Belle Epoque Battle Maker

Having now played two games of the shiny toy soldier variety, featuring a French army of the Third Republic against a British army one of Guard, Line, and Volunteer Rifle units, a rudimentary but satisfactory "Belle Epoque" battle-maker toolkit has emerged.  This toolkit is based on and evolved from my earlier Italian Wars and English Civil War battle-makers.  

Because warfare by the later 19th century had become very non-linear (in the old Napoleonic sense) and very infantry- and artillery-centric (cavalry falling to the wayside as scouts, despite much wishful thinking to the contrary), both the terrain-tiles and the random deployment components needed to change.  Variation in deployment thus becomes more central, while force composition becomes less dynamic/variable (forces are mainly infantry and artillery, with small variations for elite status).

I.  FORCE COMPOSITION

Each side rolls on the following tables to generate the forces for the game.  Obviously, these are constrained by the figures you have available put on the table. Currently I cannot run the large battles (not enough artillery crew, would have to stretch infantry to capacity).  But generally speaking, the idea is to figure out what is the largest duplicate armies you could table for each side (x), then create a dice system that will randomize out x-1 and x-2.  After the main feature, perhaps, is to determine the presence of elite units. This is done by counting a certain number of units as regular, then counting one as elite, then starting over. The number of regular units counted is determined by a 1d3+1. For example, if you have five infantry, and you roll 1d3+1 for a result of 2, then 2 of your 5 infantry will be regular, then 1 elite, then 2 more regular.  If you had eight infantry and rolled a 2, you would end up with 6 regular and 2 elite (2-1-2-1).

SMALL BATTLE:

French: 
1d3+3 infantry (then roll a 1d3+1, with the result being x - after x regular infantry, then 1 elite. Example: you roll 1d3+3 and get a total of 5 infantry. Then you roll 1d3+1 for a result of 2.  2 of your 5 infantry will be regular, then 1 elite, then 2 more regular. For ease of reference the French player designates his zouaves as the elites)
1d3-2 machine guns
1d3-2 artillery

British:
1d3+3 infantry (then roll a 1d3+1, with the result being x - after x regular infantry, then 1 elite)
1d3-2 machine guns
1d3-2 artillery

Notes: The concept is 4-6 infantry per side (with at least one veteran/elite unit) possibly supported by a machine gun or an artillery piece. Elite troops could be better trained, veterans, or especially well led units.  French could use zouaves and/or chasseurs alpin for easy-to-recognize elites. British could use Guard or Highland units.

MEDIUM BATTLE:

French: 
1d3+5 infantry (roll a 1d3+1, with the result being x - after x regular infantry, then 1 elite)
1d3-1 machine guns
1d3-1 artillery

British:
1d3+5 infantry 
1d3-1 machine guns
1d3-1 artillery

Notes: Presumption is 6-8 infantry per side (with 1-2 veteran/elite units) with up to 2 machine guns and/or artillery in support.

LARGE/FINAL BATTLE:

French: 
1d3+7 infantry 
1d3 machine guns
1d3 artillery

British:

1d3+7 infantry 
1d3 machine guns
1d3 artillery

Notes:  8-10 infantry units per side (with 2-3 veteran/elite units) with a minimum of 1 machine gun and 1 artillery in support.

II. TERRAIN

I created a entirely new set of terrain cards. Unlike the set I use for games ranging anywhen from the Punic Wars up to the English Civil War, one corner of a given terrain feature (a hill, a wood, or a building) always touches the center of the area in question. There are no blank, open field squares. 

All 12 of the Belle Epoque terrain tiles.

The tiles are shuffled and then one at a time is turned over from the top of the deck to create the board.  There are several variations on how one could lay out the tiles to generate a board.  Up until now I have laid out four in a 2-2 pattern such as pictured below, where the top and bottom edges would be the sides of the table from which each side would deploy.  This works fine for earlier periods but as the games played thus far have revealed, this set up creates a "cone of fire" in the center which artillery can dominate.

A 2x2 terrain map.

One alternative to deal four tiles but do a 1-2-1 arrangement, as pictured below. This would a require slightly different deployment system, however.

1-2-1 arrangement.

