Partizan - British Grenadier!

Introduction

'General de Brigade Lite'
A cursory glance at these rules reveals more than a passing resemblance to General de Brigade. Players may be expecting the same familiar mechanics at work in these rules too with just a few modifications for different weapons and troop types. Indeed, this was certainly my intention when I took on this project. However, as I began to work on the rules I realised that their emphasis was going to be on much bigger battles and so certain sections of the rules have been modified to allow for the faster play that is essential when handling larger games. For that reason I began to think of these rules as Fast Play General de Brigade. However, after running a game with the man himself he ‘kindly’ suggested calling the rules 'General de Brigade Lite' (I knew I should have let him win). With that and other endorsements ringing in my ears I completed the rules you have before you. Enjoy!

The Game System
As I have already alluded to, these rules bare many similarities to General de Brigade. Players familiar with those rules will notice that the Turn Sequence, the Initiative, the process of Command and Control, Orders and all the definitions of morale and cohesion remain largely unchanged. What is different is the processes used to determine firing and melee, these now require fewer die rolls to resolve and thus allow players to fight larger battles in a manageable time frame. These rules therefore benefit from have a solid grounding in the tried and tested mechanics of General de Brigade combined with a new and exciting system for resolving shooting and melee.

For those players who are not familiar with General de Brigade, these considerations will be of little concern so I hope you enjoy the rules as they are.

Big Battles in the Colonial Period
When conjuring up images of warfare in the Colonial Period what may spring most readily to mind are the smaller scale encounters between red-coated soldiers of the Empire battling against overwhelming odds at such locations as Rorke’s Drift where handfuls of Victoria Crosses are handed out and legends are made. However, as I have mentioned earlier, these rules are designed to fight the larger scale battles of the period such as Ulundi where two British brigades took on Cetshwayo’s army of 24,000 Zulus. To me, these larger battles are no less exciting or heroic than the small encounters and they allow players the distinct pleasure of fielding entire brigades of famous British regiments, such as the Guards Brigade with its Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards and Grenadier Guards, alongside a Highland Brigade with the Highland Light Infantry and the Black Watch.

These rules also give players the chance to fight such worthy opponents, whether it is a Dervish army using its knowledge of the local terrain to make its cautious approach before launching a ferocious charge, or a Zulu army battering the British line with the experienced warriors of the ‘chest’ while the ‘horns’ of the bull move round to envelop the flanks.




				The Gatling's Jammed Stephen Danes ISBN: 978-1-85818-562-0 56 pages 210mm x 297mm (A4) Paperback £14.99
				Introduction *'General de Brigade Lite' A cursory glance at these rules reveals more than a passing resemblance to General de Brigade. Players may be expecting the same familiar mechanics at work in these rules too with just a few modifications for different weapons and troop types. Indeed, this was certainly my intention when I took on this project. However, as I began to work on the rules I realised that their emphasis was going to be on much bigger battles and so certain sections of the rules have been modified to allow for the faster play that is essential when handling larger games. For that reason I began to think of these rules as Fast Play General de Brigade. However, after running a game with the man himself he ‘kindly’ suggested calling the rules 'General de Brigade Lite'* (I knew I should have let him win). With that and other endorsements ringing in my ears I completed the rules you have before you. Enjoy! The Game System As I have already alluded to, these rules bare many similarities to General de Brigade. Players familiar with those rules will notice that the Turn Sequence, the Initiative, the process of Command and Control, Orders and all the definitions of morale and cohesion remain largely unchanged. What is different is the processes used to determine firing and melee, these now require fewer die rolls to resolve and thus allow players to fight larger battles in a manageable time frame. These rules therefore benefit from have a solid grounding in the tried and tested mechanics of General de Brigade combined with a new and exciting system for resolving shooting and melee. For those players who are not familiar with General de Brigade, these considerations will be of little concern so I hope you enjoy the rules as they are. Big Battles in the Colonial Period When conjuring up images of warfare in the Colonial Period what may spring most readily to mind are the smaller scale encounters between red-coated soldiers of the Empire battling against overwhelming odds at such locations as Rorke’s Drift where handfuls of Victoria Crosses are handed out and legends are made. However, as I have mentioned earlier, these rules are designed to fight the larger scale battles of the period such as Ulundi where two British brigades took on Cetshwayo’s army of 24,000 Zulus. To me, these larger battles are no less exciting or heroic than the small encounters and they allow players the distinct pleasure of fielding entire brigades of famous British regiments, such as the Guards Brigade with its Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards and Grenadier Guards, alongside a Highland Brigade with the Highland Light Infantry and the Black Watch. These rules also give players the chance to fight such worthy opponents, whether it is a Dervish army using its knowledge of the local terrain to make its cautious approach before launching a ferocious charge, or a Zulu army battering the British line with the experienced warriors of the ‘chest’ while the ‘horns’ of the bull move round to envelop the flanks.