"How do you indicate casualties?" Topic

What do you use to indicate a unit on the table has taken casualties? The assumption is that the unit's status is degraded, but not enough to actually remove it from the table.

(a) casualty caps
(b) casualty markers
(c) colored pips or chips
(d) pipe cleaners
(e) dice
(f) ________________________

Casualty markers. 1/2 inch square with a red skull and a white number in denominations of 1, 2 and 5.

Works for me.

I think casualty caps or casualty rings just look silly.

Casualty figures !

White Rings.

I leave a painted casualty figure if a unit looses a base or is forced back/routs.

Little turning number markers from Warbases link

F) base individually.

Doesn't work for all periods, all games, but neither does the poll.

Little turning number markers from Warbases

Yeah, whatever they're called. Except ours are home made.

Oh & a dead Nellie marker:

I use a variety of different methods, depending upon the rules I am using. The methods include:
* Magnetic numbered counters
* Clear plastic Roman blind rings

Mostly with dead guys placed by the unit

Phil

b or d depending on the game

for a "lower profile" and less obvious touch, with multi-figure stands, I used broken flat toothpicks, approximately the length of the depth of the stand. one per figure killed or wounded. they blend in somewhat with flocked bases and do not detract or "distract" as bad as white rings or casualty caps.
once all figures on the stand are eliminated, then remove the stand.

removing figs isnt an option?

Currently for Bloody Big Battles I put down a dead figure when a base is removed due to enemy action. It makes it clear afterward where the heavy fighting took place.

When playing One Hour Wargames I use half inch matte board markers with numbers printed on both sides. 1/2 for the green ones, 3/4 for the beige ones and 5/6 for the red ones. Every time 3 or more hits accrue I throw down a dead guy. A unit with a couple red markers is about to go.

Small wooden discs with rocks on them – 1 rock = 1 hit, 2 rocks on it = 2 hits, 3 rocks = 3 hits (4 = Max for our rules).

E but I would like to change to figures

Cotton wool 'powder smoke' works in my Napoleonic games.

Currently for Bloody Big Battles I put down a dead figure when a base is removed due to enemy action. It makes it clear afterward where the heavy fighting took place.

Does it count as difficult terrain after that point?

C (coloured counters) and/or F (tile spacers).

Casualty caps. It's the only way to be sure!

I remove figures but place dead or wounded body models in their place.

Casualty figures.

removing figures + working to teplace them with casualty figures

Depends on the scope and scale of the game, but includes:

Tipping the figure over

Remove the figure

Remove and replace with a casualty figure.

Remove miniature and in most games replace with representative fallen miniature marker as bodies pile up.

Non miniature markers just mess up the photos…

My figures are based singly, so casualty removal is a breeze and reflects the reality of a units frontage shrinking and so it is able to cover less and less space.

In addition, when there has been a major firefight or melee that resulted in many casualties, I place a several dead/casualty figures around the area of combat.

Depends on the game but if possible I remove figures and place a casualty figure in its place. Other things I use a casualty marker of some type.

Roster or figure removal.

Little dead men…

Toothpicks

A d10 or two does the job for me in Kings of War. I used to use d6 but they tended to get picked up and rolled with all the other dice. Most the rest of my games you just take the dead model off the table.

I base all my figures individually on washers and then put them together on magnetized bases, so removing each casualty figure from the main magnetic base is easy.

B

little bits of red yarn

Never, ever, never tip a figure over. Ruins the look of everything.

Ochoin's markers are nice!

Tile spacers, counters in various denominations, strength point markers, casualty figures, puffs of cotton wool, she'll bursts, craters, casualty figures, base removal, specific formations.

It depends. I even tip figures over sometimes, or turn them around.

Never used casualty caps, the seem to be a US thing. Rings are also pretty ugly.

I play mostly skirmish games, so I remove the figure who is killed/wounded. With multi figure miniatures (like machine guns units etc.), we use casualty caps or red die markers.

I play mostly skirmish games, so I remove the figure who is killed/wounded. With multi figure miniatures (like machine guns units etc. we use casualty caps or red die markers.

Casualty Caps – they don't get left behind when you move the unit

"Never, ever, never tip a figure over. Ruins the look of everything."

I tend to agree, but can't justify the cost of 6000ish casualty figures to reresent all of my different armies.

stand removal and swearing loudly.

Causality caps, and actually use different colors, black, red and white. I do use the color to show how they were killed artillery, small arms or melee. Also remove stands if whole company is struck, cavalry I make sure every regiment has at least one Sigler stand.