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HHuuzzzzaahh!!Rules for Napoleonic wargaming First edition, version 1.1

oozlum gameswww.oozlumgames.co.uk

Release date: 2/12/03

Book 3: Diagrams & FAQsBook 3: Diagrams & FAQs

HHuuzzzzaahh!!

oozlum gameswww.oozlumgames.co.uk

Release date: 2/12/03

HUZZAH! BOOK 3: DIAGRAMS AND FAQS

3

The diagrams and FAQs are intended to clarify anddemonstrate the explanations in the main rules. Some gobeyond this, illustrating good practice or offering advice. Thediagrams have all been put into one separate book becausethe need to refer to them will diminish as Huzzah! becomesfamiliar. Positioned within the main rules, they would serveonly to over-extend some sections, making the rulesthemselves harder to find.

The FAQs also serve as a shorthand form of my designer’snotes. I have decided against writing a piece illustrating the

Diagrams and FAQs

Common elements

Infantry stand in open order

Cavalry stand

Artillery standNote that in the diagrams, by default stands and units facethe top of the page. Different orientations are usually clearfrom the positioning of threat zones, which always extendfrom the front of a unit, or by virtue of the fact that opposingunits are assumed to face each other.

Infantry stand

philosophy of the rules because I hope that is abundantlyclear. Nor do I intend to crow about any supposedsuperiorities of Huzzah! – it is merely my own set of rules,which I happen to prefer because they satisfy me in ways thatcommercial rules cannot. Huzzah! is available free on theinternet for anyone to judge its suitability or otherwise for theirown games.

Ian MarshFreshwater, December 2003

Officer andcommandradius


4

Infantry formations and threat zones

Open order: threat zone is 15cm (3bands)

Column: threat zoneis 15cm (3 bands)

Line: threat zone is 15cm (3 bands)

Infantry in square: threatzone is 10cm (2 bands) fromeach face

Mob: no threat zone

March column:no threat zone


5

Cavalry formations and threat zones

Line: threat zone is 25cm (5 bands)

Column: threatzone is 30cm (6bands)

Mob: no threat zone

March column:no threat zone


6

Artillery formations and threat zones

Light artillery inline (unlimbered):threat zone is30cm (6 bands)

March column(limbered): nothreat zone

Mob: no threat zone

Heavy artillery inline (unlimbered):threat zone is 40cm(8 bands)

Medium artillery inline (unlimbered):threat zone is 35cm(7 bands)


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Artillery bombardment

Extreme rangebombardment zone

Long rangebombardment zone

A

Short rangebombardment zoneand inherent shortrange threat zone

A battery can bombard a single unitdirectly ahead of its position and towhich it has line of sight. A battery cansight the guns before it bombards atarget by manoeuvring through up to 45degrees, but can make only one suchmanoeuvre in each turn’s opponent’sorders phase. A battery bombards intoonly one threat zone, although targets inthe next threat zone may be hit bybounce through.

No line of sight: The batterydoes not have line of sightto Unit A because the townintercepts a straight linedrawn from the battery tothe unit. Although a straightline can be drawn from thebattery to the unit withoutpassing through the town,this is irrelevant. Line ofsight is blocked if anystraight line is interceptedby terrain or another unit.Therefore the battery cannotbombard Unit A.

Town


8

Ridge linelimits extremethreat zone

Bouncethroughpath

E

A

Hill

Hill

B

D

C

BA

Artillery bombardment

Inherent artillery threat

First target: Artillery batteries that chose to bombard mustbombard the first unit in their threat zones. Note that this is notnecessarily the same as the closest unit to the battery. Here UnitC is physically the closest to the battery, but it is not in thebattery’s threat zones and the battery does not have to bombardit. The battery can bombard Unit C, however, if the controllingplayer decides to sight the guns, manoeuvring the battery to facethis target. A battery can sight the guns only if it also bombards.

Units A, B and E are in the threat zones of the battery, but UnitB is the first such unit and therefore if the battery bombards (it isnot compelled to bombard), it must bombard Unit B. It cannotchoose to bombard Unit A unless it sights the guns andmanoeuvres to exclude Unit B from its threat zones. The batterycannot bombard disadvantaged Unit E.

Bombardment at any range is made against only a single unit(a battery’s inherent threat zone can affect multiple units in thethreat phase). If the battery bombards Unit B, however, it affectsUnit D on bounce through because a line drawn from the centreof the battery through the centre of the side of Unit B that facesthe battery passes though Unit D. Unit D, however, must bewithin the bounce through distance of the guns, measured fromthe centre of the front of Unit B, to be affected. Even though thebattery affects both Units B and D, it receives only one smokemarker for making a single bombardment.

Once the battery has bombarded Unit B, it cannot bombardthat unit again in the same turn until it acts on an order (i.e. itadvances, retires, deploys or manoeuvres). If Unit B does notact on an order, even though other units in its command act onan order, it cannot be bombarded again until the next turn. If thebattery has bombardment remaining, it can sight the guns tobombard another target, such as Unit A or Unit C. If it sights theguns, it cannot do so again until the next turn.

