Getting the Balance Right

Typical game French v Prussians in north Germany

A recent comment on the blog caused me to consider getting the balance right in wargames, and also the once highly regarded subject of National Characteristics.   I remember well the many and lengthy discussions about the rights and wrongs of different national combat ability, which came under this heading.   On the surface it seems a very sensible consideration, but having played a couple of wargames it soon became obvious that it gave too great an advantage to some nations.   For example British infantry in line, British riflemen in skirmish or the French Imperial Garde in general.   On the other hand pity the wargamer who had to play a game commanding a Spanish army.  

Looking back it reminds me of the lengthy and complicated charts in Wargames Research Rules, which were my favourite Napoleonic rules for many, many years.   I shudder when I think of the many hours spent adding and subtracting for morale and combat tests.   And then the whole thing was decided by the roll of a dice.   Why did it take me so long to realise that all wargames rules are decided by the roll of a dice, and if you add to many points to one side the other will always lose.

I also remember the highly regarded muilti player large wargames, including those I was fortunate to be able to take play at Peter Gilders Wargames Holiday Centre.   The great thing about these games with large metal armies on large wargame tables was the sheer spectacle.   I remember the first time I saw Waterloo laid out on Peter Gilders terrain and was completely blown away.   I had seen similar in the pages of Wargames Illustrated, but seeing the real thing was something else.   I had two holidays at the centre, and really enjoyed the experience.   But the actual games were actually disappointing.   Much too many figures to command, much too big an area to move around but most important too many players who did not understand the rules.   I took part in a game of Leipzig when I was one of 20 players.   My opponent had never used In The Grand Manner rules before and just did what he wanted.   I had so many figures and such a large area that  I was fully occupied just trying to control my army, and by the time I realised he was pretty well ignoring the rules the game was spoiled.   But I still had to spend many more hours of heated discussion trying to explain why he could not continue to attack when all of his army should be retreating in rout.

This, and many similar wargames, finally convinced me to look at wargames from a different view point.  Instead of trying to recreate the spectacle of Waterloo or Leipzig, I would approach the rules from the player angle.   Different  players want different things from a wargame, I wanted a fun enjoyable experience for all players.  I also wanted a game which did not take weeks to plan and set up.   We spend an hour Wargaming most days, and I wanted to be able to complete a full game in about a week.   The games are a maximum of 12 moves, so if I could complete two moves in one hour I could meet my target.

If you get  the basics right, the whole thing falls into place very quickly.  

Getting back to National Characteristics.   We use French, Austrian, British (and Portuguese), Prussian, Russian and Spanish.   On the wargames table all armies have three corps.   Each corps have four infantry brigades, one cavalry brigade and corps artillery.   All are equal, except Spanish which are still a work in progress.

All artillery have the same short and maximum range.   All gunners are trained, no elite or conscript.   Thus all artillery are equal in combat and morale.

Cavalry are heavy and light, heavy get plus 1 for combat.  Most are trained, cossacks are conscript.   There are no elite.

Each corps have four infantry brigades, which have different morale, melee, firing and skirmish grades.  There are three grades, which are elite, trained and conscript.   The combination of these grades make each brigade suitable for different tasks.

First brigade is elite, they have plus one for morale and combat.   Minus 1 for skirmish.

Second brigade are light, they are trained, have minus one for volley fire and plus one for skirmish

Third brigade is standard, they are trained but no plus or minus

Fourth brigade is conscript, they have minus one for morale, combat, volley fire and skirmish

You will see that  there is very little difference between any brigades.   Imperial Garde get plus 1 and Spanish get minus 1, a total of 2 difference.   All tests are decided by rolling one D6.   So if the Garde have one casualty and roll 1 they will lose.  

None of this is perfect, but it is simple and it does give a fast moving and (for us) most often enjoyable game.   Given that we game most days that  is quite an achievement.

