Kolin Playtest - Part II

Having run through how the Kolin game unfolded, I'm going to review the Bellona et Fortuna rules in two parts:

• how well did the mechanisms work?
• how well do the rules hang together overall?

This is difficult because, well I wrote the bloody thing and I understand it, but that doesn't mean anyone else necessarily will. Have to work hard to overcome any bias. I have a lot invested in it. Never mind not calling someone else's baby ugly. There's a natural tendency to view your own through rose-coloured spectacles.

This post has worked out to be quite brief by my standards, so there's more chance of you getting to the end.



How did the game mechanisms work?

Turn sequence
OK, but I kept forgetting NOT to move routers immediately after Combat. Routing is an 'Enforced Move', and these are supposed to be done at the beginning of the 'phasing player's' turn. Another Enforced Move would be an 'uncontrolled' charge - I had in mind something like the famous quote from Mollwitz, "Are we to stand here and be shot like dogs?" There is a rationale for this. Troops who engage in Combat cannot move and vice versa. This is partly on the grounds that you can't fit in two things in the time you can normally do just one, and partly to keep the turns churning quicker.  So is my forgetting a case of needing more time to learn the rules or does this illustrate the sequence is just too difficult? I think it's probably the former (it's a long time since I last played these rules) and I should have been keeping an eye on the turn sequence. It may be a product of playing Polemos for years - in Polemos routs happen immediately after combat

Orders/Comman & Control
The process generally works well. However, I kind of lost track of which generals command which units (probably on account of having combat resolved at base (unit) level. Does it matter? Why not just keep it as I gamed it and have them linked to whoever is nearest general. Also don’t fuss about different levels between CinC and division level.

Combat
By far the most used, and tweaked section. Would banding bases together in brigades or divisions help speed the game up? Or would it just lose some ‘flavour’? Simple answer is to try it.
I made a number of minor tweaks to the Combat tables. Among the more significant points to address:

• remove the disordering effect of routers unless the lines they burst through are <1BW away from the routers starting point. (As it was it caused too much damage to reserves).
• modify the plus factors for Discipline levels in Combat Resolution. It gives too big an advantage to Skilled/Crack.
• add provision for infantry to attack cavalry. I had some Prussian cavalry stuck flank on in front of Austrian infantry for ages
• consider making combat something between higher level formations to speed things up. Probably but how to define who gets what pluses and minus when there are troops with different qualities in the same formation?

I also forgot to do Combat Outcome. It may not matter but it could speed the game up. It also requires keeping track of which units belong to which higher formations. Hmmm. At moment inclined to delete it.

Troop Discipline and Temper
Was it a problem to remember and get it right? No! Keep it as it is.

Attrition
Are two types of Attrition confusing? Not particularly. But you have to pay attention to what the Combat result say as it isn’t always intuitive which one to use (though there is logic to it). More testing needed.


How well do the rules hang together overall?

Anything missing?
Victory conditions or army morale. What brings about the end of the game? Having something explicit will help.

Did it play well as a game?
Yes overall

Was it easy to remember what to do? Can these be improved upon?
Not always - see comments above about rout moves, which type of attrition to use and Combat Outcome. Needs some thought. Also moving routers too soon.
Testing for orders (lower dice roll is Good) is the opposite to Combat (lower dice roll is Bad)  - To counter this I'd have to allocate better generals lower IRs and bad ones lower. Or am I missing something?

Are the rules written in a clear and easy to understand way?
Hard for me to judge.

Does it work for solo play?
Yes. The Command & Control mechanism was designed to allow this.

Does it seem to feel right for the period and level of combat?
Yes. In my opinion.
It might need more development in the pluses and minuses to get the balance to feel right e.g. between diff troops in combat

Conclusion
Bellona et Fortuna works well generally. I need to keep testing and developing it. Can it be used now to play a game? Certainly. Can someone else use it now without in-game guidance? That's the $64,000 question. Anyone fancy a go?

I'll probably revert to the ECW after this (I have some follow-up on the earlier Cheriton posts). But having not felt inclined to wargame the SYW for nearly two years, my wotsit has been rekindled these past couple of weeks by reviewing and testing my rules.