The inherent threat zone ofartillery affects all enemyunits. Units A, B and C are allthreatened by the battery andmust take threat tests, andthe battery receives only onesmoke marker for threateningall of them. There is nobounce through, however, soUnit D is shielded by Unit A,which it is directly behind.

Threat zones extendbeyond but not throughenemy units, and affect allunits that are not shielded bythe presence of friendly units.

In effect, the inherentthreat zone of a battery ispure canister fire;bombardment, however, alsotakes into account the effectof roundshot and double-shotting.

CD


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Flank lines and flank zones

Flank zones of deep units in scaled games

Flank lines are the lines drawn throughthe two corners of a unit on the sameflank. They are used to define thefrontal threat zone of a unit.

The frontal threat zone is the area tothe front of the unit between its flanklines. The depth of the threat zonedepends on the formation of the unitand to which arm it belongs.

Flank zones are the areas between thelines drawn through the oppositecorners of a unit on the opposing flanks.

Flank zones therefore get broaderwith the depth of a formation. Aninfantry line presents a narrow flankzone, an infantry column presents awide flank zone, and a cavalry columnpresents the broadest flank zone.

Flanks zones are not relevant tomobs or march columns because theseunits are always disadvantaged in athreat test or an engagement.

Reduced unit sizes can affect the flankzones of deep units in a scaled game,making them unreasonably vulnerableto flank threats (centre) compared witha standard unit (left). Instead ofmeasuring flank zones using linesdrawn through opposing corners,therefore, in scaled games where suchan effect is noticeable, flank zones ofdeep units can be measured using linesdrawn from the centre of one flankthrough the opposing corners of theother (right).These alternative flankzones may also be suitable when usingcavalry units based for Napoleon’sBattles.

Flan

k lin

e

Flank zone

Front

Frontal threat zone

Rear

Flank zone

Flan

k lin

e

Full-size unit Half-sizeunit

Half-sizeunit


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Column C is threatened by Units A and B, also in column.Unit A presents a frontal threat; Unit B presents a flank threat.

Unit A can see all of the flank of Unit C, is facing its flankand has more of its threat zone on the flank of its target orbeyond. It is outside the column’s flank zone, however, andtherefore does not threaten it from the flank. Even if Unit A’sthreat zone were to fall only on the flank of Unit C, the threat

is still frontal because Unit A is outside the flank zone.Unit B fulfils all four criteria for a flank threat: in addition to

the criteria satisfied by Unit A it is also within Unit C’s flankzone.

Requiring a threatening unit to be in a flank zone to causea flank threat ensures the unit sufficiently enfilades the targetand therefore disadvantages it.

Battery B bombards Column A at long range. Even though theguns are distant from the enemy they still fall within its flankzone and meet all other criteria for a flank threat.

The line drawn perpendicular to the front of the battery andthrough the nearest corner of Unit A shows that a greaterproportion of the battery’s threat falls on Unit A’s flank than onits front. This should usually be obvious and is illustrated herefor clarity.

Flank threats

Flank threats and bombardment

A

C

Flank zone of CFlank zone of C

B

A

B

Flank zone of A


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Units in line can manoeuvre through upto 45 degrees on one anchored corner.

It’s easy to measure a 45 degreeangle without using any special devices.Measure a distance equal to thefrontage of the unit from the unanchoredflank of the unit and place a straightedge, such as a ruler, from theanchored flank to this measured point.The unit can manoeuvre up to thisstraight edge, which is at 45 degrees toits original facing.

The paler stands shown here are justto indicate the equivalent frontage andtherefore the point to which to measure.They do not represent where the standsend up after manoeuvring!

At least one stand must remainstationary while deploying to anchor theposition of the new formation.

Here the column comprising standsA1, B1, C1 and D1 (top) changesformation to form a line anchored on A1,with the other stands moving topositions B2, C2 and D2. In reverse, theline A1, B2, C2 and D2 can condense toform column on the stationary stand A1.

The column A1, B1, C1 and D1(bottom) could also form line keepingboth stands A1 and B1 stationary, withone stand moving to each flank to formthe line C2, B1, A1 and D2. Again, thereverse movement to change formationfrom line to column applies.

Both variations are permissible, as isforming line from the same column bythrowing two stands out to one flank ofthe stationary stands A1 and B1.

Manoeuvring

Deployment

Battery canmanoeuvreup to line

Battery pivotson anchoredcorner 45 degrees

Equi

vale

nt fr

onta

ge o

f bat

tery

B1

B1

A1

A1

C1

C1 D1

D1

B2 C2

C2

D2

D2


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Support

DB

C

D

C

A

B

A

Column B supportsLine A because thethreat zone ofColumn B is entirelycovered by A.

Column C issupported by Line Dbecause the rear ofC is entirely coveredby the threat zone ofD.

The threat zonesof B and D stopwhere they contactthe rear of A and Crespectively.

Units A and C are atan angle to B and Drespectively. Bothunits are stillsupported, eventhough the threatzones of friendlyunits B and D stopalong the whole frontwhere they contact Aand C: the threatzone of B is still ineffect entirelycovered by A andthe rear of C is stillin effect covered bythe threat zone of D.


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B

A

D

C

D

A

E

B

F

C Lines A, B and C aresupportedrespectively by linesD, E and F, becausethe threat zones ofD, E and Frespectively coverthe rears of A, B andC.

