First Battle Series: Playtesting a Turn Sequence

 Frank Chadwick!                     from Frank_Chadwick.jpg (297×341) (wikimedia.org)

Game designer and dedicated follower of fashion...

The scenario is a great little scrap with no special rules needed, and almost entirely takes place around a town, with a wadi and road being the only other terrain. It is from the Jump Start rules, and there is a more detailed and slightly larger scenario in the Main Rulebook. I played it several times trying different options and getting a firmer grip on the rules. This was a play test where I don't think I made any major mistakes for either side, and the French definitely had a matured plan.

The French force, the 2nd Desert Light Company - attacking to break the British supply line that runs along the road, so taking village 12A - Sukhna - will cut British supply route for their invasion of Vichy Syria in 1940. Includes two platoons of P-178 armored cars, three Lt. Infantry platoons, an MMG platoon, a Commander [command team, so a half-platoon or squad it seems], and their associated soft transport.

The British Force, a detachment of the Arab Legion - trying to hold Sukhna until reinforcements arrive [not in this scenario, however, only in the larger Main Rulebook scenario]. A commander, four platoons of Lt. Infantry, their associated soft transport, a platoon of Marmon-Harrington armored cars.  Not much, but they aren't being attacked by a lot.

Scenario Start. The British infantry occupy the 2-hex town, with the AC in reserve and the trucks behind the town [I'm trying to have a bit of realism here - it is possible with the rules to abuse the presence of transport in a hex. Trucks were a lifeline for a unit, so I am saying that if they are destroyed or captured, they give victory points to the other side]. French are formed up about a Turn away on the road. The Arrow markers are used to show a unit is in Firing Positions [FP]. 

An FP = Overwatch, so, eligible for Opportunity Fire during the opposing movement phase.  This is important as these rules have two chances to Fire - once in your turn, and once in the opposing turn during the movement phase.  If you move, you give up Opportunity Fire [call Reaction Fire] in the opposing move phase.  So during the game turn as a whole, your Firepower is halved if you move.  Not unusual game mechanic, but simple and elegantly done here.

All British Units are ready to Reaction Fire when the French come within range. They are also Concealed in the town, and can't be targeted by Direct Fire [DF] but could still be shelled by Indirect Fire [IF]. I get that, but I still don't like it as an artillery sheaf is about 100x100m, and these hexes are 200x200m, or 4 times the size of the sheaf...if you are just speculating and firing blind, your chance of a hit should be quartered, realistically, unless you drop four salvoes or something. Anyway...

Turn 1. French skip the Prep Fire Phase [called First Fire] and go to Movement. They advance down the road, preparing to dismount outside of effective British infantry range, and also set up a base of fire in the Wadi [blue line] which acts as an entrenchment giving good cover, same as a Town [+3].

As I've now played the scenario several times...the French aren't dumb enough to rush right into Effective Range [for Lt Infantry, 1 hex].  They park at what is long range for the Lt Infantry, 2 hexes. The choice for the Brits is to fire at long range at the relatively weak targets of the Trucks [a 1-4 attack] or wait for the Infantry to dismount and approach to within effective range of 1 hex [a 1-3 attack, but next turn]. Also, once the British Fire they may be fired upon by the French MMG and the two AC platoons. In response, the British also have the M-H AC platoon behind the town. This is the tactical problem that is now jammed into about a 4x4" piece of game board. It feels a bit cramped, actually.

What a "what the ho and cheerio!" the Brits fire, at 1-4, a 10% chance of a hit, which they don't achieve. Also, their fire is too weak to harm the passengers, either. You can't add up firepower in this game to improve the odds on the CRT, you only make additional sequential shots.

Turn 1, French Move Phase continues...

The AC platoon takes a long range shot at the French ACs, and rolls better but still misses due to the range and the "L" light gun they have. A pity...

The French infantry dismount, ending the Move Phase. No French Units may Fire in the Advancing Fire Phase [called Final Fire Phase] as they all moved. There is no move and fire in the basic rules - only some with special rules for gadgets like stablized guns.

The British Turn 1 begins with the AC firing at the P-178 ACs and missing. The infantry fire on the dismounted French infantry - they roll quite poorly and miss! The AC moves up to put the French within its effective range of 3 hexes, which is outside the French effective range of 2 Hexes.

During the Move Phase, the British infantry resume Fighting Positions and may Fire during the French Move Phase.  The AC platoon cannot as it moved up.

You may Fire then Move in this game, OR, not Fire, not Move, then Fire in the Final Fire Phase instead - and at units which revealed themselves by Reaction Firing. Makes overwatch easy to plan.

Turn 2 heats up quickly, as the French lay down some effective Prep Fire. they get some great rolls with the MMG and the ACs, and Pin both British platoons! Pinned units lose their FP and cannot Reaction Fire. This opens up the opportunity for Assault Movement by all units. Assaults allow defenders and attackers to fire during the phasing player's movement, albeit at reduced effect. The other French infantry fire but roll poorly.

