Weather Effects

[steveph33]

Sorry if I missed this in the rulebook, but are weather effects shown anywhere?

i was reading about the french wars of religion, and noted that the arquebusiers couldn't fire in damp conditions.

[kevinj]

There are no rules for weather effects.

[steveph33]

Thanks. I'd better come up with some then!

[deadtorius]

little known fact that Renaissance battles were all fought in perfect sunny dry locations and days
or so they wished

[steveph33]

It's also true that commanders tried to have battles in the most favourable conditiona and terrain, so both sides might avoid it if conditions were unfavorable.
Reading other wargames sites, including weather conditions can bog down a game (pun intended). However, I read all these battle accounts where Gendarmes get stuck, or gunpowder won't work etc, and I think that it's too interesting not to include sometimes.

[ravenflight]

My thought on Weather is that it's included in the dice rolls. I just had a game with someone where he rolled particularly bad on the shooting dice. Weather CAN affect one side more than the other. Heavier rain on that side of the battlefield etc. Or poorer covered powder etc.

[hazelbark]

Were there and major battles of the TYW or ECW that had notable weather?

FOG. The real kind not the rules. Is perhaps the weather most referenced. Genreally both sides knew enough that it didn't effect the fighting it effected those further away from knowinghow the fighting was going.

I think one of the italian wars ones had some rain the night before and that was the reason for the batltle, because the weather cleared and one side was tired.

I know there are examples i am just having trouble thinking of the signature ones.

[stecal]

Lutzen. morning fog delayed the Swedish advance til 11am & later smoke from the burning town had a great effect on visibility

The later part of Fornovo was fought in the rain & affected by the rising flood waters of the river Taro.

[steveph33]

Thanks for the responses.
Rich Kurtin wrote this interesting article on the Fanaticus site for DBA, some of which I think would be interesting to convert to FOG, such as the fog visibility ranges and a possible - POA for shot in the rain:
http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/variants/weather.html

[MatteoPasi]

Lutzen. morning fog delayed the Swedish advance til 11am & later smoke from the burning town had a great effect on visibility

The fog caused also the dead of King Gustavo Adolfo (lost in the fog where he met the wrong side horses)

In naval what about the Invincibile Armada sunk by a storm ?

In DBR there was the weather, I enjoy it but maybe it doesn't worth the more complexity of rules

[hazelbark]

The problem with weather rules is how do make the effect subtle not decisive?

If you have a weather rule that is -POA for shooting. You need to make it uncommon enough that Kiels, Salvo foot, impact foot armies don't make it there plan to get it every time. The old DBR 1.0 problem of how easy you could have a night attack was out of control.

So for the weather effects of the weather fog or mist you could do something like command ranges are reduced one level IC range of 8 and FC= 4 TC =0.

And require any commander to be with a unit at the end of a phase or take a death roll of 11/12. Maybe also require commander with BGs in close combat must be committed.

This does a mild-ish impact and gets some of the effects without massive distortion.