‘Tricorn’ Rules Amendments v1.4

Well it’s about time I posted an update to Tricorn, our Seven Years War/mid-18th Century variant of Shako rules.  We’ve actually been playing a slightly different version to the one posted on this website for around a year now and we’re very happy with how it works, so it’s time to roll it out to our Adoring Public (I hope they’re both well)!

I’m going to be running my Sanderhausen 1758 scenario again at the Haverfordwest Gaming Club’s annual open day at Haverfordwest Cricket Club on Saturday 28th September, so come on down if you’re anywhere in West Wales.

OK. so what’s changed on the Tricorn playsheets?  Firstly, I’ve decided to put the SAME version number on each page, as it was far too confusing, having a different version for each page.  Every page is therefore now marked as Version 1.4.  As for the rest, I’ll go through this page by page, starting oddly enough, at Page 1 (changes and new items are marked in red):

Initiative Phase

Clarified that C-in-Cs do not modify their dice.  They just roll a number of dice (depending on their quality) and may use these to replace divisional commanders’ dice.  These dice are not then modified by the divisional commanders.

Divisional commanders now use their MODIFIED die roll when assessing if sixes have been generated (which may then be used to remove Staggers or Casualties).  This means that the better generals will have a far greater impact on the battle and Poor generals will need greater assistance from the C-in-C.

Movement Phase

A clarification added to point out that cavalry units which only took half of their move (or less) during the turn may make Support Charges once all other movement has been completed.  These will be made in divisional initiative order.

Morale Ratings

Uhlans have been moved to the MR 3 Militia Horse & Cossacks bracket.

Units classed as ‘Unreliable’ have an MR two grades lower than their normal class (e.g. some Reichsarmee cavalry units).

Artillery Fire

Counter-Battery factor for Heavy Artillery changed to 5-6.

Counter-Battery fire with canister now uses the Canister factor, though with a -1 modifier.

Ballshot may now only bounce through enemy units to a maximum of 12 inches beyond the first target unit OR until maximum range is reached (whichever happens first).

Small Arms Fire

Musketry range has now been reduced to 4 inches for formed lines and to 6 inches for skirmishers.

Movement

A 1 inch side-stepping movement rate has been added in order to make it a little easier for units to dress ranks and close gaps between units.

Mounted Jäger have been included in the Cossack/Irregular Cavalry movement rate bracket.

Uhlans have been moved from the Hussars/Light Dragoons bracket to the Cossack/Irregular Cavalry bracket.

Terrain Effects

Mounted Jäger, Uhlans and Irregular Cavalry may now move through woods at half speed, like Cossacks.

Hasty Lines

French infantry were routinely drilled during this period to form lines on the head of a battalion column, so they gain the same benefit as Prussian infantry in that regard.

The ability for infantry battalions who are NOT the target of a charge to form a hasty line has been added for those battalions who would then be able to provide flank or rear support to the target unit (the thought behind this was to allow a line with flanking columns the chance to ‘square off’ the end of the line (a common tactic of Prussian and French brigades, as well as Imperial armies when they were facing the Turks).

Cavalry Breakthrough & Recall

No rule changes, but some clarifications and corrections added.

Cavalry Fatigue

No rule changes, but clarification added.

‘Solid Lines’ (Without Intervals)

A slight rule-change in that to claim a ‘solid line’, infantry lines must be ‘without intervals’; i.e. the gap between each battalion must be no more than 1 inch.  This means that guns may not be placed in the gap between battalions.  Units within 2 inches may still claim Flank Support as before, but not ‘Solid Line’.

Rallying Units

No rule changes, but clarification added.

Large Units

Explanation added regarding Large light infantry units being able to deploy an extra skirmisher stand.

Leader Quality

Correction: Excellent DIVISIONAL commanders apply a +2 to their initiative die roll, NOT Army Commanders!  Excellent Army Commanders just roll 3x d6 and distribute them to deserving divisional commanders; these dice are not modified.

NEW Page 5!

This is a whole new page with expanded rules for skirmishers, dismounted dragoons and mounted jäger.

Skirmishers

We’d always thought that the light infantry rules were very much an afterthought in Shako and Shako 2.  This was especially apparent where you had an elite unit capable of skirmish action, but when deployed as skirmishers was suddenly no better than the worst unit!  So why would you ever choose to deploy an elite Highlander battalion as skirmishers, when you could be stomping through the enemy with your MR 5?!

Light infantry during this period weren’t the ‘big deal’ that they became during the Napoleonic Wars and later, but they did exist.  In the Western Theatre and especially in America, they appeared in almost every battle, usually contesting key terrain on the flanks and were not simply relegated to the petit-guerre of raiding and scouting.

We therefore needed a method to bring the MR of skirmishers into line with the rest of the game-system.  Light infantry battalions still deploy as two skirmisher stands, but may now do this DURING the battle at the player’s choice.  They also need to remain as a fairly coherent unit, remaining within 4 inches of each other.  They may also be recalled into close order, though this requires a roll against their MR.

Light infantry battalions deployed as 2x skirmisher stands will remain in action until their casualties equal their MR, as for formed infantry units.  Individual skirmisher stands are not removed from the battalion until the who battalion is broken.  This means that units with better discipline, while not having greater firepower than less-disciplined units, should be able to sustain the skirmish-battle for longer.

Large infantry units without any hits may deploy an additional skirmisher stand.  This skirmisher stand will absorb the unit’s first casualty and will be immediately removed when that happens.  It may be deployed as a third skirmisher stand in the skirmish-line or it may be deployed as a single skirmisher stand, while keeping the rest of the battalion formed.

Skirmishers now have a chance to evade charging cavalry.  They also have a chance to doggedly fall back in front of advancing enemy infantry (previously they would simply flee from enemy infantry or be ridden down by cavalry).

Dismounted French Dragoons

French dragoons now have the ability to dismount and/or mount during the battle.  They may fight as a formed infantry battalion or as skirmishers.

This ability may also apply to dragoons of other nations, though by this period the dragoons of Prussia, Austria, Great Britain, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Saxony and the Empire had essentially become ‘medium-weight’ heavy cavalry, geared toward mounted shock-action.  I’ll have to read up on the dragoons of Sweden, Russia, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and the Italian States.

Mounted Jäger

This introduces a whole new class of skirmishers, using horse-power to provide mobility, but fighting on foot with rifled carbines.

That’s it for now!  I’m going to try to find away to make these playsheets available in a higher resolution, but if you want better copies, just mention it in the Comments section and I can then email them to you.