French Turn 2 Move Phase, the trucks fall back out of range, while the AC take up an FP to overwatch. The French Infantry assault the Arab Legion in the town!

It should be noted here that I use the Blood and Thunder "Same Hex Combat" rules, which are better than the SoW Assault rules. They allow all combat units to enter an enemy hex, whereupon the defenders may Reaction Fire [at half effect if not in an FP] and then the attackers may fire at half effect. Overall, feels more realistic as this is a sizable 200m x 200m attack going on, and there is plenty of activity with as many as 8 platoons altogether allowed to participate!

British defensive fire is poor - pinned, they've only a 30% chance of pinning the French. French assaulting Fire is good, and they get another Pin result, destroying one Arab platoon. If you pin a pinned unit, it is destroyed - and if you damage a damaged vehicle unit, it is destroyed. Simple.

French Turn 2 move phase continues - the Base of Fire moves down the Wadi to engage the next hex, hopefully pinning the Arabs and preventing them from helping their friends engaged in Close Combat in the North side of town.

British try some Reaction Fire, but don't roll well enough. The French turn ends.

British Turn 2. Prep Fire manages to Pin one French platoon in the North of town, everything else misses. 

British Turn 2 Move Phase. The French AC shoot at the MH but miss.

British don't move, so take up FP instead. Note that this doesn't include the Pinned Brits fighting in the North hex of the town - Pinned units do not take up FP and cannot Reaction Fire [Op Fire]. The French infantry that is NOT Pinned Fires but misses [the other can't fire].

British Move Phase ends with both their Infantry un-Pinning.

As the British Fired everyone already, their turn is done - no one to Fire in the Final Fire Phase.

French Turn 3. Prep Fire goes pretty well. The Pin one Brit platoon in the North and South hexes of town, and Damage the British Armored Car platoon. Both lose their FP and cannot Reaction Fire during the French Move Phase.

French Turn 2 Move Phase. Their AC close to effective range of 2 Hexes, and the rest of the French do not move and take up FP. Brits have two Infantry platoons that may Reaction Fire, one in each hex of the town, but don't achieve anything.

By now, you should have a feel for a turn: Starts with Fire, then a move phase where enemy units in Fighting Positions may Fire, then finally friendly units may Fire if they have not yet Fired and didn't move. This doesn't happen if you have spotted all enemy units as you're going to shoot them in Prep Fire before they can Fire at you during the Move Phase!

British Turn 3. They manage to eliminate the Pinned Lt Infantry platoon. During the Move Phase, the Pinned infantry recover. They cannot Fire as Recovering counts as a Move.

French Turn 4. Prep Fire goes very well, Pinning both Brits in the North of Town, and the Commander in the South hex, and destroying the MH Armored Car platoon. The French AC move closer to increase their firepower against the South hex of town, while the North Hex Infantry assume FPs. The Commander and MMG also assume FPs, but I forgot to mark it.

British Turn 4. They manage to damage a P-178 platoon, but not much else, and their units recover from being Pinned. French Reaction Fire....

...kills one Infantry platoon in the North town hex. This hurts, as the Brits are now down to two Infantry platoons [one in each town hex] and the Commander in the South hex. 

So far the French plan has worked well! They established a base of fire, pinned Brit Units and assaulted into the town, then their fire support shifted to pinning the British in the South hex and destroying their AC, resulting in a gradual attriting of the British force.

British Turn 4. Prep fire doesn't accomplish anything. There's not much else to do, as they do not need to reposition.

French Turn 5. They move the commander into the north part of town, and assume FP with everyone else. Nothing else accomplished.

French and Brit turn 6. The French clear the North part of town and pin the commander in the south. The Brits manage to destroy one AC platoon and the other is pinned!  Still, they are in deep trouble...

French and Brit turn 7. The French Assault into the South part of town with the Damaged Armored Car platoon helping!  They lose the AC but otherwise nothing happens.

Turn 8. The Brit CDR recovered but now the Lt Infantry platoon is Pinned.

French Turn 9. They eliminate the Brit Lt Infantry and take no losses...

...then move the MMG platoon into the North of Town. Brit commander doesn't achieve anything.

French Turn 10. They get two Hits on the Brit CDR, who is double-pinned and dead...

...so the town is clear, the British supply line is cut, and the French win!

Whew! A French victory, finally!

I'd say that the level of abstraction misses a few details that some gamers will like, and can result in some predictable shoot-outs with neither side gaining much until that lucky roll shows up - a natural 1, or 2 perhaps, that pins or destroys a unit.