In addition, B andE have secureflanks, provided bythe physicalpresence of units totheir left and right.

Both secure flanksand support providethe favourableposition modifier.However, regardlessof how many criteriaare satisfied, only asingle Up 1 resultsfrom being in afavourable position.

Neither A nor C aresupported. Thethreat zone of Bdoes not cover therear of A, nor doesthe threat zone of Dcover the rear of C.


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A B C

D E

Supported squares

Columns D and E have secure flanks because of thepresence of friendly threat zones from A, B and C. An enemyunit approaching the flanks of Units D and E would have tostop at the threat zones of A and C in particular before tryingto advance on D or E on a subsequent order.

Unit B has secure flanks because of the physical presenceof A and C; it would take unusual circumstances for anenemy unit to approach the flanks of B.

Three units in this group are therefore in a favourableposition.

If one face of a square is entirelycovered by the threat zone of a friendlyunit it counts as “rear support”. Squarescan give each other mutual support inthis way.

Secure flanks

B


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A

Blocked threat zones

C

Line A stops the threat zone of friendlyLine B, allowing Column C to threaten Bwith impunity.

An infantry or artillery unitadjacent to a low linearobstacle, such as a hedge,projects its threat zone overthat obstacle, as Unit Adoes here. Provided that aunit remains in contact witha low linear obstacle andthe angle between theobstacle and the unit is nogreater than 45 degrees,the unit continues to projectits threat zone over theobstacle, as shown by UnitB. The unit is assumed tobe lining the obstacle. Thisis particularly relevant toartillery that bombards overan obstacle and to units thatapproach a linear obstacleobliquely.

A

B


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Buildings and threat zones

An infantry unit with the OpenOrder ability can deploy into abuildings sector on a Deployorder: its stands are positionedaround the perimeter of thesector. Such a unit presents fourindividual threat zones, eachextending 10cm (2 bands) fromthe faces of the sector.

A unit with the Open Orderability so deployed is in afavourable position and alsogains the modifier for operatingin open order in dense terrain: itwill therefore be Up 2 in threattests and engagements.

Infantry with the Open Orderability therefore is hard to evictfrom terrain that suits itsspecialised training.

Close order infantry can deployinto a buildings sector on aDeploy order: its stands arepositioned along two adjacentsides of the sector. Such a unitpresents two individual threatzones, each extending 10cm (2bands) from the two faces of thesector along which it isdeployed.

Such a unit is in a favourableposition and therefore is Up 1 inthreat tests. In engagements,however, it is in a non-doctrinaldeployment, the penalty forwhich cancels the favourableposition modifier. Enemy unitscan also engage theundefended sides of the sector,disadvantaging the defender.Close-order infantry is thereforea second-best option to defendbuildings.


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Friendly Unit A blocks the threat zone ofthe Unit E in the building, allowing it toextend only up to the point where itcontacts Unit A.

Unit B is threatened frontally by E;Unit D is outside all threat zones andnot threatened.

Unit C is threatened in the flank by Eand is disadvantaged. Unit E faces UnitC, it has sight to Unit C all along theone face of the sector, more of itsthreat zone projects on the flank of UnitC than on the front, and the town isalso within the flank zone of Unit C.

The pale blue flank line of Unit Cextends past the building. This showsthat all of E on the side of the buildingsector facing C can see the flank of C.

The counter example is shown byunits F and G. Here, the flank ofcolumn G cannot be seen along all theface of the building occupied by F, asshown by the red sighting line from thebuilding and by the pale blue flank linefrom the column. In practice, if the flankline of a unit intercepts a buildingsector, then line of sight to the flank isblocked along the whole of the sector’sface. This is easier to measure than todebate the effect of different sightinglines from the town!

A

D B

E

C

F

G

B

A


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Field of fireLeft: Artillery batteries positioned between units have secureflanks but are less able to manoeuvre as they risk brushingagainst friendly units. If the battery manoeuvres to face moreto the right either the friendly unit on its right flank will limit itsthreat zone and block line of sight, or the battery will makecontact and both units will take a stagger.

Right: Artillery batteries positioned ahead of their supportscan manoeuvre freely to bombard an approaching enemy.Here the line behind the battery gives support as the batterymanoeuvres to left or right. The columns (they could equallybe lines) on either flank can advance if necessary to providephysical assistance if the enemy gets too close.

Reinforcements and leaders

Left: Officer A is positioned less than his command radiusfrom the edge of the table. When his units arrive, they enterthe battlefield between the two points where the officer’scommand radius intersects the edge of the table. Theyadvance on a broad front.

Right: Officer B is positioned almost to the limit of hiscommand radius from the edge of the table. As with Officer A,his units enter the battlefield between the two points wherehis command radius intersects the edge of the table. Theyadvance on a narrow front.


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Above left and right: Two columns, A and B, advanceobliquely into the threat zone of Unit C. Both stop on contactwith the threat zone (left) and are positioned so that the frontedge of the first stand to enter the threat zone of Unit C isfully within that zone (right).

