tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post7676495811899285840..comments2024-03-28T01:22:13.683-03:00Comments on Battle Game of the Month: Sorting a Century and other housekeeping.Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-41715364996544503532016-09-26T12:40:43.852-03:002016-09-26T12:40:43.852-03:00The more I think about this sort of system in a sp...The more I think about this sort of system in a specific historical system, the less it seems to work for me as it is so far removed from how things happen and usually make it very difficult to recreate historical events. <br /><br />Take regiments within an ACW Brigade. The Brigadier doesn't often send a message to regiment X to go take that knoll. Instead, the Brigade falls in from camp to its position in the Brigade then just follows, with an advanced warning message via courier or a visit from the Brigadier or aide if he's lucky, as the Brigade moves keeping his position without having to know where he is headed unless he is the guide regiment. Orders are given by flag and drum and by word of command passed down the line which is why there is always a precautionary, a pause then the executive, giving time for the order to be passed and troops to get prepare. One of the senior officers in the regiment will always be watching for signs of an impending order. Only in emergencies or if detached will the regimental commander be making any decisions and usually emergencies come while engaged so should probably be considered part of combat resolution. Through all of this A Brigadier could be quite active moving anywhere along the Brigade in a fraction of a turn so essentially as long as he is "with" the Brigade he should be considered capable of being anywhere at any given moment which is essentially a command radius I suppose. <br /><br />Division to Brigade is a bit fuzzier to me. If the Brigade is detached with a mission that's one thing, or deploying off the march in which case the Division commander or an aide would normally deliver the order in person giving where to go and what the mission was. If part of a formed divisional attack ala Picket's Charge it would basically require a long time getting set up or to alter once launched.<br /><br />In any case, an order once given remains in force unless completed, cancelled or the unit/formation defeated by enemy action so there shouldn't be a need to keep reinforcing it though possible a change in orders as combat result or reaction to enemy move. Shako had some useful ideas for that at the division level. <br /><br />Something some old systems with written orders captured well until it all gets used in a competitive game between players with varying ideas about how things work. etc or a solo game where they could as easily be in one's head.Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-31603960262107711362016-09-22T23:45:00.774-03:002016-09-22T23:45:00.774-03:00The message itself might be in the form of a comma...The message itself might be in the form of a command chit with some kind of symbol - and arrow for movement and facing, say. This could be capped and revealed the following turn, in the 'Orders Phase'.<br /><br />If the unit need to do something on its own initiative, this might be subject to a 'reaction test', rather than an order. An example might be to form square in the face of a cavalry threat or charge. Another instance might be that, in the absence of an order being in effect, the unit might take a 'reaction test' to see whether it simply stops, or carries on moving, or attacks something, or whatever.<br /><br />The second idea simply permits orders to be sent to units however distant, but for every 'command radius' distance outside 'CR' and extra command 'pip' is required. If the brigade commander's CR is 4", say, then to issue an order to unit whose centre (or command element) is 6" away requires 2 command 'pips'.<br /><br />All this still leaves open the question of higher formations. This really isn't a problem for my BB4ST Napoleonics, as there are really only two command levels involved, Army and Army Corps. The Army commander rolls as many dice as he has Corps commanders, and the allocates the dice scores. The Corps commanders issue orders within the limits just imposed. This is straight out of the DBx system, except that my Army commander doesn't have troops directly under his hand.<br /><br />But what about my ACW armies, which have formation (as opposed to unit) commands at brigade and division level and possibly Corps as well (on the Union side at least). I think there the Army commander would still roll dice for each Corps, say, and allocate for each, and from these orders are issued to Divisions, Brigades or regiments as the player chooses. Because even 6 command pips won't be too many to allocate among a Corps of three Divisions each comprising three Brigades, say, that will tend toward making group moves at formation level.<br /><br />I appreciate I've been a bit wordy - I've been thinking as I go. I also appreciate that for any of these ideas to work, some playtesting and refinement will be required. But I do hope something workable can emerge from these, as I plan to include something of the sort for my own rule sets!<br />Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-9843165067462798182016-09-22T23:44:48.463-03:002016-09-22T23:44:48.463-03:00'Group rule' yes. I was thinking in terms...'Group rule' yes. I was thinking in terms of the basic tactical units (regiment, battalion or battery in my ACW games) being in contact with units of the same formation (brigade, say) or within a short distance (1-inch, say) to a flank, or within, say, 4 inches directly behind (the centre of a rear rank unit being directly behind some part of front rank unit, say.<br /><br />With such a rule, I have in mind the units in line. What of the units in assault columns, say? Possibly the rule I have suggested is too prescriptive, and this is where command radius comes in. Units within command radius may all be issued with the same order, and this must be carried out in the same way, to include direction moved and facing. Exempting units from this group order might require an extra command pip from your command dice, and then you would have to decide whether that leaves it free to carry out some other order, or that this 'other order' would require an extra command pip on top of the exemption. I think the latter possibly too punitive.<br /><br />At any rate, given such a system, one might make the lowest formation command radius quite restricted, say, about the length of a tactical unit in line, with the centre, or command element, of the unit having to be within that radius to be under direct orders.<br /><br />What of units outside the command radius? two ideas occur to me: (1) messengers (ADCs) and/or (2) extra command pip cost for orders.<br /><br />Sending messages adds a complication to the game, but whether it adds anything more than a bally nuisance, I'm not sure. At any rate, to send such messengers requires a staff, though you might decide that rather than move the staff figure, the presence of him with the General permits the passing of messages.<br /><br />Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-82549425949297122692016-09-21T22:38:44.778-03:002016-09-21T22:38:44.778-03:00I think some form of group rule is key. It should ...I think some form of group rule is key. It should be easy to move a properly formed brigade forward. The trick is getting it formed to start with or getting battalions to do different things at different times. Too many possible pips make them irrelevant. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-63819306683760772102016-09-21T20:39:38.927-03:002016-09-21T20:39:38.927-03:00On the Command and control system, I too have trie...On the Command and control system, I too have tried the 'command radius' method. But I found it to fiddly and too artificial. It seems to me that much depends upon the size of battle being fought. A brigade-sized action might well require a greater dispersal of the brigade's units than would obtain in an army-level action.<br /><br />I am considering a PIP system in which the lowest level formation commander (brigade for my ACW, Corps commanders for my BB4ST Napoleonic) allocates orders according to the amount allowed by the PIP roll. Gotta go - I might come back to this...<br />Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-53015721902228749122016-09-21T15:17:55.865-03:002016-09-21T15:17:55.865-03:00Already done that. All the 15's and 15mm terra...Already done that. All the 15's and 15mm terrain gone, 90% of the 54's and all of the 54mm terrain gone. Most of the 25's and terrain gone! <br />I think I just need to tighten up a bit and make the smaller collections smaller! Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2839601747923375105.post-65857282251512072752016-09-21T01:36:58.817-03:002016-09-21T01:36:58.817-03:00If storage is part of the issue, then a different ...If storage is part of the issue, then a different way of looking at streamlining might be to reduce the number of scales so that terrain is not such a space hogger. This of course will have a drastic effect on the figures in the same scale as the buildings that have taken the chop..... ouch!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.com