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Apr 11 03 7:58 AM

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Hi folks

Has anyone ever used GDB for the American War of Independance? I think the basic rules structure would fit in very well and the scale is right and the skirmish rules would fit in well and are easy to use......

Any thoughts????

Cheers

Mark
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Eclaireur

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#1 [url]

Apr 11 03 8:55 AM

Mark,
if you go back through the pages of previous posts you will see this topic has come up before.
I am working on such a ruleset. I've playtested my ideas on a Lexington battle and they seemed to work fine. I am still quite far though from having a form of the rules that might be playtested by others, let alone marketted. In the latter context I have had a brief conversation with Caliver Books about whether they'd be interested in the AWI version and they would.
regards
EC

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#2 [url]

Apr 11 03 9:18 PM

I don't normally agree with adapting rulesets for other periods but I would be interested in a set for AWI based on the scale used in GdB. I think it is an odeal period for "big battalions" i.e. a figure ration of 1:20 or even less.

Maybe Eclaireur would keep us informed of the progress of his ruleset.

Death to the rebels!

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Eclaireur

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Apr 11 03 9:52 PM

Richmond,
well, I suppose it depends on how far you see the AWI as a different period. Evidently the Brown Bess musket, the manual exercise or platoon firing were all pretty similar. The real differences concerned the peculiarities of the American fighting environment - a factor that led some Brit officers of a conservative cast to cast doubt on utiility of applying the lessons of the AWI to the Army more widely. Much of this refined itself down to factors like: using extended firing lines or 'loose files'; the absence of cavalry as a shock arm in the AWI; the skill at arms of the backwoodsmen.
I'll keep you all posted, in any case.
regards
EC

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#4 [url]

Apr 12 03 8:53 AM

Cheers EC

I dont feel that the AWI is a totally different period, just used some different tactics. In the Napoleonic period we have added in extra rules to cover cossacks and grande bandes and such, but we still base these around a sound set of basic rules. I think the basic rules could also apply easily to the AWI with just an extra few rules added to cover the different goings on.

One thing that springs to mind is to maybe change the musketry table to include some smaller graduations i.e 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 or something as I think there were often quite small regiments and units fighting. But before I go on any more I'll go and look at the previous topic on this as I bet this has all been said before!

Did anyone see The Patriot on channel 5 the other night? A good typical Hollywood representation of the AWI if ever there was one! But a good film anyway and its rekindled my interest in the war.

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Eclaireur

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#5 [url]

Apr 12 03 2:39 PM

Mark,
the firing table I'm using does have lesser gradations, resulting from the fact that the battalions tend to be quite small. I'm toying with 1:20 and 1:15 figure scales but either way you end up with battalions going from roughly 12 figs to 32 or 36. Generally though the typical continental battalion was only 200-250 men and the typical British one on campaign 300-400. Difficulties arise because some battalions - like the French ones or recently raised Scottish ones - deployed anything up to 800-900 troops in the field and evidently you need systems that allow big and small to be fairly represented.
The major differences with AWI GDB, as I'm crafting it, are: the use of randomised movement; disruption points acquired by manoevre or combat; some small tactical differences to allow for extended order etc.
regards
EC

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#8 [url]

Apr 13 03 1:01 PM

i agree with richmond that you cannot adapt rule sets for different periods; although you could be perhaps inspired by them. Good call Richmond !

Lemmy

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#9 [url]

Apr 14 03 4:26 PM

adapting rule sets

Lemmy


Lemmy Reading Richmonds post he doesn't say you can't adapt rule sets for other periods he says He doesn't normally agree with adapting rules sets which isn't the same thing.
Anyway of course you can adapt sets of rules for other periods as has been proven by many gamers over the years at our club DBA was adapted for a period not covered by the original rule writers.The closer the wargames rules to the new period the easier it generally is to adapt although I've seen rules that start out as an adaption of an original set but by the time it's ready to play bear little resemblance to it's parent set.

Kutusov

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