Sunday, August 21, 2016

Mis-Match

So much for today's game.
Luckily there is tomorrow's game to look forward to.

The Picquet keeps a sharp eye out.


I was set up to play scenario #29, Shambolic Command, from One Hour Wargames. The premise of the scenario is that a larger force with command issues is attacked by a smaller but more efficient force. Since the US commanders in my setting might be battle hardened while the Canadian ones wouldn't be, it seemed appropriate.

As is now my custom, I set up the table with double the number of units to match the foot print and fit better with my rules, so 8 units attacking 12. What is supposed to balance the scenario is that the defender may only use two  (doubled to four since my forces are doubled) units each turn to move or engage in combat. I had trouble with the thought of troops not returning fire and with try to balance group vs unit moves.


The selected scenario set up to play this morning.


To cut this short, the combination of rules, scenario and setting just weren't working for me so after four turns which saw the smaller American forces shot to pieces, I decided to quit.

After much pondering I decided that the scenario/rules issue probably could be fixed and that I need to do some serious thinking about command control systems vs numbers of units on the table but that I didn't want  to do either right then.  So I reset and changed the scenario to  "reinforce the hill" with 3 companies on a hill are supported by 9 in camp against an attack by 8 enemy.

An overview of the new setup.

However, by then  time was up so if all goes well I'll play on Monday.


4 comments:

  1. Do you think a problem might stem from doubling the number of units in the scenario?

    Can your system work with doubling the size of your units (I.e. Two bases together), but still keeping the scenario requirement of 6 and four units?

    Also, is it worth testing the scenario again, but this time with the One Hour Rules? - just to evaluate the impact of the system change is having on this particular scenario.

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    Replies
    1. Norm, the problem was neither the rules nor the scenario. Doubling tbe units works fine. The problem was that I missed an important unwritten aspect of the scenario. The blurb talks about generalship but since the scenario also reduces the ability of units to defend themselves it implies incompetent troops as well.

      That wasn't sonewhere I wanted to go in the context of the narrative of this campaign. I will try it with different armies one day.

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  2. Very nice photos of the preliminary Game - Better fortune on Monday's reset Ross. Regards. KEV.

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  3. That first photo is quite splendid. Now you are making me want to delve deeper into the scenarios in OHW, as I am quite challenged when it comes to thinking up my own scenarios.

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