French Peninsular Army

[ackostokie]

Hi, just a bit disappointed that the French Peninsular Army was not included in the Rule book. It would have been nice, knowing that the British and Spanish lists were there I was looking forward to complying a French army to fight against them . Ok I can use the French 1812 Army list but really this is designed for central Europe and Russia in mind.

Phil

[PeachPitParker]

There seems to be quite a bit of issues with the initial lists. I agree, if you are going to give players a Spanish and a Peninsular Anglo British list an adversarial French list should have been a no brainer.

[hazelbark]

Probably just use the 1812 list. But replace the curiassiers with dragoons.

At least for the short run.

[KendallB]

Or get some historical OBs to base an army on. There are plenty for Fuentes d'Onoro, Salamanca, Vitoria around.

[MikeHorah]

When it was decided there would only be two bigger hardback books of lists (rather than 5 or 6 slimmer soft cover booklets ) it was also made clear it would not be possible to get books two out together . This was determined fairly late on in the process.

These are decisions driven by publishing timetables and factors which we pretty much have to go along with once having expressed our views on options . Even Tolkien had to agree to three books of LOR rather than one, with each being published separately so we are in iillustrious company as authors (in that regard at least if no other! )

So it was also decided we needed to put some full lists in the main rulebook even though they were still being written.This was felt better than the more usual couple of starter armies which we prefer not to use anyway as they undermine the game concept of a Corps. The quick start divisional game was developed instead at later stage.

The aim in the rulebook was to ensure that each of the major nations had at least one list in the rulebook and some of the less usuals like Spain and the Ottomans so players could get to know the rules with a variety of types before the lists came out.Some of the rulebook lists had to be expanded or "tweaked" to allow for more types eg adding optional troop types which in the main lists are in their own Corps and where divisions there can "imported" from one list into another. But some lists were still in the drafting stage even as the rulebook was sent to print eg the whole of the second book 1792-1802, 1805-08 and the Peninsula. In some cases we only had titles.

So we could not "pair up" for every list inn the rulebook and time was in short supply .

it was not ideal and perhaps had we known from the beginning this was to be the publishing solution we might have been able to adopt a different approach. In my VERY limited experience as a part time author one felt we were still breaking new ground .When we started FOG(A) had only just come out and FOG(R) was developed in parallel, and slightly ahead and I guess the publishers needed to be convinced at every stage that this was a viable project so we had to be flexible and adapt to their needs and concerns if we wanted to be able to complete it.

[ackostokie]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the explanation, will look forward to the new lists when they come out .

Phil

[MikeHorah]

you will also have several to chose from :

French Corps d’Observation 1808
French Army of Portugal 1808
French Army in Spain 1808–09
French Army in Spain 1810–12
Suchet’s Army of Catalonia and Valencia 1810–14
French Army in Spain and Southern France 1813–14