That being said, the Turn Sequence does make it pretty manageable to plan your "Shoot - Move - Shoot" turn out, but if you get interrupted it can be hard to remember who has done what. The hexes are tight fits resulting in large stacks that have to be spread out elsewhere on the game table to make it easier to track things. One does have a good feel for the difference between Assault / Close Range and Effective range using the Blood & Thunder rules which show a more mature system. If Infantry want to do something decisive, they need to bring heavy firepower to bear, pin the enemy, then Assault the hex.

Time is pretty quick in a small scenario, about an hour or so. I can see it taking two hours if there is more support like Artillery, or a bigger scenario. I don't think armor will last very long once engaged, so probably not an issue.

However, there is overall a lot of splitting the difference, and it generally makes attrition the path to victory for one side. At a counter/unit = 1 Platoon level game, that is OK. 

The rules are pretty simple but not simplistic, and the Turn Sequence commits units to Prep Fire [and possibly moving] or Moving, or Firing at enemy Units that reveal themselves by Reaction Firing during one's Move Phase. This makes for good practical and doctrinal "feel" and the mechanics minimize most aspects of "gaminess" the worst being manipulating the presence of soft vehicles in a hex.

The use of a CRT and mechanics that demand halving and doubling results in a fair amount of math. That could put some people off, altho a halving and a doubling cancel out resulting in zero math. Still, addition and subtraction is preferable to multiplying and dividing, IMHO.

My main issue is that the use of tight fitting hexes results in a fight taking place in a pretty small area of the board with stacks of 4-6 counters a side possible [2 Vic, 2 non-vic, and a marker counter or two] and teetering everywhere. the game would have benefitted TREMENDOUSLY by making the - very cheap, thin - map boards much larger so that the hexes could be twice the diameter resulting in 4x more space, or enough space for each side to have two stacks of combat units of 2-3 counters. This is something one can solve, by blowing up the key combat areas like a town and playing them next to the main map.

Overall, I think the system works for the company to battalion level of play it aspires to give. However, it is not very dynamic once you have maneuvered into position - it basically becomes one shot after another until something gives. There will then be an occasional maneuver decision to make. That may well be realistic with weaker units and minimal support from armor and artillery. Speaking of which...

This was a small scenario with no Artillery. Indirect Fire guns will certainly present more options for the attacker and help develop a plan of attack by pinning enemy units. Armor will obviously present itself as a maneuverable but risky unit, as it is most effective up close but then it is most vulnerable. At a longer distance, it is only effective against other armor units.

So the summary is that this system seems to offer attrition-oriented combat within a Turn Sequence that keeps both players engaged, while offering enough maneuver to keep you thinking, but not so much that it gets unrealistic. The concealment rules seem like they will need to be fleshed out a bit, but are realistic enough for a game with this level of detail. I never felt that the core mechanics were unrealistic or jarringly a-historical. While there is some gaminess possible, solutions are readily available like making soft transport part of the enemy victory points.

Overall, I feel like this is a good game system without a lot of rule problems if you have B&T on hand to answer your questions. Both TY and SoW benefit from additional rules explanations that came later in B&T.

I'm still uncertain I prefer this structured turn sequence to my own simpler, more fluid one. But I am giving it a thorough try!

Modern 1980s War Games: The Structured Turn Sequence

    Will it be "Fire then Move" Gentlemen...

 www.asisbiz.com/Battles/Barbarossa/images/German-Tank-column-on-the-move-Russia-01.jpg

    ...or Move then Fire?? 

While it is simple and addictive, I don't like the "Alpha Strike" aspect of Ogre / GEV. It is true that the technology envisioned in the game allows for constant movement and firing, much like the modern M1 Abrams has - but better one would think as it is 2085. Therefore much of the vehicular combat would be more like a naval engagement, with constant movement while firing on the move. However, in terms of game play, you get to move and fire without taking any fire. In terms of the technology, one would assume that if nothing else there would be a simultaneous combat between the moving player and the units he attacks, and sometimes one will miss on the CRT while the other hits, which takes into account one side hitting the other first.

Modern warfare does have a certain element of Alpha to it, no doubt, but the Alpha Strike has to do with combat effectiveness, the combination of training and technology. It isn't caused by a turn sequence that allows you to move and shoot before the defense shoots back. The general consensus would be that defenders are lying in wait and can shoot back first. Of course, if they are otherwise engaged by a unit - and their attention is focused there - or they are focused on movement, they may not be ready to shoot first.  

So, altho we can't always give the defender a shoot-first, we should always give them a shoot-first possibility, IMHO. This represents the defending unit has spent time preparing for an enemy advance, and will generally be ready for it. In my modern combat games, I call this "Ready" and it functions like a "saved" Action that is spent later. It's not a new concept, but the game that inspired me the most would be Andy Chamber's "Starship Troopers" published by Mongoose Publishing..

