NAPOLEONIC WAR RULES

GENERAL
These are fairly simple rules which require only tape measures and six-sided dice. The simplicity is good if you're playing the game with your children or if you just don't like complications.
The board is set up to 25mm (1/72) scale.
Pieces can move the indicated inches in each move (adjusted for up/down hill and roads).
Dice are used for all shooting/fighting results (1 die/man). I suggest at least 30-40 dice of at least three different colors. If 20 men are shooting at 20 others, it’s much easier to roll 20 dice all at once. If the men are different types, use different colors for each type.
For projectiles, the “effect” is the dice numbers that indicate a “hit” on the target (other numbers are a miss). Soldiers hit then roll for survival (5,6 or 6 for artillery= survive-flesh wound : 1-4 or 1-5 for artillery= dead & removed from the game). Any man hit (in one turn) two or more times is automatically dead (no survival). There are different effects for different ranges.
Different types of men are subject to different effects from projectiles and in melee (hand to hand) as shown below.
ARTILLERY
When an artillery piece is going to fire, a clear plastic burst pattern is put down (on top of troops,etc.) where the shell is supposed to hit. For each shot a “ranging” shot is rolled with a die. The number shown is what is needed for the cannon to fire (basically is the shell on target or a total miss). If you don’t get the ranging shot, remove the burst pattern. If you do get it, then you fire for effect on everything under the pattern. The patterns are irregular shapes as shown below with the approximate diameters;








Heavy cannon-3.5 in. (9 cm), Medium cannon-3 in. (8 cm), Light cannon-2.5 in. (6 cm), Rocket-1.5 in. (4 cm).


GRAPE SHOT
Here, a pie wedge shaped clear plastic pattern is used to show what is covered by a shot. The angle should be 25-30 degrees and the range for the gun. It’s best to have three separate size patterns for flat, uphill, and downhill ranges.
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
The basic idea here is that the buildings and structures are destroyed piece by piece by artillery shots. Points are assigned to buildings or parts of buildings (sections with separate roofs/1st and 2nd stories). For each artillery shot on the building 2 dice are rolled and the total value is subtracted from the buildings point total. There are 4 point ranges for each building. FULL POINTS means men inside (not firing from doors or windows) can not be hit by artillery (hits the roof first). NO ART. COVER means men more than 2 inches from the wall can be hit by artillery. Those less tha 2 inches from the wall still have over the top cover (the projectile moving in an arc hits the wall not the men). NO TOP COVER means the walls of the building are just piles of rubble providing only small arms cover. ALL DEAD means whatever is left of the building has just collapsed on everyone inside (good-bye). It’s a good idea to get out before this stage. In a similar manner, structures such as bridges and fort wall sections can be destroyed by artillery.
I've tried many variations to add to the reality of these games (supply rules, morale rules (camp followers), etc.). Most of these require ridiculous paperwork and slow the game to a crawl. Leaving them out is less realistic but more fun.

MOVING

ALL MEN MOVE 6 INCHES.
CAVALRY MOVE 12 INCHES.
TWO CAVALRY HORSES CAN PULL A CANNON OR GATLING GUN.
A clear plastic ship turn pattern is needed. It should show 0-45° both sides of center in 5° increments.

VEHICLE & HORSE MOVING

SMALL ARMS RANGES/EFFECTS

Ranges are adjusted for uphill or downhill.

ARTILLERY RANGES

all ranges in inches.

FIRING RULES

CREWS (MINIMUM IS NEEDED TO FIRE WEAPONS OR MOVE WAGON)

COVER

COVER REDUCES EFFECT BY 1

Anything reasonable provides regular cover from small arms, gatling guns and grape shot.
Stone walls, buildings, and boulders (not little rocks), dead horses, wagons, and caissons provide regular cover (not from artillery).
Buildings with points provide complete artillery cover. IF MEN SHOOTING FROM WINDOWS & DOORS , they get NO cover from artillery, just regular cover..
Inside buildings with points ,building walls (2” high), cliffs (3” high), & fort walls (3” high) provide complete over the top artillery cover (men within 2” of wall/cliff). i.e. they can’t be hit by projectiles moving in an arc.
Cannons and live lone horses do not provide cover.
Caisson and wagon horses provide regular cover.
Men shooting down from the top of a cliff have regular cover from men below.
When shooting at mounted cavalry under cover, only men can be shot at.

