Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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I have been toying with a version that gets rid of the (beautiful) cards, effectively replacing them with resources used to perform actions (movement, subversion, diplomacy, etc.) and a controlled random event table. It gives a bit more control to the players, hopefully without removing much of the color. Some other rules tightened too. Anyone interested in seeing where it leads?
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Pete Gelman
United States
Portland
Oregon
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I like the cards, but oui I'm interested!
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Brad Miller
United States
Seattle
Washington
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But, but, I love the game as it is!
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Jim O'Neill (Established 1949)
Scotland
Motherwell
I aten't dead yet...
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Renaud Verlaque wrote: ...Anyone interested in seeing where it leads?
Heretic!
...but yes, I am interested. 
Jim
Est. 1949
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Gary Barr
United Kingdom
Ballyclare N.Ireland
Co Antrim
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Hi
Just got game and like it a lot. See no harm in trying new system although more control might mean less dynamic ? always nice to have options to play. Would you utilize the cards as such resources ?
Cheers
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Certainly you could use them to keep track of the resources and still admire the art that I took so long to source!
By the way, I love the fact that you initial responders love the game as it is! I do too! But a card-less design has also always been in the back of my mind, hence this inquiry.
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James Nolan
Canada
Saskatoon
Saskatchewan
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Yes, very interested. !
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Sean Chick
United States
Hammond
Louisiana
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oneilljgf wrote: Renaud Verlaque wrote: ...Anyone interested in seeing where it leads?
Heretic!...but yes, I am interested. JimEst. 1949
What he said.
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Mike Owens
United States
Georgetown
Texas
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I think the card-driven game is fine as it is. I wouldn't be interested in a redone resource system (it'd be a whole new game).
Just out of curiosity, why are you thinking of a redux, cardless version?
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Maybe I'm bored? As I see it, it's a variant, not a new edition.
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Pablo Klinkisch
Germany
Heidelberg
Baden-Württemberg
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Renaud Verlaque wrote: Maybe I'm bored? As I see it, it's a variant, not a new edition.
Design a new game then! 
Any plans there?
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Well, I have had an ETO/MTO game on the shelf for a couple of years now, but my work leaves me little time to do something with it. It has cards (9 per faction) but it is more a way of producing a flexible turn sequence while giving an identity to each faction than a card-driven design per se. Designer and developer star Carl Paradis is now looking at it as a favor, but has not yet opined whether it is gold or crap. I also have a "4X" science fiction design with one publisher that is taking its own sweet time to decide what to do with it (I'm cool with that).
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Mike Owens
United States
Georgetown
Texas
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Renaud Verlaque wrote: As I see it, it's a variant, not a new edition.
Certain designers have made a living off of re-doing their designs and selling it as a new game.
To paraphrase a professor's advice: why publish one [game] when you can turn it into two or three?
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Let's see... my income from wargame designing has been maybe 0.001% of my normal income, so it does not apply to me... (and I know you did not mean that it applied to me)
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Pete Gelman
United States
Portland
Oregon
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Renaud Verlaque wrote: Let's see... my income from wargame designing has been maybe 0.001% of my normal income, so it does not apply to me... (and I know you did not mean that it applied to me)
But the GLORY that is yours!
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Don't forget the groupies...
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Sean Chick
United States
Hammond
Louisiana
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Renaud Verlaque wrote: Don't forget the groupies...
Of course not!
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Here are my ideas. For the most part I'm only providing card-less alternatives, but I could not resist making some other changes...
The goal of this variant is to allow Age of Napoleon to be played without cards, but also without need for any new components except revised play aids. It is deemed that this card-less variant may be of interest to those who find the cards create too much randomness, make the game more complicated or offer unsatisfactory choices. This variant is not better or worse than the game as published; it is simply different, and probably a bit simpler.
Turn Sequence: the turn sequence is changed to 3 phases:
1) Resources and Manpower
2) Campaign
3) Winter Quarters
In the Resource and Manpower Phase, the players first collect 6 (but see Britannia) to 10 resources in the same way they would collect cards in the published game's Strategy Phase. The cards or any other means (coins, beads, etc.) can be used to keep track of resources. Then after determining whether Foreign Wars are ongoing, the players deploy new corps according to the published rules.
