Playing something different

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading some posts in the Napoleonic section of TMP and I was caught by a post from Steve who briefly described the main features of SNAPPY NAPPY with some enthusiasm.
Curious, I decided to buy it and give it a try.
Got the paper copy form Caliver, read the rules twice, and tried it (first solo then with my friend Diego).
The Solo Game

I quickly organized two armies: French and Russian. I took the OB of the Russian Campaign for the 2 French Corps and some random Russian Corps from the rules. Forces were unbalanced but that's what I wanted. I made a super-basic terrain (see above) took my measuring sticks in inches, and a fistful of d10 and I was ready to play this "Ultrafast" (as it says in the book cover) rules.
Well, before that to be honest I had to write down  the OB of both armies on a scratch paper, prepare some sort of markers for the orders, and identify all units on the battlefield with a number (or some color coding).
This is because one of the key of the game is a sort of fog of war caused by the fact that you mark off the "steps" of your units when you take hits (and fail Morale tests) but your opponent does not necessarily remember which unit is Firm, Disrupted or in Panic.
I will not describe the rules any further here, I'll just stress the second key of the game: the Morale checks.
When one of your unit takes a hit, you have to check its Morale until you pass or rout. This means that if you fail, you test again and again. That's why the game is said to be Ultrafast: in principle, you may lose a unit just taking a single hit (if you fail 5 times).

Above, the situation after turn 1: the armies are approaching each other. 2 quite big French Corps on this side of the table, and 3 small Russian Corps on the other side, plus a Cavalry Division and a reserve of grenadiers. With the exception of the 2 features mentioned above (secret OBs and Morale checks) all other game mechanics are quite standard (Command radius, Orders, linear movement, modifiers).

Situation after turn 2: armies are almost at Artillery range (9"). Units (Brigades) are made of 2 stands with the exception of Artillery which is 1 stand only. As I have no guns based individually, I improvised a bit.
A stand represent 2000 infantry, 750 cavalry and 24 guns.

Situation after turn 3: first gunshots, first blood. A Conscript Russian Units showed the ultra-fastness of the game, routing after a single artillery hit. First lesson learned: use Conscripts (and Militia, that is even worst) wisely.

Situation after turn 4: some musketry (1" range) and melee. Units that are charged may fire defensively, charging units may not fire. Note that in this game Cavalry fires musketry (but you need a 10 on a d10 to score a hit).

Situation after turn 5: Russians are in "All out Attack Mode", but French line holds. Russian losses mount. Orders (Attack, Probe, Screen, Maneuver, Defend, Withdraw, Rally) limit what your units may do on the battlefield but - as usual - they are a problem if you play competitively. The rules are a kind of guideline, but may be subject to hundreds of different interpretations.

  Situation after turn 6 (final): after 3-4 more Russsian units routed, I decided that it was over. General Barclay de Tolly called off the attack, and night fell. The rules do not specify any set of Victory condition.
Even considering that I played solo, often referring to the rules and that it was a first game, I did not feel this game to be ultrafast. Maybe the movement rules slowed the game down a bit: they are quite conventional, linear, with pro-rata modifiers for difficult terrain and 1/2 movement to about face (but only 1/3 to change formation !!!). One thing is for sure: once your units are engaged, they deteriorate quickly. And that is OK for me.
In general, a good set of rules if you play friendly games with low competition level players.
Many rules are simply missing (voluntary interpenetation, Generals movement, Victory conditions, Corps Morale), other are undefined at best (Orders).
A plus is that you can probably organize BIG GAMES with many players involved.
Comments are welcome!
Cheers

More books

Ordered (and received)

P. Hofschroerer's - Waterloo 1815: a German Victory
P. Hofschroerer's - Battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny
J. Gills' - 1809 Thunder on the Danube vol.2 (to complete the trilogy)

After finishing Lieven's Russia against Napoleon, I started reading The Spanish Ulcer by D. Gates. Just a couple of chapters read, very interesting........

The more I read, the more I want to depict somehow the last 2-5 days before a battle, with a sort of pre-battle sequence.....

A great reading experience

Just finished to read (I should say devour) Dominic Lieven's "Russia against Napoleon".
A great book: over 400 pages that you cannot stop reading, where the author mixes God's views with worm's views i.e. from ther highly strategical to the single soldier's memories and first hand accounts. Lieven's book shows the Russian Campaign of 1812 (and the following Campaigns of 1813/14) from the Russian point of view, thanks to an enormous amount of sources. The overall picture is therefore much different from what we were accustomed to read about 1812.
The "General Winter's Victory" is much shrinked in Lieven's view and the very detailed analisys of the whole system of recrutiting, victualling and logistics shows how it was Russia - first of all - to win against the bigger Army ever risen until then.
Strongly suggested.
For italian readers: the book has been published in Italy too, but with another title (La tragedia di Napoleone in Russia - Mondadori).

Books, books, books....

Just received 5 books I bought:

Russia against Napoleon - Dominic Lieven
The Spanish ulcer - David Gates
With Eagles to Glory - John H. Gill
1809 thunder on the Danube, voll.1 and 3 - John H. Gill

I think I could sell my TV on EBay....