different things in our gaming experience.
2. What we look for can evolve over time.
3. For some/many, an appreciation of different aspects of gaming (skirmish, small scale, grand tactical etc.) builds, and satisfaction found with the nuances of the game mechanics - both detailed and abstract.
4. For some/many, they know what they like and seldom wish to deviant from what brings them joy.
... none of the above are "right" or "wrong". Nor are we necessarily stuck in any of them.
Sorry Jonathan, just random thoughts. I may have to reflect and amend as appropriate.
This sounds like a great set of rules if your aim is to fight large scale games on a confined table space with smaller figures...but probably not so good if you want to paint up 20 or 28mm figures! You could of course continue the abstraction, and have a 3 X 3 base with twelve figures, representing regiment, or six figures for cavalry ....I know some players do this kind of thing with the larger scales.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Strangely enough the rules actually show figures from 6mm up to 54mm on the bases. If you can live with the idea that 12 infantry is a brigade then why not. The designer does say that you could really recreate whole formations in 6mm, but the cost becomes reversed in the larger scales as you use fewer figures.
DeleteLooking forward to have a game with these again Rich. It's been a long long time.
ReplyDeleteMe too Ray! Just waiting for Lee to do the show and do a couple more games with his stuff before I jump in. You know what it's like... too many rules spinning around in the head!
DeleteI've had a copy of 'V&B' for many years and never quite got round to playing a game, but I really like the whole idea of them! Nice to chat about them today at 'Broadside' ( for that was me..) and I think you may have inspired me to finally give them a go, so thank you!
ReplyDelete