Any future advance by Unit A will therefore result only in afrontal engagement. If it advances into contact from thisposition, even though some of Unit A will overlap the flank ofUnit C, more than half of Unit A will not be in the flank zoneof C and therefore it is a frontal engagement.

A

A

Flank zoneof Unit C

A

BB

C

C

C

Right: In this instance, Unit A approaches Unit C obliquely,but as can be seen by the projection of Unit A’s threat zone,Unit A will not enter Unit C’s threat zone when it moves. Thepotential exists, therefore for Unit A to engage the flank ofUnit C.

Unit A does not currently disadvantage Unit C. It will do soonly when it moves into the flank zone of Unit C, defined bythe two lines passing through the opposite corners of Unit C’sformation.

Oblique entry into threat zones


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Leading from the centre

An Average brigade officer positioned in the centre of sixbattalions in column can easily keep them in command whenarranged in a deep formation.

Even on its own, this formation is robust because four unitsare in a favourable position – all the front units are supportedby the rear units and both centre units have secure flanks.The rear units are positioned to avoid bounce through fromlight and medium guns, yet still offer support because theirthreat zones cover the rear of the friendly unit in front.

The columns are also positioned so that if they form line,they can do so by positioning each one of the rearmoststands to either side of the front two stands without runninginto an adjacent column.

After obeying one advance order, however, the brigade willbe out of command as the lead units will be out of thecommand radius of their officer.

Left: A central position in a deep formation of units in linekeeps an Average officer in command of these six units –ideal for a defensive stance.

Right: After one advance move, the leading lines move out ofthe officer’s command radius. Subsequent orders will nothave the modifier for being in command.


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Leading from the front

Below: An Average brigade officer can easily lead acommand of four units in line from the front.

Right: Only after advancing two full moves do theflank units go out of command.

Chequerboard formations

Left: Chequerboard formation can be well supported, becausethe threat zones of the rearmost units provide secure flanksfor the front units. This formation has three units in afavourable position.

Above: Chequerboard formations allow the rear line of units toadvance through the gaps between the front units – or thefront units to rout or retire safely through the gaps betweenthe rearmost units!


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Eight degrees of engagement

When units meet square on, there is no doubt about whetheran attack is frontal or flank. It is always a frontal engagementwhere two opposing units contact along all or part of theirfronts; it is always a flank engagement if a unit is contactedalong all or part of its flank by the front of another unit.

Units can also make contact at oblique angles as well assquare on. They are not squared up for the engagement, but

A

B

A

B

A

B

A

B

1. Unit A is engaged frontally; Unit B isengaged to its flank and is disadvantaged.This situation can be achieved only if Aadvances on B.

3. Unit A is engaged frontally; Unit B is alsoengaged to its front. Neither unit isdisadvantaged. Half of A is in the frontalzone of B, half is in the flank zone (B’sflank zone line passes through the centreof A, therefore bisecting the unit). Thecriterion for flank attacks is that more of aunit must be in the flank zone than in thefront zone.

4. Unit A is engaged frontally; Unit B is alsoengaged to its front. Neither unit isdisadvantaged. More of A is clearly in thefrontal zone of B than in B’s flank zone, sothe engagement is frontal.

2. Unit A is engaged frontally; Unit B isengaged to its flank and is disadvantaged.More of Unit A is in B’s flank zone than inits frontal zone, and A is also in contactwith the front/flank corner of B.

are left at the relative angles of contact. Oblique angles ofcontact may result in flank engagements; an attacker that isnot careful can even end up disadvantaging itself byinadvertently exposing its flank (see example 7) if it tries tocontact too little of an enemy.

Unit A is the attacker in examples 1 to 7; example 8 is thereverse of example 1 and only B can be the attacker.


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A

B

A

B

A

B

A

B

6. Unit A is engaged frontally; Unit B is alsoengaged to its front. Unit A begins to riskbeing disadvantaged by engaging only asmall part of B. Note that although B isengaged at its mid-point on its front face,most of B is in fact in the frontal zone of A.

7. Unit A is engaged to its flank and isdisadvantaged; Unit B is engaged to itsfront and is not disadvantaged. In effect, Aexposes its flank to most of B when itattacks. Unit A should instead manoeuvreto face B as its first order, and thenadvance on a second order!

8. The reverse of example 1. Unit A isengaged to its flank and is disadvantaged;Unit B is engaged frontally. The situationcan arise only if B advances on A.

5. Unit A is engaged frontally; Unit B is alsoengaged to its front.


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Alternative basing arrangements: 1mm equals 1 pace

Infantry marchcolumn

Cavalry marchcolumn

Infantry line

Cavalry line

Infantry column

Square

Cavalry column

Artillery, six-gun battery inline (unlimbered)

Artillery, six-gunbattery in marchcolumn (limbered)

Artillery, eight-gunbattery in marchcolumn (limbered)

Artillery, eight-gun battery in line(unlimbered)


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Alternative basing arrangements: Huzzah! universal basing

Infantry in marchcolumn

Infantry in line

Infantry in open order

Cavalry in line

Battle cavalry in line

Artillery in line (unlimbered)

Artillery in march column (limbered)

Battle cavalry in column

Cavalry in column

Infantry in column Infantry in square


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What is Huzzah!?Huzzah! is always a result of double one (snake eyes) on thedice. It represents quirks of the battlefield and the ability ofofficers and men to perform feats of heroism against greatodds. In threat tests, it puts the boot on the other foot; inorders, it inspires men onwards; in conflict, it limits lossesand can even allow the loser to sting the victor; in morale, itallows demoralised men to recover themselves. Anyone whoknows they always roll ones and despairs of their luck willappreciate how it works.

