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5 wargaming mechanics that I dislike

 1. Command Radius. Ok, it may work if there is only one general (like in DBA), but this business of each commander having his own radius as if it is a shouting contest... Wally Simon debunked it long ago better than I could: "There was only one way Kris could maintain control of his entire division, keeping them all within his magical 3 inch radius, and that was to continually scrunch all six units together in one solid mass, cavalry, infantry and artillery [...] There are many gaming ploys that deal with command response functions, systems that supposedly reproduce the difficulties of commanders keeping their forces under their control, and, in my considered opinion, the 'mysterious aura' ploy is probably the worst of them all"  (PW Review May 1999) Guilty party example: Grande Armée.

2. Rerolls. The kind of rerolls that bother me are not those tied to some mechanic but what I call the insert-coin reroll. You start the battle with X rerolls and you may use them whenever you like. Guilty party example: Midgard

3. Gotcha Cards. "I'm charging". "No, you are not charging, mate. I've got a card! Goootcha!!"  This may be fun for some, but I take a pass. Besides, this kind of games do not solo well. Guilty party example: Never Mind the Billhooks

4. Side boards. Quite popular recently, but if I'm playing a game I like to be looking at the table and figures not at a piece of cardboard that resembles an old telephone switchboard. Guilty party example: Saga

5. Playing Cards on the table. Your battle may end up looking like a low-stakes Vegas blackjack table.  Guilty party example: To The Strongest!

This is all highly personal and opinionated, of course! 



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  1. Shaun TraversAugust 21, 2025 at 3:51 PM

    I don't mind most of those mechanics but rerolls of any sort really seem to bother me. I tend to convert most of them to a +1 modifier if just using a d6. rerolls slow down the game!

    Any funny you should mention Wally Simon - i am just about to start rereading all his books. i got them all years ago and thought it was time to reacquaint myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MMAugust 22, 2025 at 1:04 AM

      Wally Simon was bursting with ideas. Somehow they never coalesced into a structured ruleset but they were brilliant. Well worth the reread!

      Delete
  2. James FisherFebruary 1, 2026 at 8:58 PM

    Top list. I am with you on all of those!
    Sadly, there are many more in the seemingly endless drive by games' designers to look clever and make some innovative way for players to be stuffed up, rather than just letting 'em stuff it up all by themselves. (Unfortunately this focus on pure game aspects seems to mean that historicity goes out the window at the same time...).
    Best wishes, James

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    Replies
    1. MMFebruary 3, 2026 at 5:46 AM

      So true. Historicity + relatively simple mechanics is the Holy Grail. That's why I like reading rulesets form old school wargamers. Most were very well versed in history, without forgetting that the game must flow.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 12, 2026 at 6:41 PM

    Just out of curiosity, what's your alternative to command radius?

    ReplyDelete

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