"How Often Do Your Miniatures Consult A Psychic?" Topic

For the purpose of this discussion, a "psychic capability" is any ability from the perspective of the units represented in the wagame to predict the outcome of an in-game non-deterministic event through exotic, opaque means.

Mechanism is not a factor. Psionics, magic, AI (which when treated like this is actually magic), tachyon tech, etc. – all abilities to predict the future count.

1) Do you have psychic capabilities in the game?

2) If you do, do you implement them at the strategic, operational, or tactical level?

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For me:

1) Yes.

2) Yes.

I have various games that have strategic psychic stuff, usually part of the scenario constraints. Operational psychic capabilities are usually custom rules. Something like tactical precog is just really just combat bonuses.

To an extent, anything in a wargame is a matter of your framing of the problem. It's a fine line between "tactical precognition" and "trained by a ninja". Functionally, both are just combat bonsues, unless you implement a system where precog and ninja training have different interaction contexts – A tinfoil hat stops tactical precog, but not Claws of the Lotus style; CotL actually is a combat disadvantage against graduates of The Way of the Hedgeclipper school.

Even in a historical context, something like the intelligence advantage the Germans had at Tannenberg equates to the ability to predict future Russian actions.

I would worry more they listen to the Barracks Lawyers

My ancients imaginary soldiers have the option to consult an oracle, although it has been a few years since they have actually done so. It doesn't make any difference to the result, though.

Two of the teams in my Girls und Panzer games have access to psychic consultations that provide them with unreliable tactical information.

The commander of Koala Forest Acedemy's team, as seen in Girls und Panzer das Finale, is an actual koala who hangs out on a branch propped up inside their AC.I Sentinel command tank. The vice-commander, nicknamed Wallaby, communes with the koala at the start of the match to ask what the plan is. In story, it is never explained it it is indeed a psychic koala or merely a team mascot.

From a spin-off manga, Girls und Panzer: The Fir Tree and the Iron-Winged Witch, Marina Constantinescu is the commander of Count High School's team. During the course of a match, she will at times pull a tarot card to help decide what course to take.

I am a longtime historical gamer, and as such, no. However; as I get into sci-fi gaming, I see psychic or psionic effects as inevitable. So I guess my answer with the greatest accuracy would be "not yet, but soon"

I added psychic / "magic" powers to the sci-fi wargame I developed. They go a long way to helping more one-dimensional forces branch out and do different things on the tabletop. It's very much a tactical game, so those capabilities are invariably instantaneous effects that affect the immediate situation.

Never also don't use "magic" in games.

Oh, you mean "in a game". Never mind.

Never. I'm fairly sure that if my units had any psychic ability at all, they'd refuse to march under my command. You'd think just experience would teach them that much.

1) Do you have psychic capabilities in the game?

My games are usually set in the Traveller universe. If the Zhodani are in the scenario, they have psionic abilities.

2) If you do, do you implement them at the strategic, operational, or tactical level?

Tactical level. That is, psionics are used by units on the table, such as telepathy for communications or clairvoyance for spotting.

We played a game a Dragon Rampant. There were several wizardlings on the table.

So

Yes and yes.

miniMo, have you mentioned this to the Defense Department? Maintaining a koala is probably a cheaper source of unreliable tactical information than maintaining an S-2 shop.

Commander Koala:
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