What games have inspired Huzzah!?The influences of Piquet, Shako and Warmaster can all beclearly found in Huzzah! That doesn’t mean the system hasbeen entirely cribbed from these games, or that it resemblesthem in any way: it is just that many of their concepts andapproaches are echoed in Huzzah! If you play Huzzah! youwill find how unlike any of these games it really is: Piquetwithout the cards, the polyhedral dice and the sometimesdisastrous face-to-face game, Shako with a variable lengthbound, and Warmaster minus all the dice and a system out ofthe Ark. Unlike any of them, Huzzah! encourages bold use ofleaders.

A host of wargaming experiences has also shaped Huzzah!It would also be unfair not to mention the works of DonaldFeatherstone, Charles Grant, Bruce Quarrie and GW Jeffreyin shaping Huzzah!, because their rules were where I started.Bob Jones’, Jim Getz’ and Arty Conliffe’s games have shapedhow I think now. Games such as Squad Leader provided theincentive to use a morale-based set of rules, and a host ofprocedure-based and head-counting games led to thedecision not to use any of their concepts. So Huzzah! doesnot use fractions, it does not count heads or, memorably inmy history, one-thirty-thirds of a figure, it does not userandom tables for officer casualties and so on. It abstractsthem.

How long is a turn?Huzzah! is a game of discontinuous time: turns merely markperiods during which notable events take place, rather thanbeing periods of fixed duration. What is important is whenone event happens relative to another: who reaches anobjective first, whether units change into appropriateformations in time, whether a hole that opens up in the frontline is plugged in time and so on. A turn therefore is simply aperiod in which both players try to influence the outcome of abattle.

How do modifiers work?Modifiers are expressed in terms of shifts in a unit’s qualityrating, not just a simple plus or minus to the dice. Becausethe system uses two six-sided dice (2D6), a simple change of+1 or -1 to the dice can make a huge difference: usingmorale ratings that are capped by quality ratings avoids the

different effects of die modifiers on mid-range and extremeresults. Regardless of negative modifiers, therefore, troopscan have a quality of no less than unreliable; regardless ofpositive modifiers, troops can have a quality of no more thanveteran. Unreliable troops are already as low as they can go;veterans can feel no more confident. The effect of thiscapping is most noticeable when troops are disadvantaged.On the playsheet and throughout the rules, shifts in qualityare expressed as Up 1, Up 2, Down 1, Down 2 and so on.Hence trained troops go Up 1 to experienced, Up 2 or moreto veteran, or Down 1 to green, Down 2 to raw and Down 3or more to unreliable before reading off the correspondingnumeric value for morale or disadvantaged morale.

What do staggers represent?Staggers represent temporary lapses in order. They arecumulative. In engagements, the side with most staggers isat a disadvantage. Staggers are removed by successfullyreforming or rallying. Units with staggers remaining afterattempting to rally or reform receive one kill, which representscasualties and the effects of cowardice (the drift to the rear)in reducing the manpower of a unit. The staggers remain,and unless removed in a subsequent rally phase will continueto result in kills.

What do kills represent?Kills represent a permanent loss of cohesion, morale andmanpower. Like staggers they are cumulative. In combat, theside with most kills is at a disadvantage. Kills cannot beremoved from a unit.

Why does Huzzah! use counters to record status?Huzzah! records staggers, kills and so on with counters forgood reason – it avoids writing, which is an important factor ifphysical abilities are a limit to recording information, or ifreligious observations prevent such activities on certain daysof the week (which affects at least one of the playtesters).Counters also make a unit’s status clearly visible, andprovide a particularly obvious record for command checksand for showing staggers ready for the rally, reform and routphase. By all means use rosters to record unit status if that’swhat you prefer. Status markers can be more than justtiddlywinks by mounting suitably coloured micro-dice (red forkills, yellow for staggers) on bases with casualty figures,using the number on the face of the die to indicate thenumber of kills and staggers. Or simply leave anappropriately coloured die by a unit and don’t absent-mindedly pick it up and use it for the game!

Is Napoleon’s Battles’ basing suitable for Huzzah!?The difficulty with Napoleon’s Battles is that it uses a differentscale of organisation. While infantry and artillery units fit wellenough using six stands for an infantry battalion and twostands for an artillery battery, cavalry units (brigades in

Frequently asked questions


27

Napoleon’s Battles) are out of scale because their depthmeans that even a line is short and squat. The easiestsolution is to use treat such deep “lines” purely as columnsand to not use line formation for cavalry in Huzzah!, with fourstands in Napoleon’s Battles’ basing being sufficient for aregiment of cavalry. The deep units may also benefit from thealternative definition of flank zones outlined in Scaling theGame (see Main Rules).

Napoleon’s Battles has an option to base cavalry using twohalf-depth stands. This option causes far fewer difficulties.

