David Fox - 12:12pm Mar 3, 1998 PST (#1181 of 1225) Why shore Terry, I can talk about my game forever: Austerlitz will be a detailed tactical treatment, with infantry battalions/cavalry regiments/artillery batteries, 20-minute turns, 150-yard hexes. The command system is chit-based, a variant on the LIM-draw system found in A FAMOUS VICTORY & FIELDS OF GLORY. Each division gets a LIM, and Corps Coordination LIM's allow all divisions from one corps to move at the same time. The kicker is that when drawn, a division's activation is not automatic - every commander must roll versus his activation rating to see if he can get the boys rolling. Aggressive commanders like Vandamme, Kellerman, and Kamenski will activate 70-80% of the time, while slugs like the Russian generals Uvarov and Lewis will spend much time navel-gazing. In addition, every time a LIM is drawn the division gains fatigue. This generally allows about 1 1/2 - 2 hours of moving and fighting before the troops start getting grumpy. You can always voluntarily take a LIM out to rest the men, but putting the LIM back in again is never a sure thing. Combat is also detailed, with the usual formations- line, column, skirmish (French only, the Allies had lots of jaegers and grenzers but they were really low-quality infantry with zero special training), square, etc. After some long discussions on Manzana and elsewhere, I've made combat more morale-based than other tactical systems that emphasize stacking up losses. Units do take casualties, of course, but this will usually not effect their fighting ability much until the morale breaks down. The French, with their superior tactical doctrine vs. the Frederickian systems used by the Allies, really have the edge here. Special units abound, of course- tirailleurs, Cossacks, Mamelukes, cuirassiers, lancers- and the special rules bring in French Grand Battery fire, the Fog that blanketed the battlefield in the early morning, and the mournful effect of the Allied Wing Commander Buxhowden, perhaps the worst general in the history of warfare. Five scenarios, two for the big battle- Allied historical plan and Allied free movement; and three small ones- Bagration's Battle, Hold the Goldbach, and Struggle for the Pratzen. Just shipped this baby to MIH, who have it slotted for a November/December 1998 pub date. We are also scheduling a demo for Origins in July, if any of y'all are gonna be in town. David