 

 

Nordhausen Campaign – Day One

2 September 1813 – Nordhausen Campaign - Day 1

French defend Nordhausen/Halle border
4 French army – defend Halberstadt
5 French army – defend Sangerhausen
6 French army – defend Heldrungen

Russian attack Halberstadt
1 Russian army – attack Halberstadt
2 Russian army – observe Sangerhausen
3 Russian army – observe Heldrungen

Battle of Halberstadt – table at start of battle

Both armies are deployed on the table at the start of the game, with 2 foot between them
This is a surprise attack by the Russian army.
The defending French army cannot move until the start of move 2

The three objectives are in the centre of the table.
The farm on the left, the woods in the centre and the hill on the right
The army which occupies at least two at the end of the battle is the winner

The defending army is not in position on the three objectives
Therefore the Russian army arrives at all three objectives a little earlier than the French

On the right three Russian infantry brigades are sent to take the hill
Their cavalry, artillery and one infantry brigade are deployed to the right of the hill
The French duplicate this deployment, also sending three infantry brigades to take the hill
The resulting infantry skirmish and melee decides the outcome
The French win the skirmish battle, but the Russians win the melee and occupy the hill

In the centre the Russians send three infantry brigades to take the woods.
Their cavalry, artillery and one infantry brigade hold the area between the woods and the hill
The French cavalry advance and force the Russian artillery into a nearby square
They are charged by the Russian cavalry, who win the melee and rout them
The Russian infantry hold the woods, despite a series of French counter attacks

On the left Russian infantry enter the farm, but come under fire from French artillery
The Cossack brigade are routed by the French cavalry, who in turn are routed by artillery fire
The French infantry attack the farm and after prolonged fighting rout the Russian defenders

At the end of just 6 moves both sides have suffered only light casualties
But both have a lot of brigades in rout, 11 French and 5 Russian
The French are too weak to launch another attack and the Russians win the battle

Comments
Normally the defending army are deployed on the three game objectives at the start of the game.
But for this campaign I have decided to deploy both armies at either end of the table
The three 2 foot squares containing the objectives are between them
Both armies have to advance to occupy them, resulting in an encounter style wargame

The normal sequence of a 12 move game was in three parts.
During the first four moves the attacking side moved onto the table and deployed out of range
For the next four moves the artillery and cavalry would try to gain an advantage
During the last four moves the attacking infantry would engage the defending infantry

This type of game relied on the attacker gaining an initial advantage for his cavalry or artillery.
He would then hope to break the weakened defending army with an infantry attack
Normally the first round of skirmish or melee would decide the outcome of the game
Because there would not be time to rally routed brigades and launch a counter attack
It was hoped that with this new deployment the fighting would start sooner
This would allow time for routed brigades to rally and counter attack.


This happened to a degree in this wargame, but it was not decisive
For some reason there was an unusually high number of routed brigades
And this despite the fact that casualties were not particularly high on either side
Obviously the reason was low dice at a critical time, and this applied to both sides.

In this game it happened more for morale tests than combat tests
This may be just a “one off”, and I will need to play a few more games to confirm
If so it may be necessary to change the morale rules.
This is something I have been considering for some time.

The change in deployment certainly resulted in a much more exciting wargame
Both armies were in contact at all three objectives much sooner than previously
But because of routs the expected counter attacks did not materialise.

Nordhausen Campaign Phase

Map of Europe

Our next campaign phase is set in central Germany where the Second French Army Group is opposed by the Russian Army.   This is the 23^rd campaign phase of the sixth campaign, which started in June 2020.  Nordhausen is the one with the white star.   Each star is a campaign phase and the colour indicates which side won.

There are five campaign areas and each one has a French army group plus an Austrian, British, Prussian, Russian or Spanish army.

Central Germany

There are three regions in central Germany, and the sixth campaign is fought in Erfurt region.   There are nine districts in each region, and each district is a campaign phase.   This campaign is fought in Nordhausen district.   There are nine squares in each district, each one is a wargames table.  

The French won two of the previous four campaign phases, and Russians also won two.  

Nordhausen Campaign Map

The campaign map  covers the area from Nordhausen (on the left) to Halle on the right.   The district border is the dotted purple line in the centre.   The Russian army is deployed to the right of the border, with its headquarters at Halle.   The French army is to the left, with its headquarters in Nordhausen.   The Russian army has orders to cross into Nordhausen district and take the city of Nordhausen.   It  is anticipated that they will have to fight six battles to do so, one for each town.  

