Off for a week down to the lovely NSW Sapphire coast, we knew the weather was going to be variable, so I took some portable wargaming material. But there wouldn't be much space to play in the beach shack, and I could only play between meals...and before too many beers were consumed...So what better than a few games of Epic Napoleonic's with my still too meagre collection?
The idea was I would play three short game, no more than a few turns each, of Lasalle 2, Valour & Fortitude, and Black Powder. Similar scenarios, limited by just a few items of terrain, and identical forces.
This would allow me to get a feel for how these games handled the strengths and weaknesses of Epic Scale figures, and also clarify in my own mind how these three great rulesets compared...
As it turned out, the weather was lovely, but there is such a thing as too much sun...
So I got all games played to several moves, at least to a point when things got crunchy...
Providing a fairly valid comparison of the rules. Subjective, obviously, particularly as these games simply solidified what I had already perceived as their individual attributes.
First up was Lasalle 2. The obvious issue here was that the key unit of measurement is the base width (BW), and Epic figures come on an unusually large BW, relative to their size, of 60mm. But I am used, and equipped, to playing with 40mm base widths. So I just bashed on with 40mm BW. It didn't seem to cause any issues.
Being replete with tactical decision points at every step, Lasalle 2 is a rich, even cerebral game so probably not best suited to the unfeasibly large games my inner wargaming ego aspires to!
But for this game with no more than 4 - 5 brigades per side, the game fairly hummed along and was very satisfying. Despite the complexity the game can deliver in terms of decisions and outcomes, the rules are clearly written, logical in order, and absolutely rules lawyer tight!
Next up was Valour & Fortitude (V&F), which can be thought of as a streamlined version of Black Powder (BP), so I probably should have refreshed myself on BP first, but hey ho!
V&F is specifically designed to fit on four sheets of paper and allow big games to be played fast, so this small game was not a fair test - once again a very fast game. I was alert for short cuts that detracted from a period or campaign feel, but could not find any issues. As the author, Jervis Johnson, believes the essential body of V&F can cover much more than Napoleonic's, and I like big games, I have a lot invested in liking these rules.
But I honestly tried to find fault. The only possible criticism is that the sequencing takes a bit of getting used to. For example if you fire with a unit, it can't then move or rally. And it easy to get carried away and forget the initial 'Fate Card' phase. But all that will come with practice. Again logically laid out and clearly written with no room for lawyerly quibbles.
The third and final game was a return to Black Powder, once my absolute Napoleonic go-to, but not now played for years. I was reminded there's a lot to love in this simple and straightforward ruleset that again delivered a fast and fun game without any historical 'that ain't right' wrinkles...The specially designed Epic Waterloo version gives you three options for playing in Epic scale - keep the distances as is, halve in inches, or convert to centimeters. I halved in inches, and it worked just fine.
Left to my own devices these are the perfect set of rules - when played by those who are more interested in the history and the scenario than ferreting out loopholes to win at all costs. To put it as kindly as I can, these rules were not designed for competitive play, and are a rule's lawyer's dream!
So, for what its worth, to sum up, all three rules can be easily made to work in Epic scale. To choose between really depends on the size of game and who you play with:
Lasalle 2: Tactically the richest, Rules Lawyer proof, but not fast play so limited in scope to Divisional sized games.
V&F: Fast, acceptably authentic game play, Rules Lawyer proof, infinitely scalable to Army sized games.
BP: Fast, fun and acceptably authentic game play, scalable to Corps sized games, but subject to rules lawyering frustrations. Probably the best set for solo play.