Is Shako’s basing suitable for Huzzah!?Yes. Double-sized Shako units, comprising six infantrystands, four cavalry stands or two artillery stands will workeven better.

Can I use individually based figures?Yes. Simply group individuals as notional “stands”. Movementtrays or magnetic bases may ease the handling of unitscomprising individually mounted figures.

Why is there no breakthrough move for cavalry?The simple reason is that games with a breakthrough movecan result in cavalry being used like tanks. In Huzzah!,cavalry that recovers from being blown remains a potentforce that is able to move again in a player’s orders phase.Cavalry that fails to recover from being blown and that fails toobey a forced recall order loses control, launching itself at theenemy before anyone has restored order. Losing control isbad: it’s when exhausted cavalry decides to keep on going.

Poor quality cavalry is most likely to fail to rally andtherefore receive a forced recall order, but good officers canhold them back. Good quality cavalry may not receive forcedrecall orders often, but led by abysmal officers it is likely tolose its head.

Cavalry is kept usable in Huzzah! by rallying it, restoringorder and ordering advances as appropriate. The multiplemoves and the uncertainty of orders succeeding will creategaps for cavalry to exploit. There is therefore nobreakthrough move.

Why is there no initiative charge?An initiative charge, in which troops that are sufficiently closeto an enemy can automatically charge it, would defeat theprinciple of Huzzah!, which is about the difficulty of gettingmen to close with an enemy. Huzzah! is intended to createstand-offs, in which infantry face each other in firefights orcavalry square off waiting for the right moment.

Extended firefights are rare in many wargames. It’s usuallynot long before the French advance to use the bayonet, orthe British give a resounding cheer after a single volley andadvance to finish off their shaken opponents. It will happen inHuzzah! too – but only if you successfully issue an order toadvance. Otherwise the troops settle down for what is ineffect a long firefight for infantry. French columns tradedheavy fire with British and Spanish lines at Albuera; Prussianinfantry engaged in a pointless two-hour musketry duel withFrench light infantry at Jena.

Failing an order to advance in such circumstances meanssimply that an extended firefight is in progress; for cavalry, itrepresents an extensive period of standing off from anopponent until one side’s nerve breaks. A successful advanceorder, no matter how long it is in coming, means that oneside finally acted to break the deadlock. The rules are

intended to encourage players to attach and risk officers toget individual units to advance.

What do threat zones represent? Threat zones represent a unit’s area of influence, whetherthrough firepower or its ability to close quickly with theenemy.

Why do units have threat zones only directly in front ofthem?Although wargames typically give units a broad field of fire,the reality is different. Batteries and infantry do not fire attargets 45 degrees to one side; the only way of doing sowithout causing injury to friends is to wheel to face the target.Any other action would lead to casualties from friendly fire,especially with artillery batteries firing canister. Hence threatzones are dead ahead, and it’s up to players to combineunits’ threat zones to cover an enemy’s approach and towheel when possible to present the maximum threat.

Also, there is very little difference between a threat zonethat extends only straight ahead but affects a unit if only partof it is within the threat zone, and threat zones at an anglethat require a certain amount of a unit to be within that zonefor a unit to be threatened. Except, that is, the straight-aheadzones are easier to work out.

Artillery has some flexibility in that the bombardment rulesallow it to wheel once in the opponent’s turn. The effect ismore subtle than giving artillery an automatic ability to fire attargets up to 45 degrees each side because it creates ablind side for the battery. It also encourages batteries to bepositioned ahead of the front line, where they were oftenplaced historically.

What do failed orders represent?Failure simply represents the fact that the commands didn’talways receive their orders, the fact that their officers,whether because of incompetence, petty rivalry or the needto appraise the situation, failed to act promptly on the receiptof orders, that unexpected difficulties caused by terrain orevents prevented troops from obeying the order, or even thatthe troops refused to obey the order. The orders systemmakes it possible for large sections of an army to advance asa whole, but equally failed command rolls mean it is alsopossible for commands to sit doing nothing. History throws upsome quite staggering examples of generals and commandsthat for their own reasons did nothing, or which halted in midattack. A game should therefore sometimes take control ofthe armies out of players’ hands, which is what the potentialfor total failure represents. Of course, control freaks won’t likeHuzzah! for exactly this reason.

Why do my awful Austrians keep beating the French?One of the aims of Huzzah! is to make the lesser nations ofthe Napoleonic Wars playable. Rather than rigidly fixing theability of every unit and officer, the Army Lists merely weightthe odds towards creating units and officers that are typical ofan army. Hence, green troops are rare in an 1805-06 Frencharmy, but are more common in an 1805 Austrian army or an1806 Prussian army. But that does not mean these Austrianor Prussian armies won’t have plenty of experienced infantryif the players controlling them roll 10 or higher every time thequality of a unit is determined. Compare that with the Frencharmy of the time, which requires only an 8 or higher. Thesame principle works for leaders: the odds say that most


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Austrian and Prussian leaders in 1805-06 will be poor toaverage, and most French leaders will be average to skilful.