EXTRA MOVING RULES

AT LEAST 1/2 of army must come on in the first move.
“RIVER” = minimum of 4” wide.
Across river, men lose 1/2 move (once) and can’t fire while in river.
Men can carry rockets across rivers.
Across river, vehicles lose 1/2 move (once).
No vehicles can enter pond or bay.
MEN & CAVALRY cross pond or bay at 1/2 move (can’t fire).
Rockets can not be in pond or bay (too deep).
4 men can move a cannon 3”/turn (no fire in the same turn).
3 men can move a rocket 3”/turn (no fire in the same turn).
1 turn to turn an artillery piece by men.
Vehicles can move single file only on roads.
Vehicles must have one man driving to move.
Vehicles can cross bushes and small rocks (not walls).
Vehicle load/unload, artillery hitch/unhitch, mounting/unmounting horses, or horse hitch/unhitch = 1/2 move. i.e. these can take 1/2 move before or after.
Wagons and caissons can form a blockade that reduces moves by MEN and CAVALRY by 1/2 when crossing.
Vehicle moves decrease by the same percent as the number of horses killed out of the total. i.e. the % of horses still living = the % of move left.
After a horse is killed, vehicle loses 1/2 move (once) to drop dead horse.
Doors, etc. can not be opened or closed in same turn as troops passing through them.

MELEE

MAXIMUM “GROUP” = 10 MEN (for stay/retreat).
If attacker fires and melees, enemy killed by fire are removed before the move to melee.
Retreat is a full move away from the enemy.
1 ST ROUND
Attacker rolls-if hit, defender is dead (no survival).[attacker advantage]
if miss, defender fights back.
Defender rolls-if hit, attacker rolls for survival.
if miss, both decide for stay/retreat (hidden paper, show at same time) for each group.
2ND... ROUND
Attacker rolls-if hit, defender rolls for survival BUT DEAD fight back before being removed.(fighting at same time)
if miss, defender fights back.
Defender rolls-if hit, attacker rolls for survival.
if miss, both decide for stay/retreat (hidden paper, show at same time) for each group.
MELEE WITH GUN CREW
If not fighting the whole crew and the attacker wins, the rest of the gun crew MUST ATTACK in the same turn and finish the melee. Can’t have mixed crews on a piece.

FORT/CASTLE

1 full move to open/close doors.
When all points on a wall section are gone, all men and cannons on top are gone.
When a cannon is hit by a “1”, take 5 points off the wall section.
Men can move on/off walls only at corners.
Doors can be blown off with a “1” from artillery.
STORMING
1/2 move to put up ladder (within 1” of wall).
1 move - 2 men on ladder (no firing).
1 move - men on ladder melee with 2 men in fort/castle (no attack advantage).
If ladder men win, put on wall.
If men stay at top of ladder, others can follow.
2 men can push ladder off wall by rolling 1,2.
Men on ladder when pushed off need 4,5,6 to survive.
On walls, only 2 men can melee at a time in each direction.

BRIDGES

1 bridge can be built by 10 men in 10 moves or 5 men in 20 moves or 1 man in 100 moves.
Artillery shots remove points at 2 die/shot.

Regular bridges have 30 points at the start.
at 20-30 points the bridge is OK.
at 10-19 points the bridge can hold men and cavalry only.
at 1-9 points the bridge can hold men only.

Foot bridges have 15 points at the start.
at 10-15 points the bridge is OK and can hold men and cavalry only.
at 1-9 points the bridge can hold men only.

BUILDINGS

Artillery shots remove points at 2 dice/shot.
Must erase 2nd floor to get 1st floor.

FORT/CASTLE

FORT/CASTLE TOWERS = 20 POINTS

SHIPS

ARTILLERY SHOTS ON SHIPS