Question About Orders.

[Roundhead1642]

We had a Napoleonic Game last night and there was a bit of discussion about the giving of Orders.

I had a Brigade of French Infantry and I have previously given the order. "The Brigade will Form Column of Attack and assault the enemy to it's front" I passed the the test comfortably so my units formed up and advanced.

In the opposition players turn he raked my attack columns with cannon and musketry which caused two the Battalions to become disordred.

Now because they were disordered I was unable give them an order. However an attack order had already been succesffully communicated to that Brigade. They were unable to move on initiative so effectively ground to a standstill.

We played it this way as assumed this reflected the fact that the weight of fire from the enemy line was enough to cause the attack column to stall. The need for further orders to relected the fact that this was the Officers re-organising the unit and "jimmying" them forward.

My question is. Do fresh orders have to be given to a Brigade every turn even if that order is exactly the same as the previous turn?

[Alan Charlesworth]

Hi Rounhead

In BP orders do not carry forward from turn to turn. So yes you have to issue a new order at the start of every player turn.

[CplJohn]

Hi,

Alan is absolutely spot on. Orders do not carry over.

Black Powder "Orders" are not just a set of written notes given to the Commander, but encompass a lot more. Let me give you the example of the Light Brigade.

"The Light Brigade will charge the Russian guns to the Front": The player rolles the dice and gets a result which allows two moves. Off they go down the valley. In the next move he gives the same order again but fails his command roll. The Brigade does not move. This does not reflect the Brigade setting out, going a few hundred yards and then forgetting what they are about and grinding to a halt.

Black Powder is designed to represent the broad sweep of battle. What you might see if you were on the heights watching the advance. So the slow progress of the brigade may be due to rough going the commander didn't see, or a slow in the pace to redress the ranks, or Cardigan telling the Squadron commanders "Not to presume to ride ahead of the Brigade commander" and going deliberatley slowly etc etc. On the next turn the player rolls a great score and the Brigade moves three times and charges the Russians. This did not represent a move, a stop then a big move, but rather "it took the Brigade three turns to cover the ground" due to some rough ground or ranks reforming or whatever.

Its this broad sweep that makes the game fast and fun, particulalry when your brigades dont move in a predictable manner or dont do as their told!