"alternating activation?" Topic

Does anyone have experience with unit activation besides UGOIGO with flames of war?
I've been thinking about trying out the bolt action dice pull mechanic. Would love to hear what you guys think, thanks in advance.

Well, I for one hate the dice pull mechanic in general.

However, my FoW version 3 mod includes a 2-phase turn structure. Basically, each turn units (platoons) are randomly determined to be either Phase 1 or Phase 2 with a die roll. Then players do an interlaced IGOUGO:

Player 1 Phase 1 Units
Player 2 Phase 1 Units
Player 1 Phase 2 Units
Player 2 Phase 2 Units

Complete details and modified QRS here:

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In covid times the dice in a bag (touch,touch,touch,cough) mechanism might be best delayed?

How about 2D6+2 (owner) versus 2D6(opponent).
Highest score decides which of his units a player moves/activates next?
This will allow the opponent a chance to interfere with the order in which a player wishes to motivate his units.

martin

Or create a small deck of cards, with one card representing one unit. Then at the end of each turn, reshuffle. Draw a card and that unit can activate.

Or use a deck of cards that gets reshuffled at the end of each turn. One side is black, the other red. Draw a card and if it's a black card, that side can move one unit of its choice. Draw another card, and so on. Once all the units of each side have activated, reshuffle and do the next turn.

Right on target Raylev. I always disliked Igo-Ugo. We've done what you've suggested for over twenty years. Your first suggestion when having a small number of units, the second for 10+ units. It works fine with FoW, and especially your second idea, any Igo-Ugo we've tried. The game will take a bit longer, but a small price to pay. I much prefer cards over dice bags anyway, plague or not.

Unhappy with the mathematical coordination of FOW where every unit moves predictably, we have successfully used the Bolt Action approach coupled with the Lardies idea of the Turn End dice/card. This has been used to best effect in night actions and in raid situations where a commander has little direct observation of what is happening everywhere. It focusses players on doing what is important to the mission rather than knowing that everything is possible. Some real tensions arise when an objective is open but the number of dice remaining is few. Regards Alan

I like random activation too.

Have each unit firing select their target, point their gun/turret at it.

Using a deck of cards (no face cards), flip a card for each unit that will be firing, that determines the initiative and sequence of firing for the turn.

Now go in sequence 1-10 with "initiative" going to the units with the lower numbers. If a unit had a "6" and it was knocked out by a "5" he was too slow and does not get to shoot.

If your target is knocked out before you got your shot off select a new target, point your gun at it and increase your 1-10 initiative +2 to reflect the additional time to engage a new target.

For more detail (or complication) a unit with an Ace crew gets a -2 initiative modifier, poor crews +2 (no change for Vets).

You could give non-turreted tanks/assault guns or a gun with a slow rate of fire a +1 or +2.

Firing while moving could get a +1 or +2.

A tank with a faster than average turret traverse a -1 and slow traverse a +1.

Use a red D6 to designate negative modifiers and a white or black one for positive modifiers.

So if an Ace crew drew an "8" put a red D6 with the two pips facing up to show an initiative of "6".

All concealed anti-tank guns should get a -1 or -2.

No activation or initiative rules would be needed. This should work great for solitaire play too. It's somewhat random but with some real world modifiers.

Wolfhag

A long, long time ago, but in this galaxy, I was introduced to a card activation method in an old set of rules and have been hooked on that simple method ever since. Once I tried to go back to IGOUGO, but nearly died of boredom at the highly predicable nature of that archaic method. I remember patiently waiting through the boring series of phases that one had to endure before one could react to the opponent's movement and fire. By the time my phases came around most of my units were either dead or suppressed. I was labeled a "bad gamer" for not liking their particular favorite ruleset! Maybe I am a bad gamer, but I don't believe that memorizing and internalizing the rules of Monopoly make on a master of high finance.

Download the free Chain Reaction Rules set.

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Use the 2015 version based on our WWII rules, NUTS. It's what they used at West Point.

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