1870 sauce JC August. 2022                             CHANGES TO A.O.V. TACTICAL

                                     MOVEMENT

FORMATION CHANGES

We could understand the ACW being not so professional, would not be too efficient at formation changes etc. But enough historical books tell you how post 1800 guys change formations, even how long it takes etc. How cavalry moves, how fast it moves (my pet!!!)

a turn=1/2 hour!!! to change formation for a regiment or two i.e. from column to line (say under 1km to do at the trot at trail arms is way too slow). Original AOE might have wanted to integrate an average time to change and implement orders.  In a way this is more into the screwball march results, with low dice, some do not even allow for formation change. Of course the F&F system philosophy (and I talked about it with the author, last century) assumes that if no losses, no disorder (means a disorder and morale faltering) the troops mostly do what you want. the 1870 French are happy. They get German leaders;)

1/3 turn to change formations for cavalry. Provisional troops 1/2 turn but D10 on 7+ only 1/3. I like the enemy be not sure of it!

Infantry expending or shrinking its firing line by 1 stand, takes off the distance done by the stand, roughly, from any move.

Deploying from road march to column or supported line (same unit) takes 1 turn.

Deploying unit to supported line, from column, takes 1/2 turn if the front is 6 or less stands. If more than 6, it takes the whole turn. (I can have 14 stands brigades.) That line would be more than 1200 m long!

In the end I might say a turn is on the average a bit under 1/2 hour, so add a very few turns to battles; it also takes my fiddling with bases numbers into account and gives more time to do damage. 

       CAVALRY DOUBLE MOVE

As usual cavalry does not move fast enough. Cavalry moves way faster than infantry! I have a copy of the French ministry study of the role of cavalry just after the war, (to try to prove that it is useless and save a lot!) and the main advantage  they found for it, beyond recon, FAST MOBILITY so it can fast appear on your flank if unchecked on rolling terrain. Put 16” for tactical moves, 18" on roads and If they don’t charge they can have a double move (rolled for by the move table as for infantry) which is 20" in the open and 24" on roads. This is one of the common major flaws of most miniature games: cavalry is way too slow. A design thing to allow for tables that are too shallow for depth of battle. A problem I don’t have. ;)

CAVALRY AS A TARGET

My cavalry is in regiments of 3 stands of two minis. Roughly one fig for 90-100men. Infantry I put to a stand (of 3 on 2cm front 10mm figs) for 300 instead of the 360 of the game. It lowers losses a bit in a way and gives a better look to smaller units, allowing more regiments than brigades as the basic game unit. I have 7000 minis based like that, no way I will change! Because I have a bit more 2cm bases than the original 2.5 cm ones from the rule, I can lazily still use his distances from the QRs.  As AOV “cheats” giving cav. more stands to allow for casualties or something (see his scenarios), I cannot, and then if I lower the target modifier to +2 instead of +3, it comes roughly the same results. My first miniature stand of cavalry is really two casualties stands, it gives cavalry vs cavalry realistic losses, rarely more than 150 men in a combat and makes them less suffering than the infantry in proportion vs guns in particular, as they kept changing positions to offset gunners aim. So normal 550-650 men cavalry regiments get 4 steps. The most famous and supposedly which suffered the most, charge in the war, Von Bredow Totenritt “only” got 50% casualties…

Cavalry will still be a fragile use against good order infantry with a high chance of getting blasted. But they can do what , it is needed for scouting (works on the table) and from its mobility to have occasional surprises, and threaten flanks.

            LOSSES RECOVERY

Always like to have some system to get back some losses especially for cavalry which always loses less than gamers use to think. It also pushed you to have multiple lines to protect the recovering ones, to “rest” your horsemen after fighting.

Losses are not the only if ever the first reason for a repulse especially in cavalry fights, a bit more like cats fights, lots of retreat without ever crossing sabres.

Allow units not shot at nor penetrated by others retreating ones, nor attacked in turn, not moved etc. to recover 1 loss (out of 2 rounded down) ; it comes from some cards from my event cards.

                      COMMAND

 Directing unit

One unit can be stated as directing, right, left or centre of a group of units the player wants to act together. It will have its division general within 1” of it. He is de facto commanding the whole thing. It can be a brigade or division. 

  Only one tactical AOV roll is needed from whichever higher commander would want to send this, till they get under shooting then normal units roll as it incorporates morale and control.

 All units (except artillery which does not have to) of the division move to a relative position from the directing unit and try to keep it. Forming a chain of commanded units with 1” (plus space for deploying if needed) of each other laterally and 1-3” for inf. 2-“6 cavalry for successive lines.

This “formation” only needs one roll to move, done from the directing unit, all others conforming to it. Unless some were taking casualties, attacked etc. on the previous move (not necessarily turn if the enemy moved first).

If so, each unit that was engaged, makes its own manoeuvre roll as in AOV.  It is an accurate way of moving big, huge lines and speeds play.

Built up areas fighting.

I don't allow rifle fire vs BUA beyond 2" unless the guys inside did shoot (show themselves).  Occupying BUAs can create de facto detachments. I use a D6 4+ for retire results from only shooting beyond short range, to be effective.

