I am quite impressed.
I have integrated civilians as a component in wargames before, but not frequently. I'd be interested in other gamer's accounts of how they have approached the question.
I'm not speaking here of a game about the civilians, but just having some civilians on the board and integrating them into (around) the wargaming activities. In my view, they are frequently in combat areas, and as much as commanders and soldiers try to focus on the fight, the sometimes have to work around concerns for or interference by civilians.
They can be approached as a sort of dynamic terrain (no, really, I do not mean to de-humanize them!), as much like a river or a cliff they can become issues that must be fought around, or that impede progress.
They can also be approached as morale factors, as one side may draw combat strength or be disheartened by events related to the civilian population on the battlefield.
And they can also be approached as part of the victory conditions, as one side may well have specific mission objectives related to civilians.
Hidden (masked) units and movements also make it all more interesting, as having to take the time to investigate a "blind", only to find it is a woman waiving a cooking spoon at some goats can actually affect how the battle unfolds in amusing ways.
-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)