Each square on this map is a 2x2 foot square on the wargames table.   There are six tables, one for each town.

Each army group is divided into three armies, and each army has three corps. 

 

Table at  start of wargame

Comment

Most campaigns last approximately 6 to 8 weeks and each wargame about seven to ten days.

I often use a campaign to test new wargame or campaign rules written as a result of the previous campaign.   For a long time our battles/wargames have consisted of one army in defence attacked by the other army.   This photo of the start of a wargame shows what I mean.   The game objectives are the centre three squares, the woods on the left, the hill in the centre and the bridge on the right.   An advance guard of one corps is in position on the hill in the centre.  The other two corps are in the squares either side of the town.   All three attacking corps are off table at the top of the photo, and will arrive at the start of move 1.

For the next  campaign we are going to test play a new deployment.   The three game objectives will be the three squares in the centre of the table.   One army will be in position on the top three squares,  the other on the bottom three.   At the start of move 1 both armies will march towards the three objectives.   This will be similar to an encounter game, where both armies march towards each other.  

There are a maximum of 12 moves in each game, and at present it is not unusual for the attacker to run out of time and the game is decided before either side has really won.  This is because it takes about four moves for the attacker to come within 12” (long range artillery fire) of the defender.   Two to four moves are required for the attacker to use his artillery and cavalry to try to gain an advantage, and then the final four moves for the attacking infantry to reach the defending infantry. 

This new deployment will allow the attacker to fight the artillery and cavalry part of the game, and to reach the enemy infantry.  In addition there should be time for a second or third round of melee to take place, which will allow for rally and counter attack.

Looking forward to seeing how well this works in practice.

Burgos Campaign – Day Seven

1 September 1813 – North Spain – Day 7

French lose campaign and retreat into Burgos district
10 French army – retreat to Picuerga
11 French army – retreat to Santa Maria
12 French army – retreat to Cuellar

British win campaign and hold Valladolid-Burgos district border
1 British army – occupy Quintana
2 British army – occupy Laguna
3 British army – occupy Coca

Burgos Campaign Map

Comments

Most of you will be aware that our campaigns, and the battles fought as a result, is very much a family affair. I do the map work on my own, and set up the table from the map with the two armies. I then brief Jan (my wife) at the table with a short background to the game and explain the winning conditions. For quite a long time this has been two of the three middle squares on the table. The player who controls at least two of those squares at the end of 12 game moves wins the game. Every square on my wargames table has a terrain feature, for example village, woods or hill. That is the object which must be controlled, rather than the whole square. Although I set up both armies on the table, Jan is free to change my deployment of her army, providing each corps remains in the square they occupy on the campaign map.

At the start of each campaign phase there is a declared objective. This is always the city which is the capitol of the military district being invaded. There is therefore always an attacking side, and a defending side. Because I run the map campaign I always command the attacking army.

The campaign map shows the area of the campaign, and the location of each corps at the start of the campaign. The British are on the left and the French on the right. There is one square between the two armies, which is no-mans-land. When a corps enters the square between them and the enemy a battle is declared. The British are the attacking force in this campaign and their objective is to take and hold the city of Burgos. They are deployed on the Valladolid side of the border with each army (of three corps) concentrated and ready to attack. The French are on the Burgos side of the border with one corps from each army on the border, and the remaining two in and around the nearest town to the border.

Normally the British would attack one army at a time. Because they are concentrated they have a slight advantage over the French. That advantage only last for the first battle, because the French react as soon as the first British army crosses the border. Because they have the advantage, it is usual for the attacking army to win at least two of the opening battles. At the end of three battles the defending army is normally in retreat towards the three towns on the right of the map, one of which is Burgos.

After the first three battles both armies have battle casualties, received during the wargame to decide the outcome of each battle. Often the losing army will have received more casualties than the attacking one Most of these casualties are replaced before the fourth battle is fought. Casualties in each brigade is reduced to 10%. This will affect both combat and morale tests for the brigade concerned, and it makes all six armies much more brittle than in the first three battles. It also makes it more difficult for the attacking player. Because he has to approach the defending army, who then normally fire first and can initiate cavalry charges. Therefore the advantage is with the attacking player in the first three battles and with the defender in the last three.