In the Campaign Phase, after determining whether Britannia goes into effect (see) and if any Foreign War is ongoing, the players can spend resources on performing various actions:
1) Military Action: moving armies by land or sea, possibly attacking enemy armies
2) Diplomatic Action: attempting to change the diplomatic alignment of enemy or neutral countries
3) Covert Action: attempting to trigger insurrections against French rule in French dominions or to carry a coup in a minor country
4) Recruiting Action: deploying additional new corps
The Campaign Phase is divided in 6 Campaign Rounds. In each Campaign Round, the initiative player first performs as many actions as he wants and has resources for, then the non-initiative player does the same. Either player may decide to perform no action in any Campaign Round, which is described as "passing". Once both players have performed actions or passed, the ongoing Campaign Round is over and a new Campaign Round begins unless the 2nd Winter Campaign Round is over, in which case the Winter Quarters Phase begins.
In the Winter Quarters Phase, the players must first determine winter attrition, then repatriate prisoners and finally check the victory conditions. If neither player has won, a new turn begins.
Foreign Wars: before new corps can be deployed, the French player must roll 2 dice for each of Britain, Austria and Russia. On a roll of 11-12, the War with America, the Austro-Ottoman War or the Russo-Ottoman War, respectively, is in effect for the remainder of the turn.
Britannia: at the very beginning of every campaign phase, each player must roll 1 die and, starting with the French player, can spend additional resources to get a DRM: +1 for 1 resource, +2 for 3 resources or +3 for 6 resources. If the Coalition player scores the same or higher as the French player, Britannia is in effect; place the Britannia marker in its box on the map board.
Military Action: it costs 1 resource to move 1 army. It is possible to move 2 or more armies "simultaneously" at the cost of 1 extra resource, e.g. it costs 3 resources to move 2 armies or 5 resources to move 4 armies. In reality, however, all armies designated to move "simultaneously" must be moved sequentially in the order decided by the active player, but any battle resulting from their moves, including any resulting from interceptions, can only be resolved once all the moves have been completed.
Forced March: the active player can indicate that any of his armies about to move will force-march. There is no extra resource cost. Force-marching increases an army's movement rating and movement allowance by 1; however, at the conclusion of the move, including if the move is interrupted by an interception, the army is automatically spent or, if it is already spent, its player must roll for march attrition (with force-marching counting as one cause of march attrition only in the very last area entered) before resolving any battle. The passive player may also declare that an intercepting or withdrawing army is force-marching at no resource cost in order to increase his army's movement rating; however, the success of the interception or withdrawal has been determined, the intercepting or withdrawing army automatically becomes spent or if it is already spent its player must roll for march attrition as described above for the active player.
Bad Weather (optional): before moving, but after deciding whether to force-march, the active player must roll one die and subtract 1 in winter. On a score of 1, bad weather causes the army's movement allowance to decrease by 1. On a score of 0 it is decreased by 2. In the case of sea movement, the moving army simply cannot move on a score of 1 or less.
Manoeuvre sur les Arrières: upon entering an enemy-occupied area, before the passive player may elect to withdraw, the active player must declare whether his army will attack or simply attempt to pass through the area without fighting. This option is only available if the active army has enough movement allowance to move to another area after entering the enemy-occupied area. The passive player must then declare whether his own army intercepts the active army, provided it can. For the purpose of the interception, the MR of the passive army is increased by 1 for every 4 corps in the active army or in the passive army, e.g., if the active army has 5 corps and the passive army has 3 corps, the MR of the passive army is increased by 1.
New Battle Resolution Table (optional): this table is a simple adaptation of The Price of Freedom table to Age of Napoleon. In fact it is the original table, but the developer/publisher felt that it was too "complex".... The experience of the Price of Freedom seems to contradict it. After determining his side's battle strength, each player rolls 1 die and cross-references the result with his battle strength to determine his 2-digit battle score. The player with the higher battle score wins the battle. The defender wins ties. The first digit of the battle score indicates the number of corps losses inflicted to the other side. The second digit has no use other than helping determine the winner of the battle.
