Donald Featherstone's Advanced Wargaming
Reproduced from Wargamer's Newsletter No. 4 with kind permission of the editorMusic in Wargames by Roger Moore, Wargamers Newsletter 33, Dec 1964
Your note in the November newsletter letter prompts me to rattle off the stuff below about Music in warfare. I doubt if anyone would want to fill up their rule books with stuff like this, but you never know!
Music was essential before the days of wireless in order to give orders to the troops. As a matter of interest, Napoleon's Grenadiers of the Guard had on the establishment 2 Drummers per company until 1809, 3 thereafter, and 1 fifer per company until 1809, 2 thereafter. Of course, beat of drum and wail of fife gave troops an easy marching rhythm too.
Rules for Wargamers
Normal infantry regiments. have 1 drummer on the establishment. If he is killed the unit responds much more slowly to orders and although marching speed is the change of formation is carried out at half speed.
2. Scottish Regiments - Loss of piper, deduct one from all subsequent morals throws.
3. British Light infantry and rifles - loss of bugler, carry out changes of formation at half speed. '(For rifles, most orders were given by officers and NCOs by whistle but general ones, such as "Retire" etc., would have been sounded on bugles;
Cavalry - Loss of trumpeter - changes of forma¬tion at ˝ speed and subtract one from morale throws.
General
If a musician, particularly a piper, is in the front rank of a charge he should have a beneficial effect on the morale of the attackers. A piper would also have a detrimental effect on the morale of the defenders (pipes are weapons of war, not musical instruments).
Remember in some mobs, trumpets banners have the status of Colours, so, if lost, deduct a few extra points from morale.
Campaigns
Any unit that has lost its "music" will not march with that comfortable swing that eats up the miles. Deduct 5 miles a day.