If you have followed the progress of the Burgos campaign you will be aware that things did not go smoothly. The attacking army, the British, only won one of the first three battles. Instead of advancing in pursuit of the retreating army they found themselves withdrawing back towards Valladolid. The British did win two of the next three battles, but only resulted in a draw. Because they had failed to take the French held city of Burgos they lost the campaign.

All of this does not matter much, because the whole purpose of the campaign is to produce interesting and enjoyable wargames. All six games were indeed both interesting and enjoyable. However they did highlight the weakness in requiring the attacker to force the defender to retreat after the first three battles.

The reason for the lack of British success was poor dice, made worse by particularly good dice for the French. We both feel that it is essential to accept the luck of the dice, even if it does mean a game which should last about a week only lasts a couple of days.

Burgos Campaign – Day Six

31 August 1813 – North Spain – Day 6

French attack Laguna
10 French army – regroup at Quintana
11 French army – attack Laguna
12 French army – retreat to Cuellar

British win battle of Laguna
1 British army – regroup at Palencia
2 British army – defend Laguna
3 British army – occupy Coca

Battle of Coca – Start of Battle

2nd British army retreated to Laguna having lost the battle of Santa Maria
11th French pursue and attack them at Laguna

French army is commanded by Marshal Oudinot
British army is commanded by General Hill

French – 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
British – 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery

French have 9 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (3800 men)
British have 6 infantry and 1 cavalry casualties (2500 men)

The game objectives are the three squares at the top of the photo
Hill on the left
Woods in the centre
Bridge on the right
The side who controls two of the three at the end of move 12 will be the winner

Both armies are deployed on the table at the start of the game

The French started the battle with more casualties than the British
To have any chance of success they would have to weaken the British cavalry or artillery
To do so they would have to attack aggressively and hope to win the opening battle
They failed miserably and had lost the battle within 4 moves out of 12.

At the end of move 4 the British held all three game objectives
They were so confident that they advanced to rout the retreating French army

Comments
In a wargame, even more than in real life, it is really difficult for the side with more casualties to win. To do so they have to fight an aggressive game, and hope to win the opening moves and inflict casualties on the enemy cavalry or artillery. With superiority in either cavalry or artillery the weak infantry can then advance and hope to win the main battle.

This game opened with the French cavalry advancing on the left flank. They were charged by the defending British cavalry, and routed with 10% casualties. The British cavalry rallied and forced the nearby gunners into an infantry square. By the end of move 2 the battle was over on the left flank.

In the centre both CinC had taken command of two cavalry brigades to form a cavalry reserve. The French cavalry now advanced and were charged by the stronger British horse. The French won the first phase, but lost the second. Both French brigades were routed with 20% and 30% casualties. The British suffered 20% to one brigade, but both rallied. By the end of move four the battle was over in the centre.

On the right flank the British occupied both ends of the bridge, with the elite light division was on the right bank. There was never any real likehood of a French victory on this flank. With the loss of their centre and left, the French retreated without a shot being fired.

When one side has such overwhelming reverses so early in the game both players have to decide whether to accept the outcome, or go back to the start positions and refight the game. Most would agree to do so, and thus avoid the sheer waste of time setting up the game. However in a campaign game this is not really an option. We both felt obliged to accept the sheer unfairness of the poor dice rolled by the French player (which was me). Even if this did mean losing a critical battle, which in turn would decide the campaign in favour of the British.

Burgos Campaign – Day Five

 

 

30 August 1813 – North Spain – Day 5

French attack Coca
10 French army – occupy Quintana
11 French army – pursue British to Laguna
12 French army – attack Coca

British win battle of Coca
1 British army – retreat to Palencia
2 British army – retreat to Laguna
3 British army – defend Coca

Battle of Coca – End of Move 2

Wellington’s invasion of Burgos District has suffered a major set back
He has lost three of the four battles fought so far
His army have been forced to abandon the invasion and retreat into Valladolid District

The French defeated Picton at the battle of Cuellar two days ago
They now attack him at Coca as he regroups and resupplies his army

12th French army is commanded by Marshal Marmont
3rd British army is commanded by General Picton

French – 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
British – 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery

French start the battle with 8 infantry, 2 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (3500 men)
British start the battle with 9 infantry and 3 cavalry casualties (3900 men)

Despite starting the battle with more casualties, the British win the battle.