It's the same old problem: Move OR Shoot?  Move AND Shoot?  Shoot AND Move? When does the opponent get to shoot?  IGO-UGO or integrated turn? Or, splice the turn sequence by activity type, like like so many 1980s classics by John Hill, Frank Chadwick, et al. Well, does it make it easier to play with the old 80s style turn sequences?  My thought is so, but let's talk about that...

                    Just looking at this pic gets my blood up to play this game again!

ORIGINAL "SQUAD LEADER" (1977-ish) has a classic example of this highly structured, segmented by activity type of Turn Sequence, comprising 2 player turns of about 5 minutes with the following phases:

1. Rally Phase [also, artillery requests begin here]

2. Prep Fire Phase [also, artillery requests from last turn arrive]

3. Movement Phase

4. Defensive Fire Phase [also, artillery requests from last turn arrive]

5. Advancing Fire Phase

6. Rout Phase

7. Advance Phase

8. Close Combat Phase [also, artillery requests continue]

Eight Phases!  These  phases regulate your plans to, essentially:

PREPARE your troops, lay down preparatory fire to suppress the enemy, move [receive defensive fire], fire any units which moved - or have not moved or fired yet, ALL units of BOTH sides that have been 'broken' by fire run away to cover, and then the phasing player advances any of his units one hex including into an enemy hex - if that occurs, there is close combat. 

Your opponent then gets to be the Phasing Player and has the same sequence to do the same back to you.

It is essentially an "IGO-UGO" turn with an integrated move/shoot sequence [that incorporates Defensive Fire] followed by Close Combat.

FRANK CHADWICK modern game Turn Sequences
Main reason this fellow gets a section of his own is that I have a number of his games, and his 80s Turn Sequence evolves in various ways over the 30-year span of the rules - interesting!

1981. 15mm Traveller Miniatures: "Striker"

This one is actually a lot like "Squad Leader" but it is not as well explained. While much briefer, the rules are not as clear as SL, IMHO. The scale is 1mm=1m [or 1/1000] and represents 30seconds of activity. The turn sequence is:

1. Command Phase. Both sides decide command functions for their Leaders – Lead, Order, Rally - and issue any orders, or request IF Fire Missions for next Turn [or later].
2. P1 Move Phase. P1 moves his units [P2 OpFires DF units that didn’t Move last Turn ].
3. P1 Fire Phase. 
• P2 Fires. P2 IF arrives; P2 then Fires DF Units that didn’t Move last turn. 
• P1 Fires DF Units.
4. Melee Phase
5. P2 Move Phase. P2 moves his units [P1 OpFires DF units that didn’t Move last Turn ].
6. P2 Fire Phase. 
• P1 Fires. P1 IF arrives; P1 then Fires DF Units that didn’t move last Turn.
• P2 Fires DF Units.
7. Melee Phase
8. Panic Morale Check Phase. Both player’s Units check for Panic as needed.

I like how the turn starts with leader actions that will shape the turn.  Aside from that, it is an IGO-UGO move-shoot-melee sequence, with shared Command, Melee and Morale Check phases.

1987. First Battle modern era: "Team Yankee"
I really like this board game, altho I have not played it thoroughly.  It is certainly an enjoyable intro to modern combat, which is more than most modern combat games can say!  Nice balance of realism and playability. I have a few posts of it here [click]. It turned out to be the first of a series of games off the same design, and they ended up being name the First Battle system. For a nice overview and review of the system, go to BoardgameGeek here [click]. A hex is 200m and a full game turn is about 5 minutes [not defined].

Game Turns [GT] consist of two Player Turns [PT] with Artillery at the beginning and end. 

Artillery Fire Mission Requests. [P1 and P2]

Player Turns

P1 Prep Fire.

P1 Movement with 2P Reaction Fire [RF; 2P RF units sacrificed their move in e].

P1 Advancing Fire.

P2 Prep Fire.

P2 Movement with 1P Reaction Fire [1P RF units sacrificed their move in b].

P2 Advancing Fire.

Artillery Fire Mission[s] Arrive. [P1 and P2]
One interesting twist on this Turn Sequence is that the side given "Initiative" by the scenario - usually the attacker - can choose to be Player 1 or Player 2 each turn. This can allow him to go twice in a row. Altho he must grant the same to the opponent first, deciding on the timing can make up for it. An advanced rule adds a simple command control rule at the start of each player turn but it isn't a "phase".

1991. First Battle modern era: "Battle for Basra"

This free game takes the "Team Yankee" design and bumps it up to a counter being a company instead of a single vehicle or team. Also, the Turn Sequence gets a little twist, giving the US a Move-Shoot-Move turn, but the Iraqis a Shoot-Move turn. This gives the US two gears - forward and shoot, and shoot and retreat - while the Iraqis are confined to reverse gear - shoot and retreat. There's zero chance of a counter-attack with them, pretty much. While a very interesting exercise in Turn Sequence design, I found it too easy to beat up the Iraqis and opted to use the TY sequence instead!

