Mike

Warlord has done a good job publishing supplements for Black Powder.  That said, I know it has a couple of supplements it has paid for but never published… the ostensible reason is supplements are not profitable enough on their own to justify the cost.  Instead they work better when Warlord has a line of figures to go with the period.

I have s…[Read more]

Black Powder is an “abstract” morale game and for those gamers more used to time, distance, casualty based game it can seem strange.  So think in terms of three ranges… artillery bombardment range, infantry and artillery effective range, and decisive range.

The latter range is “close range”.  The don’t really base those three ranges on the w…[Read more]

I agree with Garry Wills comments with one exception…

I would recommend if you are playing Napoleonics that you go with the Clash of Eagles rules for forming square from skirmish formation.   Clash of Eagles recommend that skirmish formation follows the same rules as line formation.  These rules basically require a unit to pass a normal co…[Read more]

Further Rules About Orders P29.  If a commander fails to give an order then that commander cannot give any more orders that turn.  BP1 was a bit more clear on the subject that it effects that brigade only.

In BP1 if the Commander in Chief blundered, then the whole army was done for the turn.  But C-in-C rules changed between two versions.

I think you can shoot… disordered.  I assume this since the unit is taking the charge at “the halt”.

Basic Rule

Normally, you can only “charge” the target of the charge.  So you would have had to declare both units the target of your charge. In that instance, both units were legitimate targets of the charge, while the cavalry is allowed to discontinue its charge against the square once it closes to 3″ from the square, it is not automatically…[Read more]

The only thing I would add is Heavy Cavalry with the 1D3 modifier is reserved for the truly elite heavy cavalry.  In contrast, what was once called “Heavy” Horse or “Heavy” Dragoons get the +1 modifier.  The term “heavy” referring more to the horse, than the soldier.

So you would have attack both units as you did.  If you won the melee, than both the infantry and artillery unit would be required to take a break test.  Artillery is destroyed if it loses a melee, so it would be gone.  If the enemy infantry rolled 7 or higher, it would “hold its ground” and continue in melee.  But keep in mind in the next rou…[Read more]

I think you are confused regarding the Proximity rule.

First, you are either in “proximity” or not.  In your picture, you are due to multiple enemy units being within 12″, but it takes only one.  So since you are in proximity what are your options with regard to the Grenadiers.

1) you can make any move in your front quarter you choose.  As lo…[Read more]

Agree with Al.

If you read the section on mixed formation (pg 90, I believe).  Mixed formation taking “small arms” hits (musketry/archers, etc) to its front quarter with deployed skirmishers is treated as a “skirmish target” in all respects.  But cannon fire as well as any fire hitting the unit from other quarters treat the unit as as either a c…[Read more]

Both are possible outcomes.  To some extent Black Powder does “capture” this.  In some cases, after a breakthrough move involving two separate combats, my cavalry unit has sustained enough hits to cause it to be shaken or close to shaken.  This dramatically limits the effectiveness of the unit until it can rally off some damage.  In the mea…[Read more]

I misread his example, I thought he had three units charging a unit on the flank… not three units being charged on the flank…. I agree a unit being attacked on the flank gets no support.

It is only restricted to 4 H2H dice when it adopts a “closed column” and is in a column of companies.  It is adopts closed column and is in an attack column no such reduce H2H applies.  This is why you must identify whether the unit is in closed column or simply a column of companies or attack column.  Perhaps turning the back rank and facing it…[Read more]

The answers above are pretty straight forward… Black Powder is a “tool kit” that taken all together provides a set of rules to game in the Black Powder period.  To make the system work over more than a 200 year period the rules could not be so granular as to differentiate between guns other than to allow you the freedom to classify them as…[Read more]

In the example, of three battalions charging the flank of unit normally only one unit will melee and the other two units will provide potentially flank or rear support.  So say both units normally got 6 HTH attacks… then the attacker would get 6 attacks and the “flanked” defender would get 3 HTH attacks (the other 3 would fight to the front and…[Read more]

You simply replace him in the next player turn.  Most players have House Rules to determine what the leader is SR rating and characteristics will be.  The two most common conventions are to roll for the leader’s SR rating or bring in a “new leader” one SR level less than the leader he is replacing.  Most also put a floor of SR7 so if an SR7 di…[Read more]

I agree with Mr Wills.  I think the extra shooting die only applies to units in line.  Units in column or mixed formation get no incremental shooting benefit.

I think they forgot to update the QRS for the change in the enfilading rule… so re-roll misses.

Regarding units in buildings… page 97 says units in buildings have “no formation as such”.  The rule for enfilade fire is clear that skirmishers do not get it, but I can’t find where it definitively says one thing or the other regarding units in…[Read more]

Prior to the Napoleonic wars, the “hollow” square was not used.  Austrians used what many rules called “battalionmasse” or a solid square when infantry was exposed to cavalry attacks.  This formation simple involved the left and right side of the column to face outward.  It helped them deal with massive amount of Turkish cavalry they faced in th…[Read more]

First, I agree with Invisible Officer the line refers to “battalions”.

Without getting into the history of the “brigade” formation… Black Powder relies on the “brigade” as its primary “higher” level commander… in effect, your role in the game is to act primarily as one or more brigade commanders issuing orders.  Individual cavalry regiments…[Read more]