Comments

Both armies started the battle with considerable casualties from earlier in the campaign.
This would mean that most brigades has 10% casualties and would have brittle morale
They would also be less effective in combat than those without any casualties

On the right the French infantry reached the hill without any artillery casualties
Hand to hand infantry fighting decided the outcome, which was a victory for the French

The British heavy cavalry charged and routed the French cavalry in the centre left
However they also received casualties and would both rout when a nearby brigade routed
The Polish lancers rallied and supported the attack on the town

French infantry took the hill on the left, again after extensive infantry hand to hand fighting

So the battle was decided by the Vistula Legion attack on the town
This was delayed until the cavalry melee was decided
The Polish artillery then concentrated on the right half of the town]
The garrison was routed and Polish infantry entered
However the highland brigade launched a counter attack, which routed the Poles
Meanwhile two more Polish brigades attacked the left half of the town
Heavy fighting resulted in a Polish withdrawal
At nightfall two British brigades held the town, one was shaken and the other disordered
But there were no Polish infantry left to attempt a counter attack

Normally when both sides start a game with heavy casualties there is a quick winner
One rout often leads to many more amongst the supporting brigades
Aware of this danger, the French player attacked with great caution
He managed to attack all three objectives, and all were hard fought
But the town was the deciding one, and both sides ended the game battered
If the French had just one formed infantry brigade near the town they would have won
But they didn’t.

Very enjoyable game with the winner decided at the end of move 12.

Burgos Campaign – Day Four

29 August 1813 – North Spain – Day 4

French attack Quintana
10 French army – attack Quintana
11 French army – regroup and resupply at Burgos
12 French army – rally and regroup at Cuellar

British lose battle of Quintana
1 British army – defend Quintana
2 British army – regroup and resupply at Santa Maria
3 British army – retreat to Coca

Battle of Quintana – End of Move 2

Their defeat at Picuerga has forced 1st British army to retreat to Quintana
10th French army follow up their victory, enter Valladolid district and attack them

10th French army is commanded by Marshal Soult
1st British army is commanded by Duke of Wellington

French – 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
British – 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery

French have 6 infantry and 1 cavalry casualties (2500 casualties)
British have 4 infantry casualties (1600 casualties)

On the left 28 French corps attack the woods held by 1 British corps
The British put up a determined defence, but lose the woods late in the day

In the centre 29 French corps attack the town held by 2 British corps
They take the right half of the town, but can make no progress against the left half

On the left Soult takes command of three infantry brigades and captures the hill
The remainder of 30 Polish corps move to support the attack on the town

Despite starting the game with more casualties, the French take two of the three objectives
In doing so they win the battle

Comments
This was another very close run game.

The French started the game with more casualties than the British.
They also had to attack, because the British retreated after losing an earlier battle

29 French corps, in the centre, had the majority of casualties
They also had to attack the town, which was the most difficult objective
It is not surprising that they failed to take it.

On the left the CinC took command of three Polish infantry brigades to attack the hill
They took it with ease, and the British could not organise a determined counter attack

But it was on the right that the most interesting battle was fought
The French routed the British cavalry and pushed back the infantry to the right of the woods
They then brought up their artillery close range and battered the defending highland brigade
Two French brigades attacked the woods, one from the front and one from the right
They routed the highland brigade, but also lost their brigade on the right
The British guards brigade counter attacked with just one move to go
The result was a draw, both sides lost 10% casualties but passed their morale

We agreed to fight an extra move to decide the game
Once more both sides lot 10% casualties and both passed their morale test
Of course we had to fight another move to decide the game
This time the British lost 10% and automatically routed with 30% casualties
The French did not lose any casualties, but failed their morale and were shaken
Though shaken the French remained in the woods, and could claim victory

It is really enjoyable when a game goes all 12 moves without a decision
And then has to fight a further two to determine the winner
It was clearly a convincing French victory 
But if they had lost that melee for the woods they would have lost the game