1991. First Battle moderns - WWII to the Gulf War: "The Sands of War"

This has the same Turn Sequence from TY, but adds an actual Command Phase at the start of each player turn. The CC rules are also fleshed out, and units out of Command Control are basically halved in effectiveness. I assume the rules for the 1990 Battlefield Europe are almost identical.

The Sands of War ups the TY design to one counter is a platoon [instead of one vic or a team], and a turn is 15 minutes. I think that's a bit long - feels more like 5-10 minutes. This game starts with WWII 1940 scenarios and takes the player through several more middle east wars including the Irab-Isreali Wars, Iran-Iraq War and ends with the Gulf War in 1991. Perfect vehicle to study not only weapon systems from 1940-1990 but the rule mechanics for them! 

1991. First Battle WWII: "Blood and Thunder"

This is the full maturation of this set of rules, far as I can tell. The rules are almost identical to TSoW but the assault / same-hex combat rules are thought out in much more detail - I like them a bit better, altho they add a bit more math, they are much more reasonable.

2012. "Command Decision: Test of Battle"

This is actually a miniatures game, and seems to be the last word in this lengthy series of Command Decision rules.  Here, the Turn Sequence renames a few things and puts the Command Phase at the...end?  Unusual!

1. Artillery Phase: artillery requests and results
2. Movement: 
• Prep Fire is declared sequentially then resolved simultaneously.
• Side A then Side B moves.
3. Opportunity Fire: DF and IF are both resolved simultaneously.
4. General Fire: Remaining Fire is resolved simultaneously.
5. Command & Morale: Order and Overwatch markers are placed. Morale checks are resolved.

Overall, it is the same sequence, except that Prep Fire doesn't have its own phase, and is incorporated into Movement. Opportunity Fire is then not incorporated into movement but part of a second / final / advancing Fire Phase, which wraps up the Fires. With a Game Turn of 30 minutes and one vic a platoon, all fire is simultaneous due to the long amount of combat possible [intermittently]. Would be interesting to hear his thoughts on this sequence!  Overall, it is a turn 60 times longer than Striker, with many possible outcomes at the operational level.

The main question for me is: 

"Do these structured Turn Sequences make it easier for me to remember what to do and when?"

Some additional thoughts on the Turn Sequence

1) It needs to allow a logical plan to flow in one turn, UNLESS it is imperative or realistic for the opponent to react part way thru the plan, e.g. OpFire. Most of these sequences seem like they will aid you in doing so, altho they can also restrict your reactions because they are less fluid. Overall, I think they not only help a new player to "organize his thoughts and plan" but show a plan developing on the battlefield.
2) In Modern Combat, the logical plan is "Fire, then Maneuver". The intent of the Fire is to suppress the defense - preferably entirely - and allow the Maneuvering force to approach unscathed to make its attack, preferably on the flank or rear. This means that the logical sequence for a modern fight has to be:
Artillery, Preparatory Direct Fire, Movement, [Defense Fire], Advancing Fire [at reduced effect]. All of these follow this pattern with Direct Fire, but the artillery is in various spots, often in a following turn. Easy to house-rule and fiddle with since the Artillery is in a designated phase.

I found Team Yankee and Basra smooth enough in the several games I played here [CLICK]. However, I've put more thought and research into modern combat since then, so it is definitely time for another playtest - but this time with my newly acquired "The Sands of War"!

Ogre: Objective 218 w' Mr. Winkie -

Combine or Paneuro - the fight between socialist tyrants continues at Objective 218...

Mr. Winkie asked for this game. He is getting bigger - as is his hair. From this angle, he looks like a refugee from an 80s band...[CLICK], but that's the voice of jealousy talking.

Above, the cards laid out, the objective is between, and we are ready to go!

Into out first scrap, I'm pushing hard on the left of the 'board' [created by the cards, the center piece is three "spaces" and next to them on the left are two Combine units - in the right "spaces" are one Combine and one Paneuro unit]. But Mr. Winkie has used a Lt. GEV to attack my command post, knocking out the Howitzer that held it!

I continue to develop my attack on the left, not too worried about the LGEV in my rear...

Couple turns later, I find myself stymied on the left, so decide to throw a right hook at him.  It was not a smooth plan...

I develop my right hook, getting a GEV next to his CP. Then, Mr. Winkie then makes his move - he puts simultaneously puts his Lt GEV into support, and attacks my CP with his Missile Tank, then occupies my CP - DRAT!!

Mr. Winkie is clearly maturing in tactical skills!

Next games, we have some interesting plays to learn. Below, I dropped an OGRE in the right center space pretty quickly.

Altho damaged by his Infantry attack...

...the OGRE continues to apply strong support and supply presence, allowing a lightning attack my my Lt. GEVs!

