Napoleonic Wargame Rules - Command and Control

Command and Control

I've always liked command and control mechanics with a traditional command radius + initiative rating for subordinate commanders, often used in miniature (Napoleon0s Battles) or board (Battles from the Age of Reason by Clash of Arms) wargames. I found it simple and realistic, and the individual leaders rating put some historical perspective on armies, as good commanders (like Davout, or von Seydlitz) can operate well even outside their OC radius, while poor ones would struggle. Problem is that such a system usually ends up becoming a complicated exercise in micromanaging distances as each general is placed at carefully measured distances in order to maximize army control: in short, it becomes an exercise in measuring and all too often it takes up valuable game time and scenario exceptions need cumbersome ad-hoc rules to work.

In the end, however, we have to keep in mind that any command and control system leads (or should lead) to the same end result: an army with good generals and/or a good staff and command system can manage and move its forces more readily, more efficiently and in a more coordinated way than an army with poor generals and/or a poor staff and command system. The only difference across the various ruleset is how many rules the game designer felt were needed to get to that same result.

Napoleon at Borodino - by V. Vereshagin

Therefore, in order to keep rules quick and yet obtain the same historicity, I decided to drop command radius and individual unit initiative ratings. If using scenarios which already state restrictions for command (like many scenarios in One Hour Wargames - OHW), players may stick to those and not apply anything else - or risk altering scenario balance. If no indications are given, or players anyway prefer to introduce an additional effect, then we can use NT's command rules from W19thCE. Each army is rated for its command level (mixture of leaders quality and staff work): Poor, Average and Good. This should be evident from historical references, but in case of doubt or disagreement, just stick with Average for both armies (or Good for both if preferring a more controlled game).

At the start of each own turn, the acting player rolls 1d6 and checks a table which gives him/her the number of units that are "in command" during that turn depending on his/her army command quality. "In command" means that they can function at full efficiency, either because they are within the chain of command or because a good leader is leading them (or both). After rolling, the active player names which units are "in command".

"Out of command" units are not idle however. They can move up to 1/2 movement allowance and fire using 1/2 the normal dice. They can't attack (go into close combat with) the enemy, but they fight normally if attacked. This is taken directly from NT's W19thCE.

For example, for a 10-unit army:

		Army command quality
		Poor	Average	Good
1d6 roll	1-2	2 (20%)	4 (40%)	6 (60%)
	3-4	3( 30%)	5 (50%)	7 (70%)
	5-6	4 (40%)	6 (60%)	8 (80%)

If armies are not composed by 10 units, use the % in brackets, rounding to the nearest whole number. So, for example, for a 6-unit army (like those for OHW when no particular rules are indicated):

		Army command quality
		Poor	Average	Good
1d6 roll	1-2	1 (20%)	2 (40%)	4 (60%)
	3-4	2( 30%)	3 (50%)	4 (70%)
	5-6	2 (40%)	4 (60%)	5 (80%)

Generals

The above emphasis on avoiding traditional command & control rules means traditional bases with general figures are mostly unnecessary (except for aesthetic reasons). However, I feel there may still be place for having a general miniature with some effective use. In this, I take ideas both from Blucher and from Steven Whitesell (of the interesting "Sound Officers Call!" wargame blog), in particular from his One Hour Grand Tactical rules.

Therefore each army still has one general base/model, roughly representing the Army Commander or anyway relevant commanders. Every turn, it can do one of three different things, and is placed accordingly so that players immediately remember what the leader is doing:

1) Command: General is at HQ and is concentrating on leading the battle, including with the help of his staff and subordinates). The general base is placed anywhere (likely behind his lines) but without touching any unit. The army has +1 "in command" unit this turn. Note that it's +1 unit, not +1 to the die roll. So for example a 10-unit army with an average command quality rolls 1d6 and gets 3: it should have 5 units "in command". But its general is performing its Command ability so it gets 1 more unit "in command". It therefore has 6 units "in command" this turn.

Wellington at Waterloo - by R. A. Hillingford

2) Lead unit: General is directly leading one unit, increasing its élan and leading it against the enemy, either in attack or defense. The general base is placed in contact with the friendly unit (only 1 unit!), which can be a different one each turn if so desired. That unit gets a close combat bonus for this turn (see Close Combat rules). If the unit is routed/eliminated (i.e.: gets to 4 DPs) then the general is lost and can't be replaced. The army effectively has to do without a general from now on. This represents both the loss of a key leader (not necessarily the army CO) or of several valuable officers (or both), limiting the army's ability to coordinate and perform effectively as replacements struggle to take control of the situation.

3) Rally: General is busy trying to reorganize demoralized and/or disordered troops so they can get back into the fray. The general base is placed in contact with one friendly unit (only 1 unit!) that is at least 30cm apart from the closest enemy unit, and can be a different one each turn if so desired. It allows that unit to rally (see Rally rules).

These three options present a standard trade-off situation: you can have one advantage, but have to renounce to the others: either you get better control, but can't help in rallying or in a key combat; or you get a boost in a key combat situation, but control your army less well and risk losing the general if something goes awry; or you try to rally your troops but can't control your army well or give a hand in combat. In some situations (especially at start) it will be an easy choice, becoming more and more challenging as the battle evolves, like in real life.

Having the leader base moved directly in the desired position (foreign the usual movement rates, or other rules) effectively makes it a sort of "counter" that instantly shows what the player has chosen to do with it, and allows both simplicity and ease of use (and memory!).

I'm still thinking about using more than one general for larger games, but I still have to find a way to make them not too powerful, or denaturate the C&C rules.

Next: Movement, Firing and Close Combat