Notes for Napoleonic D&D.

Here's some basic notes to work with. I may actually sit down and write this, depending upon time.

Napoleon D&D Notes

Member of British, French, Spanish, Prussian, Russian, Austrian, or Ottoman army, or a guerilla of some type (often Spanish). Part of a scout or irregular unit of some type. May be infantry or cavalry. The focus would be on garrison work, patrols, scouting parties, and secret missions. Big battles might occur, but are rare.

Females ok. They even wear uniforms. 

Characters are human, and do not start the game knowing how to use magic. They can be affected by it, and might learn it during a campaign.

Officer, sergeant, or private? Catholic, Protestant, or Atheist? Royalist or Revolutionary? Noble or Commoner?
Fate/Luck Points. One point per session. Each Fate Point allows one reroll.

Duels. Maybe.

Fortitude/Reflex/Will saves.

Ascending AC, though there is very little armor to be had. Dex and Wisdom both modify AC. Maybe also include bonus AC as you level, to represent battlefield luck.

Cover! It has to be in game, and described well.

Hit points = Constitution plus one per level. (maybe adjust this for more epic style).

Shrug it Off. Regain hit points nightly. No worries about infection, etc. OR go grim and dirty. Gangrene is much more dangerous than the bullet wound.

Max level 10.

Characters are basically fighters, but have a Hide skill.

Only armor available is the cuirass, for cavalry. Helmets are also available for some regiments.

Weapons include: musket, rifle, pistol, club, saber, bayonet, cannon, lance, dagger, pike, spontoon.

Big Battles: Handwave final results. It’s not a wargame. Focus on the situation immediately around the players and how it affects them. This would be a perfect place for players to act as skirmishers on a flank, or to take a small, but vital objective, such as a cannon emplacement overlooking the battlefield.

Monsters may be encountered, though usually in out of the way places. A witch in the forest, a demon hound in the hills, or maybe a naga leading Indian troops. Most of the enemy would be regular humans, though. Just add a bit of magic here and there to spice it up.

Napoleonic D&D continued

I'd definitely keep the majority of a campaign limited to scouting or garrison work. After all, that's what soldiers did. Big battles only happened every few months, if that.

For a campaign, I could see a big valley or something similar in Spain or maybe Germany. An area on the border of France where fighting may happen at any time. I don't know if I'd have any major battle occurring, except as the finale of a long campaign.

Also, there were quite a few sieges during this period. That's an instant campaign zone, followed by the big capture. Have infiltrators, scouts, guerillas, spies, and smugglers all in one neat package.

Rifles were starting to get introduced, so maybe they could be an elite rifle squad (see the Sharpe series).

 

Napoleonic D&D

I've been reading some Napoleonic stuff lately, and I really love the atmosphere. I'd love to play a D&D style game, but with everyone as a member of a small unit. Just fancy uniforms, rifles, and bayonets.

Maybe they are scouting in Germany, and begin traveling through an old forest. Then they enounter an old hag, who just happens to use magic. Or the fae could appear. Or even something crazy like a naga could show up, as the leader of a group of Indian troops.

Sadly, I know of no OSR rules that do this. I know the armor system would have to be reworked, or everyone would be getting killed in the first battle.

Also, just which, if any, magical creatures would show up, and whose side would they be on?