Brigade Squares

Brigade Squares When an infantry unit chooses to enter the Prepared State, it may choose to enter the normal prepared state (Blucher pg 34-35) or to enter a formation called the “Brigade Square”. This represents the unit in question forming a traditional infantry square in order to repel Cavalry. The normal Prepared State in Blucher assumes that the unit in question is no longer moving and has dug in to the terrain somewhat. This is not representative of the way open-field squares functioned, and so the Brigade Square is added as a sub-state of the Prepared State. To enter Brigade Square, a unit cannot move during the turn it assumes Brigade Square. As with the normal Prepared State, the action of assuming Brigade Square does not prevent it from shooting during that turn. A unit in the Brigade Square state has the following characteristics: -The unit remains in Brigade Square until the active player takes a full turn to return it to a normal state. The unit may fire during the turn it reforms, but may not move (this also means that a unit in Brigade Square cannot declare a charge). The active player may choose the unit’s new facing when it reforms. -It gains a 360-degree firing arc, but loses 1 die from all shooting attacks (to a minimum of 1). -It may move up to 1 inch per turn. This is a special movement rate separate from the Simple or Difficult Move. A Brigade Square may not enter, form in, or move through, and sort of Difficult or Urban terrain (unless on a Road). Brigade Squares may not Garrison (Blucher pg 67) towns or fortifications at all. -Brigade Squares are particularly easy targets for artillery, and they do not have even the mild protection from terrain and improvised fortifications that normal Prepared units do. When an artillery unit fires at a Brigade Square from Close Range, or a Heavy Artillery unit fires on a Brigade Square from any range, it may count a second result of “5” as a hit. This is specifically in addition to the normal “Easy Targets” rule (Blucher pg 50). -As with normal Prepared Infantry, a Brigade Square has no flanks and ignored the penalty for being flanked (Blucher pg 58), and successful Cavalry charge attack dice must be rerolled. Additionally, infantry in Brigade Square charged by enemy Infantry cannot bring as many troops to bear at the point of contact. As an additional universal modifier, the Brigade Square suffers a -1 penalty to the combat. Note that this penalty is suffered only when charged by Infantry. Designer’s Notes: while infantry can and did shift from column to line relatively quickly and simply during the Napoleonic Wars, the decision to move into square was of such magnitude that it cannot simply be “assumed”, as the Blucher rules do, that a unit is always in the most favorable formation. Additionally, the normal Prepared rules in Blucher do not adequately represent a square formation (squares were not purely stationary, and Blucher Prepared Infantry still only have a forward firing arc). The intent of this rules addendum is to provide a meaningful choice and impact for the use of squares, and to reward period tactics (particularly the threat of cavalry to force infantry into square, while horse artillery is run up and shoots the now-squared infantry). It is telling that the decision of the French to form square against British cavalry at Salamanca – only to be outshot by nearby British infantry lines - is completely impossible to represent in the standard Blucher rules, but works perfectly with this ruleset in play. .

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