ARTILLERY LINES

Artillery shooting at lines of guns roll randomly the targets of the hits after the first. And it can end up that 2 can go tho the same unit. I am thinking of not doing so for guns with an artillery commander (simili gandes batteries).

VARIOUS

Machine guns can occasionally shoot (fp3) to 15" (historical ), a few even cards allow it.

Reyffe 7lb and 8lb of the republican artillery  shoot like Germans. They did in effects.

Skirmishers charged can try to evade with 2D6" looking backwards, ending in disorder. Too bad if they are caught in the back. helps them survive. I also do not count them (chasseurs-Jaeger)as elites, except both sides guards. They were not intended to be storm troopers.

Cavalry in risk of being shot at by small  arms at short range can reposition. They do an opposed dice, if succeed, no shoot.

Opposed dice: equal chances D10 both sides, the one who wants to shoot, needs be higher. Advantage to the target? D10 for it D6 for shooter.

I use it for disappearing targets and for example for artillery deploying on or in front of a crest, to have or not the limbered modifier against them. If they are silenced, they also don't unlimber.

Supporting lines deployment: no need of keeping equal ranks as in AOE. It shows nicely the 1870 battle lines of a shooting  line which can be augmented and fed from the rear supports. So I take losses alternate front and rear, and can feed more in front as a formation change. Still need at least half the second line to claim the +1 supporting in close combat.

I will put the cards as a pdf one of these days. Need to design a nice set, not the one I use.

ORDERS  (actually I gave this up, faster play, helps the French, now a bit more hampered via the even cards)

(actually I don't use it any more, the often +2 on who chooses to go first, already gives a vast advantage to the gerries). 

AOV manoeuvre roll is more of morale and control nature than command; when you have no adverse results on you from enemy actions, one can nearly do whatever you want. One of the main reasons the French lost all battles in 1870 besides numbers and Krupps, their command was inferior to the Germans. You don’t really have it in AOV so you need it. They must be a bit less flexible and responsive, maybe not as much as in history but otherwise you hardly see any difference from both sides.

This system sorts of shows the activity of leaders and their ability to respond to events, and they might not have enough time to do all they want in one turn which is one decision loop.

This ½ /20min hour allows for many “orders” (change of combat stance/ objectives) to be implemented, for reasonable results to happen as was rightly assumed in the rules, wide distances will cause delays as they should.

Attack; defend, move, (withdraw= away!). To Corps then divisions or smaller units (beware of fragmenting, hell to pay then to regroup them); but generals can only roll a few, having to prioritize them each turn with a chance of “sleeping” especially the French rated mediocre or average. The more fragmented orders you give to small things the more you will need to regroup them and or change anything.

I also have a little “initiative” for inferior level leaders that can be tried when they are confronted to a change of situation without order changes from above; to be used with parsimony. In some cases, they can do things like withdrawing or all out attacks on extreme results. Most of the time commanders actually keeping their orders or “sheep” doing the same as the neighbours, a very human syndrome. Cavalry by nature having a bit more chances of pulling a fast response to events.

This can be fine-tuned if you want to instil a bit of personalities psychology or characterisation in there.

This simple system is borrowed from Warmaster and then Blitzkrieg commander systems.

Each turn starts with a command sequence: before the initiative phase each army or corps commander may try to change orders of subordinates or implement those coming from above.

Each commander can throw 2D10 and do under or equal to:

Excellent     15                                 MODS

Good            14                                  units not seen by sender -1 Coordinating a division -1

Average       13                                 per additional 12” distance -1 Per previous order passed this turn -1

Poor              12                                  Local initiative -3

Distance is between the sender and the further unit of the receiving outfit.

Missing a roll ends orders; so long as you do the modified roll you can try to give more. Above 24” away it will be received next turn.

A “sleeping” commander who did nothing previous turn gets a re roll if he missed again his first roll; It helps avoiding strings of bad luck and unlikely staffs lapses over hours.

When you want to move a division or brigade, during the march phase, you can try to change their order upon local initiative (within reason, there should be something they see motivating it) with the same system with a -3. This is necessary for the numerous times German commanders acted upon local initiative among a rising chaos.

You can do dummy rolls to confuse your enemy! Local initiative should be limited to divisions and brigades which are detached, not within 12” of their division commander. If they are it should come from him.

In this system, as with the real life, your commander will have to prioritise things, the important stuff first as it has better chances to go.

Example:

Von Kirchbach knows his reconnaissance found the French. He wants to deploy his first division, thinks it is the most important thing to do, starts with it: he is good so needs ≤15 to succeed. Then he wants to recall his cavalry recon, -1 as a second action, rolls 12, ok. Then can try to group and deploy the guns of the reserve and 2nd division. This is a coordinated thing involving two commands it incurs a -1, one he does not see at least some units -1, , another -2 as being the third taction attempted,: he needs to roll 6 or less. A busy general.

Each action is rolled and sent before the next; if you miss the second and it makes the first irrelevant, tough luck. That’s where coordinated actions are needed.                                                                                                                                                     up