We then spend several rounds fighting over the space next to his CP, to the right. I keep destroying what he puts there, and he kept fighting for it.

I put a Hvy Tank in...

He cleared it with an Infantry assault...then I deep striked my second OGRE behind it!

Poor Mr. Winkie!

But yeah, his counter attacks were tough, but in the end I maintained my supply lines and took his CP - one for the Old Man!

We played a few more games and settled on a 2-2 tie. A tie-breaker is in the future!

Ogre: Objective 218 delivers on its promise to give you an engaging card game. Altho it is a sci-fi armor game, it feels pretty true to life for the Ogre universe, anyway. There are numerous and many tactics to try out, and my only regret is that I don't play it often enough to figure out more.  A compact and inexpensive game, I still heartily recommend it!

Sci-Fi fun w' Mr. Winkie - Terminator Genysis

Terminator Genysis Boardgame - Mission 6

pa-pow-pow-pow!  Take some beatdown from Ahnold you mercurial creep!

This mission has our intrepid band of heroes traveling from the bottom right corner of the board to Waypoint C, all the way on the left [small room tile]. The challenge here is that Skynet controls the 6 doors that block the route, and the Team can only open one at a time - opening the next door closes the previous one.  The Team needs to stay close together so no one gets left behind.

This team has Ah-nold [played by Mr. Winkie] a walking wall of firepower and fist-pounding abilities, and "Alex" the techno-geek and hacker [yours truly]. Alex is essential in this Mission as he has a techno-"interact" box in which any dice placed may be changed to any value. So if you put a die with value '3' in there, but you need a '1' to open a door, you can change it to the '1' or whatever you need.  Without this ability, the team is dependent on rolling the exact number needed to crack the door code [1-6] or  is stuck. With 4 dice per player character [8 dice] that is still likely to happen but you end up hovering around the computer terminals trying to roll the right values.

The Team has three additional Resistance Soldiers.  They are pretty good, except that you need to use your dice to use them.  If the dice you place on their card is a 1-3, they get 1 Action; on a 4-6 they have 2 Actions [Move or Fire, basically]. With three of them, that means that 3/8 of our dice are needed just to move and fight them, and one dice is needed to open/close doors, so there's 4/8 dice left.  Allocating dice resources will be in important decision!  Remember, every turn Skynet has a chance to add a few reinforcing machines into the map, so there is an aspect of running against the clock.

Furthermore, while one can roll well and not end up with additional machine reinforcements, the Waypoints are triggered by entry into the Area where they are located - as there is no way to traverse the map without "triggering" Waypoints, some of those unpleasant surprises are going to happen no matter what. And as one doesn't know which value the Waypoints are usually [Alpha thru Hotel on one side, but a "?" on the other] one has to be prepared for something super nasty each time you enter a Waypoint's Area.

Hope that all makes sense!  It gives the game great replay value with every mission.

In this run of Mission 6, we have Ah-nold with the white ring, Alex with a red, and the three Resistance Soldiers in Blue, Yellow and Red, all at bottom right. Above are the lines of machine reinforcements that may enter when Ahnold [white line of machines] or Alex [red line] are done activating. Below are our character tiles with various Equipment and Weapon cards, and our Class Cards [which are enhanced personal abilities for Ahnold and Alex, such as additional wounds, moves, etc]. The game takes some time to set up, about 20-40 minutes or more, due to the many tiles, obstacle counters, player characters and ability cards, etc. It is not a quick casual game like OGRE 218!  But it is certainly a richer game.

We didn't make it far before some reinforcing machines entered right near our start point [the reddish 1-2 diespot tile at left], and both a T72 weapon platform [we call them "doggies"] and a T-800 exoskeleton enter and blast the red Resistance Soldier [two red skulls]. Fortunately, Alex is on overwatch and takes down the T-800 [three white POW!s].

Having held off the attack on the rear, the Team moves through the next couple of rooms and passes a couple of Waypoints relatively uneventfully. As we get to the end, a strong sense of foreboding comes upon me...things have just been too easy! While Alex hacks doors just off the right of the pic, Ahnold and two Resistance Soldiers prepare to trigger the last Waypoint. I insisted that everyone be loaded up and ready to fire before Mr. Winkie sent in Soldier Blue to see what Waypoint Delta is...

...and I was right!  It's a T-1000 and it quickly spears Blue with his sword-hand!  Having taken Blue down, the T-1000 advances on Yellow and Ahnold.  Alex then joins the fight and between everybody, we stun the T-1000 and push it back into the bottom-left room corner...

...then we dash past it when it was still hampered by damage. Waypoint C beckons, and we escape!

In this second run, we decided to try it alone without the additional 3 Resistance Soldiers. We got partway thru, when I forgot about the "one door at a time" being open, and left Ahnold behind!

