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Note, each set is accorded a value for money rating. 1 = terrible; 10 is extremely good - must have.
Positive Points
Napoleon's Battles is an old set of rules that has been around for many years in its current form. Its principle advantage is that with this set of rules, very large battles (>500 figs on the table, 6 players a side with a corps each!) can be fought to a satisfying conclusion in the course of a Friday Night. It is based on brigade level action and so the best results are achieved with very large armies.
The rule set comes (when you can get it at all) with a set of information sheets for all the powers involved (yes, including Ottoman Empire!) that describe the characteristics for the troops as they change over the course of the period from 1780 to 1815. Commanders are all-important and extensive tables for each commander (the vast majority are named and treated individually) are provided.
They are dice-heavy so there are no certain tactics and anyone can win. Usually the games are extremely exciting and enjoyable. However, at the club it has been found necessary to develop some house rules to simplify a few things and cover holes in the rules - but nothing major. We mostly play the middle years - see below.
Negative Points
On the negative side, the factors for some armies make them very difficult to play with and history buffs will find it equally hard to accept the factors, relative to others. Equally, the points system is more than a little unrepresentative of the troops' actual power on the table. Again, some significant modifications are probably worthwhile. In the Revolutionary wars, the enemies of the French might as well not turn up. The generals and the troops are severely penalised. It isn't a game but a crushing. It is independent of how good the general is. Furthermore, some armies' sheets simply don't include all the variations needed to maintain interest. British for example are set to be very good (as per "Ar Arfur") independent of the year.
One critical point to warn you about is that the basing is actually very important for the correct operation of the rules but is weird so the troops can't be easily used for other rule sets.
Oddly in a set of rules that is generally extremely fast to play, the ranged artillery is really slow and factor-heavy. House simplifications are definitely in order there.
Overall Value for Money = 8.
Reviewer = TC
Positive Points
Grand tactical scale rules, where one infantry stand equals 550 men and 1 inch equals 100 yards. The scale allows moderate size battles to be accommodated easily without a huge number of figures being required, while the rules provide for an enjoyable game that can produce a very realistic result on a Friday evening. Even the battle of Borodino fits on a 6ft by 8ft table - although that one requires more than an evening.
Games have frequently produced the ebb and flow that you might expect from a hard-fought tussle.
The rule set, combat charts and some OOBs can be downloaded for free from the War Times Journal's website www.wtj.com. A Yahoo Group provides further information and a chance to ask questions.
Negative Points
Because of the ground scale, virtually all the musketry and hand-to-hand stuff takes place in a single phase. Those that like separate musketry and melee phases sometimes struggle with this concept. But it works well.
Sometimes, the outcome of a single combat may look a little weird. This, again, is because of the scale. A brigade might win a combat but its parent division might become so rattled by other factors that the whole division recoils. The spooky thing is that the outcome frequently matches history.
Unlike many other rule sets, there is no points system. This can sometimes lead to unbalanced games, but was life ever fair?
Value for Money = 10
Reviewer - DO