League Of Augsburg - Fighting Talk

RTE rules cover the whole napoleonic period, but some theater of operations need some special treatment.
So is the case for Peninsular war and belgian campaign 1815.
What is the pitch ?
French infantry rarely use line formation to attack anglo allied units.
(there is the exception of the formation used by 1st corps at waterloo, huge brigade or division columns of batallion in line).
Line formation was used whith defend orders (as Ferey division covering army retreat at the arapiles 1812).

But RTE gives players liberty to use which formation they want.

First, a friend and me have prohibited attacking or moving in line with french infantry.

But there is an alternative:
-1 to resolve test when a french batallion is in line and with an order other than Defend.
And if testing changing formation when in line whith order different than Defend, use lower quality (exemple Drilled unit use recruit testing column).

Guard units would be unaffected at all.

Players would have liberty of choice, but Attacking in line would be less interesting (knowing that attacking in column would give a +1).

Using the special Ist corps formation attack at waterloo, i think it should be considered a column for resolve test (+1), a line for mouvement, and could not form square.
But could use column or line (choice would be given) to obey attack orders"must do".
For exemple such a formation could behave as a line and not be obliged to charge a non wavering enemy, with the project to fire against it then charge it when it wavers.

Sounds like a good house rule to me

What is the problem you are seeking to correct?

Incidentally, the French often would try to go from column to line when they saw the British, and would even try to attack in mixed order (see Albuera). The problem isn't that the French are tactically inflexible and forgot how to fight in line as soon as they crossed the Pyrenees. The problem is that the French player knows where your British are, and so is less able to be ambushed. Albuera is a good example of what the French could do to the British should they have better information on their deployments.

The maneuver/exploitation system is more than adequate to ensure the British have a chance to shoot into and then charge the French before their columns can deploy. Put Wellington at the crisis point (as he often did), hide your men behind the hills (and do not deploy them on the table unless the French can see them), and then give them a one-two punch as they crest the hill and try to react to your now ready to go British.

Yes, there's a chance that a French formation will get sorted out before you can hit it. C'est la guerre. If there's no chance for the French to do well, what's the point of playing? It was always possible to cause the British problems - even Nosey got bounced back into Portugal twice, while subsidiary British armies were often rudely handled by the French.