Compounding the error, Mr. Winkie rolled for a T-800 to enter right behind Ahnold, who then rolled a perfect 3/3 Hits on his Attack Dice [three Red Skulls]. I rolled that!

Ahnold goes down!  And the door between us is closed!

On Alex's next activation,  he opens the door again, dashes over and performs 1st Aid, saving Ahnold.

In a masterful Feat of Arms, Alex blasts the T-800 to pieces with his plasma rifle.

We then move on through the power generator tile. We carefully trigger the next Waypoint, which is the T-1000! Glad we are in a large 2-tile Area and have a little tactical space - we might survive!

First, Ahnold advances and blasts it with his shotgun, knocking it back and stunning it.

Unfortunately, Mr. Winkie then rolls for two machines to enter right next to Ahnold! The HK and the T-800 are at point blank range.

Fortunately, Ahnold has some Overwatch on hand [we allow you to save up dice you haven't used for Combat]. He whirls around and blasts both machines to pieces!

We quickly re-route ourselves around the stunned T-1000, which only recovers one Hit, fortunately.

This makes it pretty easy to run into the last waypoint - it turns out to be the only beneficial Waypoint in the Mission, so we keep going into Area C ignoring it and ending the mission.

I'm still trying to find the right balance of overwatch activity. I hate "wasting" dice when there is no use for them, but too much saving of dice makes things a bit too easy. The best thing is to allow reinforcing machines - whether ambushing from a doorway, or just activating normally and catching up - to move and shoot first, then use our "saved" character dice to react to their advance.

Overall, this is an excellent game with quality components and solid rules that needs no tweaking, but you may want to do so just a bit.  There's plenty of replay value and the miniatures are excellent and flash-free.  Mr. Winkie will ask for this game before almost any one of them. Now that he's 11, he is getting better and better at thinking tactically altho he still gets easily distracted by shiny things.

Highly recommended game!

Bounce Post for Commission and Regiment

Since !$%@%&*(&(#&%^! Facebook has taken a dislike to my Horse and Musket blog, "Commission and Regiment" I have to give you a link to bounce over there.  Soooo, just [CLICK] the link Gentle Reader.

For the Franco-Prussian posts, click [HERE].

What's Missing in One-Hour Wargames Rules...

2/3 of the H&M OHW Rules...obviously not encumbered with details and differentiations...

What would the design teams of "Empire III" and "Advanced Squad Leader" say about this???

"One-Hour Wargames" rules are pretty sparse - which is why they are so short! Unfortunately, essential mechanics have been left for the players to decide. Some aspects must be defined or clarified, no matter what your gaming preferences are. In other words, there's no way of playing the game without these coming up and then having to be discussed. It's all well and good if you're hanging out with a friend - especially one who isn't a wargamer - but the tendency of people to argue to their own advantage, OR, the need to explain to a willing participant, means you may as well think about them now and make a decision. 

These are modified from my post on the Ancient thru Horse and Musket rules HERE.

Without further ado, here you go:

Missing and Must Be Decided

General
- Premeasuring allowed?
- rounding fractions in favor of attacker, i.e. ANY fraction UP? so 2.25 Hits = 3 Hits?
- Unit Size dimensions are loosely given, typically 4-6" in the rules, with a few like guns being half that. It MATTERS for a number of mechanics AND how many units fit onto the table top in certain spaces, how wide the units are. Depth isn't very important. Most important, that both sides are using the same size bases for the same Units, so there isn't a dis/advantage.

Movement
- Crossing River at Ford / Bridge, i.e. rate, cost, bridge model
- Road Movement, i.e. how does a 1-base unit do it - sideways if a rectangle?
- Charging; How to Contact [corner-edge? edge-edge? full / partial alignment?]
- Measurement point for move distance to Contact?
- Cavalry retreat from Hand-to-Hand: 6" move any direction? or straight back?

Shooting
- measurement points to / from Units [center-closest? center-center? closest-closest?]
- measurement point for Unit occupying town?
- Firing Arc, i.e. how is a Unit "within" 45 degrees of the front facing?  over half?
- How much of a Unit needs to be seen to be targeted?
- How large a gap does a shooter need to fire through? Between friendly units?
- Line of Sight, including through / within / across Area & Linear Terrain, and over units [especially important for artillery Units].

Terrain
- How many Units may occupy a town? If 2+, how do you work the 360 fire arc? Do units just maintain their "formation" in the town like they would in a woods? 
- what's "in" woods / town terrain?  [entire Unit or Unit Edge] [Partially or fully] within?
- How does a Unit "occupy" a hilltop? Same as "in woods / town" above? Are hills plateaus with a crest at the edge? Or do they have a military crest running along the long center line?