Another alternative would be a 1-2-2 arrangement.  For this you deal out a 1-2-1, then roll a dice for the left and right sides.  The higher flank is given an additional card, such as below. For this the 2-2 tile arrangement deployment method could still be used the and the lone terrain piece on the left would be unoccupied at the beginning of the game.

1-2-2 arrangement.

III. DEPLOYMENT:

This is a little tricky to convey, so bear with me.  Armies in this period have evolved away from the old infantry-cavalry-artillery trifecta, and more exclusively towards (lots and lots of) infantry and (lots of) artillery.  So the style of deployment chart from the Italian Wars campaign system is irrelevant, since we're not talking about medieval set-piece battles, where all we have to determine is the rough composition of a van, middle, and rear guard (left flank-center-right flank).  And with the increasing lethality of rifles and artillery, its rather dishonest to deploy anything in an open field at the beginning of the game.  

Battles are also becoming larger, so having all units on the table at the start is also a rather glaring untruth that miniature games enforce for the convenience of having all the toys on the table at the start. Per Moltke, enveloping attacks have become more formidable than attempting to pierce an enemy's front, while at same time increases in firepower reduced the risk to the defender in splitting its forces and increases in the size of armies made outflanking maneuvers more practical.

So, something with a little more complexity is required. My solution is a deployment mechanic that reacts to the terrain tile mechanic.   

FIRST, determine forward and flank deployments of infantry..

Attacker deploys 1 infantry unit on, and up to 1 additional infantry unit behind, a single terrain piece (dice to determine which one).  Defender deploys 2 infantry units on, and up to 1 additional infantry unit behind, on each of two terrain pieces on their side of the board.

Attacker deploys 1-3 infantry units off table on right or left table edge on their half of board. These infantry have been deployed in a Flanking Position. These may come on board any turn the attacker desires.

SECOND, deploy remaining infantry after above instructions have been exhausted... (probably larger games only)

Attacker deploys 1-3 (so 1d3) of remaining infantry units along back line starting with spaces that are directly to the rear of terrain features (infantry on back line are "Main Line Position"), and any remaining units off-table to rear edge (the "Reserve Position"). Roll 1d6+1 for each off table Reserve Position infantry unit each turn, if the result is equal to or less than current turn number (so turn 2, 3, or 4), then this unit is available to come-on table that turn. 

Defender deploys 1-2 (1d3-1) of remaining infantry units along back line ("Main Line Position"), and the rest off-table in Reserve Position in same manner as Attacker.

THIRD, artillery is placed...

The first gun for the defender is placed with the Main Line.  The second and any further additional guns (if available) for defender is placed in Reserve Position.  The first gun for the attacker is placed in the Flank Position. The second gun for the Attacker is place in the Main Line and any further additional guns (if available) for attacker are placed the Reserve Position.  

FOURTH, the general(s) are placed...

The general(s) are placed at center position of Main Line, and may start game with a unit in that space. 

RESERVE POSITION TROOPS

Reserve Position troops are troops still on the way to the battle field when the game starts. Roll 1d6+1 for each off table infantry unit - this is the turn (so turn 2, 3, or 4) that this unit is available to come-on table.  Player is not required to bring units on table on the turn first allowed to do so. However, an army's Exhaustion Point is determined only by units on table and not reserve or flank units, so holding back reserves too long is risky!

FLANK POSITION TROOPS

Flank Position troops may come on board at anytime. Like Reserve Troops, if they are not on table they do not count towards that army's Exhaustion Point.

Optional: Smaller force may buy earthworks to make up difference in SP values (1 grid face @ 1 SP per).  Attacker then moves first as the game truly begins.

IV. CHANCE CARDS

I made two sets of chance cards using those described at Grid Based Wargaming But Not Always.   These are fifteen cards as follows (you can see the effects of each in the photo):

Ammo Shortage x2

Rally x2

Initiative x2

Loss of Nerve x2

Confusion x2

No Event x5

V.  VICTORY AND DEFEAT

I like the system from the Portable Pike & Shot Wargame best: when a side reaches 1/3rd lost SP, it is exhausted and cannot advance or move towards the enemy any more, nor follow-up into a vacated square as a result of close combat.  When a side reaches 1/2 lost SP, it is broken the game is over.

The trick, therefore, is to assume that your army will become exhausted, and to plan accordingly so that when it is exhausted it can continue to fight effectively through ranged attacks so that it may still win the day.