Elizabethan English , 28mm Wargames Foundry and Hoka Hey (coll.

Neville Brownlee)

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Wargames rules for the Age of Baroque

Game Design Lorenzo Sartori

Game Development Luca Pellattiero, Lorenzo Sartori, Yuri Vantin
Editing William Howard Meissel JR, Jim Webster
Additional proofreading Neville Brownlee, Rob Bruce, Richard Tartt
Major playtesters Richard Bell, Neville Brownlee, Perky Falconer, Andrew Fuller, Marco Guarnieri, Ralph
Hawker, Roberto Idiometri, Craig Latta, William Howard Meissel JR, Richard Mirabello, Stefano Scordama-
glia, Richard Tartt, Jim Webster, Luca Zammarchi
Playtesting groups Cenomani Wargames Club (Brescia), Furness Wargamers (Cumbria), Il Circolo di
Pietra (Vicenza), Liverpool Wargames Association (Liverpool), The Cumberland Association (Sydney), The
Goulburn Valiant Stormers (Goulburn), The Shieldwall (Crema-Lodi), The Freelance Tidewater Historical
Wargamers (Virginia), Wargames Club Garibaldi (Genova)
Cover photo 28mm Swedes (mostly Warlord Games). Alessandro Boselli collection. Photo Dadi&Piombo
Layout and print Zev Multimediale sas - zev@zev.it
Published by Sartori Lorenzo

© 2016 Lorenzo Sartori

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other
than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed upon the subsequent purchaser.

www.dadiepiombo.com
2 INDICE
Index
1.0 INTRODUCTION 5.1.1 Slow and Fast Units 6.8 REITER’S CARACOLE
1.1 THE MANUAL 5.2 WHEELING AND OTHER 6.9 SHOOTING THROUGH CL, S
1.2 MATERIAL NEEDED MOVEMENTS AND ART
1.2.1 The Battlefield 5.2.1 Wheels
1.3 BASING 5.2.2 Sideways and Oblique Movement 7.0 MELEE
1.3.1 Number of figures per base/Unit 5.2.3 Movement to the rear 7.1 IN GENERAL
1.3.2 Basing Commanders 5.2.4 About face 7.2 DIRECTION OF CHARGE AND
1.4 GAME SCALE AND 5.3 MOVEMENT OF ARTILLERY EFFECTS
MEASUREMENT 5.4 CHARGES 7.2.1 Frontal Charge
1.5 MARKERS 5.4.1 Charge Movement Bonus 7.2.2 Side Charge
5.4.2 Opportunity Charge 7.2.3 Flank or Rear Charge
2.0 THE TROOPS 5.4.3 Countercharge 7.3 IMPETUS BONUS
2.1 ARMY BUILDING 5.4.4 More Units that can Opportunity 7.4 MELEE AND OTHER TACTICAL
2.2 CLASSIFICATION OF TROOP Charge or Countercharge MODIFIERS
TYPES 5.4.5 Charge and Melee as last actions 7.5 FIGHTING A MELEE
2.3 THE UNITS of activation 7.5.1 Loss due to Accumulation of
2.3.1 Massed Units 5.4.6 The Potential charge Disorder after melee
2.4 DISCIPLINE 5.5 INTERPENETRATION 7.5.2 Loss of Melee and Retreat of the
2.4.1 The Discipline Test 5.5.1 Voluntary Interpenetration defeated Unit
2.5 UNIT STATUS 5.5.2 Forced Interpenetration 7.5.3 Retreat of a Unit engaged on its
2.5.1 Fresh and Exhausted Units 5.5.3 Interpenetration by wheeling side
2.5.1.1 Withdrawn Units 5.5.4 Interpenetration and charges 7.5.4 Pursuit
2.5.2 Routed Units 5.6 EVASION 7.5.5 Melee in more than one phase
2.5.3 Disordered Units 5.6.1 Evasion and shooting limitations 7.5.6 Loss of Commander in Melee
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2.6 COMMANDERS AND 5.7 DISENGAGEMENT 7.6 Multiple melee
COMMAND STRUCTURE 5.8 OFF-TABLE MOVEMENT 7.6.1 Multiple melee in more than one
2.6.1 Commanders phase
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2.6.2 The Command Structure 6.0 FIRING 7.7 DISPERSION OF SKIRMISHERS

