My current Homebrew Rules

Pub Battles let’s you make all the fun
and interesting decisions,
while the system manages the endless minutia.

Pub Battles is so simple on the surface, that it seems to scream for more detailed rules. What I invariably found when I tried many of them out, was that rather than improving the game, they usually just slowed it down and didn’t improve it much.

What I include here is those few that add to the flavor of command, yet don’t load it down with endless details:

American Revolution – Light and Militia units are the only units not Spent in woods. All others are.  All units get Cover.  No Rally in Woods.

Napoleonic – Light and Militia units are the only units not Spent in woods.   All other infantry are.  No Cavalry or Artillery in Woods.  All infantry get Cover in woods.  No Rally in Woods.

Civil War – No units are Spent in Woods.  All units get Cover.  No rally in Woods.

Buildings:

American Revolution – Light and Militia units are the only units not Spent in Buildings. All others are.  All units get Cover.  No Rally in Buildings.

Napoleonic – No Infantry are Spent in Buildings.  Cover for all Infantry.  No rally for all Infantry.  Artillery and Cavalry cannot enter.

Civil War – All are Spent.  All get Cover.  No Rally.

These little touches add a degree of historical flavor with no real rules overhead.

Blocks in European (Napoleonic) Buildings are never considered flanked.

There is no terrain cost to move.

Unsupported foot being attacked by mounted is eliminated if it must retreat.

Leadership Rule: A Corps HQ block may be positioned on top of a block to show that the block is being led personally by the Corps commander. A militia block is treated as line, a line block is treated as elite. An elite block is still treated as elite. In addition, if such a block receives 3 hits, the HQ absorbs one of the hits, and the HQ is eliminated, the two remaining hits are applied with this rule in effect. Thereafter, the Corps has no HQ and can only receive command from the Army HQ (or any HQ if Confederate).

This rule is for fun and color, and should be considered optional!

Troops of the period liked being in cover, but it was hard to exercise command and control over troops that weren’t out in the open where their officers could see them!

Most Buildings in the European theaters were stone, and towns usually had significant stone walls.