On occasions, the lesser nations were well led and scoredvictories over the French. In 1807, for instance, the Prussiangeneral L’Estocq evaded Ney’s corps and arrived at Eylau intime to counterattack and repulse Davout, saving the Russianarmy in the process. These were Prussians trained the sameway as their comrades who in 1806 suffered two crushingdefeats. Huzzah! aims to make such moments of glorypossible, while at the same time weighting factors so that ingeneral armies will behave as their historical counterparts.

The barometer of unit quality across the period is theFrench infantryman, and it is for him that most ratings exist.Other troops in the French and other armies are ratedrelative to him, and therefore their ratings may not change asnoticeably. In the later years of the wars, it is not so muchthat Coalition infantry gets better, more that the Frenchinfantryman gets worse to reflect a lack of experience.

Why don’t infantry threat zones disadvantage squares?Huzzah!’s take on combined arms action against squares isthat cavalry and artillery is the ideal combination to breaksquares. Squares were often used to advance into action,and the density of troops along any face certainly meansthere is no shortage of manpower to fight attacking infantry.Regarded as hollow columns, there is no reason todisadvantage them against infantry, though they suffer thenon-doctrinal penalty against infantry. Infantry and cavalrytogether, however, at least presents more than one threatzone against a square. The very idea of trying to get infantryand cavalry to combine in an attack against a square withcomparatively reduced frontages is also hard to realise.Support cavalry attacks against squares with horse artillery atthe very least to make squares uncomfortable.

Why does the non-phasing player roll the dice in threattests?When first written, Huzzah! made the phasing player roll thedice. Some players missed having a firing phase, and lettingthem roll the dice as non-phasing player in a threat testhelped compensate. It really doesn’t matter who rolls the dicein a threat test provided that players agree to abide by theresult. Anyone who would rather have the phasing player rollthe dice is welcome to make this change.

Why are infantry columns short and squat?Thin, narrow infantry columns are a symptom of basingsystems that forget that figure depth is out of proportion withthe scale chosen for frontage. A battalion in column ofdivisions, for example, would have a frontage of perhaps 66men and a depth of 9 men. In column of companies, thefrontage is 33 men and the depth 18 men. As closedcolumns, the only practical option in the presence of theenemy, both formations are short, squat rectangles. Whethera column in Huzzah! represents a column of divisions or acolumn of companies is irrelevant: either formation must beat full intervals to deploy into line and therefore requires thesame freedom to deploy on the tabletop.

What’s the advantage of British line over Frenchcolumn?In terms of firepower, none. What worked for the British didn’twork for the continental enemies of France, some of whosethree-deep battalions could certainly bring more muskets to

bear on a column than a two-deep British line. Neither is thesupposed ability to fire four or five rounds a minute of anyconsequence if the defender fires one volley, cheers and thencharges. As a small, professional army, however, the Britishwere largely well trained and received musket practice,factors that are reflected in Huzzah! by their higher qualityratings. The result is that, placed in a favourable position, aBritish line will typically defeat a French column – but theoutcome is not guaranteed.

What is the difference between Skirmish and Open Ordertroops?Confusion inevitably arises because troops with either abilitycan be in open order formation. The difference is intended toreflect the fact that the light infantry of some nations wastrained to defend dense terrain, such as woods and buildings,but not to operate in open order in open ground as a skirmishline. Such infantry has the Open Order ability. Conversely,other nations’ infantry was thrown forward as skirmishers butwas not trained to contest dense terrain. Such infantry can beused to reinforce an army’s skirmish line and therefore hasthe Skirmish ability. Most light infantry can do both tasks andtherefore has both the Open Order and the Skirmish abilities:it is able to fight equally well in open order in dense terrainand in open ground.

As skirmishing is abstracted in the Skirmisher Superiorityphase, there is no need to form skirmish lines on the tabletop.Players may want to screen the advance of troops from artillery,however, for which a thicker skirmishing line is required. Thisis represented by deploying infantry that has the Skirmishability in open order with the aim of blocking line of sight.

Why don’t Russian jagers have the Skirmish ability?The Russians have an inherent Skirmish ability as an army;the jagers’ lack of a Skirmish ability merely means that theRussians have no means of reinforcing the skirmish line. Idon’t have it in for the Russians! I just don’t believe theirjager regiments were particularly effective as light infantry inthe open.

What are the advantages of heavy artillery?One issue with artillery is that a 4 pound ball is no lesscapable of killing a man than a 12 pound one, or of drivingthrough and incapacitating a file of three. Heavier guns,however, have a longer range and greater accuracy at longrange, and this is where their advantage is reflected inHuzzah! Close up, the greater rate of fire of light gunscompensates for the greater power of the heavy ones andthe differences evaporate.

Why does Russian artillery get such a raw deal?Russian artillery historically was not particularly effective, inspite of its great numbers. The large batteries were alsoawkward to move on the battlefield, and slowed the advanceof the infantry. Huzzah! therefore gives the batteries a widethreat zone, by using more stands to represent them, butgives them no greater bombardment ability to reflect theirineffectiveness. In addition, the high proportion of licorneguns allows Russian batteries to function as howitzerbatteries (see Army Lists), giving them an advantage incertain tactical situations.