2.7 QUALITY OF COMMANDERS 6.1 IN GENERAL 7.8 ARTILLERY IN MELEE
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2.7.1 Charismatic Leader 6.1.1 FIRING 7.9 SACKING BAGGAGE

2.7.2 Expert Leader 6.1.2 Firing Table
2.7.3 Reliable and Poor Leaders 6.1.3 Modifiers to the number of dice 8.0 SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS
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2.7.4 Incompetent Leader 6.1.3.1 Shooting Modifier 8.1 Units Special Characteristics
2.7.5 Changing the General’s Level 6.1.3.2 Unit that moves and shoots 8.1.1 Iron Officers
2.8 BAGGAGE 6.1.3.3 Shooting and interpenetration 8.1.2 Well trained shooters
2.9 EXPLORATION-DICE 6.1.3.4 Disordered Unit shooting 8.1.3 Master gunner
6.1.3.5 Shooting against Skirmishers, 8.1.4 Motivated Fighters
3.0 TERRAIN AND DEPLOYMENT Light Cavalry and Artillery 8.1.5 Feared Unit
3.1 TERRAIN 6.1.3.6 Shooting against Units in the 8.1.6 Recruits
3.1.1 Terrain types and effects on woods or in a built up area or behind 8.1.7 Demotivated Troops
movement linear obstacles 8.1.8 Hardened Unit
3.1.2 Fords and bridges 6.1.3.7 Shooting against Evading Units 8.1.9 Agitators and Preachers
3.1.3 Terrain and the movement of 6.1.3.8 Artillery firing at Massed Units 8.1.10 Prostitutes
Leaders 6.1.4 Damage inflicted 8.2 WEAPONS AND DOCTRINES
3.1.4 Types of terrain, visibility and 6.1.5 First volley 8.2.1 Regimental Artillery
combat effects 6.1.6 Fire before charging 8.2.2 Lance
3.2 SIZE AND SHAPE 6.2 COHESION TEST AND LOSSES 8.2.3 Cuirass
3.3 Preparing THE TERRAIN 6.2.1 Effects of passing the Test 8.2.4 Salvo
3.4 DEPLOYMENT 6.2.2 Loss of a Commander due to fire
6.3 SHOOTING LIMITATIONS 9.0 VICTORY CONDITIONS
4.0 INITIATIVE AND ACTIVATION 6.3.1 Arc of fire 9.1 GENERAL RULE
4.1 ACTIVATION AND THE TURN 6.3.2 Distance measurement
SEQUENCE 6.3.3 Firing at full effect ROLL OF DESTINY (Optional Rule)
4.1.1 Deciding Initiative and Activation 6.3.4 Target engaged in melee ARMY LISTS
of Units 6.3.5 Shooting Priorities QUICK REFERENCE SHEETS
4.1.2 Rally 6.4 INDIRECT FIRE BY ARTILLERY
4.1.3 Reactions and Evasions by the 6.5 OPPORTUNITY FIRE
Inactive Player 6.5.1 More Units that can shoot by
Opportunity
5.0 MOVEMENT 6.6 DEFENSIVE FIRE
5.1 IN GENERAL 6.7 POINT-BLANK PISTOL
 Designer’s Notes 3
EXPANDING ON IMPETUS
Baroque is a game developed on the “engine” of Impetus and those familiar with that system will
easily understand the main concepts and mechanics. Baroque differs from its “big brother” not only
by introducing different troop types. It also has a new firing table and some special rules. Baroque
introduces many changes. Some of these come from the experience gained in 8 years of playing
Impetus. Some were introduced to characterize better a new historical period, with high firepower and
different tactics.
Now, those familiar with Impetus will already know my philosophy on wargames so can skip the
following notes.

