Skirmish rules

Many years ago I started entertaining the idea of playing skirmish war games with my twin Sons, then just primary-school kids. Since I had never played a true war game before and knew nobody that could initiate me to the hobby, I did some research on the Internet and bought a few books on the subject. Although I could get a hold of a number of interesting rules, as a novice I found them all rather complex, and had a hard time sorting out which ones would work best for us. In the event, I decided to develop my own rules. 

I wanted simple rules that could give a fast, if possible thrilling skirmish game with no book-keeping, while retaining a distinct flavor for 18th-Century Petite Guerre tactics. 

In short, I wanted my rules to favor the bold and the daring; to emphasize the uncertainties of command and troop reaction; to differentiate between aimed and volley fire; to account for the relatively long reloading time of muzzle-loading firearms; and to provide for a fair balance between firefight and hand-to-hand combat.

Predictably enough, the rules I developed draw much from existing sets that deal with horse-and-musket era small-action warfare. I do not claim that my rules be any better than the others, nor that they be particularly innovating, although there are a few features that I believe to be original and unique.

For those interested in the subject, and wishing to know more about my skirmish rules, I will present an overview in a series of future posts. 

Constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement will be welcome!