How to Play Wargames
How to Play Wargames Now that you've got the basic stumbling blocks out of the way, we can get down to some real, nitty gritty, how-to-win advice. While the games Victory Conditions drive the game, the nuances of the game rules are what will get you where you want to go.
The first thing you'll want to do is "crack the system." Every game has certain idiosyncrasies which determine the "flow" of play. Such an idiosyncrasy would be, for example, one side having a larger number of weaker units than the other. Another example would be one side starting the battle with its units spread over a far wider area than the other. You should make a note of things like that. Next, go back and examine the Combat Results Table (CRT) again. Most CRT's employ the odds system; that is, you total up the attacking player's strength points (numerical value) and compare them to the defending player's. You divide the defender's strength points into the attacker's and get a ratio which is usually rounded off so that 1.2 to 1 would be 1 to l or 3.2 to 1 would be 3 to 1, etc.
Another common type of CRT is the differential where you simply
subtract the defender's strength points from the attacker's, in which case you get a superiority (+1, +2, +3, etc.). In most CRT's (in fact in practically all) there is a "break point," an odds column above which the attacker is favored. In odds CRT's, this is generally, but not always, the 3 to 1 column. In other words if you launch an attack where you have three times as much combat strength as a defending unit, your chances of success are good. As the odds go up (4 to 1, 5 to 1, etc.) they get better. You must examine the CRT of the particular game that you are involved in and simply note where the advantage begins. Thus, when you're playing around with a small section of the game map and units, you can see the types of attacks you are most likely to get. Again, this is involving all of the key elements of the game. In order to examine the CRT you must take into account the Terrain Effects Chart, the general types of terrain you will be encountering in playing the game as well as the combat strength and the movement ability of the units.
At this point, it is important to consider some basic laws of game playing. In most historical games, the object is to provide at least a modicum of historicity. In other words, the thing that makes most wargames different from an abstract game such as Monopoly is that they do go out of their way to pay attention to what actually happened historically. This means that since most battles were the result of one side or the other underestimating the other side's strength, there was often a disparity in the strengths and
abilities of the two armies. In other words, one side usually has a tough row to hoe. They're outnumbered. They're outclassed. They're going to have to work very hard in order to win the game. Sometimes the victory conditions in the game reflect this. The potentially losing side would be granted a "game victory" if they did not lose as badly as they did historically. But devices such as this still do not change the fact that one side is going to be constantly reacting to the activity of the superior side, and ultimately losing most of the time.
All right, let's review the steps that we have taken so far to turn this mysterious jumble of numbers, hexagonal shapes, colors and charts into something recognizable.
One: We have examined the playing pieces, Terrain Effects Chart, map, Combat Results Table and Victory Conditions for patterns of information.
Two: After examining these, we have gone through the rules to find whatever modifiers there are to these patterns.
Three: We have set up and examined the game situation, usually using the historical set-up, and have studied this if only for the historical information it reveals.
Four: We have taken a small section of this historical set-up and begun moving the units around, having combats and generally getting a feel for the game.
Five: We have taken the Combat Results Table and analyzed it for the point where it favors the attacker over the defender.
You now have the tools to begin cracking just about any game. Some games will involve a lot more work than others, but these are the basic techniques. Now, to use them.
How
to Win with the Losing Side
