"Rules ideas - when is enough 'enough'" Topic

"Or to put it more clearly when do battlefield combat formations become unable to stand in the line of battle? As wargamers knowing when a unit is done it is one of the central measures of whether we have won or lost a game. Most modern analysis on how long a unit might continue in combat focus on the percentage of casualties suffered and the consensus is that other than in unusual circumstances most units are done somewhere between 20% – 30% casualties. I suspect that this focus on casualties is because it is a measurable metric. It is also accepted that a the specific level of casualties is masking the impact that other factors have on a unit's willingness to continue in combat. Things like level of fatigue, hunger, weather conditions, terrain, unit cohesion and leadership.

Historically rule sets have often used figure removal as a marker of a unit's decline in effectiveness (WRG ancients for example). In such rules a unit's effect on the enemy is based on a weapon factor multiplied by the number of figures able to fight. So reducing figure counts makes a unit less effective. When a unit gets to a set number of figures lost a reaction test is carried out, for example in WRG 4th Edition (pulled at random off the shelf) that trigger point is 50%. The likelihood of a unit breaking is greater the lower the morale class of the unit is there is a reduction from the dice roll for each 20% of figures lost. A nice simple trigger and easy to remember during a game BUT it can lead to units fighting on with possibly unrealistic casualties and other factors. There are other triggers such as taking a high number of casualties in a single turn but the preset percentage is the one where a unit is almost certain to break…"

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Armand

We have never reduced figures, not really sensible with small scale teams. Insted we have a Fear, Fire and Fatigue and ammo parameter which degrades performace in combay. It is to some extent a very uniform degradation but it suits our purpose as the system is about basic tactics so a level of predictability helps. Later in your education you need to work out how to cope with unpredictabilty. However even out system can throw up oddities just in the nature of statistics.

Our reading of modern history indicates similarly that high levels of casualties on both sides occures when in close contact even if the side is winning. At most a couple of assults on buildings (or defending them) is all that is practical. From then on they may have some limited use as a base of fire but they will not take fire well.

Thanks.

Armand