Introduction

The crucial feature of this set of rules is simplicity of play requiring guile and cunning from players to win! Many of you, like us, will have armies already based; do not despair, it is not necessary to change anything; all we suggest is that your army is compatible with your opponents for ease of game play.

You will need suitable miniatures to play the game and they can be any scale but we would recommend the use of 10mm or 15mm. 20/25mm(1/72nd) will play just as well and lovers of 28mm can also enjoy these rules. For a real mass effect some players may opt for 6mm. Your miniatures will need to be glued to a base, as each base will represent approximately a single platoon, company or regiment or other such military grouping in the game.

The rules use a simple method to issue orders to units by rolling two dice to match or come under a value given to each officer in the game. By the lack of certainty that arises the Fog-of-War so prevalent during the period is replicated. There are only three simple stages to a game turn; Preliminary Actions, Commanding Stage and Turn End, during each of these various actions are carried out, such as combat and firing.

Formations

All the main formations used on the battlefield are followed: Columns of Attack, Skirmish Order, Lines of Battle and, of course, the Square!

The book comes complete with army lists and statistics for all the main belligerents of the Napoleonic Wars—France, Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia plus others—as well as the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Crimean War and the American Civil War.

The game includes:
· A simple command system replicating the fog of war
· Casualty resolution remains the same throughout
· Flexible unit composition; platoon to brigade.
· No rebasing of your existing models necessary.
· Minimal start-up time; set up your armies and go!
· Comprehensive Army Lists for the Napoleonic Wars, War of 1812, The Mexican-American War, The Crimean War and The American Civil War.
· Includes a simple double sided ‘at a glance’ reference sheet as part of the book cover.

The Writing Team
Stefan Madgwick, Alan Vowles, Joanne Cole, Chris Roberts

Between us we have a Degree in Military History with a specialization in the period covered by the book, more than 100 years worth of wargaming experience, including testing of many diverse major published games, and time in Her Majesties Armed Forces! Crucially we believe that the war gaming hobby is first and foremost fun.