Field Days - an update on the Battalion rules - and the new draft Bugle rule

 This is indeed proving to be more complex than I anticipated.  The aim is to give a greater challenge for the player, and an added level of friction - at the battalion/regimental level - but without losing the essential Little Wars nature of the thing.  The first tests have delivered fairly good results when a battalion attacks a company, dug in - but they do not give the right Edwardian toy soldier type feel .

This will not do.

So, back to the drawing board, and bugles.

And an inspiration from the Militia Camp at Niagara, in 1906 - found in the library at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, last month.  

Bob has also sent me some Bugle calls - which have been transferred to the Field telephone.

Niagara Camp, Ontario, 1906

So, this is the initial draft for the Battalion Bugle rules for Funny Little Wars.  Suitable to be used by one designated battalion in a larger game, or a couple of Battalions in a smaller game.

                                                    The Bugle Rule for FLW

All unit activations and manoeuvres must be initiated by playing the corresponding Bugle Call during your turn.  To simplify matters, there are six available Bugle calls.

1. Battalion orders : Players create a secret Bugle call list for the first five moves -from the list below. They are played by the umpire  and they are played in order without changing them.  However, the Umpire will play Alarm if enemy forces are spotted or open fire and the Battalion must stop, and deploy.  The Battalion commander then has two minutes to sound orders - and prepare a new set of Bugle calls.  These are passed to the Umpire.  In a move were no bugle call is made, follow the last call.  

2. The CO may use one new Bugle call in this five move phase to override the sequence.  

3. Friction/Fog of War: The Umpire privately rolls a D6.  If a 5/6 is rolled the Umpire will play a 'wrong' call at the next Bugle call turn.  If the battalion commander does not spot the mistake, the Battalion must follow the mistaken order!  If he spots the mistake, carry on with the original call.

Bugle calls are 

1    Orders - 

2    Form Line - move into attacking order from column or line

3    Halt - when played twice = retire

4    Double - used as 'move forward' - played once = forward, twice = left, three times = right

5    Charge - charge

6    Alarm!  - used by the Umpire

Example

Move 1 - Form line

Move 2 Double - played once = forward

Move 3 No call - keep moving forward

Move 4 Double - played twice = move left

Move 5 Halt

A demonstration of the Bugle Call, 'Form line'

The initial six Bugle calls are available here.

                                    https://www.youtube.com/@FLWFunnyLittleWars

Off we go ...

Field Days - enhanced Battalion rules for Funny Little Wars - new rules, for testing

 

Funny Little Wars and Garden Campaigns are situated in the 1913 'Edwardian' world of HG Wells.  The next project is to deepen the Little Wars rules in this era, without drastically overcomplicating things.  

So 'Militia Field Days for FLW' is designed to give some new challenges for Army Red (Great Britain and her Dominions) as they exercise in the Field, from Shorncliffe and Aldershot, to Australia, Canada and beyond.

The first test will be fire and manoeuvre - as a Battalion launches an attack against an entrenched enemy.  The British army of the Little Wars era had a highly accurate and fast rate of fire, which was aimed at the 'fixing' the enemy so that a bayonet charge could be delivered. Naturally.  

The usual FLW Battalion will be split into two x company units, and to begin there will be no character figures and the toy soldiers will fight to the last figure, as in Little Wars. Character figures will then be added. 

          To date, this is proving to be fairly tricky ...  more to follow.