"How do you handle invisible figures?" Topic

Following this thread on painting invisible figures, what rules to you use or favor for a figure that can't be seen?

Fantasy or scifi invisibility. Camo or other stealth troops. Resistance fighters that run around a corner then another and another while chased by Nazis.

Our favourite is to have a figure on the board representing the real unit and a "secret diuplacement". The displacement is the direction and distance from the figure on the board to the unit's actual position.

Second is to have multiple figures on the board representing where the figure might be, one with a mark under the base. Colleting intel by the other side removes an extra figure or two using a bounded random distribution.

Have played a lot of superhero games that have invisible characters. Simply, invisible characters cannot be shot at, engaged in melee unless the opposing character has senses or special equipment that can detect them.

If an invisible character attacks a foe in melee, the get a tremendous advantage in the combat of the opponent cannot detect them. (i.e. "Spidey Senses", etc).

We did however NOT allow invisible characters to make shooting attacks while they where invisible.

There are plenty of ways it can be handled, so what ever your game group likes best should work best.

Kim

Carefully. I've put down a couple and forgotten where I left them.

When using Skirmish Wargames, I give them extra defensive save cards.

I once created an army of invisible ninjas. I haven't seen them since.

I remember the Stargate SG1 episode 'Allegiance', which handled this quandary very well link

I think KimRYoung's suggestion to be the best so far!

For Napoleonic hidden movement, behind hills in woods etc. I use playing cards and allow 2 cards per real unit. For skirmish games I'd need smaller markers and maybe more blanks but the principle holds. If both sides have markers you do need an umpire who knows the truth, for the moment when a fake unit meets a fake unit.

It's not that hard to make a crude sketch of the battlefield. Take a couple minutes, you only have to measure and draw the most important features. Now you can plot the movement of hidden figures. This will be accurate, there will be no clues, and they will be truly hidden from your opponent.

Allow them to deploy places other troops can't ie off to the table sides or behind enemy lines.

Allow them to teleport onto the table – rationalised as this being when the enemy is 'aware' of them.

Magic invisibility devices or powers are not uncommon in myth and legend, but usually for individuals, not units, so you could allow such persons invulnerability to shooting and somehow moving before or after others to simulate skulking about.

If the invisibility is gained via tech, you'd assume in such a world the enemy has countermeasure tech, so you need more detailed spotting rules.

The only "invisible" troops I recall having played with are mundane ones that have hidden in ambush. Their position is noted on a piece of paper at the start of the game, and they're put on the table as soon as they move or shoot, or the enemy blunders into them.