Simple pre-battle actions for campaigns

Before the battle each side chooses 3 out of these 4 actions: scouting, maneuver, reorganization or propaganda. The side that lost the last battle rolls one d6 in each chosen table. The side that won the last battle rolls one d8 in each chosen table.

SCOUTING

8 May deploy after knowing the disposition of the enemy

7 May move one terrain piece (even a town) up to 3d6 inches

6 May deploy one unit in forward position (up to 2/3 of the table)

1-5 No effect

MANEUVER

8 May have an extra unit in reserve coming from own baseline or flank

7 May have an extra unit in reserve coming from own baseline

6 May deploy one unit in ambush (hidden)

1-5 No effect

REORGANIZATION

8 Upgrade one random infantry or cavalry unit to elite

7 Add a skirmish screen to one infantry unit

6 Local guide. One close-order infantry unit can move through rough terrain without penalty

1-5 No effect

PROPAGANDA

8 If during the battle a Cavalry charge wipes out an enemy unit, regardless of the result of the battle, it has a positive campaign effect* for the player in a neighboring region or corps

7 If the player wins the battle it has a positive campaign effect* in a neighboring region or corps

6 If during the battle a unit repels two assaults in a town, BUA or redoubt, and its side ends up in possession of it, it has a positive campaign effect* in a neighboring region or corps

1-5 No effect

*The concrete effect depends on the campaign rules in use

----------------------------

Bad effects of the action that the player neglected (didn't choose)

For each side, check if they happen (roll of 1 on a d6)

If the player neglected scouting: The enemy may deploy after knowing the player's disposition

If the player neglected maneuver: Traffic jam. Two units arrive from turn 4 or later on a roll of (4-6)

If the player neglected reorganization: Degrade one's random infantry or cav. unit to militia

If the player neglected propaganda: If the enemy wins the battle it has a positive campaign effect* for him in a neighboring region or corps

Comments

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 wh...

One-hour Simplicity - Bridgehead (scenario 5)

A contested river crossing is one of the hardest situations in warfare. I present scenario 5 from the book One-Hour Wargames , but resolved using another Neil Thomas' ruleset called Simplicity in Practice (SiP). For adaptation notes see my first battlerep with this combo HERE . The objective of the scenario for BLUE is to consolidate a bridgehead north of the river The composition of the armies is: BLUE: 4 infantry, 1 skirmishers, 1 cavalry RED: 3 infantry, 1 skirmishers, 2 cavalry Blue will arrive along the road and Red piecemeal at three random points: west of the woods, on the road and east of the hill. At the start BLUE has a single unit north of the river: shadowy voltigeurs have taken the woods. The first RED units show up west of the woods Since cavalry cannot enter the woods, they take a tortuous route around them. Unseen, the lurking skirmishers take aim BLUE cavalry crosses the bridge benefiting from a road move of 30cm. In a river crossing, Space i...

One-hour Simplicity - Take the High Ground (scenario 4)

I played scenario four from the book One-hour Wargames , but resolved the encounter using another Neil Thomas' ruleset called Simplicity in Practice (SiP) that was published in issue 23 of the magazine Battlegames . The adaptation was straightforward: I used the movement distances as printed in SiP on a 2'x2' mat and using 6cm bases (2 Wofun bases per unit). I only extended slightly musket range to 15cm because many scenarios are built on the assumption of a longer range. Cavalry acts as HC in SiP. Situation at the start The objective is to control the hill in 15 turns The die wills that the two armies have an identical composition: 4 infantry units, 1 cavalry and 1 artillery each. The RED army has 2 isolated units. Can they hold until the relief column arrives? The BLUE general deploys with infantry and cavalry in front of the hill, supported by artillery The rest of the units will try to interdict the relief column by advancing through the woods area RE...

Morris' Wargaming Escapades

Search This Blog