Wargames Rules: Volley & Bayonet (Road to Glory Edition)
Designed by Frank Chadwick and Greg Novak, Volley & Bayonet is a premier grand-tactical ruleset engineered specifically to simulate massive 18th and 19th-century battles where whole divisions and corps take center stage. For 18th-century linear warfare—particularly clashes between Austria and Prussia during the Seven Years War—the system excels at depicting grand operational manoeuvres, high command friction, and army-level morale without getting bogged down in individual battalion tracking.
The core mechanics operate at a grand scale: single stands represent whole brigades or regiments, and game turns cover half an hour of real time. Combat is resolved swiftly using simple D6 dice pools determined by strength points, modified by order status and troop quality. Linear formations, stiff Prussian discipline, and heavy Austrian artillery concentrations are elegantly abstracted into army morale limits and exhaustion thresholds. This grand-tactical focus makes the system exceptionally well suited for multi-corps engagements mapped onto 6mm massed bases.
By shifting focus away from micro-tactical firing lines to grand army movement, reserve management, and flank attacks, Volley & Bayonet provides a smooth, fast-flowing battle experience. It stands as an outstanding set of rules for recreating historical Seven Years War engagements in an evening's play.
Published by: Test of Battle Games / 1997 (2nd Edition: Road to Glory, 2008)
Supplement: Battles of the Seven Years War: Austria versus Prussia (2010)
Written by Greg Novak, Battles of the Seven Years War: Austria versus Prussia is an official scenario supplement designed specifically for Frank Chadwick and Greg Novak's Volley & Bayonet: Road to Glory ruleset. Acting as an essential companion for grand-tactical gamers, this book focuses on the clashes between Frederick the Great's forces and the Habsburg Empire in the main Central European theatre.
The volume features detailed historical backgrounds, army-level orders of battle, and scenario maps for major engagements including Lobositz, Prague, Kolin, Moys, Rossbach, Leuthen, Domstadtl, Hochkirch, Liegnitz, Torgau, and Burkersdorf. Each scenario translates complex corps and division deployments directly into strength points, troop quality ratings, and reinforcement schedules compatible with grand-tactical mechanics.
For wargamers deploying massed 6mm bases, this supplement eliminates the tedious research required to table large historical actions. By providing clear victory conditions, exhaustion limits, and order-of-battle breakdowns out of the book, it offers a seamless way to refight the key battles of the Silesian and Seven Years War campaigns in a single evening's play.
Published by: Test of Battle Games / 2010
Supplement: Battles of the Seven Years War, Volume II: The Strategic Flanks
Written as the second official scenario supplement for Frank Chadwick and Greg Novak's Volley & Bayonet: Road to Glory ruleset, Battles of the Seven Years War, Volume II: The Strategic Flanks shifts focus away from the main Prussian-Austrian clashes in Silesia and Bohemia to cover the critical peripheral theatres of the conflict.
This volume provides extensive coverage for nine historical scenarios spanning the Western and Eastern fronts. It details the engagements of the Allied Army of Observation (comprising British, Hanoverian, Hessian, and Brunswick contingents) holding off French offensives in Western Germany, alongside the bloody confrontations between Russian armies and Prussian defenders along the eastern marches. Each scenario features complete orders of battle, unit ratings, reserve arrival times, and historical setup maps built specifically for grand-tactical play.
For wargamers deploying massed 6mm bases, this supplement takes the guesswork out of table preparation for lesser-known actions. By supplying balanced victory conditions, exhaustion thresholds, and historical army lists out of the book, it makes refighting these vital campaign flanks remarkably straightforward and rewarding for an evening's game.
Published by: Test of Battle Games / 2011
What do you think?
I would love to hear your opinion on these rules! Do you use them for the Seven Years War? How do you find they handle the 6mm scale? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Related project hubs for this period:
[Solo Wargaming Hub] |
[The Strategic Campaigns Hub] |
[The Silesian Wars 1740–1763 Project Hub] |
[The Seven Years War 1756–1763 Project Hub]
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