MY DECISIONS
I generally divide the periods into Ancient [Ancient thru Pike and Shot] and Moderns [Horse and Musket to WWII]. The general concept is that modern armies begin when training is widely introduced to make movement and shooting more predictable.

General
- Premeasuring is allowed; 
- Any fraction is round UP. This "minimum" Hit of '1' gives a little satisfaction on a bad roll, and it also is justified by how intense and tiring combat is.
- Unit Sizes: For Ancients, I field units on a 2-1 front / Side base size ratio. My Medievals are all being rebased to 5" front and 2.5" deep. This is close to the WRG / DBx standard of 12cm front by 6cm deep. I then use the Base Width [BW] of 5" and Base Depth [BD] of 2.5" as measurement tools. For Moderns, I will be using multi-stand units about 4cm x 2cm in size, and they take up about 5-6" wide on the table.
- Line of Sight [LoS] I handled using the 2-1 base width-depth ratio. For a shot or charge, an attacker needs a BD of the target unit. So all of a flank and 1/2 the front of the base. The entire LoS needs to be within range, so again it would be the entire flank side of the base, or 1/2 of the front side of the base - the 1/2 front side doesn't need to be center to corner.

Movement
- Crossing River at Ford / Bridge, i.e. rate, cost, bridge model
I cross at normal move rates, but always make the river about an infantry move wide. So the most common units spend a turn crossing.
- Road Movement, i.e. how does the 1-base unit do it?
for Ancients, I let any contact with the road count, as they are mostly just a rough track or trail, anyway, and hasten movement not due to the quality of the road itself but due to the ease of staying on course. For Moderns, I have multiple base units so they just move along the narrow side of the base, each base upon the road.

- Charging; How to Contact [corner-edge? edge-edge? full / partial alignment?]
I use edge / edge and maximise contact, with the minimum being half the front, or a BD.
- Measurement point for move distance to Contact? I use charger's front center point to the farthest point of the LoS - a full BD of the base side being charged. 
- Cavalry retreat from Hand-to-Hand, e.g. 6" move any direction or straight back?
As I use edge-edge contact, they bounce straight back, HOWEVER, this is a good example where I can see allowing the corner contact along the straight line, and then moving directly back along that same charge line, so no conforming to edge contact.
- turning and corner / edge interpenetrating friendly / enemy units.
I allow this as the Units themselves are an area that has soldiers in it, not that the entire base footprint is entirely packed with people. Also, it's a lot easier on players to move around, especially when they're learning the game.

Shooting
- measurement points to / from Units [center-closest? center-center? closest-closest?]
Front Center point to the entire LoS, which is BD long [half the front, all the side] must be within range.
- measurement point for Unit occupying town?
One Unit per town, so the center of each of the four sides of the square, as tho it was a unit.
- Firing Arc, i.e. how is a Unit "within" 45 degrees of the front facing?
The entire LoS must be with the front 45 degree arc, so 1/2 the front, all of the side.
- How much of a Unit needs to be seen to be targeted?
A BD, or 1/2 the front, all of the side, needs to be in LoS.
- How large a gap does a shooter need to fire through? A BD.
- Line of Sight, including through / within / across Area & Linear Terrain, and over units [especially important for artillery Units]. 
I use a BD across a terrain edge or line that blocks LoS [e.g. woods, hill crest] or a BD within terrain [woods, town]. I don't allow shooting over friendly units, but if a Unit is a full level higher or more than an intervening enemy unit, I allow them to shoot if that unit is closer to them than the target unit.
- Can you shoot into a melee [Ancients, Dark Ages, Medieval, Pike & Shot rules]? 
I say yes, as long as you have a Line of Sight. This is b/c I don't see melee as continuous, but a series of short, sharp attacks with times of breaks in between. This also allows bowmen and Skirmishers to support other units during the game better.

Terrain
- How many Units may occupy a town? If 2+, how to work the 360 fire arc?
One in Ancients - so the square town is like a unit. In Moders, I let them fight through towns like they are woods, in effect.
- what's "in" woods / town terrain?  [entire Unit or Unit Edge] [Partially or fully] within?
I say entirely within area terrain to get a defensive bonus in melee. For shooting, if the LoS has the terrain between, then the unit gets the terrain bonus.
- How does a Unit "occupy" a hilltop? Same as "in woods / town" above?
I use a military crest, usually, so I define this by being "uphill" of the opponent in melee. If both are across the slope and appear "equally" situated from uphill to downhill no one gets a defensive bonus.

While there are many different rule sets out there that handle these mechanics and situations differently, I've tried to choose a series of intuitive, visually obvious means to solve most of the issues in the simplest way possible. Additional nuance is usually BOTH tedious and a-historical. An overall difference is best expressed with something simple, like Cavalry is faster than infantry, so it has a 12" move rather than the 6" infantry move.

Hope this list helps you to more easily prepare to play these rules and start considering your own way to handle the various situations that arise.