Map and Counters

One of the great and unanticipated benefits of the internet age — speaking as an aging wargamer — has been the extraordinary proliferation of home computers and laptops, and the now almost universal ability of modern players to substitute ‘Play by Electronic Mail’ (PBeM) for its tiresome precursor, traditional ‘Play by Mail’ (PBM). This has meant that most games between geographically separated opponents can now — if both players are conscientious in their move-making — be completed in a matter of months or even weeks, instead of the year or more that postal play used to require.

Happily, the ‘internet revolution’ has also led to the appearance of subscription (pay-as-you-go) wargame sites such as ‘Hexwars,’and also to the development of easy-to-use gaming software applications such as ‘Vassal’ which has made ‘electronic’ wargaming even faster (no set-up time) and more convenient. In fact, in the case of ‘Vassal,’ players who are familiar with a game system no longer even have to have physical access to a copy of a favorite title in order to play it. Of course, reliance on software applications like ‘Vassal’ or ‘Cyberboard by Dale Larson’ is not always either practical or even preferable. In many cases, players will find that platforms for their favorite older games are not yet available on line. This, by the way, is currently the case with WATERLOO. Thus, for those old line grognards who still enjoy this game, there really isn’t a good alternative to the type of PBeM template offered here. Moreover, even when their favorite title is available on line, players will occasionally find that existing internet gaming software — programmers being human — will have map or order of battle mistakes that seriously detract from the actual playability of the game.

Finally, although it actually has no bearing on play, the units of both the French and Prussian armies have been listed according to their parent (corps) organizations. Also, it should noted that because these counters are never used in Tournament play, the various French and Prussian Anglo-Allied commanders have been left off of this template.