La Bataille de Friedland et Danzig 1809

Command in the La Bataille System

Prussian generals were increasingly drawn from the ranks of progressive officers that had demonstrated an intellectual ability for modern military affairs. Prussians tended to have high caliber staff officers running the army on a day-day basis while the overall commanders could inspire the troops on the battlefield. Thus, overall General Blucher was ably supported by his Chief of Staff Gneisenau. Sometimes, the Prussian leaders were not Prussian, and they had served in other armies before taking a position with the Prussians. Officers like Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, though chiefs of staff could also lead attacks

personally, as they had done as junior officers. Others, though their family connections may have been in the higher social order, but would also spend time directly at the forward-most position directing a battalion or regiment at a key point in the battle. So this is the leadership ability we have defined. This influence is structured within a 100 meter radius of a point or the hex they are in. In the early days of wargaming, SPI published many Napoleonic games. In Strategy and Tactics articles, we all learned a lot about this type of warfare. In the classic Strategy and Tactics issue on Napoleon in 1973, SPI published a list of Napoleonic leaders and their abilities. These were classified for combat comparisons. Taking this idea and expanding it into the complexities of the La Bataille system, each leader was given comparative values for infantry, artillery, cavalry and morale. When expressed as a die roll modifier in a 36 result system, the best or worst leader would only have a percentage shift in actual die roll result. However, if you really need to stand firm in a location, or successfully assault a point, this percentage shift may be enough to make a difference. The catch, of course, is these leaders are at risk of being killed or wounded. This was often the case in Napoleonic warfare and it is also the case in the La Bataille system.

Leaders were never envisioned to represent command control. Although several geometric command control systems have been tried, their play has tended to slow down play and diminish the ongoing tension. These games are long enough without adding in extra steps and other magic occurrences. We still believe timed moves represent the best command control by limiting the player’s ability to physically move everything. Each player has to choose the decisive points and spend little or no time in other areas. This is a subtle means of stopping wild out flanking move and endless turns. The only calculation required is to read a watch.

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