An Austrian infantry battalion with a strength of just over 1,000 assaulted one of the gates of Ratisbon in Eckmuhl defended by two skirmishers with a total strength of 230. The battalion pushed back the skirmishers (which is plausable), but didn't disrupt (which is not). What gives? How can a infantry battalion assault a city gates and fight their way into a city without disrupting? :conf:
Havoc
Infantry units in column will not disrupt after successfully assaulting skirmish comanies across/into any type of terrain. I'm not necessarily saying that's good, it's just one example of the game system's bias in favor of the offense. Had the defenders been formed infantry, the successful attacker would have disordered.
While I like many aspects of the system, I agree that the HPS ACW and NAP games are bias to offensive actions. If you start a scenario heavily outnumbered, don't expect to win if your opponent is good.
I hope that HPS can introduce some fixes to this issue and others and bring the game systems to where they more accurately represent the age.
In the ACW games, I believe they have a night-time fatigue rule if you move units.
I am currently playing Eckmuhl and am finding that III and VII Corps are pretty much victims of a Austrian feeding frenzy. VII Corps is destroyed and III Corps is hoping to see Napoleon in the morning, but I am not counting on it. I attempted to hold Ratisbon with a division, but the Austrian player has just blown right through my defending units on the North shore like a hot knife through butter. I'm sure the Southern part of the city will last just as long.
I guess I'll have to choose my scenarios carefully and avoid any that start out lopsided. Not sure if I'll buy anymore of these.
My next project will be oobs and scenarios for Eckmuhl or Wagram. The main thing my oob will change is that there will be no units more than 600 men. I find those 1000-1200 man units highly unrealistic. That many men cannot fire on a frontage of 100 meters and would need more than 100 meters to march along a 19th century road, which is not an Autoban. With more units to string out along the roads, concentration for battle will take longer.
"The battalion pushed back the skirmishers (which is plausable), but didn't disrupt (which is not). What gives? How can a infantry battalion assault a city gates and fight their way into a city without disrupting?" :conf:
This is a remnant of the original Talonsoft series designed by John Tiller. It was soon discovered that skirmishers were far too powerful, and a number of rules were developed to lessen their power. Hence; skirms don't get a flank attack bonus when attacking or fireing. Also, a formed infantry unit in good order will never disorder when victoriously defeating skirms. von ege :P
I miss the really powerful skirmishers of Wellington's Victory
Still don't agree that a battalion can assault the gates of a town or chateau against skirmishers and push them back without consequence. It makes the attacker too powerful and defending towns and chateaus as strongpoints a waste of time.
A formed battalion will never defeat even a single skirmisher in a chateau. They will always lose and become disordered. The other battle, 600 men or so, against some skirms in a town hex, they will likely win, but might suffer much higher casualties. von ege:P