"Campaigns lessons learnt." Topic

Myself and Paul (Of Maneouvre Group)are in the midst of a multi evening game. We both had a map of the area but like most war gamer's we are still after 14 years having to learn how to fight. One thing we both did not do was take some specialist kit with out as we started out.

Examples are:-

My reconnaissance Luchs team should have asked for a rubber dingy. This would have been strapped on the vehicle no problem and allowed me to cross a narrow river to observe the enemy. It would have been simple, safe and only taken an hour or so and been minimal risk at the time. It would have no impact on force sizes but you can't have what you did not ask for.

Paul realized he should have asked for a BMP to have a dozer blade to allow it to clear surface mines off a road. Engineering vehicles would have damaged the road/track and made it serviceable for wheeled transport.

My M113 company's should have similarly asked for a light assault bridge to allow troops to cross quickly and dry, over small water ways 20 to 30 ft wide.

Now we can get such items in gamebut they will take quite a while to get delivered.

Interestingly I have never seen this sort of issue mentioned by others in big battles, do they just have "magic" so anything wanted is always to hand even if they never thought it would be needed?

We have found the game horrendously complex and because of that awsome fun, the rules have not changed, its the high level decisions that add uncertainty, when and where the enemy may strike, when to call up reserves, who gets the artillery and when. These are all sorted out in a standard game, but add massively to the fun when you as the high level commander have to make those decisions. Even if you change your mind it takes time to reposition forces so the enemy can steal a march on you. And the big surprise this on a table only 6ft by 6ft. However I admit it helps to have a permanent set up. It would be a bit more stilted if you had to set up and take down each playing session. We are on bound 35 at the moment and the fun is starting, decisions like when to launch a counter attack and with what are coming to the fore even at this level.

What are your experiences of learning to be a good high level commander?

Logistics, but most rules ignore it (but some rules do make provisions if players want to use them). Smoke is also often ignored and many times, unless prodded by an umpire, players can ignore it. In my tank platoon we had a mine detector because engineers are not always available.

Interestingly I have never seen this sort of issue mentioned by others in big battles, do they just have "magic" so anything wanted is always to hand even if they never thought it would be needed?

No. No "magic". We tend to play at the appropriate level of command to the game being played. For example, if we're playing a single tank versus tank action, we'd track the number and type of rounds left and loaded. If we're playing with several troops of tanks, then no. That sort of thing – requisitioning dingys, or dozer blades – is beneath a divisional or regimental commander during a rapid advance.

We also realize that part of the fun of playing a wargame isn't the accounting, but rather telling a shared narrative. For example, I drive my recon Luchs up to a river, and roll a one. Oh crap. Looks like Oberleutnant Schmidt screwed up and forgot his dingy. Maybe I rolled a six – good on you Oberleutnant; you remembered the dingy and apparently extra batteries for your Hensoldt IR scope because now the Soviets need to deploy their ambush in that wood.

You can't account for everything, as that's why dice are usually used in wargames, to allow for randomness and friction. Even if you had remembered in your game to ask for a dingy – does that mean your requisition would have been successful? Do you have rules for supply sergeant personalities? What time did you try and get it – was Schlutz on duty, who will get you anything or that lazy chair warmer Karl, who avoids any action resembling duty? Do you have rules for sandbars, or rebar from the destroyed bridge just under the surface tearing a hole in your inflatable craft? Did you requisition a repair kit? Can your men swim? Did you order them to put on lifejackets?

For us, that infinitely regressive bit of story is just built into the results roll. You don't need to know why something happened, just that it did. As mentioned, we'll often comment on a bad – or good roll – with an explanation, just for fun. "Guess your Dragoons charged into bit of a rabbit warren eh? Damn shame old bean".

Still, wargaming is a broad church and if you enjoy bean counting, then good on you. That's the whole point of this hobby. To enjoy whatever aspect you wish.

Major Mike that's a good one.

Like you say one mans entertainment is another mans boredom.

I thought about this more Toney S. Its proably my Megalamania. We want to play real top level games, logoitics, and at least pay lip dservice to procurement. You could only have rubber dingiys if the procurement folk already had them. No chance of even a die if the procurement did not buy any. We are the general and by extension the mrn asking for stuff, no ask no gain.

I have to agree top level games are far more fun but not for everybody as they require much more time and effoirt, but the rewards as comensurately greater.

I think your style of playing is more common in solo play, where one can devote themselves to an infinite amount of world building and detail. You're quite lucky to have some with as much megalomania as yourself!

Solo play I guess is like computer games, the opposition lacks the unpredictability and cunning of a reall person and me, I'm not two faced enough to be a good opponent to my self.
The rubber boats thing to me is some of what its all about. A good game is not about the rules its about decisions or not making them, the rules need to be plausable and as invisible as possible and of coufse fast to implement. Its complexity of the game not the rules that is needed. Chess is a good example of a simple fast implementation game that is complex.

What made this game so much fun is that it's got "nothing" to do with the rules its all about plans, though few survive fully on fist contact but you can ammend a bit but you cannot change completely without hideous time costs the enemy will make you pay for dearly.