THE AIM OF THIS SIMULATION

In any wargame, simulation is a compromise between reality and game play. As with all
compromises, you need to focus upon the objectives, know what you want to obtain and decide what
you are willing to leave out. You have to choose your “view of the battlefield”. There’s no point in
wasting time on the details of the wound that a musket may cause at 50 yards to a single Horseman
with a half-cuirass when the aim is to simulate large battles between masses of men.
Baroque, like Impetus, simulates the behaviour of these units and examines their ability to inflict
damage and maintain cohesion in the critical moments of the battle.

THE END BEFORE THE MEANS

Wargame rules are often divided into those that attempt to recreate the “process” and those that strive
towards a “result”. Without reaching certain abstractions seen in some recent sets of rules, Baroque is
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certainly part of the second category. This implies, for example, that if a turn indicatively represents
15-20 minutes of real battle and musketeers are only allowed to fire once, it doesn’t necessarily
mean that a musketeer could only fire once every 15 minutes, but rather than the effect of shooting is
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summed up in one firing phase and even the rate of fire is summed up in their probability of inflicting
damage.
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UNPREDICTABILITY
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A fundamental characteristic of Baroque is the “unpredictability” factor. It is hard to say exactly what
will happen on the battlefield in the next turn thanks to a turn sequence that breaks away from the
rigid logic of alternate moves (the so called I-GO-YOU-GO)
You are allowed to measure distances before you move, even if there is nothing to prevent players from
agreeing differently. But you won’t always be able to plan the distance you’ll cover with a charge and
you won’t always reach a melee in the conditions you had hoped for. You can’t trust the quality of your
Generals too much either as their performance is not constant.
All of these variables involve the players more emotionally in the game, and help them to abandon a
“too rational” and “chess-like” approach.
Said in different terms, if you want total control over your troops, Baroque probably will be not your
game

THE VISUAL ASPECT

Baroque is a three-dimensional wargame so it’s important that the typical atmosphere of a battlefield
of 17th Century is represented in the visual aspect of the miniatures deployed on the table. The use of
larger bases allows the creation of small dioramas that can more easily represent the formations of the
period.
Unlike other rules, in Baroque units remain on the table until they are routed and thus eliminated
from play and there is no progressive removal of figures. You may wish to use the markers that you can
download from the Dadi&Piombo web site. If you want to further improve the visual aspect of your
battlefield then replace the markers with little three-dimensional scenes... you won’t regret it!

SIMPLE GAME MECHANICS

Despite the fact that these rules are well structured, the game is still fast moving, as another aim of
Baroque is to allow the reconstruction of an entire battle in an evening. The game mechanics are
simple and it’s easy to remember the rules after your first few battles, so the need to refer to the manual
during play is reduced to a minimum.
4 Designer’s Notes
AFFORDABLE
You don’t need huge numbers of miniatures to play Baroque. In order to build a typical 15mm
600-point army you’ll need around 150-200 miniatures, and this number drops dramatically for
25/28mm armies thanks to the flexible basing system (see 1.3), making this scale affordable too. The
points system allows for smaller battles with with fewer miniatures, or pitched battles with hundreds
of miniatures and several players on each side.

SUPPORT
You will find scenarios, army lists and rules clarifications in Impetus Magazine (digital magazine
available through Wargames Vault) and also in future supplements. Most of the army lists will be
published as “betas” in the website and later published in the army list supplement that will also
include additional rules on fortifications, ambushes, flank marches etc. There is also an official forum
at impetus.ativiforum.com and a mailing list at IMPETVS@yahoogroups.com, where you can meet the
international community of Baroque players, discuss rules interpretations, and find out about news
and appointments regarding the game. Check out Baroque also on facebook.

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15mm Venexia Miniatures (Photo Lorenzo Sartori)

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