"Unit Stats Presentation" Topic

In WW2, Modern, and scifi/fantasy, there can be huge numbers of unit types with their own stats and special abilities.

Do others find it easier to deal with massive stat spreadsheets like in GHQ micro armor? Or unit cards like in Flames of War?

They both have pros and cons but I wonder if there is a general consensus?

I like the idea with unit cards but I don't like having to print them all.

In my ww2 game, as I expand into more v theaters, the deck of German unit types grows ever larger..

there can be huge numbers of unit types with their own stats and special abilities.

Really? I do not find it so.

No?

In the Normandy theatre alone in a ww2 game, the Germans have at least 6 turreted tanks, 5 turretless tank destroyers, 3 armored cars, 3 anti tank guns, 3 AA guns, 2 infantry halftracks, 2 assault guns, numerous artillery pieces, etc. etc. Not even counting variations on these machines.

More even than that, Gauntlet, if you throw in foreign equipment in German service. But you want to run either a tank platoon, a kampfgruppe or a corps--not all three at once. The lower your command level, the less the variety because you won't usually find Panthers and "booty panzer" R-35's in the same platoon. The higher your command level, the fewer your types because the fine distinctions don't matter to you.

But that's gaming philosophy. As a practical matter, sort your deck and only bring the ones showing up in a particular game--or print out a "this game only" spreadsheet on the same program. My first thought is that card decks work best at one player per side, and as the number of players increases multiple spreadsheets become more useful.

Robert, you get what I'm saying.

I agree that I don't need very much variety on the table at once, but I do want to allow anything that was used as more than a prototype.

My games have individual tanks so the difference between a reused R35 and an old panzer 3 is important even if they won't both be on the field at the same time.

If you look at a rather detailed set of rules, such a Korps Commander, there is about 3000 element types, which range from vehicles to different infantry elements, so I agree it can be daunting. However rarely is there more than 30 different element types in a given scenario. In some scenarios a lot less and even with this number there are typically only a dozen important ones. Spec's for indirect artillery are important but may not need to be references a lot.

Thus, what I have found is you need a cheat sheet for only the element types you will be using in a game. I normally only play with historical force mixes, so a German 1939 panzer division has 25 different element types, of which many are rarely used, such a cars, trucks, etc. You can see an example in the scenario pdf's for korps Commander on the Corps Commander IO:group site.
groups.io/g/Corps-Commander

I tried the card idea and it did not work very well, as well as being hard to create all the necessary cards for as well as being fiddly. If the maximum number of element types is about half a dozen it could work.

A single A4 sheet with all the spec's I need for that game is the optimal solution. Spearhead uses a similar system

Thank you Gauntlet. The clarification helps. I think pfmodel has it about right. At an upper limit of 6 to maybe 10, cards. Above that a custom spreadsheet for the game is probably your best hope.

If you keep two monitors, it's pretty easy to transfer data from the humongous "includes everything" spreadsheet on the computer to the smaller one you print out for the game.

That makes sense. For thought out or presentation scenarios, it's not a big deal to print out a custom sheet for the battle.

I have never counted how many different tanks, vehicles we have actually represented. Potentially almost unlimited if you felt like it. We supply our lists, they are by no means mandatory, you can make your own specs. We then print out a specific crib sheet for the game if we need too. However most games have many common vehicles so you soon remember them.
Convention games it's always KISS, simplify, then simplify again and once more. Many folk won't be able to identify which tank is which so the less data the batter. But that's not a real game.

I checked all the equipment sheet sheets for Korps Commander and this is about the most complex.

link

As UshChan has stated you can simplify the rules so everything is the same, and that may work of your scale is large enough, but at a lower scale this gives you a very generic game. You may as well use wooden blocks with an armour symbol on it with a value of "1".

There is the "Magic Card Editor" in the internet. It is used to create and print your own cards. Choose your style, use your own picture and type your stats / text.
Save, edit and print. Collectible card sleeves fits them.
The program is freeware, afaik.

Blaubaer

I also use the card editors to come up with scenario information and event decks

I actually created a windows application to generate cards for me based on some basic data fields. It then exports 3x3 cards together to a png for printing. But now, I have like 200 unit cards and it's just unwieldy haha.

But now, I have like 200 unit cards and it's just unwieldy haha.

Same here, i created about 100 cards for WW2 German and Soviet forces and it was so difficult to use i abandoned the attempt. Saying that i am experimenting with use cards as a force mix generator. Players select cards with force mixes and variable entry points with different points values. I am thinking it may solve my biggest issue with ad-hoc games, balanced force mix generation. This link is an example.

link