1 00 01 03 04 10 11 12 14
2 01 02 04 10 11 12 13 20
3 02 03 10 11 12 13 20 21
4 03 04 11 12 13 20 21 22
5 04 10 12 13 20 21 22 30
6 10 11 13 20 21 22 30 31
After-Action Report (optional): without the battle cards, battles may seem a bit flavorless especially in after action reports, so here is a totally optional, superfluous battle headline generator based on the winner’s die roll:
1: despite many blunders superior numbers won
2: the center was initially crushed but the wings prevailed
3: the grand battery pounded them into submission
4: expert use of the ground made the difference
5: a well-timed cavalry charge won the day
6: it was a masterful demonstration of combined arms
Surrender, Successful Insurrection and Failed Insurrection: these events and their consequences immediately occur whenever the prerequisite conditions are met.
Territorial Concessions: the first time the French player forces the surrender of Austria or Prussia he can detach Tyrol and Dalmatia from the former or Saxony and Poland from the latter and turn them into French dominions. It is at his option but it must be declared immediately upon forcing surrender.
Radetzky and Stein: whenever the French player forces the surrender of Austria or Prussia for the first time he must place the Radetzky or Stein marker, as applicable, in the appropriate box on the map board. The next time Austria or Prussia becomes a Coalition member or an insurgent country Radetzky or Stein, as applicable, is considered to be in effect.
Diplomatic Action - Generic: the active player must spend 1 resource, select 1 enemy-controlled or neutral country that is not impervious to diplomacy and roll one die. Before rolling, he can spend additional resources to get a DRM: +1 for 1 resource, +2 for 3 resources or +3 for 6 resources. The passive player also rolls 1 die at no resource cost and can also spend resources to get a DRM on the same scale as the active player; he must do so before either die roll, but after the active player has paid for any DRM of his own. Whether active or passive the Coalition player benefits from a +1 DRM at no resource cost if the French player has proclaimed the Continental System (see). If the active player obtains the higher score the alignment of the country he selected moves 1 notch in his favor, i.e. from enemy to neutral or from neutral to allied. If the active player obtains the lower score nothing happens. If the scores are tied, the action is resolved in favor of the French player if the selected country is Spain or any minor country other than Naples, Portugal or Sweden, otherwise in favor of the Coalition player.
Diplomatic Action - Napoleonic Dynasty: the active French player may convert any 1 enemy-free French ally into a French dominion at the cost of 1 resource. Converting a major country requires more French corps to be in the country's capital than home corps.
Diplomatic Action - Continental System: whenever Britain is the only major Coalition member the French player may proclaim the Continental System, the effect of which is to reduce Britain's resources by 1 and lower the Coalition's absolute minimum to 4 rather than 6; however, from that time on, even if the prerequisite condition no longer stands, the Coalition player receives a +1 DRM at no resource cost on all his diplomatic or covert action die rolls.
Covert Action -- Subversion: this first kind of covert action is similar to a diplomatic action except that it can only be performed by the Coalition player in a country that qualifies for insurrections and all tied rolls are resolved in favor of the Coalition player, i.e., result in insurrections.
Covert Action – Coup: this second kind of covert action is also similar to a diplomatic action except that it can only be performed in an enemy-free, non-insurgent minor country that is adjacent to a friendly-occupied area and that all tied rolls result in status quo.
Recruiting Action: the active player can deploy 1 available new corps per resource spent whenever there is at least 1 enemy corps in the home country of the corps to be deployed. The active player can also spend 1 resource to move 1 corps from the permanent loss pile to his reserve (as if he were playing Veterans).
ALTERNATIVELY: while I have come to the conclusion that the game is more dynamic with the simpler, more open turn sequence proposed above, the turn sequence as published can be preserved. Resources are collected in the Strategy Phase; diplomatic actions are resolved in the Diplomacy Phase; covert actions of the subversion kind are resolved in the Insurrection Phase as is the outcome of insurrections; free new corps deployed in the Reinforcement Phase, as can be new corps that are paid for in resources (i.e., recruiting actions), and prisoners are repatriated; military actions and recruiting actions are performed in the Campaign Phase; surrenders and covert actions of the coup kind are resolved in the Surrender Phase; Winter Attrition is resolved in the Attrition Phase; and Victory Conditions are checked in the Victory Check Phase.
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Renaud Verlaque
United States
New York
New York
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Sorry, but the top row of the battle table is missing and I can't seen to fix it, it should show the same battle strength ranges as on the published table...
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