On the 28th of December 2009 my recently finished Scots Covenanters clashed with Montrose's Royalist army at the little village of
Auldearn.
The battle was adjudicated using a much modified form of the Piquet:Anchor of Faith war game rules. Mark my opponent leading the Covenanters launched a determined frontal assault on the Irish Brigade's forward positions on Garlic Hill. Their fierce resistance threw back the Covenanters and caused wide spread panic amongst the reserve who along with the rest of the army promptly left the field after 2 hours of battle.
Auldearn Redux. On the 9th of January the plucky Covenanters came back with another friend of mine leading, Carl. This time using Computer Strategies: The Gunpowder Revolution computer moderated rules to resolve the conflict. This time the Covenanters were far more determined and cleared Garlic Hill and Castle Hill but after fighting all day in the rain and marsh land both sides ground to a halt and the Covenanters withdrew after 5 hours of combat.
Montrose 2 Convenanters 0
Rule system comparison
Both systems introduce a fog of battle and limit a players total control of his metal armies. Piquet does this through game mechanics including cards and initiative provided by rolling dice.
The Gunpowder Revolution does this with an orders system and by taking into account all of the factors adding to the friction of war that are not easily tracked in a manual system, morale , fatigue, ammunition levels, weather, etc.
Currently I am thinking the integrated system provided by the computer moderated rules may out perform the mechanical. But those who feel that they create a more tactile environment by rolling the die may not agree.
In both games unexpected events happened so they portray the uncertainty inherent on any battlefield the computer simplified the book keeping and kept the player focused on the results rather then the mechanics.
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