Crazy Mod Idea

[hueglin]

As some of you might know, I am currently working on a mod for WPO which will model a potential war in Europe, Africa and the Americas in 1914 - I am not actually trying to recreate WW1 but a hypothetical conflict which would involve more naval surface operations.

Anyway, as I have been working away it occured to me that you should be able to use this game engine to model the Napoleonic Wars (including the French and Indian Wars). The emphasis that this game puts on leadership, training and supply would serve well in this respect.

I certainly don`t have the time to try it out (yet) as all of my spare time is taken up with my 1914 mod, but the map I have made could be used as a good starting point.

Any interest or thoughts?

[el cid again]

The big change in that era is communications. Messages cannot get places quickly. Force 3 day turns as a rule.

[showboat1]

Or play one week turns even, if that's possible. Three days might be all right for a civil war mod.

[hueglin]

You would really just need to agree on how often you would be allowed to give new orders to units. Lets say you were playing the French. You would have Napoleon as a leader and wherever he was you could give orders to those elements every day. The farther away units were from his location, the longer you would have to wait to give new orders. Same idea with the British, with a real delay for orders for elements in North America or India. Of course you could also base the frequency of new orders on the proficiency of the commander - with officers with higher initiative getting more frequent changes (if they wanted).

[el cid again]

That's right. Use three day turns. Napoleon can give orders to anyone in France (due to a telegraph system) or adjacent areas. [The telegraph was not electric, but manual - using semaphore arms on posts. At each post - perhaps 20-30 km apart - the message was manually read and then manually retransmitted]

For things in nearby seas - you can give orders every two turns. And so on as the distance increases. A unit a long way away is very frustrating - as it should be.

You also could use dispatch vessels: IF you get a dispatch vessel to the location, you can issue orders there - orders WRITTEN on the turn the vessel LEFT its command location!

And you must do this backwards too: if there is a battle somewhere Napoleon isn't, he cannot react to it BEFORE he gets word by that same dispatch vessel system.

[hueglin]

I just thought of a good title for the mod - War in the Napoleonic Era - drop the "t" and you get WINE!

[showboat1]

A large scale game like this would need some serious tweaking. It could be slowly worked backwards though, go to WWI next then Russo-Japanese and Spanish-American Wars. Go back to Franco-Prussian and Civil War. An so on an on dealing with rules and problems as they come up.

[Dili]

I am not aware of any reliable/working telegraph in Napolenic times for field armies. At time in France the optical system was being implemented, it was fixed and between main cities only.

[el cid again]

ORIGINAL: Dili

I am not aware of any reliable/working telegraph in Napolenic times for field armies. At time in France the optical system was being implemented, it was fixed and between main cities only.

Not exactly: It also ran along the coasts - between seaports - large and small. To be sure, it also ran inland to major cities - notably Paris.

This isn't a telegraph in the 19th century sense - no Bodeaut code here. It is a semiphore system.