"Fog of War with Standard Poker Deck" Topic

I just came to the realization that I can introduce all kinds of Fog of War elements with a regular deck of playing cards, based on the meaning of the suits, combined with the pips and faces. Also that I can use it as a scenario and stat generator.

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I'm sure I've heard someone mention this. I now see how one could account for things like unseen terrain, commander rating, state of the campaign, support of the Four Estates, finance and supply, random heroism of the rank-and-file, time of day, season of year, state of readiness, et cetera, just using an everyday Bicycle deck.

Wondering if other people have done this, and if they care to share their method.

Note that this is basically for a solo campaign, a horse-and-musket era Imagi-Nation "Succession War" scenario, but I think it generally would work for any type of game.

One of my interests is creating a wargame from common gaming materials, things people might already own.

Thoughts?

I would be interested in any ideas you have for using cards. All of us can imagine using them as an activation gimmick, but outside of that you are in far less travelled waters.

Heck, I wonder how it would go if you moved IGOUGO but used the cards to somehow "unwind" movement rather than using cards to initiate movement.

Besides simple activation or random events:

At the Tacticl/Battle Level:

• Assign black to one side red to the other. On a diamond red may fire a unit, on a heart he may move a unit. Ditto for clubs/spades. Can only assault or rally on a face card.
  
• A joker allows a player to deploy "unnoticed terrain" between the armies – a small bog or walled farm or gully.
  
• Deal each side a hand. Each turn players commit cards to influence winning the initiative. Use a Warmaster type roll to activate with cards acting as modifiers to the die: number card +1, face card +2, Ace +3. Better armies get to hold more cards.
  
• Use opposed card play for combat resolution. Level of victory depends on the difference between the cards. Jokers are special – enemy automatically routs?
  
• Piquet style: each unit gets a number from A to K. Turn up a card. The number indicates the unit, the color the player, the suit the allowable action. Jokers are wild cards. Maybe use two decks and add cards for better commanders etc?
  

Lots more possibilities might suggest themselves with a bit more thought.

You need to think if you want "One time only" events, or "this event can happen multiple times in a game", and either shuffle or not between rounds/draws/Jokers/end of deck.

See Zouave II at repiquerules.com for a complete system using a standard card deck where color and suits as well as card value is used to denote sequence, movement opportunities, special events, and command for two armies.

Don't overlook the possibilities of using multiple decks of different colors (but still four suits) to boost the outcome possibilities. For example, I have decks of cards where instead of red or black suits, there are green, pink, maroon, and blue.

It often takes me a while to reply, even to my own threads.

Thanks for the above replies, interested in Zouave II.

I finally jotted down a few thoughts about this subject.

Here follows -

Musings on Cards

Suits Represent 4 Estates
Hearts = Clergy
Clubs = Serfs
Diamonds = Merchants/Landed Gentry/Burghers
Spades = Nobility (especially non-Firstborn sons)

Suits Represent 4 Elements
Suits Represent 4 States of Action, Cardinal Directions, Seasons, Quarters, Weeks, Day Parts, Percentage, Completion, Opportunity, c.

Patterns, Tarot-like, reveal unforeseen hazards, e. g. sunken road, marsh, burning farmhouse, rain, sleet, snow, wind, fog, smoke, dead ground, false summits, commanding positions, unresponsive subordinates, dead couriers, captured orders, propaganda, public opinion by "Class/Estate", strength of official class, military budget, state of harvest, availability of forage/fodder, quality of horseflesh, level of training, field experience, degree of devotion, fervor of campaign, fatigue & etc.

See Correspondence Table, at link:

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And allow for national differences of interpretation, as well as narrative utility, plausibility, novelty, and fun factor. Possible Trump suit, or one side Red, other Black. Possibly player determines meaning on own color/suit, opponent on opposite color/other suit. Pips/faces indicate severity of effect, person/class/estate affected.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Willingness, Knowledge, Daring, Discretion
East, South, West, North
Air, Fire, Water, Earth
Dawn, Noon, Dusk, Midnight
Waxing, Full, Waning, New
Hope, Effort, Joy, Risk

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Example, draw a 7 of Clubs, seventh week of summer, seventh day of fortnight around full moon, seventh hour of the half-day centered on noon, some smoke, possibly a moderate to severe fire, raising fear and harming morale in the knowledgeable, hard-working rank-and-file.

Midsummer, around noon, moon will rise full, farmhouse burning, troops uneasy, especially foot, although well-trained veterans, taking positions on the south end of the field.

Player One's troops begin to move forward in a "Muskets to Melee", platoon-fire pattern, relatively efficiently.

