Frères d'Armes Napoleonic Miniatures Rules were inspired by a thin rules booklet entitled; "NAPOLEONIC RULES FOR A LARGE-SCALE WARGAME with small-scale miniatures", written by Peter Dennis and Cliff Knight (Hard Cover Designs) . The rules used the "Variable Length Bound" system developed by George Jeffrey. The system hinged on one basic rule: "Once the first set of orders (called the initial battle orders) has been written, commanders may not write further orders except in response to a change in their command situation. A "variable length bound" system comes into play when the players progress the battle from one "change of situation" to the next."
During a battle the player will be required to put himself in the position of commanders at several levels on the command chain. Here, George Jeffrey describes how command protocol limits the freedom of action of individual commanders.
The Commander's Perception"Understanding the simulation of battle requires an appreciation of the commander's perception of his role in the battle. The commander, at whatever level, sees this as having the freedom to command within a framework of control. Each commander knows himself to be in charge of only one part of his superior's force. He knows that how he employs his part of the force during battle will be decided by his superior, whose orders therefore 'control' the involvement of his subordinate's part of the force. Within this over-riding framework the subordinate knows he will be left to 'command' his part of the force, by deciding how to implement his superior's orders.
The amount of freedom allowed to a commander varies. It depends both on the circumstances and his level within the chain of command. However, unless a commander is responding to every change of situation under the direct orders of his superior, he retains the right to act in 'self-defence' with his force if it is threatened by the actions of the enemy, or is placed in a threat situation by the actions of his own side.
When acting in self-defence, commanders have a limited number of options, all of which
require them to stay where they are. This, and the control excercised over subordinates by their
superiors, engenders a state of 'inaction' within all parts of the army. This stops a commander,
whatever his level, from acting against the enemy unless he has been told do so by his superior.
Since the senior commander present is the only one without a superior, only he can initiate attacks
against hostile forces that are not attacking his."
(Editors Note: Commanders would withdraw if they thought their command could be destroyed or if they
needed to reorganize.)
Over the years our group has developed a set of rules (Frères d'Armes) which embraced the above principles and gradually reflected many of the characteristics and subtleties of tactical and grand-tactical warfare in the Napoleonic period. The players roles can be to maneuver battalions and squadrons at close quarters or to execute larger movement of troops, react to battlefield changes, and revise orders accordingly.
The size of the action to be fought determines the most suitable scale to be used. For convenience these are referred to as Company, Battalion, Regiment, Brigade, or Division scales. The majority of our engagements are fought using the Regimental scale, but larger battles such as Wagram or Leipzig do warrant the use of the larger scales. On the other hand, small engagements are better suited using the Company scale.
No matter how well the battle is planned, or even how well your troops maneuver and fight, the ability to respond to changing events and turning them to your advantage separates the great commanders from the mediocre ones.
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