How are battalion guns modelled?In general, infantry units that have battalion guns have been


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given a quality rating one grade higher than I was otherwiseinclined to give them. Battalion guns are the wrong scale forHuzzah! and more suited to a game such as Chef deBataillon where small numbers of artillery pieces make adifference. In this regard, Huzzah! abstracts battalion guns inthe same way that it abstracts skirmishers. Anyone inclined torepresent them should add an artillery stand to a battalion toextend its frontage, but give the battalion gun nobombardment and no ability to extend the depth of the threatzone of the infantry.

What’s the point of smoke?Smoke markers don’t just represent the physical presence ofclouds of gunsmoke, but also the fact that guns overheated ifused intensively and that crews get tired. Smoke is just aconvenient way of representing fatigue. A battery that firesseveral times in a turn will be unable to remove all its smokemarkers unless it limbers, largely with the aim of moving sothat another, fresh battery can replace it in the firing line. Inlarge games it is therefore worth having a reserve of artillery.

Why does artillery cost so many points?It was common practice to keep artillery batteries in reserve,which is reflected in Huzzah! in the rearm order. Rearming isas much bringing forward more ammunition as it is committingreserve guns. Given a choice, however, wargamers will fieldevery available artillery piece in the front line rather than keepany as reserves. The high cost of batteries in effect buysreserve artillery power that is not represented on the table,but by the ability to rearm those pieces that are representedon the table. Expect to buy slightly fewer guns than appear inreal orders of battle. The high cost of artillery in the pointssystem is a balancing factor.

Why is a brigade of veterans as vulnerable as one ofunreliable troops to command checks?Command checks are a test of confidence in a command’sofficers. They represent how effective the officers are incontrolling their commands. Unit quality comes into play inrallying. So although a poor officer may not inspire acommand to hold its ground, veteran units will shake offreverses and still be fit to face the enemy.

The ratings in the Army Lists don’t seem right. Can Ichange them?The ratings are not wrong in the eyes of the designer! Allratings are simply the values that designers choose to drivegames the way they want and to create the right balance orimbalance in forces. As they stand, the ratings provide acommon frame of reference with any other player. Change theratings if you wish – but do so with the agreement andknowledge of your opponents. Remember that the ratings donot buy actual ability, only potential: they are a way ofexpressing that so many line troops will be conscripts, somany trained and so many experienced but without usingpercentages.

Why aren’t the Army Lists complete? You haven’tincluded…The Army Lists simply list the main participants and most ofthe troops they employed. There are omissions. Nations thattook little part in the wars, or whose troops mainly guarded linesof communication or had reserve duties, are not included.Enough comparative information is available in the lists,

however, should a player wish to build a Danish army, forexample. Troops that didn’t see action and ceremonial unitsare also largely excluded. Inevitably, a player who researches,knows and understands their own army will have a greatergrasp of its troops and its performance than a designer.

Why do my commands fall to pieces?Huzzah! leaves many decisions entirely in the hands of theplayers. No one has to deploy historically, no one has toadvance units keeping relative position, and no one has tomaintain the correct intervals. But formations will behavebetter given the correct amount of room and by making unitsmutually supporting. By ensuring the flanks of each commandare secure, that it has support from the rear, and that its ownunits both support each other and secure their flanks, theconsequences of command checks are minimised and acommand will usually weather the loss of one or two units andcarry on fighting. A brigade whose units face every which waywill not.

Charge a weak light cavalry brigade at the enemy and it willmost likely lose a unit, the brigade will fail a command checkand eventually leave the battle. Divisions will then suffer.Why? Because their cavalry support has gone, their flanksand rear are laid open and their position is vulnerable to aswift outflanking manoeuvre and therefore untenable.

Depending on the command structure you choose, you mayinadvertently create a brittle army. An army led by a CinC withfour brigades as sub-commands is brittle: if one brigade breaks,the others all fall victim to the army command check. If thesame army is controlled by a CinC and two divisional officers,each controlling two brigades, the loss of one brigade willaffect only one division – only half the army – and that divisionhas to break before the army itself takes a command check.

If the CinC is in effect the divisional commander, does hetake command checks at that level?The CinC is always the CinC. Regardless of the size of hisarmy and whether he is in effect a division, corps or armyleader, he is treated as the CinC for command checks. Hencethe CinC is always three levels distant from a brigade officer ifhe takes a command check for that officer, even if the army isonly a division strong and there is no actual corps or divisionofficer between the CinC and the brigade officer. As the CinCis typically rated two higher than his rolled ability, there is ineffect a Down 1 from his actual ability to take commandchecks for other officers.

Note that a CinC who supersedes a junior officer and takesa command check at that level suffers no penalties for thedifference in command level. He is regarded as being there inperson, rather than acting through intermediaries, such asofficers on his staff.

Can officers other than the CinC supersede an officer?No. Only the CinC can supersede an officer. In large gamesthis forces the player controlling the CinC to decide where thispowerful officer is needed most.

Why are there no designer’s notes?I have several times sat down to write them. Each time, Ihave looked at the FAQs, the diagrams and my introduction tothe game and thought that they captured the essence of andthe thinking behind Huzzah!, and therefore explained many ofthe processes. I therefore feel that a section on designer’snotes is unnecessary.

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