Second player draws a 3 of Hearts. A low-ranking clerical officer, attached to the baggage train, spots enemy elements moving through a marshy area near the west end of the field, (as a light desultory rain falls from that quarter, partially quenching the burning farmhouse, adding to the sizzling, sultry nature of the summer stillness), and takes it upon himself to lead a small detachment on a daring counter-charge armed with sheer faith and plucky derring-do.

Player One draws a 10 of Diamonds, and begins a prolonged bombardment, all along his line, aimed at all points due north.

Second player draws a King of Spades and his lead commander personally leads a great charge of cavalry at the east end of the field, against the right wing of the enemy cavalry, sword drawn and at the fast trot, closing with cold steel, as a stronger wind suddenly reverses course, blowing away the smoke of the volleys and the burning farmhouse to reveal…

If the era is H&M, the year is around 1750, high noon of the midsummer of the period, let's say 1740-60.

If the era is VIC, the year is around 1860 to 1870, depending on how you figure.

Say, horse and musket, around 1750, southern or south-central part of the theater… Player One is an army or nation to the south (or east) of the second player, an army or nation that would have been to its west (or north)… So Player One is say Piedmont-Savoy or Saxony or Bavaria or Austria or Russia or the Ottomans, and the second player could be France or Hanover or Hesse or Prussia or Sweden or the Georgians.

Suits, Pips and Faces

"Arm"

Spades: Cavalry
Clubs: Infantry
Hearts: Baggage/Staff
Diamonds: Artillery

"Estate"

Spades: Nobility
Clubs: Serfs/Commoners
Hearts: Chaplaincy
Diamonds: Landed Gentry & Burgher/Merchant Class

"Tactic"

Spades: Cold Steel
Clubs: Muskets & Melee
Hearts: Sheer Faith
Diamonds: Bombardment

"Action"

Spades: Willingness
Clubs: Knowledge
Hearts: Daring
Diamonds: Discretion

"Troop Quality"

Spades: Initiative/Honor
Clubs: Training/Discipline
Hearts: Morale/Duty/Courage/Faith
Diamonds: Risk/Reward

"Orientation & Direction"

Spades: East
Clubs: South
Hearts: West
Diamonds: North

Pips:
5 or 6 is due E, S, W or N
Lower number counterclockwise around the compass…
Higher number clockwise around the compass…
Toward next cardinal point
So both a 3 of Spades and a 9 of Clubs would be NE…
North of East and E of N…!

Faces:
Jack: choose angle
Queen: choose quarter
King: change direction

"Organizational"

Ace: Private/Trooper
2: Cpl. or Sqd-level
3: Sgt. or sub-Pl-level
4: 2nd Lt./Ensign/Cornet
5: Lieut. or Pl-level
6: Capt. or Coy-level
7: Maj. or sub-Reg-level
8: Lt. Col. or Bn-level
9: Col. or Reg-level
10: Brig. Gen. or Bd-level

Jack: affects Maj. Gen. or Prince or Wing/Flank/Line
Queen: affects Lt. Gen. or
Distaff line/relative
King: affects Marshal or Royal line/personage/army

"Terrain and Weather"

Spades: Air/Wind/Sky
Clubs: Fire/Smoke/Heat
Hearts: Water/Fog/Rain
Diamonds: Earth/Mud/Snow

"Severity/Effect"

Pips & Faces:
1 to 10: 1 to 10 on a scale of 1 to 10
Jack: a remarkable example
Queen: the Mother of all occurrences
King: once in a lifetime event

"Hour/Day/Week/Season"

Spades: Dawn/Spring
Duke/Waxing/Sword
Clubs: Noon/Summer
King/Full/Staff
Hearts: Dusk/Fall
Queen/Waning/Cup
Diamonds: Night/Winter
Princess/New/Platter

Pips & Faces:
Which of –
The 13 hours centered on the day part…
The 13 weeks centered on the cross day…
The 7-ish pairs of half-days within that week or…
The 14-ish days of the fortnight around that moon phase…

"Year of Era"

Spades: 1st Quarter of Era
Clubs: 2nd
Hearts: 3rd
Diamonds: Last Qtr. of Era

"Era"

Spades: Ye Pike & Shotte
Clubs: Musket & Bayonet
Hearts: Revolutionary Impulse
Diamonds: Victoriana

YP&S: 1494 to 1718
M&B: 1660 to 1840
RI: 1689 to 1889
VIC: 1815 to 1914

"Ages"

Spades: Discovery
Clubs: Reason
Hearts: Romance
Diamonds: Vict. Imp. Col.

Pips & Faces: Which decade or decades of the era…
Pips = "tenths" of the era
Faces:
Jack: choose decade
Queen: choose battle
King: change era

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Been using cards for years to create contacts and events in games. This is one example of a Western Campaign that had cards keyed to regions and seasons of the year.