Shako - Napoleonic Rules

[T13A]

Hi

Just wondering if anybody has had any experience of Arty Conliffe's Napoleonic rules 'Shako' and if so what they thought of them?

Cheers Paul

[Last Hussar]

Many years ago.

Think I found them slow.

[BernaDotDotDot]

Played them just a month or so ago.  They are a little gamey but good rules.  I prefer them to GdA, like March Attack better.

They're a good casual or con game.  It is a set once you know them are very quick (in terms of getting stuff done and moving on, not necessarily game length) and fun.  A learning game might be a bit slow. I am not a fan of short games for the sake of it.  I do not mind if a game takes all day, we do not get to play often, but what I want is to look at the table every 10-20 minutes and see something has changed.

[Big Insect]

I must have played them years ago - as I am a bit of an Art Conliffe 'fan' - but as I got rid of all my Napoleonic armies years ago (as I felt that they were the 'door to madness'!!!) I have probably not played them in c.20years or more.

I played 'Armati' (ancient & medieval rules) for many decades and thoroughly enjoyed it - and although it has some slightly esoteric mechanisms and game play methodologies they do, 99% of the time, produce the right outcomes and a clear cut win to a game within c.2 1/2 hours of play. So an ideal club night or competition set of rules. From what I remember Shako was similar.

I tried 'Tactica' (massed ancients rules), but I didn't like the big units (which is the same reason I don't play MeG or FoGA&M or DBMM).

I also played (& still play) Battles for Empire (BFE) which is a Confliffe derived set of (very good) Colonial rules, which again really captures the feel of the period and you can even 'win' games as the native forces, but often by achieving scenario objectives.

Arty's WW2 rules 'Crossfire' is IMHO superb - https://www.scribd.com/document/338134670/261564841-Crossfire - probably one the best and most realistic WW2 skirmish games I've ever played. It shows off Arty's 'genius' as an outside-of-the-box rules writer, as it has no fixed game turns and no rulers/measurement is required. It's probably best played in 20mm or 28mm (but I've seen it played with stands of 15mm troops, so I expect you could play it with 10mm as well) and you do need a lot of terrain (Normandy Bocage, Stalingrad, Baltic Forests or S.E.Asian jungle games are probably some of the very best games I've played).

Not really much help re Shako ... but you get the idea.
Cheers
Mark

[T13A]

Hi

Many thanks for the comments. Some food for thought, particularly as they are not exactly cheap at £37.50 from Caliver books.

Cheers Paul

[BernaDotDotDot]

Yeah they are out of print I believe.  I often want to pick up a second copy just to stash away.  Mine is getting beat up.

March Attack is $10 on wargamesvault.  It is also available print but forget how much.

PS I just got Battles for Empire (the colonials set) looking forward to playing it for other periods.  You may be talking about something else though.  So many rules, the names get so close.

[Big Insect]

If it's the Chris Leach set then that's the one I play.
NB: there is a v2 out as well, with a few updates and errata corrections.