Showing posts with label Osprey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Osprey. Show all posts

Saturday, 16 February 2019

Homemade QRS for Rebels and Patriots

Osprey will be publishing a downloadable Quick Reference Sheet (QRS) for Rebels and Patriots here, but currently there isn't one. As I have my first game planned for Monday week I decided to knock one up for temporary use. This has been a good learning exercise.

It's correct AFAIK but may not reflect exact Osprey/Rampant style and is totally unofficial. I've added references to page numbers which I find helpful.

REBELS AND PATRIOTS - UNOFFICIAL QUICK REFERENCE SHEET

GAME SEQUENCE (37)
• Choose Scenario
• Determine armies
• Set up tabletop and define terrain (38)
• Dice for Officer’s Trait (9-10)
• Dice for who will attack/defend (38)
• Muster Companies (7)
• Deploy
• Battle

GAME TURN SEQUENCE (21)
• Attacker always goes first (38)
• Select a unit to activate
• Declare Action (optional)
• Action Test
• Repeat for other units
• Other player’s turn
• Check victory conditions

ACTIVATING YOUR UNITS (21)
• Move (any unit) (23)
• Attack (any unit except Artillery) (24)
• Fire (any unit that has a firing value except Natives and Light Cavalry) (28)
• Skirmish (Light Infantry, Skirmishers, Natives, and Light Cavalry only) (31)
• Form Close Order (Line Infantry, Light Infantry, Shock Infantry and Shock Cavalry only) (31)
• Volley Fire (Infantry units in Close Order only) (33)
• Rally (any unit) (33)

TESTING TO TAKE ACTIONS (22)
Roll two dice and add the total, modified by:
• For each Disorder Marker -1
• Unit’s Discipline
• Close Order +1
• Officer’s unit within 12” +1
Result must be 6+ to pass
Note Double 1s and Double 6s

THE MORALE TEST (35)
Roll two dice, add the total, modified by:
• For each casualty that the unit has taken in the Action causing the test -1
• Each Disorder Marker -1
• Unit's Discipline
• Close Order +1
• Officer’s unit within 12” +1
Result must be 6+ to pass
Resolve the outcome immediately:
• If passed, the unit does not add any additional Disorder Markers, but retains any markers it already has.
• If failed but above 2 add one Disorder Marker. If already disordered become broken and Retreat half move (36). Must attempt to Rally on next Activation. If already Broken, Routs.
• If failed and 2 or less, add two additional Disorder Markers. Retreat half move (36). Must attempt to Rally on next Activation. If already Disordered or Broken, Routs.

THE RALLY TEST (33)
Roll two dice, add the total, modified by:
• Each Disorder Marker -1
• Unit's Discipline
• Close Order +1
• Officer’s unit within 12” +1
Result must be 6+ to pass
Resolve the outcome immediately:
• If passed, the unit is no longer Disordered or Broken.
• If failed but above 2, remain Disordered or Broken and retreat half move (36).
• If failed and 2 or less, add one additional Disorder Marker and retreat half move (36). If 3 Disorder Markers, Rout.
Note Permanent Disorder Markers (34)

I suggest copying and pasting this into Word. It will fit neatly on an A4 sheet in two columns.

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

'Rebels and Patriots' for 1798?

The latest and last set of Rampant rules - Rebels and Patriots - is due out in January 2019 and will fill the gap in the Rampant range between The Pikeman’s Lament and The Men Who Would Be Kings. The rules have been written by Michael Leck and Daniel Mersey.

Osprey wanted the rules to be focused on North America for commercial reasons, but they should be perfectly applicable beyond. One possibility amongst many hundreds is the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in which I have had a long-standing interest, especially since watching the TV mini-series The Year of the French which was shown in the 80s. I go back a long way!

At one point I started collecting 15mm figures for this conflict with the intention of using the Maurice rules, but it would have meant doing another mass army and the rules weren't really suited to pitching a predominantly pike army against musketmen.

So I was quite excited by the prospect of a Rampant set for the horse-and-musket period which would once again allow me to satisfy an historical interest with a relatively small game. I had assumed/hoped that R&P would have some type of 'charging infantry' that would accomodate Irish pikemen but from what I can tell the 'Natives' type in R&P is essentially a shooting type.

At first this put me off and I was wondering about creating a custom unit type or maybe using The Pikeman's Lament instead. However, it is possible to increase Aggression and make Natives Poor Shooters. This would represent a small number of firearms mixed in with the pike in addition to the firearms otherwise fielded by skirmishers, so I think I should be OK after all.

Trent Miniatures (currently available from North Star) do a good range of 28mm figures specifically for this conflict, so I've already begun to use my £5-a-month Wargames Illustrated credit to (slowly) accumulate forces.
Croppy Boys: Trent Miniatures 28mm Irish insurgent pikemen.